Introducing Culture Call, a new FT podcast

Do you ever wonder how things enter the cultural zeitgeist and stick? Culture Call is a lively, transatlantic conversation from the Financial Times about the people, events and trends that are shifting culture in London, New York and beyond.

It’s hosted by us, Griselda Murray Brown and Lilah Raptopoulos. Gris is the FT’s commissioning arts editor based in London, and Lilah is US head of audience engagement based in New York.

Every other Tuesday, we’ll talk to someone who is making an impact in the world of culture and ideas; discuss how our changing political climate is playing out in books, art, music, online and on screen; and bring you behind the scenes of our most compelling Life & Arts stories.

As journalists, we are constantly looking for how cultural events fit into the bigger picture. What do the app Find My Friends and the TV show Black Mirror say about our fear of technology? Is the interest in psychotherapist and popular podcaster Esther Perel any different from our obsession with self-help? And what does the boom in non-fiction publishing say about our thirst for true stories?

In our first episode, available now, Lilah meets Taffy Brodesser-Akner, the American journalist known for her explosive celebrity profiles (including Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Hiddleston and Bradley Cooper). They chat about the art of the interview, the “trauma of fame” and her debut novel, Fleishman Is In Trouble.

In episode two, available on August 27, Gris meets the London rapper and podcaster George the Poet, winner of five gold prizes at this year’s British Podcast Awards, to talk about music, race and the emotional toll of being a voice for those often marginalised.

Future guests include the American cultural commentator Jia Tolentino, comedian Sara Pascoe, and — yes! — psychotherapist Esther Perel.

How to listen

Subscribe to Culture Call in the podcast app on your smartphone or tablet. You will be updated when new episodes are available, making it easier to listen while you’re on the move or to go back and listen to episodes you missed. To do this, open your podcast app of choice (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Acast, Stitcher, etc), tap on the Search icon and type in FT Culture Call. Tap Subscribe to have new episodes sent to your phone every other Tuesday.

Here are some direct links to help you out

From your iPhone or iPad, tap this link if you’re in the UK, or this link in the US, to reach us on your Apple podcast app, which is preloaded on all devices.

From your Android device, tap this link to reach Google Play Music, which is also preloaded.

If you prefer to listen in a different app, tap here for the link to Spotify or here for Stitcher.

Ask your Google Home or Apple HomePod to play FT Culture Call. If you have an Alexa-enabled device, you can enable the AnyPod skill in the app, then ask the speaker, “Ask Anypod to play FT Culture Call.”

Join us!

We want to know the people and trends that you think are shifting culture. If there’s something you want us to discuss — or someone you want to hear on the show — comment below, tweet us @FTculturecall or email us at culturecall@ft.com.

The FT also has many other podcasts about politics, banking, tech and more. You can browse them all here.