Smith & Waugh Talk About SatireJun 07, 2024
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EP64. Snappy GenyLex: The 2024 General Election Eras of Satire TourJo and Adam are back sooner than expected with an episode so topical it'll almost certainly by out of date by the time you finish reading this sentence! Rishi Sunak has called a general election, but something seems different this time... At the time of writing, there seems little expectation that the Tories can keep hold of office and, with one PR catastrophe after another, some are even speculating that they're actually TRYING to lose. Meanwhile, Labour seems to be expending all of their energy on pumping out memetastic TikToks whilst Ed Davie is apparently having the holiday of a lifetime. Suffice to day, the internet is drowning in satire. But fear not, Adam and Jo are here to sort the Juvenalian from the Menippean, identify the various subjects of critique and say then everything is bathos. Also featuring further updates on the Mitford sisters and the 18th Century.Jun 07, 202401:07:49EP63. We Need To Talk About Satire: Lionel Shriver's "Mania" and "American Fiction"We need to talk about campus satire, again. Jo and Adam take a deep dive into two recent cultural takes which wear their satirical ambitions very much on their sleeves: the movie American Fiction, written and directed by Cord Jefferson, starring Jeffrey Wright and based on the novel by Percival Everett, and the controversial new novel by Lionel Shriver, Mania. Each examine their respective satirical targets through the lens of an academic protagonist on the edge, and each wield the blistering scalpel of satire with varying degrees of success. Jo also explains why the Mitford sisters would never want to be confused for one another. SSE!May 20, 202401:06:38EP58. Saltburn and "The Satire Man": A Good-Humoured Christmas EpisodeOne magical winter's night, a Satireman comes to life and a magical adventure begins... That's right! They'll be satire tonight, and you'll soon be walking in a winter hinterland, because it's time again for the most festive of all festive traditions: the annual Smith and Waugh Talk About Satire Christmas Special! First up, Jo and Adam read the magical picture-book tale of a living Satireman who flies away to meet the real-life Father Christmorris. Then Adam and Jo will take you on a deep dive into the most polarising film of the year, Emerald Fennell's Saltburn. Is it a superficial grab bag of scenes from better texts and films, or a satire about British class dynamics in the 2020s? And exactly how significant (and satirical) are Jack Wills hoodies? Finally, Jo and Adam confront three revenant ghosts of Smith and Waugh Christmases past: Armando Iannucci's Pandemonium, Netflix's The Crown and ITV's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. Merry Christmas, one and all, and to all, a satirical night. Dec 20, 202301:09:42EP57. Snark Academia: Satire on Campus Universities are home to reality warping bureaucracy, towering moral hubris, endemic charlatanism and rampant neoliberalism... according to the campus satire Jo and Adam discuss in this episode. Inspired by the new Nic Cage movie Dream Scenario and the return of Frasier Crane (this time returning as a Harvard professor), Adam and Jo are taking a deep dive into a world of satire that hits very close to home.... Featuring discussion of campus satire by such authors as David Lodge, Lorrie Moore, Anne Fine, Alison Lurie and, of course, Kingsley Amis. Also featuring an update on Adam's new research interest in continental breakfasts. Nov 29, 202301:21:41EP54. This Barbie is Satirical Jo and Adam take a deep dive into the film everyone is [being compelled to keep] talking about: Greta Gerwig's Barbie. Is it a satire, and if so, what are the its targets? Can you really critique the relationship between systemic capitalist patriarchy, gender stereotypes and artificial manifestations of female emancipation in a film which is itself a vast corporate endeavour designed to ensure everyone keeps buying and celebrating Barbies? What does it mean for a film literally made by Mattel to explicitly critique Mattel for encouraging children to fetishise consumerism, whilst also being released as part of the biggest film marketing campaign in recent cinema history? And does any of this enhance or diminish the film's satirical bite? Certainly there's lots to talk about, alongside Jo and Adam's own toy-related memories and a disturbing experiment with the "BAIrbie" A. I. Engine. Contains massive spoilers.Aug 04, 202301:14:02EP51. Coronation Satire: Charles III, Themes and MemesHoratian, Juvenalian, Menippean? Jo and Adam examine some of the big satirical moments of the coronation of Charles III to work out what kind of satire they were, what they were targeting and, more importantly, whether or not they were funny. From "Poundland" Penny Mordant's big sword, to the spare Camillas and the King's revision cards, all the way through to the things that no other country can do, when it came to generating memes the British public very much rose to the occasion. Jo and Adam also consider the mainstream satire of Harry Enfield (The Windsors: Coronation Special), Frankie Boyle (Farewell to the Monarchy) and Stewart Lee ('God Save the King, but what about the Planet', The Guardian). Along the way they also pause to dwell on bigger questions: what is Menippean satire? What does it actually mean to swear allegiance? And is it a corrigible or incorrigible fault to have a big nasty face for genitals? May 31, 202301:06:23EP48. What Has Satire Ever Done For Us? (Live in Leeds!)In a very special episode, join Jo and Adam as they perform a