Drag Race Down Under the Covers – Line of Duty – Nadia Reid on FIRST
...and other recs this week!
Kia ora, welcome to this week’s newsletter.
Do you ever see a tweet and think yes, this is exactly how I feel, finally somebody has put my exact thoughts into words. That is what happened when I saw this tweet from Stuff’s political newshound Henry Cooke earlier this week:
Please scroll down for Stewart Sowman-Lund’s recommendation of the aforementioned and by all accounts very popular show. You’ll also find Sam Brooks recommending the new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, which is coincidentally another show the whole world discovered and became intensely knowledgeable about without me.
Even though I’ve missed the Drag Race train by a good 25 seasons, I still loved this week’s first episode of Chris Parker and Eli Matthewson’s recap podcast Drag Race Down Under the Covers, with special guest Miss Geena. I can only imagine how funny it is if you’re actually familiar with the show. If you’re one of the world’s many devoted Drag Race fans, have a listen and find out – it’s available on The Real Pod feed.
–Cal
New podcasts
On When the Facts Change [Apple | Spotify], Bernard Hickey spoke to Carmen Vicelich and Jarrod Kerr about the Reserve Bank’s big decisions and how they might affect the property market. Dietary Requirements [Apple | Spotify] welcomed guest Angus Brown from brain-friendly drinks company Ārepa to talk about science and food. On The Fold [Apple | Spotify], Duncan Greive spoke to two teen publishers whose magazines are distributed to every high school in the country. On Remember When… [Apple | Spotify] we struggled to keep our Tamagotchi alive then stayed home from school and watched Good Morning. And along with hosting the first episode of Drag Race Down Under the Covers, today’s regular The Real Pod [Apple | Spotify] farewells MAFS AU and moves onto the cleaner, greener pastures of Popstars. Business is Boring [Apple | Spotify] took a holiday last week, but it’s back with a new episode this Thursday. Follow and give them a listen!
John Swartzwelder, sage of The Simpsons
Eddy says: “The New York Times published a great interview this week with John Swartzwelder, a reclusive writer who was responsible for a good chunk of the best Simpsons episodes ever, and who hasn’t done any media in like 20 years. He’s just a massive weirdo in the best sense of the word.”
Taringa podcast
Leonie says: “I spent the last week or so driving the length and width of the country, and enjoyed a few different podcasts out on the lonely road, but most notably Taringa, a weekly podcast made at Te Wānanga o Aoteroa. I had initially thought it was a “learn te reo” podcast and not knowing where my level might meet theirs, I hadn’t dived in. The hosts Paraone Gloyne, Erica Sinclair and Te Puaheiri Snowden actually explore te reo Māori at a more linguistic level, looking at regional dialects, whakataukī and tikanga, and how the language has evolved over time. The Anzac special was especially touching, where they looked at letters sent home during WWII from the 28th Māori Battalion. You don’t need to be fluent to enjoy it, but you’ll learn a lot either way.”
The Single Object
When the Chinese Growers’ Federation imported a one-tonne set of typeface from Hong Kong in the 1950s, it helped connect the Chinese New Zealand community for the first time. For around two decades the Chinese Growers’ Monthly Journal was home to a lot more than tips on growing veges – there was Chinese-language news, community notices, even poetry. Then, when the final edition was printed in the 1970s, the typeface was carefully packed up and put into storage. Now it’s being restored, and it has a lot of stories to tell. Find out more in the week’s episode of The Single Object.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under
Sam says: “If you were concerned our local queens might not stand up to the best of the Rugirls from around the world, then cast those worries aside. Right out the gate, Drag Race Down Under has one of the franchise’s most appealing casts in years – the first episode actually engaged with the local culture, and the looks were absolutely to die for.” (Read Sam’s week one power rankings on The Spinoff.)
Line of Duty
Stewart says: “I’d only ever seen the first season of Line of Duty, but in an effort to catch up in time for the current season’s finale I’ve recently been diving into the rest of the back catalogue – and I’m absolutely hooked. It’s a ridiculous, action-packed British crime drama that’s so easy to binge. Each of its six seasons is filled with recognisable faces, from Thandiwe Newton to Keeley Hawes, and will leave you second-guessing yourself until the very end. The latest season is available express from the UK on TVNZ OnDemand, and the first five seasons are all on Netflix.”
FIRST: Nadia Reid
We are only three episodes into FIRST and already a major trend has begun to emerge: the importance of Countdown to New Zealand musicians. Both Finn Andrews and this week’s guest Nadia Reid used to busk outside the supermarket early in their careers. How many other former Countdown buskers have gone on to successful musical careers? How deep does this go?
A fancy cheese
Alice says: “They say the best things in life are free, but imho sometimes the best things in life come in an $18 jar marinated in garlic, thyme and olive oil. Such is the case with Clevedon Buffalo Co marinated buffalo cheese. I don’t buy it often (because $18) but on the rare occasions I do it blows my mind anew. Dunno what those buffalos are getting up to in Clevedon but they’re clearly doing something right. It’s not quite chevre, not quite feta, not quite ricotta, very much like eating light, fluffy clouds – if light, fluffy clouds tasted like delicious soft white cheese marinated in garlic, thyme and olive oil. Spread it on anything you have handy or just eat it from the ($18) jar.”
A lovely cider
Lucy says: “As a current non-drinker, I rec Zeffer’s new 0% cider. It's crisp and not too sweet, comes in a handy 4-pack and generally makes you feel less like you’re at the kids’ table on the lemon lime and bitters.”
A really good bit of parking
Duncan says: “I rec this really pragmatic gentleman on the Dutch show Man Bijt Hond for his dreaming big in a small place and making his tiny garage work for him and his lovely red Fiat.”
That’s all for this week! Please reply to get in touch and share with anyone else who might like to subscribe too. See you next Wednesday 👋