Best Julien Laurens Podcasts (2025)

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Verena Halsmayer on Managing Growth in Miniature: Solow’s Model as an Artifact 1:22:06

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7h ago1:22:06

1:22:06

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, chats with Verena Halsmeyer, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Vienna, about her recent, award-winning book, Managing Growth in Miniature: Solow’s Model as an Artifact. The book explores the history of the way economists think about growth, including the role of technological change in it. It focuses on t…

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Cory Doctorow on Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It 1:36:34

8d ago1:36:34

1:36:34

In this special livestream edition of Peoples & Things, host Lee Vinsel and very special guest host, danah boyd, formerly of Microsoft Research, presently Geri Gay Professor of Communication at Cornell University, chat with writer and activist, Cory Doctorow, about his new book, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do Abo…

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How Government Made the U.S. into a Manufacturing Powerhouse 1:10:28

3h ago1:10:28

1:10:28

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Colleen Dunlavy, Emeritus Professor of History at University of Wisconsin-Madison, about her recent book, Small, Medium, Large: How Government Made the U.S. Into a Manufacturing Powerhouse. Small, Medium, Large examines the crucial role that the U.S. federal government played in rationalizing and diffus…

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Oliver Postgate 27:39

3d ago27:39

27:39

"Postgate's work is deep inside me and I think that's true for so many of my generation...His work represents nothing less than a touchstone for our national imagination and in that sense it's profoundly important" Andrew Davenport, writer, composer, and creator of Teletubbies and In the Night Garden, nominates Oliver Postgate, who, along with his …

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Sylvia Plath 27:06

10d ago27:06

27:06

Lucy Jones, author of Matrescence, chooses the writer Sylvia Plath. Sylvia Plath was a precocious, prize-winning child,. Her mother had high expectations for her. Her father had died when she was 8 (but could have been saved if only he'd gone to see a doctor). When she was well, Plath was energetic, fun, bright, attractive, funny and incredibly sma…

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Kate Epstein on How Twentieth-Century Technology Theft Built the National-Security State" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 1:33:30

1M ago1:33:30

1:33:30

In this episode I sit down with Kate Epstein, an associate professor of history at Rutgers University-Camden, as she details her research on the intersection of defense contracting, intellectual property, and government secrecy in Great Britain and the United States. We talk about her process in researching and writing her latest book Analog Superp…

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Elizabeth Day on Hatshepsut 27:40

17d ago27:40

27:40

"One of the things that she claimed was that her mother had been impregnated by the sun god Amon-Ra."Elizabeth Day's interest in the female pharaoh Hatshepsut was sparked by a trip to Egypt less than a year ago. What intrigued her was how this woman survived and thrived as ruler in a traditionally male role. Joining her in discussion is Professor J…

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Comedian Stewart Lee on Derek Bailey 30:43

24d ago30:43

30:43

"The area I mostly work in is generally known as free - the free music area. And free is one of those four letter words, like rock or jazz or punk maybe. It started out meaning something." Derek Bailey Born in 1930 in Sheffield, Bailey worked as a session musician in dance bands and orchestras before turning his back on that world. Free improvisati…

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Whitney Laemmli on Making Movement Modern 1:01:42

1M ago1:01:42

1:01:42

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Whitney Laemmli, Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Science and Cultural Studies at the Pratt Institute, about her forthcoming book, Making Movement Modern: Science, Politics, and the Body in Motion. The book traces a technique for visualizing human movement, Labanotation, from its origins …

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Jock Stein, first British football manager to win the European Cup 27:41

1M ago27:41

27:41

Jock Stein, first British football manager to win the European Cup, picked by composer Sir James MacMillan and aided by Jock Stein’s biographer, Archie MacPherson. Jock Stein was manager of Celtic FC when they won the European Cup in Lisbon in 1967. He later died while managing Scotland in a world cup qualifier against Wales – the date, September 1…

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Benjamin Franklin 26:59

1M ago26:59

26:59

Matthew Parris heads to the house where Benjamin Franklin lived for almost 17 years to meet banker and philanthropist John Studzinski. Franklin was born in Boston when it was still a part of the British empire, ran away to Philadelphia and lodged near Charing Cross at 36 Craven Street in London for over a decade. He was an agent for the Pennsylvani…

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Ashleigh Wade on How Black Girls Use Social Media 1:20:13

2M ago1:20:13

1:20:13

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Ashleigh Greene Wade, Associate Professor of Digital Studies with a joint appointment in Media Studies and African American Studies at the University of Virginia, about her book, Black Girl Autopoetics: Agency and Possibility in Everyday Digital Practice. The book examines how black girls use social med…

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Miles Jupp on JL Carr, author of A Month in the Country 27:28

1M ago27:28

27:28

"I find his novels extraordinarily beautiful .. and they're an excellent length." Miles Jupp picks an author he loves, but knows little about. JL Carr was born in Yorkshire and was a teacher, mapmaker, and an eccentric. Joining the comedian in studio to discuss Carr is a man who knew him well - DJ Taylor - who paints a picture of a man who hated Lo…

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Helen Castor on Richard II 27:37

2M ago27:37

27:37

Today's great life is possibly more famous as a Shakespearean character - King Richard II who was deposed by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke in 1399. He's been chosen by historian Helen Castor, author of The Eagle and the Hart, who shines a light on what really happened towards the end of his reign. Also helping is Professor Emma Smith who explains wh…

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Julien Mailland on "The Game That Never Ends: How Lawyers Shape the Videogame Industry" 1:10:25

2M ago1:10:25

1:10:25

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Julien Mailland, Associate Professor of Media Management, Law, and Policy at The Media School of Indiana University Bloomington, about his book, The Game That Never Ends: How Lawyers Shape the Videogame Industry. The book examines key moments, beginning in the 1970s, in which legal decisions influenced …

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DJ Deb Grant on John Prine 26:51

2M ago26:51

26:51

DJ Deb Grant picks US mailman turned country-folk singer John Prine, whose beautiful songs captured the world in which he lived. Bob Harris, who first met him on the Old Grey Whistle Test, adds to the conversation. "I came to know him through him speaking about his own music - it's his character, his personality and his attitude that I fell for," s…

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Tiia Sahrakorpi on a Use-Based History of Electricity in Finland 1:20:25

3M ago1:20:25

1:20:25

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Tiia Sahrakorpi, Visiting Professor at Weber State University, about her interesting book project, Our Land: An Oral History of Energy, which was funded by the Research Council of Finland. The project, which was rooted in oral histories in three locations in Finland, takes a use-based perspective and ex…

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Saint Etienne on their 13th and final album, ‘International’ 28:50

3M ago28:50

28:50

Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Sarah Cracknell and Pete Wiggs from beloved British pop band Saint Etienne. They discuss their upcoming album, ‘International’, which will be their last. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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Summer books special: Fredrik Backman, Christopher Bollen and our recommended reading 29:06

3M ago29:06

29:06

In our summer books special, Fredrik Backman discusses his latest book, ‘My Friends’, and Christopher Bollen talks about his novel ‘Havoc’. Plus: Georgina Godwin shares her recommended reading for the season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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Mary Bridges on US Bankers Abroad and the Making of a Global Superpower 1:08:10

3M ago1:08:10

1:08:10

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Mary Bridges, Ernest May Fellow in History and Policy at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, about her book, Dollars and Dominion: US Bankers and the Making of a Superpower. Dollars and Dominion takes an infrastructural view of ba…

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Summer music special: Green Man Festival and the season’s best albums 30:00

4M ago30:00

30:00

In our summer music special, we hear from Green Man Festival owner Fiona Stewart about what to expect from this year’s edition of the independent event. Plus: Kate Hutchinson with this season’s top-three albums. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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Summer art special: Gilbert & George, Australia’s Aboriginal art centres and Romanian painter Marius Bercea 26:08

4M ago26:08

26:08

In our summer art special, we visit an exhibition in London from Gilbert & George, head down under to find out about the art centres producing Aboriginal art and hear from a contemporary Romanian painter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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An exploration of the new Nick Drake boxset, “The Making of Five Leaves Left” 34:00

4M ago34:00

34:00

A new edition of Nick Drake’s “Five Leaves Left” record has been released, which includes previously unheard outtakes. Robert Bound explores the new release with Cally Callomon and Richard Morton Jack. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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Documentary filmmaker Lauren Greenfield on her groundbreaking series, ‘Social Studies’ 26:31

4M ago26:31

26:31

The documentary series ‘Social Studies’ explores the culture of social media, with insight into the real-life habits of teenagers. We catch up with the filmmaker behind the series, Lauren Greenfield, to find out more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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Summer exhibitions: Jenny Saville and ‘Once Upon a Time in London’ 26:11

