PAPO Podcast Transcript: Episode Three

Pop A Pod On
Jan 9, 2022
6 min read

This is a transcript of episode three of the Pop A Pod On Podcast. It contains 4 podcast recommendations that cover wine, Daniel Johns, the NZ media landscape, and food, glorious food.

Jump straight to:

Intro

Welcome to the Pop A Pod On Podcast, your weekly dose of podcast recommendations. I’m your host, Mary-Jane Rewa and boy do I have some pretty punchy poddies for you today… I talk music, food, wine, and the media… so many of the things I love talking about… time is precious so let’s get into this week's recommendations!

Recommendation 1: Wine Face

Today’s first recommendation is focused squarely on something I love dearly and indulge in with great pleasure, that thing is... Wine. And the podcast’s name is Wine Face.

Wine Face is hosted by Helen Johannesen a sommelier and owner of Helen’s Wines in LA. Helen is an incredibly engaging authority on all things wine and the podcast serves as an educational resource for the perhaps, less qualified of us:

who are curious about wine
want to be more informed about wine
might want to be more comfortable ordering wines in restaurants
are keen to make savvier purchasing decisions when buying wine

Wine is a global commodity and so Wine Face takes the listener all over the world, not only is it a podcast that informs and entertains, it also acts as a virtual tour teleporting us to parts of the world most of us can only really dream about visiting given the current situation.

Johannesen takes us to wine regions from across the globe, from the old world to the new, explaining in just enough detail the various characteristics of the regions, what to look for in wines from those regions, she provides the names of notable winemakers, discusses winemaking styles, draws attention to the relevant grape varietals, requisite tasting notes and she notably, and very helpfully helps with pronunciation where needed. And a whole lot more.

Her style is learned but supremely relaxed, and this is emphasized by her use of language. It is relatable, creative, and completely and utterly lacking any of the pretense or arrogance sometimes associated with the topic of wine and wine experts.

It’s a great entry point for exploring the topic of wine and is a true joy to listen to; episodes run around 20 – 30 minutes. Enough time to enjoy at least one glass of wine while you listen! So, in the words of Rihanna, Pour It UP!

Recommendation 2: Who Is Daniel Johns?

If you’re thinking about a luscious red or a summery rose, I apologise, as today's second recommendation is about to frog stomp its way into your consciousness in the form of the Spotify Original Podcast, Who Is Daniel Johns?

In WHO IS DANIEL JOHNS, the notoriously private musician, known for fronting Silverchair, Disassociates, and Dream, among other solo projects and collaborations, opens up like never before. He goes deep into his experiences as a young kid making massive waves in the global music market, his creative process, his mentors and collaborators, his musical idols, and surprisingly, his personal life.

It is a strikingly captivating series. Not only are we invited to Johns'week's, own world, hearing of his experiences direct from the proverbial horse's mouth, but we are equally privileged to hear the thoughts and opinions of some of the people who have shared experiences with Johns along the way. From ex-wife Natalie Imbruglia to contemporary Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, legendary musician, composer, and maestro Van Dyke Parks to Silverchair’s ex-maW+nager John Watson. And this barely scratches the surface.

Every episode in this podcast is packed full of anecdotes, perspectives, stories, insights, laughs, and reflections into spaces and times way beyond what most of us saw from the outside.

And so why has Daniel Johns, after all of this time, decided to do the podcast. Simply, to promote his creative genius or in his own words it’s a “good vessel to release art”.

Available now on Spotify, this 5 episode series is a trip down memory lane, it’s a lesson on the price of fame, it holds a mirror up to relationships, it provides unique insight into the mind of a musical genius and it is really good.

Recommendation 3: The Fold

In my opinion, The Fold is one of the best podcasts coming out of NZ… it’s hosted by Duncan Grieve, Managing Editor of The Spinoff, a media brand and content agency based out of Auckland, New Zealand.

In this podcast, Grieve interviews the movers, the shakers, creators, and big decision-makers across the entire NZ media landscape. His roster of guests is equally as impressive as it is diverse.

He talks to independent media players behind the likes of Shit You Should Care About to Janet Wilson, former press secretary to Judith Collins, leader of the opposition. He covered the $1 sale of Stuff.co.nz to editor, Sinead Boucher, and the eventual very unfortunate demise of Bauer Media in the NZ market. He spoke to Metro Editor Henry Oliver, art director Kelvin Soh and food editor Jean Teng about how they revitalised METRO magazine… one of the casualties of the Bauer media closure. He emphasises and shines a light on issues around representation in the media, the all-important funding that goes into NZ broadcasting and media. And he talks to people like the CEO of Vodafone NZ Jason Paris about ethical advertising.

I could go on, but hopefully, I’ve given you enough of an idea to let your curiosity take you on a wee journey.

If it isn’t already clear, Grieve doesn’t shy away from the difficult topics, nor from asking the tough questions. The conversations are honest. The subject matter, important. The timing, relevant. And each episode is relentlessly interesting. Because of this, The Fold has established itself as a living and breathing recent history of NZ media and broadcasting. And we are the fortunate recipients of this rich resource.

Episodes are between 30 – 60 mins long and are uploaded a little sporadically, but on balance, weekly. Remember to subscribe and turn on notifications to catch new episodes.

Recommendation 4 : The Sporkful

Today’s episode reads as an ode to my favourite things, so why stop now… haha.

For today’s final recommendation let’s head over to The Sporkful, a wildly fun and slightly wacky podcast on the absolute delight and pleasure of food. I stumbled upon this podcast last year, and it’s become one of my go-to easy listening pods ever since.

What initially got me hooked on this podcast, was its Mission Impastable series, where host Dan Pashman, and a couple of his friends Evan Kleiman and Frances Lamb set out on an adventure to invent a…. wait for it, new pasta shape. The entire process is documented over five surprisingly enlightening and entertaining episodes. It’s a jolly good time.

But the Sporkful, is more than Mission Impastable. It, in its own words, is not for foodies, it’s for eaters. And the regular episodes are a real testament to that tagline. In the Sporkful, Pashman covers wide-ranging topics and speaks to a broad range of people, involved in, or tangential to the food industry. His guests have included Great British Bake-off contestants, iconic musicians, food writers, chefs, doctors, and a whole heap more.

Pashman and his guests discuss themes ranging from cooking techniques to eating in public as a fat person, from food in movies to the widely publicized reckoning at Bon Apetit. And everything in between.

It is all of these things that make The Sporkful a real pleasure to listen to.

Episodes run around 30 – 45 minutes long and are uploaded weekly on Mondays.

Outtro

Thank you for making it through this, the third episode of the Pop A Pod On podcast. You are a champion!

All of the podcasts mentioned in today’s episode will be linked in the show notes below.

If you have any feedback please get in touch, info on how to contact me will also be in the show notes.

And if you have any recommendations of your own please fire them through to me. I’m always looking for something new to pop on.

Finally, the music you hear in this podcast was sourced through Uppbeat, the artist is Sensho and the track is called Glow.

See you next week!