Kam Raslan and his two close companions, Na’a Murad and Sim Wie Boon gathered ahead of Christmas to talk about pirates, independent news sources and the end of the world, in that order. Kam begins the show by talking about his fascination with pirates and how to separate what they really are, in reality, and how they’re perceived in myths and mainstream media. Speaking of media, Na’a shares his thoughts and observations of independent news sources and how they’re challenging the mainstream narra...
Dec 22, 2023•44 min
Once in a while, A Bit of Culture likes to feature new voices, and in this episode, it is Sheryll Paul’s turn to make her first appearance on the show. Together with a veteran, Michael Gong, they discuss three different topics that are related to culture. Our venerable host, Kam Raslan kicks off the show by wondering about our fascination with serial killers. Or rather, our fascination with their stories. Frequent traveller, Mikey then reflects on our tendency to buy souvenirs and mementos when ...
Dec 08, 2023•44 min
A Bit of Culture lives up to its name in this episode, with our host, Kam Raslan and his guests, Ong Kar Jin and Julian Yap bringing their A-game and cultural topics to this episode. Kam starts the show by talking about his love for Napoleon and the newly released movie, directed by Ridley Scott. Kar Jin follows that up by talking about epistolary novels and whether that format of storytelling can be replicated using contemporary media. In the second part of the show, Julian talks about concert ...
Nov 24, 2023•45 min
…that’s the question Dhanya Nair poses to A Bit of Culture host Kam Raslan and Vernon Adrian Emuang while she contemplates this complex interpersonal relationship question. Hilarity ensues as they both grill her about it! Prior to that, Kam talks about his past experience making films and how that has made him more observant of background extras and how they’re usually chosen and assembled. Vernon speaks about confirmation bias and whether, now, more than ever, people tend to pick news sources t...
Nov 17, 2023•37 min
Another week, another exciting episode of A Bit of Culture, this time around with Azmyl Yunor and Matt Armitage. Our host, Kam Raslan kicks off the show by talking about the new Beatles song, which was produced semi-posthumously, and the ethics behind it. Matt follows the topic up by talking about ways artists can protect themselves from AI. In the second half of the show, Azmyl talks about the three subjects that he thinks should be made compulsory in school. Tune in for engaging and thoughtful...
Nov 10, 2023•45 min
A new month, a new episode, a new guest - A Bit of Culture opens its studio door to another debutant - founding member of Five Arts Center Marion D’Cruz joins Kam Raslan and consultant, Ong Kar Jin to talk about all things culture. The show starts with Kar Jin’s topic - world cities and whether they still exist, or is the notion an over-romanticised take on cities around the world? The group shares their thoughts before moving on to Kam’s topic on generational change, this time around inspired b...
Nov 03, 2023•42 min
Believe it or not, A Bit of Culture host Kam Raslan was actually a very fashionable person. Well, at least that’s what he would like us to believe, especially when he decides to regale his fellow guests, BFM News producer Dhanya Nair and Tatler’s Digital Editor Sim Wie Boon with the history of the necktie. In between that, Dhanya starts the show by talking about the possibilities of human beings living forever (thanks to technology) and whether that’s something that we would want? Afterwards, Si...
Oct 27, 2023•40 min
It’s a slightly sombre episode of A Bit of Culture this time around, with documentary filmmaker Zan Azlee and singer Bihzhu joining Kam to reflect on three different topics. They start by acknowledging the current predicament the world is currently facing, and how to navigate that without feeling helpless. Zan then shares his experience of seeing a lot of mixed race communities in Brazil and ponders how they’re able to achieve that. Later in the show, Bihzhu shares her thoughts on the allocation...
Oct 20, 2023•39 min
A Bit of Culture continues its foray into the world of culture, this time around with documentary filmmaker Ahmad Yazid Ahmad Fuad and playwright Adriana Nordin Manan. The show begins with Kam’s curiosity about the trade winds, and he’s banking on Yazid’s experience in sailing to help him understand it deeper. From the seas, they then head to the skies to talk about astrology and how it’s perceived now. After the break, the gang speaks about the ethics behind claiming something is “based on a tr...
Oct 13, 2023•46 min
A Bit of Culture welcomes another debutant to the show, as singer, composer and one half of Burger Buds, OJ Law joins culture vulture, Kam Raslan on the show. Together with veteran Julian Yap, they go through three topics that happen to tie into one another seamlessly. Kam starts the show by talking about fandom, and how, sometimes, the fans within fandom are taken for granted. After that, Julian talks about “content” and how contentious the term has become in trying to describe and categorise p...
