[crzylgs]

Book says Infrasound, if that's the name for noise; I read it a few years ago, so can't recall totally. Seemed plausible, but I'm not utterly convinced by it.

Hmmm, yeah that's one of the less convincing theories imo. If there was a natural phenomenon of wind/noises that could cause a kind of temporary insanity, given how far flung across the globe humans are today and how good communications are... Surely it'd be a better documented occurrence?

I've only thought to add this comment because I just heard on the radio that a passenger jet in the USA dumped some fuel near LA today before carrying out an emergency landing... People who were covered reported a variety of skin irritations and breathing difficulties. If that or something similar was to happen when you're up a frozen Ural mountain I can imagine the consequences would be magnified, leading to a panic that could explain the locations and state of undress people were found in. So :tin hat: on and I'm going with some kind of aviation fuel / Russian Military missile / weapon testing or accident. That was then semi-covered up 

[andy popp]

I struggle to pick a favourite Orwell. Even his lesser known works like Keep The Aspidistra Flying are brilliant. I think I'd probably settle on a book of essays rather than any one novel though.

I should have said Orwell novels, as I haven't read enough of the essays or three classic non-fiction books (Homage to Catalonia, Down and Out in London and Paris, and The Road to Wigan Pier). Totally agree about the earlier works; I definitely prefer Aspidistra and Coming Up for Air to 1984 and Animal Farm. Same with Wells, much prefer Too Bungay to the better known SF.

[Will Hunt]

Homage to Catalonia and Down and Out are two of my favourite books. Put them on your list!

[spidermonkey09]

Homage to Catalonia and Down and Out are two of my favourite books. Put them on your list!

My strong advice to anyone reading Catalonia is to read the appendix first, where he gives loads of background to the Civil War and explains the various acronyms that are used throughout. It makes reading the body of the text a lot more enjoyable.

[Johnny Brown]

Homage to Catalonia and Down and Out are two of my favourite books. Put them on your list!

If you enjoyed those I'd recommend Laurie Lee's As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning and A Moment of War (the second and third books in his autobiographical trilogy after Cider with Rosie). Covers very similar ground and wonderful writing.

[Will Hunt]

Yep, have read all of them (and am currently on a collection of essays called Village Christmas: and other notes on the English year). I'm a bit of a sucker for accounts of the Spanish civil war.

[Alex-the-Alex]

Have you read Ghost of Spain? I read it ages ago but I remember it being a pretty interesting walk through post Franco Spain. There's a lot of surpressed stories from the war and the years that followed...

[Will Hunt]

Have you read Ghost of Spain? I read it ages ago but I remember it being a pretty interesting walk through post Franco Spain. There's a lot of surpressed stories from the war and the years that followed...

Thanks, I'll have a look at that. I was just thinking this morning that I feel like I know at least something about life in Germany under the Nazis, and the oppression of people under the Soviet Union, but I know absolutely nothing about life in Spain after the war.

And this is really a sign of my mental feebleness, but if anybody has any historical fiction recommendations on the subject then feel free to make them. Obviously it's a flawed way of learning history, but it can be a bit more engaging than pure non-fiction which can be a bit dry for me.

[dunnyg]

If you get it, give us a lend yeah?

[Durbs]

Surprised no mention of Off Menu podcast. James Acaster and Ed Gamble invite their guest to a dream restaurant and ask them to choose their courses.

Very much not serious, and more just "mates chatting with mates about food", but with the right guest there have been some great episodes.

[battery]

 The curious climber podcast: Hazel Finley interviewing Beth Rodden. Have to admit a bias as Beth has been a hero of mine for a while, but about two thirds of the way through they get into a really interesting discussion about motivations for climbing, the damage of focussing on grades and instead thinking about why we climb and just enjoying it.

[andy popp]

Have you read Ghost of Spain? I read it ages ago but I remember it being a pretty interesting walk through post Franco Spain. There's a lot of surpressed stories from the war and the years that followed...

Thanks, I'll have a look at that. I was just thinking this morning that I feel like I know at least something about life in Germany under the Nazis, and the oppression of people under the Soviet Union, but I know absolutely nothing about life in Spain after the war.

And this is really a sign of my mental feebleness, but if anybody has any historical fiction recommendations on the subject then feel free to make them. Obviously it's a flawed way of learning history, but it can be a bit more engaging than pure non-fiction which can be a bit dry for me.

For Whom the Bell Tolls would be an obvious fiction starting point, though about the war rather than post war. Not my specialism at all, but as far as I'm aware economically post-war Francoist Spain aimed for autarky, normally a recipe for under development. Spain was late to industrialization and to a considerable extent it now stalled. Much of Spain remained a poor peasant society - I remember going to Montanejos to climb in the mid 80s and being struck by this.

