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Muses

Emma Nagouse & Dan Smithshows.acast.com
Dan Smith (Bastille) and Emma Nagouse (You're Dead To Me) discuss the people in the songs on Dan's new project, Ampersand. Each episode is a conversation about history, music, mythology and popular culture, and how those things overlap.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

Intros & Narrators - LIVE

It's the last episode of this series of Muses: An Ampersand Podcast , and so Emma ( You're Dead To Me ) and Dan (Bastille) are here to talk about the roles of narrators in art and academia. Can you write about people and communities to whom you don't have personal connection? What are the ethics of storytelling? Where do you start with telling someone else's story? All of these questions are reflected in Dan's song Intros & Narrators , which you can hear on Bastille Presents... "&": http...

Dec 05, 20241 hr 25 minSeason 1Ep. 12

Eslanda & Paul Robeson (Essie & Paul)

In this episode Emma Nagouse ( You're Dead To Me ) and Dan Smith (Bastille) are talking about two of the most accomplished people to have ever lived: Eslanda & Paul Robeson , who inspired Dan's song Essie & Paul , which you can hear on Bastille Presents... "&": https://bastille.lnk.to/ampersandstore . Actor, a singer, activist; doctor, author, manager. Catch the Robeson bug from Emma and Dan, as they tell you just how amazing they were. We also hear from Ciara Ismail of Bolt Strings ...

Nov 27, 20241 hr 2 minSeason 1Ep. 11

Marie Curie (Marie & Polonium)

In this episode Emma Nagouse ( You're Dead To Me ) and Dan Smith (Bastille) are talking about scientific genius and double Nobel Prize-winner Marie Curie , who inspired Dan's somewhat accurate song Marie & Polonium , which you can hear on Bastille Presents... "&": https://bastille.lnk.to/ampersandstore . Rejected by her country, she named her (first) world-changing discovery after it; rejected by the academic establishment, she won two Nobel Prizes. But just how brilliant WAS she? (This ...

Nov 20, 202454 minSeason 1Ep. 10

Julie d'Aubigny, with guest Kelly Gardiner (Mademoiselle & The Nunnery Blaze)

In this episode Emma Nagouse ( You're Dead To Me ) and Dan Smith (Bastille) are talking about Julie d'Aubigny , a renowned seventeenth century opera singer, duellist, fake nun, bisexual icon and probable arsonist, who grew up in the court of the Sun King but who couldn't stay our of trouble with the law for long, and who inspired Dan's song Mademoiselle & The Nunnery Blaze , which you can hear on Bastille Presents... "&": https://bastille.lnk.to/ampersandstore . How much do we actually k...

Nov 13, 20241 hr 5 minSeason 1Ep. 10

Homework Update

It's time to check Dan's homework! Every week, Emma Nagouse been suggesting to Dan Smith - at Dan's request - a new idea for a song. And after eight episodes, it's time to check in and ask: how is Dan doing? Spoiler alert: you're going to hear clips from Dan's new songs about Sojourner Truth, Echo, Artemisia Gentileschi and Bathsheba. Emma and Dan also answer some listener emails - if you have more, get in touch at muses@leadmojo.co.uk Listen to all the songs on Bastille Presents: Ampersand :&nb...

Nov 06, 202440 minSeason 1Ep. 9

KAOS, with guest Charlie Covell

In this spooooooooky bonus episode of Muses, Emma Nagouse (You're Dead To Me) and Dan Smith (Bastille) take a trip into the underworld in the company of Charlie Covell - the creator of the Netflix series KAOS, a re-telling of Greek myths for which Dan wrote a song, Eurydice. This interview was recorded before news broke that KAOS would not be returning to Netflix, but they still cover why Charlie wanted to retell this story and how they went about it - from casting to production design and, yes,...

Oct 31, 202451 minSeason 1Ep. 8

Oscar Wilde (Red Wine & Wilde)

In this episode Emma Nagouse ( You're Dead To Me ) and Dan Smith (Bastille) talk about Oscar Wilde, who perhaps needs no introduction: literary icon, celebrated playwright, convicted criminal. But how did he go from one to the other, and why did Dan write Red Wine & Wilde - which you can hear on Bastille Presents: Ampersand: https://bastille.lnk.to/ampersandstore - about him? Dan and Emma view Oscar's legacy through the lenses of two very different films - Wilde and The Happy Prince - and th...