Oct 06, 2023•45 min
…that’s what our guest of the week, Matt Armitage ponders as he returns on A Bit of Culture, together with BFM News Producer, Dhanya Nair. Matt questions how privacy is defined these days as we continue to redefine, or test its boundaries, especially with how we’ve been utilising tech. Prior to that chat, our host, Kam Raslan talks about the revenge trope in movies, and what makes it so fun, and whether it’s relatable and replicable in real life. Later on the show, Dhanya talks about parasocial ...
Sep 29, 2023•45 min
The “boomer” crew returns on A Bit of Culture! Na’a Murad and Michael Gong join Kam Raslan to discuss things that the three of them thoroughly enjoy and appreciate. Kam kicks off the show by talking about geographical determinism, a topic that he was inspired by based on a book that he and Na’a read. Want to find out more about what that is? Tune in to find out! Mikey then follows that up by claiming that the romantic idea of travelling, or flying, specifically, is dead, as the act of flying its...
Sep 22, 2023•46 min
Another week, another exciting episode of A Bit of Culture that will get you thinking and pondering. This week’s show features singer Bihzhu and consultant Ong Kar Jin, but our beloved host Kam Raslan kicks off the show by talking about con men, scams and why we tend to fall for them. From there, Bihzhu then talks about controlling the narrative, using the drama between Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner as a reference point for her topic. Later in the show, Kar Jin gets Kam and Bihzhu to share their t...
Sep 15, 2023•46 min
A Bit of Culture decides to stick with a winning formula again this time around, pairing BFM News producer Dhanya Nair and Julian Yap again. Together with Kam, they start the show by revisiting the conversation on how people cope with no longer being the “it” generation, albeit from a slightly different perspective. Dhanya follows that up by talking about a new phenomenon used to identify people - beige flag. Later in the show, Julian reflects on how she’s struggling to find new stuff on online ...
Sep 08, 2023•48 min
A Bit of Culture takes a detour from its usual format to give the host, Kam Raslan a bit of a break. In step producer, Haniff Baharudin, again, for a chat with a wayang kulit musician that’s based in Kelantan. This comes after BFM’s trip to the East Coast a few months ago, to learn about what life is like outside the Klang Valley, from all aspects, be it political, social and cultural. Tune in to hear what it’s like for Abdul Rahman Dollah, or Abang Man, as he dedicates his life to wayang kulit,...
Sep 01, 2023•45 min
There’s a bit of variety in this week’s episode of A Bit of Culture as host Kam Raslan, and his guests, Na’a Murad and Zan Azlee ponder about science fiction, protest culture and Malaysian masculinity. The show starts with Kam reflecting on elements of reality in science fiction and how that turns him off. Na’a follows that up by questioning whether Malaysia has a protest culture, and if she does, how come it’s not as pronounced as it was last time. Zan ends the show with a very curious and intr...
Aug 25, 2023•38 min
It’s a fun episode of A Bit of Culture this week, as Kam and our guests, Dhanya Nair and Ong Kar Jin laugh through all the topics! Kar Jin starts the episode by asking whether we still need Twitter, or X, especially now that these platforms have become so segmented and a shadow of their former selves? After that, Kam confesses that he can’t watch horror movies, especially now, and he wonders if it's down to his age. Dhanya follows up on the age theme for her topic in the second part of the show,...
Aug 18, 2023•43 min
A Bit of Culture takes a detour from its usual format, ahead of the upcoming PRN 2023! Last month, a group of producers were sent to the East Coast to learn about what life is like outside the Klang Valley, from all aspects, be it political, social and cultural. While we were in Kelantan, we were given the opportunity to meet Poksu Agel, a highly respected traditional arts practitioner and activist that has been in the scene for years. Producer Haniff Baharudin went to his home to speak to him a...
Aug 11, 2023•49 min
After being away from the show for a very long time, Richard Bradbury makes a return to A Bit of Culture! Accompanying him in this episode is Na’a Murad, and together, they have a jolly good time talking about music, science and hobbies! Kam starts the show by talking about Johnny Hallyday & Cliff Richards and the kind of longevity that they have shown in the music industry. What’s their secret, he wonders? Maybe it’s their ability to innovate themselves throughout their careers? Na’a follow...
Aug 04, 2023•46 min
A Bit of Culture returns this week with two cool guests - playwright, writer and translator Adriana Nordin Manan, in her second appearance on the show, choose to reflect on the duty of an artist, and whether they have to carry the burden of changing society via their craft, while writer and researcher on arts and architecture, Lim Sheau Yun talks about Oppenheimer and the foundation of American anti-science. Meanwhile, our host Kam Raslan reflects on whether we should embrace impermanence, rathe...
