Welcome back to Art Histories, the podcast! Episode two of eight and we're feeling fun and fancy-free. Well, ish. At least Olivia is slightly less nervous this week.
Art Histories aims to provide a raw, intimate study of the power of the arts by inviting one guest on a week to talk about three pieces of art that have moulded them or shaped the course of their lives.
For Episode 2, Olivia spends a glorious ninety minutes (it's a beast, this episode) with the one and only Fran Birkby and gets up close and personal with legwarmers in Andrew Lloyd's Webber's 'Cats', brushes up on her French (it's still awful) with Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 2001 film 'Amelie', and discovers there's far more to Italian restaurants than spaghetti and meatballs with Billy Joel's 1977 record 'The Stranger'. Fran's mission of acquiring 'justice for Cats' is accomplished as Olivia finds herself becoming a fan, there's an ode to the smallest of pleasures and the power of human connection amidst a global pandemic, and an emotive discussion around the weight of words and narrativizing your life through song. Fran is a vocal and intellectual powerhouse and makes her Spotify debut at the end of this episode with original song 'Just Wait' (which, trust me, is worth waiting for). Thanks for listening!
Original jingle for 'Art Histories' composed and performed by Fran Birkby. Cover photography as seen on Spotify and Instagram by Anna Emslie. Follow us on Instagram @arthistoriespod for episode updates and bonus content, and Spotify so you never miss an upload!