set at the Farsely Constitutional in Leeds in late October 2022. And the question Adam and Jo decide to tackle, unscripted, in front of a live, public audience is: What has satire ever done for us? Satire is great at calling things out, but has it ever actually - even once - ever made an actual difference? To answer the timeless quandary, Jo and Adam share a series of case-studies from the history satire and try to determine whether or not they changed anything. These include a ghoulish satirical hoax (18th century), a sustained campaign of satirical harassments (19th century) and the satirical saturation point of Boris Johnson (2021-22), among others. Special thanks to Dr Adam Booth for giving us this opportunity to talk about satire LIVE as part of his "Quantum Sauce" series.Feb 27, 202334:22EP40. Royal Satire: Platinum Jubilee Satire Review SpecialDid you have a good street party this weekend? Did you get tangled up in bunting? Did you wrestle with a gazebo? Did your neighbor try to start a conga? Did you encounter a Platinum Pudding Maker? No, neither did Adam and Jo. As the nation is strongly encouraged to partake in a frenzy of patriotic worship and monarchical affirmation, Jo and Adam consider the long tradition in British Royal Satire (dating back, of course, to the eighteenth century) before picking out a couple of key satirical moments from the jubilee celebrations (and their immediate aftermath).Jun 08, 202247:21EP.29. Satire, Poetry & the Global Pandemic (with Leigh Stein)Jo and Adam are joined by returning guest, poet/novelist/journalist/satirist Leigh Stein for a discussion of her new collection of satire-inflected pandemic poetry, What To Miss When (Penguin, 2021). In a wide-range discussion, Adam and Jo also talk about: the power and purpose of poetry and its potential as an effective medium for satire; the challenges that confront anyone hoping to represent the first year of Covid-19; and what kind of satirical poem they themselves would write if ever they were required to do so. Tune in again tomorrow for part two of this interview with Leigh, in which everyone talks about cancellation, Karens and Bo Burnham. Read the shownotes.Aug 16, 202157:28EP.24. Satire On International Women's DayJo and Adam #ChooseToChallenge this International Women’s Day by seeking out and celebrating some of their favourite female satirists from literary history: Mary Leopor and Stella Gibbons.Especially devoted listeners may also choose to stick around after the closing music for an extra treat.Read the full show-notes.Mar 08, 202155:34EP.22. Satire: Social Media, Identity Politics and Woke Ideology Part 2 (with Andrew Doyle) In the second part of this wide-ranging interview with satirist, comedian and cultural commentator Andrew Doyle , conversation turns to touch on cancel culture and the culture wars as Andrew explains what is at stake in his satirical project. Jo and Adam also take time to reflect on Charlie Brooker’s latest production, the Netflix mocumentary Death to 2020, and Jo reveals her clever idea for a new kind of national service.Feb 02, 202148:44EP.21. Satire: Social Media, Identity Politics and Woke Ideology Part 1 (with Andrew Doyle)18 months after he first appeared on the podcast (Episode 8. Satire: Woke Politics and Political Tribalism), Jo and Adam welcome satirist, comedian, writer and cultural commentator Andrew Doyle to discuss life as the man behind Titania McGrath during 2020, and to discuss Titania’s latest book: My First Little Book Of Intersectional Activism. Access the full show-notes here.Feb 01, 202101:12:39EP.20 - Christmas Consumer Advice Special Sometimes, a phrase pops into your head that seems too good not to use, even though sometimes it was plenty weak enough to leave alone. So it is in this episode of the 9th best satire podcast with ‘Karen and Gammon Talk About Salmon’, Adam and Jo find out as they labour the joke to be sure it won’t work. They then talk about satirical books at Christmas time, Christmas itself, and some of the adverts that have happened this year. Read the full show-notes.Dec 16, 202001:07:50EP.19 - Have We Got Satirical News For You Poor Unfortunate Adam is trapped in his flat with only his memories for company, having been outed as the Saboteur in CBBC’s Trapped – or possibly just been near too many phones. Jo has decorated her study with subversive prints and a Jane Area, but has now run out of things to do as lockdown looms: what to do? The only way out of their own Infernos is to chat about some recent satire, including Spitting Image and some good stuff as well. There’s been plenty emerging recently, so it’s time for Adam and Jo to take centre stage as the main event, and talk about it. They also muse on the inconsistencies of Serco’s Track and Trace app, their respective failures to impress Cambridge Admissions Tutors, and the impossibility of telling whether someone is a ghost or not when you can’t touch people any more. Join us in our personal Bly Manors. It’s our podcast! Read the full shownotes here.Nov 10, 202001:16:21EP.15 - The Bonus Mail Bag EpisodeAfter pestering listeners to give them a yell for the past 18 months, Jo and Adam finally take a minute (or rather 63) to respond to all of the comments, questions and queries that have either landed in their satirical inbox (satirenomore@gmail.com) or hit them up in socials. Some are real, some are fictional, but each inspires a compelling, controversial or comedic discussion of the form, function, history and future of satire. And, since this is a bonus episode, Adam and Jo also take this opportunity to homage two of their own favourite podcasts. Check out the show-notes here.Jul 22, 202001:02:51