Jul 28, 2023•38 min
Yup, A Bit of Culture is getting philosophical in this episode, and who better to do it with than with Michael Gong and Sim Wie Boon, right? But before they tackle that very deep question, they started off the show by reflecting on the toys that they played with as children and whether those toys have defined who they are today. Spoiler alert - Kam has definitely been shaped by the toys that he grew up playing with. From there, they then talked about polyglot influencers and why they’re appealin...
Jul 21, 2023•41 min
A Bit of Culture’s venerable host, Kam Raslan takes a break from watching the exciting Tour de France to join his guests of the week, Vernon Adrian Emuang and Ong Kar Jin in the studio! They kick off the show by talking about marketing and advertising, as Kam wants to really understand them. Who better to help than our two guests, who are in the industry. They then move on to Vernon’s topic - the impetuousness of youth, which prompted a very interesting chat between the three of them. In the sec...
Jul 14, 2023•44 min
Our culture vultures are on point with their topics in this latest episode of A Bit of Culture. Dhanya Nair and Julian Yap join Kam Raslan to chat about all things contemporary. First, they get philosophical by contemplating what is the news? From there, they then talk about the book blob trend - a new approach to making book covers in a certain style that’s supposed to be more artsy and ambiguous, but ended up pretty homogenous, according to Julian. In the second part of the show, they try to l...
Jul 07, 2023•44 min
Our guests of the week, Matt Armitage and Azmyl Yunor return from their respective sojourns to join Kam Raslan on another exciting episode of A Bit of Culture. Azmyl reflects on his recent music tours and how spiritual they are for him, prompting curious questions from Kam and Matt. Then it’s Matt’s turn to reflect on his trip back home and the observation that he made when he was there - the supermarket culture between Malaysia and the United Kingdom is different. But will that change soon enou...
Jun 30, 2023•42 min
We return to the studio again, this time around with BFM News Producer Dhanya Nair and advertising guru, Vernon Adrian Emuang joining Kam on the show. Right off the bat, they open the chat by talking about the recent controversy involving comedian Jocelyn Chia. From there, they move on to Kam’s topic - projects that they embarked on during the MCO. Later in the show, Dhanya shares the movies that helped shape her and gets Kam and Vernon to share theirs. Tune in to find out they navigate these to...
Jun 09, 2023•40 min
Another week, another exciting episode of A Bit of Culture, this time featuring Ong Kar Jin and Zan Azlee! Kar Jin starts the show with his take on the Fair Use & Copyright debate that happened recently involving Prince and Andy Warhol. The folks chime in before moving on to yet another take on the topic of the year so far, ChatGPT. Zan shares his very interesting perspective on it before ranting about how much he dislikes the recent live action remakes of Disney’s classic animated films. Tu...
Jun 02, 2023•38 min
It has finally happened! A Bit of Culture has managed to bring its host, Kam, with writer Na’a Murad and BFM producer Michael Gong together in the studio for the very first time since the pandemic. The long awaited in-person reunion kicks off with the trio discussing the revenge trope in movies and how they’re a bit overused by Hollywood. They then move on to Mikey’s topic on transhumanism and whether they want to live forever, albeit in “virtual” versions of themselves. In the second part of th...
May 26, 2023•41 min
BFM’s culture vulture, Kam Raslan returns to the studio, and joining him in this episode are documentary filmmaker, Ahmad Yazid, and BFM’s Dhanya Nair. Yazid kicks off the show by talking about HBO’s Succession and its portrayal of how the media control the narrative. Kam then talks about TikTok Food and how Malaysian dishes can survive in this medium, as Kam thinks that Malaysian (and Asian) food and dishes are not “attractive” enough (his words). In the second part of the show, Dhanya talks ab...
May 19, 2023•38 min
It’s a hip episode of A Bit of Culture when Morning Run producer Sim Wie Boon and movie buff Julian Yap get together to chill with Kam Raslan. Julian opens the show by talking about Tumblr’s uniqueness as a social media site, and its potential return to popular culture as people consider an alternative to Twitter. Sim then continues the conversation with his topic - quiet luxury, a fashion trend for the top 1%. In the second part of the show, Kam talks about collectibles and things the gang woul...
May 12, 2023•48 min
A Bit of Culture returns after a short break, with Na’a Murad and Vernon Adrian Emuang joining Kam Raslan on another exciting episode full of wonderful conversations. Kam starts the show by looking at how cultural products can be marketed differently, using Rolling Stones’ success despite having to compete with The Beatles as an example. Na’a then picks up the baton by talking about a very trendy topic these days - AI. He asks the group what kind of AI they would like to see next, while sharing ...
May 05, 2023•44 min