What I find interesting about Spain is that is existed (and was tolerated) as fascist regime in the heart of liberal democratic Western Europe until 1975. A country people were willing to invest in or take package holidays to without really giving it very much thought: pretty much the only people from Britain who went on holiday in the Soviet Union were committed communists.

Much of this is also true of Portugal until 1974.

[jwi]

Have you read Ghost of Spain? I read it ages ago but I remember it being a pretty interesting walk through post Franco Spain. There's a lot of surpressed stories from the war and the years that followed...

Thanks, I'll have a look at that. I was just thinking this morning that I feel like I know at least something about life in Germany under the Nazis, and the oppression of people under the Soviet Union, but I know absolutely nothing about life in Spain after the war.

And this is really a sign of my mental feebleness, but if anybody has any historical fiction recommendations on the subject then feel free to make them. Obviously it's a flawed way of learning history, but it can be a bit more engaging than pure non-fiction which can be a bit dry for me.

I just saw this, I asked the missus, who reads a lot of Spanish literature, and she said that Almudena Grandes cycle of novels Episodios de una Guerra Interminable are the best. Alas, the only translations I found were to french, italian and german.

[Will Hunt]

Thanks both. I've read and enjoyed FWTBT.
Yep, it's really interesting for the reasons that you say, Andy. It would be good to know more about it since the repercussions are still do evident in present news (independence riots in Catalonia etc). In the context of Western Europe it's a remarkably young state. A friend who has lived in Spain tells me that a surprising number of people are of the view that Franco didn't give his opponents a hard enough kicking when he was in power. I'm sure when he and I drove from Madrid to El Chorro there was a picture of Franco on the wall of the restaurant that we stopped off at (in some nowhere village just off the motorway).

[Will Hunt]

If you didn't listen to 13 Minutes To The Moon, then go and listen to series one.

Then you can listen to series 2 about Apollo 13 which has started this week. Very psyched.

[Fultonius]

Does anyone list to music podcasts? Any recommendations for someone who likes a lot of the music linked on the Best of 20XX threads you guys always post on?

[Johnny Brown]

http://songexploder.net/

[IanP]

Does anyone list to music podcasts? Any recommendations for someone who likes a lot of the music linked on the Best of 20XX threads you guys always post on?

There is a bit of shortage of really good music podcasts - I think getting rights to play the music can be really difficult.  However below are a few I've enjoyed, not necessarily fitting your ask for more up to date music, but may be worth a look:

- Soul Music (BBC)
- Blood on the Tracks (BBC) - music panel show, inspired by Fighting Talk, bit patchy but can be entertaining
- Hit Parade - American chart geekery, decent production values and generally interesting and entertaining if you like that sort of thing (also seem to have the music rights thing sorted)
- Song Exploder
- Stay Free: The Story of the Clash (Spotify Exclusive)
- If you're interested in documentaries/interviews BBC has quite an archive though not all that easy to find (BBC Sounds I'm looking at you).  'Radio 4 on Music' is set up as a Podcast stream and has a lot of stuff in it. 

[TobyD]

Does anyone list to music podcasts? Any recommendations for someone who likes a lot of the music linked on the Best of 20XX threads you guys always post on?

There is a bit of shortage of really good music podcasts.

On BBC sounds; Huey Lewis 6 music, Saturday morning show, absolutely brilliant. His occasional minimal DJ chat in his laconic New York drawl makes it even better.

[nai]

On BBC sounds; Huey Lewis 6 music, Saturday morning show, absolutely brilliant. His occasional minimal DJ chat in his laconic New York drawl makes it even better.

Radio 2 show as well, 4am Saturday mornings

Also Richard Searle's Northen Soul, Radio Stoke Saturday evenings, if you like that sort of thing.

[cheque]

On BBC sounds; Huey Morgan 6 music, Saturday morning show, absolutely brilliant. His occasional minimal DJ chat in his laconic New York drawl makes it even better.

[Falling Down]

Cerys Matthews shows on Sunday mornings on R6 are always really good.  Varied music, interesting guests and talk.

Stuart McConie’s “Freakzone” for leftfield stuff.

The Aquarium Drunkard podcast is good.  https://aquariumdrunkard.com/category/podcast/

[TobyD]

Cerys Matthews shows on Sunday mornings on R6 are always really good.  Varied music, interesting guests and talk.

Just listening to Cerys is soothing, whatever music she is playing. I like her blues show on radio 2 as well.

Annie Mac's power down playlist on BBC sounds is usually mainly good, chilled out tunes of different genres. A good background one for WFH

[Davo]

Not sure if this one has been posted before but if you like history and explorers and do a lot of driving I really like it.

The Explorers Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-explorers-podcast/id1161063301

[Fultonius]

Hadn't thought about listening the the Huey show - I never  seem to catch it on the Saturday morning and hadn't considered listening on BBC sounds later. Great shout.