Standard Issue Podcast

This week it's Jen’s pick, and for reasons not even she can explain, she's chosen James Cameron's 1994 Arnie-fest, True Lies. But is Cameron telling tales of tough women, or toxic entitlement? How has Hannah found common ground with a horse? And why does Mick look like she's been crying? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artist Louise Bourgeois became a household name late on in her seven-decade long career, and is known best by many for her iconic spider sculptures. However, her body of work explores themes such as life cycles, nature, motherhood, and relationships. As part of its 20 Years of Compton Verney programme, the Warwickshire art gallery and stately home is showcasing Bourgeois’ work in a new exhibition Louise Bourgeois: Nature Study.Jen caught up with CEO of Compton Verney, Geraldine Collinge, to chat about Bourgeois’ life, work, and why she’s so important, as well as how the venue is celebrating the 20th anniversary of opening its doors to the public. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Best-selling crime author Lisa Jewell has written a book for Marvel. You heard us. So, our Hazel Davis got on the phone to find out more. They chat about Jessica Jones, killing off characters, a terrible first marriage, audiobooks, hoarding and a lot more besides.To hear the full interview, including Lisa talking about None Of This Is True, you can sign up to the Standard Issue membership scheme here: https://www.patreon.com/StandardIssue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Secret Garden was a childhood favourite of Anna Himali Howard and Holly Robinson - and our Hannah, too - so she leapt on the Zoom to talk about their new stage adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic novel. They talk about the themes of disability and India, as well as staging a play at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre during the Great British Summer - whatever the weather.Tickets are on sale here; https://openairtheatre.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhb60BhClARIsABGGtw8gIaATFcs62_0fZca2IqIiCO2SvDfIX8SgPJtHv-dloqZtR_D_TwkaAnBOEALw_wcB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jen and Mick are on Bush Telegraph duties this week, and boy, oh boy, are they giddy with optimism after Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 General Election. That's rhetorical. And yet, as new PM Keir Starmer rings the changes, some things stay the same – hello sexism. Not that any of it is stopping Jobby the parrot having a lovely time. Meanwhile in sport, we’re chatting Wimbledon and misogyny, and definitely not sending any angry tweets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hannah's been pretty upfront about how much she loved this film as a kid, but hang on, isn't it basically a musical about the rape of the Sabine women? Yes, yes, it is. But will the sheer toe-tapping nature of MGM's much-loved feast for the eyes, help Jen and Mick get over that terrible premise? No prizes for guessing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The statistics around domestic violence in the UK and beyond are horrifying – and have been for a long time. When playwright Martha Loader heard about schemes to rehabilitate the perpetrators of abuse, she was inspired to write what became the winner of the 2022 Bruntwood prize for playwriting, Bindweed, which is at London's Arcola Theatre from July 9-13.Jen spoke to Martha about the issues explored in Bindweed, about the onus of solving the endemic problem of domestic abuse being firmly put on the perpetrators, and about the curiosity of nervous laughter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a while, but our resident music guru Liz Buckley is back. And she’s read Kathleen Hanna’s new autobiography, Rebel Girl. This has given her the perfect excuse to chat to our Mick about Hanna’s life and works so far, Bikini Kill and the band’s part in the riot grrrl movement that combined feminism, punk music, and politics, and why her gigs are great spaces for tits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A far cry from the glamour and wealth of the Premier League, Georgia Cloepfil spent her days travelling around the world in search of a career as a professional footballer. In her new book, The Striker and the Clock, she details the loneliness of that life, seeking a time-limited win that might never come. She caught up with Jen to talk about that, as well as issues that continue to surround the women’s game, including inequality in pay and conditions, snobbery, and why women’s sport is definitely not “having a moment”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Election Day! Finally! And it's also Independence Day, so in this week's BT, Hannah's been chatting to The Atlantic's Helen Lewis about what comes next for #TeamBiden after *that* Presidential Debate performance. And in Jenny Off The Blocks, Jen's chatting about the fate of Reading FC's women's team, as well as Wimbledon, and the best ways to ensure women's sport is taken seriously.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices