Page One

  For the 100th Page One (which, as Charles Adrian explains, is actually the 101st edition of the podcast), we are given a brainload of statistics. How many pages have been read in how many languages by how many people etc. If these and other questions have been exercising your attention, this episode is for you. Charles Adrian also shares something of his own (also to be found here) and he plays some funny music and some beautiful music.  

“You are the music while the music lasts.” For the 75th Second-Hand Book Factory, Charles Adrian is joined by pianist and Korean-American mutt SooJin Anjou to discuss the need for contradiction and art that contains the world (no small ambition). This will be the last of these Second-Hand Book Factories for a while so, in Groucho’s words, please hug yourselves for me. [On the question of classical music on the podcast, a clarification: of course, while I was editing this, I remembered that I played some Schubert for Ted Schmitz as part of the 30th Page One, which you can find here.]

  A special vintage edition of Page One this week as Charles Adrian is joined by his little sister Lissa for the 28th Second-Hand Book Factory. Between sips of tea and mouthfuls of cake at the Chiswick House Café, they discuss their suspicion of people who haven’t read Harry Potter, their shared appreciation for the playfulness of Jasper Fforde and opium. Incidentally, Harry Potter fans might want to read this.  

  For the 74th Second-Hand Book Factory, Charles Adrian is joined by playwright, performer and accidental sex-positivity educator, advocate and activist Cameryn Moore. They talk about the level of detail in some rich historical fantasy, some of the advantages of a really big tea cup and the realisation that people write creatively about their food experiences. [Note: apologies for the phone that buzzes at 5:50; this is the result of a schoolboy error on the part of the podcaster.]  

  For the 73rd Second-Hand Book Factory, Charles Adrian talks to comedian, writer, promoter and human organism Barry Ferns about the effect of parental care on infants, how to get more time at home and an intense but life-affirming account of some difficult experiences. Find out more about Barry at barryferns.com.  

  For the 72nd Second-Hand Book Factory, Charles Adrian is joined in Zürich by Englishman Will Ellis (and, almost inaudibly, by his wife Agnes) to talk about a couple of confident explorers and whether or not Will speaks Spanish.  

  Another of the vintage episodes from Page One’s London Fields Radio days, this is the very first outside recording done for Page One and, while the sound quality is poor - it’s what might be called an atmospheric recording, if you were being very generous – the books and conversation make up for any aural discomfort. Hopefully. Charles Adrian’s guest here is singer and self-confessed Gilligan avatar Ted Schmitz, who, like Charles Adrian, is a member of the Berlin-based theatre ensemble Nico And The Navigators.  

  For the 71st Second-Hand Book Factory, Charles Adrian is joined by anthropologist and human Karin Eli for talk about the fight to gain one’s place in the world, a little bit of undemanding murder and some of the challenges of translation.  

  Charles Adrian is joined for the 70th Second-Hand Book Factory by failed mathematician and failed actuary Colin Bartlett. They talk about semi-autobiography, Duke Ellington, clouds and one of the best books of the 20th century. [The Vera mentioned is, of course, Vera Chok, whose latest Page One is here.]

  For the 69th Second-Hand Book Factory, Charles Adrian is joined at the Festival Hall in London by Tom Bowtell, who describes himself as a writer, actor, director and maker of adventures (and you should look up some of the things he does with his company here). Their discussion covers bold beginnings, the riches to be found in random facts and bird jizz (entirely SFW, by the way).  

  For the 68th Second-Hand Book Factory, Charles Adrian is joined by radio producer, carer, stand-up comic and empath Lolie Ware. They discuss the introduction of the elbow, unsuitable jobs for women and the importance of paper maps in an age of smart phones.       (addendum: P. D. James died a week after this podcast was recorded. You can read an obituary here.)  

  Richard Purnell, a man who likes to take the truth for a walk, joins Charles Adrian for the 67th Second-Hand Book Factory. They talk about the comedy to be found in the detail, the morality of converts and a rare German book in translation. More about Richard here.  

  Opening another season of Page One, Charles Adrian is joined by long-time collaborator Vera Chok to talk about reproduction, the ‘discovery’ of the clitoris and sex as prose poetry. Incidentally, Charles Adrian talks a certain amount of rubbish about the discovery of the clitoris and the controversy surrounding female souls as well as about the history and use of syllogisms; please click links for more accurate information.  

The third season of Page One is on its way! On Tuesday 6th of January, 2015, the 90th Page One will be available to download (or will drop, magically and mysteriously, into subscribers' podcast folders). Meanwhile, for fans of 'live' radio, episodes from the second season (October, 2013 - July, 2014) will be playing two at a time on internet radio station jemmthree.com on Sunday mornings at 11am from Sunday the 4th of January, 2015.

  This week’s vintage Page One, which originally went out in October 2012, sees Charles Adrian talking to comedian Tom Webb. There is a curious lack of books in this episode but Tom and host Charles Adrian have fun discussing facebook, Scott Capurro and The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart. Incidentally – in case you are looking for connections – the last track is from the album The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars and spiders build webs. It’s embarrassing, but there it is. You can follow Charles Adrian on twitter @charldrian.       Tom and Charles Adrian both have shows to plug at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2014. Information about Tom and his shows is here. Information about Charles Adrian and his show is here.  

  For the 65th Second-Hand Book Factory, Charles Adrian is joined by performance artist, writer and musician Nick Field. It may have been a tactical error to sit outside, at a café not far from Victoria station in London, where the background noise from taxis, buses and other voices threatens to overwhelm the conversation at times. Oh, and you will hear the microphone summersault off its improvised mic stand at one point. It is nearly the summer holidays for Page One; everythings is falling apart. But the episode is still worth listening to. Promise.       Nick’s music, incidentally, can be found online here.  

  Hosting Charles Adrian for the 64th Second-Hand Book Factory in her Motel de Nowhere in Bethnal Green is artist and performer Susannah Hewlett. They talk about the effect of abuse in different ways and the push to create nicknames. Information about Motel de Nowhere is here. and you can find out more about Chris Titmas here.  

  For the 63rd Second-Hand Book Factory, Charles Adrian is joined by writer and sometime academic Alan Cunningham. They talk about precision in the face of horror, the creation of fear and just plain good storytelling. Oh, and get ready to sit back and chill out at the end of the episode for nearly ten minutes of gentle bliss. You can listen to Alan talking to Charles Adrian about his own book, Count From Zero To One Hundred, here.  

  Shorter than usual, for good reason, this week’s Page One is a skim through the first pages of some short stories. Always remember that the first page of a short story is extremely good value because what you are getting is a greater proportion of the whole.   [Warning: some bad language occurs in the middle of the podcast]  

  For the 62nd Second-Hand Book Factory, Charles Adrian is joined by Gary Powell, who is the manager of a real book shop, on the street in Exmouth Market in London. After a wobbly start, they talk about an unlikely liking for sport, the realisation that maybe nobody can give you what you need and the latest addition to a classic collection.   You can buy the Rachel Kann book and find out more about her here.   The podcast with Gary’s boyfriend John, which we talk about, was put out again recently. You can listen and download here.       [Warning: some bad language from beginning]