Oct 30, 20241 hr 2 minSeason 1Ep. 7

Zheng Yi Sao, with guest Dr. Leon Rocha (Zheng Yi Sao & Questions For Her)

In this episode Emma Nagouse ( You're Dead To Me ) and Dan Smith (Bastille) talk about the world's greatest-ever pirate: Zheng Yi Sao, who rose from working in a 'floating brothel' to controlling the South China Sea and China's salt trade, and the inspiration for Dan's song Zheng Yi Sao & Questions For Her which you cannot hear yet - it's not out until the album "&" is released on Friday - but there are clips all the way through this episode, so this is your first chance to hear this son...

Oct 23, 20241 hr 4 minSeason 1Ep. 6

Leonard Cohen & Marianne Ihlen, with guest Nick Broomfield (Leonard & Marianne

In this episode Emma Nagouse ( You're Dead To Me ) and Dan Smith (Bastille) are musing about a muse: Marianne Ihlen, who inspired Leonard Cohen to write many of his most famous songs, such as Bird On A Wire and So Long, Marianne . Their relationship inspired Nick Broomfield 's documentary Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love , which in turn inspired Dan/Bastille's song Leonard & Marianne, which you can listen to here: https://bastille.lnk.to/Leonard Emma and Dan are delighted to be joined i...

Oct 16, 20241 hr 1 minSeason 1Ep. 5

Edvard Munch (Blue Sky & The Painter)

In this episode of Muses: An Ampersand Podcast , Emma Nagouse ( You're Dead To Me ) and Dan Smith (Bastille) are talking about the painter of The Scream , Edvard Munch, the inspiration for Bastille's song Blue Sky & The Painter, which you can hear here: https://bastille.lnk.to/BlueSky How did his mental health affect his art? Did his work get worse when he was happy? Was he a Nazi? How happy would he be that his legacy is the Home Alone poster? Say hello at muses@leadmojo.co.uk . Muses: An A...

Oct 09, 20241 hr 1 minEp. 4

Emily Dickinson (Emily & Her Penthouse In The Sky)

In this episode of Muses: An Ampersand Podcast , Emma and Dan are talking about the American poet Emily Dickinson, who inspired Dan's/Bastille's song Emily & Her Penthouse In The Sky , which you can hear here: https://bastille.lnk.to/Emily They talk about Emily's life and work, including her "friendship" with a "gal pal", and why she may not have been as much as a recluse as her reputation suggests - as well as who is to blame for that reputation. They also talk about Hey Arnold a surprising...

Oct 02, 20241 hr 7 minSeason 1Ep. 3

Narcissus (Seasons & Narcissus)

In this episode of Muses: An Ampersand Podcast , Emma Nagouse ( You're Dead To Me ) and Dan Smith (Bastille) take a long, slow look at Narcissus, who inspired Dan's song Seasons & Narcissus , which you can hear here: https://bastille.lnk.to/Seasons They look into the different versions of the myth of Narcissus, and how and why it's changed over the years; they also look at the myth of Echo, who Dan did NOT write a song about. They also cover the history of narcissism, and why middle eights a...

Sep 25, 20241 hr 6 minSeason 1Ep. 2

Eve (Eve & Paradise Lost)

In this first episode of Muses: An Ampersand Podcast , Emma Nagouse ( You're Dead To Me ) and Dan Smith (Bastille) look at the life of Eve, who inspired Dan's/Bastille's song Eve & Paradise Lost , which you can hear here: https://bastille.lnk.to/Eve Emma and Dan talk about exactly what the Bible (and the Qur'an) say about her; the different interpretations of her story; and the impact her story has had on popular culture, from Desperate Housewives to No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom ; and Dan talks...

Sep 18, 20241 hr 2 minSeason 1Ep. 1

Muses: An Ampersand Podcast

Muses: An Ampersand Podcast sees Dan Smith (Bastille) and Emma Nagouse ( You're Dead To Me ) take a deep dive into the lives of some amazing people from history and mythology, all of whom Dan wrote songs about for his latest project, Ampersand . Each episode is a conversation about history, music, mythology and popular culture, and how those things overlap. Muses: An Ampersand Podcast is a Lead Mojo production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....

Sep 03, 20242 min