Saigoneer Podcast Saigoneer

After a few months away, we take a look back at the podcast since it started; reminiscing on previous recording locations, co-hosts, and memorable moments.

Editor-in-Chief (and co-host) Mike Tatarski has moved on from Saigoneer, so we took this chance to revisit the past - while still opening with Bánh Mì Banter.

We're not quite sure when the podcast will return at this stage, but we hope to bring it back to your feed in the future!

In our first episode of the new year, we begin with Bánh Mì Banter, before rating 2021 on the usual criteria of deliciousness, billability and would you miss it?

Then, in 'This or That,' we debate the pros and cons of the Lunar New Year and the Gregorian New Year - January 1 - to determine which we'd rather celebrate.

This special episode builds on our recent article about the creation of 'Magical Nights - Saigon Surf Twist & Soul,' the recently released album of Phương Tâm's songs from the early 1960s.

Hannah Hà, Mark Gergis and Jan Hagenkoetter were the driving force behind the album - Hannah, Tâm's daughter, shares how she learned about her mother's past as a rockstar singer in 1960s Saigon - a previous life that no one in her family knew about.

The trio also discuss how they connected, the arduous process of tracking down physical copies of Tâm's music during the first year of the pandemic, the delicate work of bringing her songs to life on 'Magical Nights,' and the importance of bringing Vietnamese voices to music from the 1960s.

The audio quality on this episode isn't up to our usual standards, as this is a phone recording of a Zoom call that wasn't planned for the podcast, but we think this is worth sharing as a companion to the website feature, which can be found here: https://saigoneer.com/saigon-music-art/20780-what-to-do-when-you-discover-that-your-mom-was-a-superstar-singer-in-1960s-saigon

Happy holidays from the Saigoneer Podcast team!