5M ago26:11

26:11

We head to two major exhibitions taking place this summer: ‘Once Upon a Time in London’ at Saatchi Yates and ‘Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting’ at the National Portrait Gallery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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Savannah Mandel on an Argument for the End of Human Space Exploration 1:02:35

5M ago1:02:35

1:02:35

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with space anthropologist, writer, and Virginia Tech doctoral candidate, Savannah Mandel, about her book, Ground Control: An Argument for the End of Human Space Exploration (Chicago Review Press, 2025). The book uses history, ethnography, participant observation in policy-making, and other forms of evidence …

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Photographer Dennis Morris reflects on his extraordinary career 36:03

5M ago36:03

36:03

British photographer Dennis Morris joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss his extraordinary career and well-loved images of Bob Marley and the Sex Pistols. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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Monocle meets British installation artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien 28:41

5M ago28:41

28:41

We sit down with legendary installation artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien. He discusses his career, early influences and his current show, ‘Isaac Julien: I Dream a World’, at San Francisco’s de Young Museum. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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Sir Seretse Khama, first president of Botswana 27:43

4M ago27:43

27:43

Seretse Khama was born in 1921 in Bechuanaland when it was still a British Protectorate. In 1966 he became Botswana's first president. In between he married a white Londoner, Ruth Williamson, was exiled by the British, and made to renounce his interest in succeeding as head of the Bangwato. It's an extraordinary and notable life, and he's been nomi…

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Matthew Wisnioski on the History of the Idea and Culture of “Innovation” in the United States 1:33:16

5M ago1:33:16

1:33:16

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Matt Wisnioski, Professor of Science, Technology, and Society at Virginia Tech, about his new book, Every American an Innovator: How Innovation Became a Way of Life. The pair talk about how the new book connects to Matt’s earlier book, Engineers for Change; how what Matt calls “innovation expertise” fir…

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Art Basel in Basel celebrates its 55th year 27:20

5M ago27:20

27:20

Monocle heads to the 55th edition of Art Basel in Basel. We speak with some of the event’s leadership team; gallerists reflecting on their sales; and curators and artists at the fair and beyond. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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Emily Williamson, co-founder of the RSPB 27:32

5M ago27:32

27:32

For over a hundred years no one thought too much about the origins of the RSPB, but among its founders was a woman in Didsbury opposed to the use of feathers in fashionable hats. Emily Williamson was outraged by the widespread slaughter of egrets and the crested grebe. She had tried to join the all-male British Ornithological Union, and when that f…

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Looking ahead to summer: music, film and TV 32:50

5M ago32:50

32:50

Robert Bound is joined by Will Hodgkinson, Hannah Strong and Rhianna Dhillon to share their picks of music, film and TV for the season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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Tina Turner 27:43

5M ago27:43

27:43

Rock Icon Tina Turner proposed by the actress and author Rebecca Humphries. Tina Turner began life as Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, joining Ike Turner's band in St Louis at the age of 17. Her presence, her performances and her voice captivated audiences, but this is really a story of triumph over abuse. After she left Ike Turner with noth…

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Ben Snyder on Spy Plane: Inside Baltimore’s Surveillance Experiment 59:34

5M ago59:34

59:34

In this 100th episode (!!!) of Peoples & Things, host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Benjamin H. Snyder, Associate Professor of Sociology at Williams College, about his recent book, Spy Plane: Inside Baltimore’s Surveillance Experiment (University of California Press, 2024). Spy Plane examines how the city of Baltimore, Maryland, came to adopt a corporate…

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Goodwood Art Foundation launches as a wonderful new destination for contemporary art 27:13

6M ago27:13

27:13

We head to Sussex to celebrate the newly opened Goodwood Art Foundation. We speak to curator Ann Gallagher, artist Rachel Whiteread and Goodwood Estate proprietor Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle

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Raymond Blanc on Professor Nicholas Kurti 27:39

5M ago27:39

27:39

The chef Raymond Blanc nominates his mentor and friend, the physicist Professor Nicholas Kurti.Kurti was born in Hungary but fled to Oxford when Hitler came to power. Pushing the frontiers of low-temperature physics during his career, he went on to create‘molecular gastronomy’ in retirement. Raymond Blanc approached Kurti after a lecture the profes…

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Art books at the Warburg Institute and Tate 31:05

6M ago31:05

31:05

We explore the genre of art books at a new exhibition at London’s Warburg Institute, which explores art publishing and libraries. Plus: we meet the head of book sales and buying at the Tate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By Monocle