logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
58m 17s

Abbamania

THE LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS
About this episode

‘OK, that’s that. It’s over now,’ Björn Ulvaeus thought after Abba broke up in 1982. ‘But,’ as Chal Ravens writes in the latest LRB, ‘Björn’s zeitgeist detector was, as usual, on the blink.’ By the late 1990s, Abba ‘were basically tap water’. In the latest episode of the LRB podcast, Chal joins Thomas Jones to discuss the foursome’s rise to global domination from distinctly Swedish origins, and whether the arc of history bends towards disco.


Find further reading on the episode page: https://lrb.me/abbamaniapod


Sponsored links:


Get a copy of the new edition of Pellegrino Artusi’s groundbreaking cookbook from Toronto Univer​​​​​​​sity Press: https://utppublishing.com/doi/book/10.3138/9780802086570


LRB Audio


Discover audiobooks, Close Readings and more from the LRB: https://lrb.me/audiolrbpod



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

Up next
Jul 2
Close Readings: Mikhail Bulgakov and James Hogg
James Hogg’s ghoulish metaphysical crime novel 'The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner' (1824) was presented as a found documented dating from the 17th century, describing in different voices the path to devilry of an antinomian Calvinist, Robert Wringhim. Mikh ... Show More
34m 1s
Jun 25
The Best-Paid Woman in NYC
As J.P. Morgan's personal librarian, entrusted with building his collection, Belle da Costa Greene could ‘spend more money in an afternoon than any other young woman of 26’, as the New York Times put it in 1912. In the latest LRB, Francesca Wade reviews a new biography of Greene ... Show More
40m 2s
Jun 18
Silicon Valley Warriors
Donald Trump recently announced a defence budget of more than one trillion dollars, much of which will be funnelled to private companies – and increasingly to tech firms such as Space X and Palantir. Laleh Khalili joins Thomas Jones to discuss the relationship between Silicon Val ... Show More
53m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2021
Episode 26: The Case of Ingapirca
Allyson returns refreshed after a quarantine-induced slump to tell you all about Ingapirca, an Inka archaeological site whose function has been obscured by time and imperialism. To learn more about the Inka Empire in convenient podcast form, check out ahistoryoftheinca.wordpress. ... Show More
26m 25s
Feb 2025
Éducations viriles
Coups, rites initiatiques douloureux, humiliations : pourquoi tant de violence dans l’éducation des garçons ? Dans cet épisode, il est question de ce que les hommes font aux autres hommes.On y parle de la pédérastie dans la Grèce antique, du service militaire, des châtiments de l ... Show More
33m 17s
Sep 2024
Tuning In
This week, we start with Donna Summer and finish with a Scotch Woodcock, as Milo Nesbitt goes in search of the future of music, and Roger Domeneghetti sings the praises of a little fish with a big flavour.'Futuromania: Electronic dreams, desiring machines and tomorrow's music tod ... Show More
43m 47s
Sep 2024
Hyperreality
Why is there a Parthenon… in Nashville? Jean Baudrillard might have the answer. In Episode 112 of Overthink, Ellie and David pick apart hyperreality: the provocative suggestion that our reality today is so inundated by signs that the gap between reality and simulation has all but ... Show More
59m 12s
Feb 2025
The Show That Never Happened
A brief meditation on loss, relativity, and the vagaries of show business.RESOURCES:Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, documentary (2021)Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947, by Norman Lebrecht (2019)The War Room, documentary (1993) EXTRAS:“Is San Fran ... Show More
13m 49s
May 22
Why Was Carthage Such a Threat to Rome? Interview with Dr. Bret Devereaux, Part 2
Dr. Bret Devereaux returns to the show to discuss why, exactly, Carthage was such a threat to the Roman Republic. The answer lies in the fact that more than any other state in the ancient world, Carthage most closely resembled Rome.Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: ... Show More
59m 39s
Sep 2024
Winged Eyeliner & The Age Of Intolerance
Subscribe to Mamamia Tim Minchin regrets one of his most famous songs. And it tells us a lot about where culture has moved to. In this episode, we discuss the age of intolerance.  Plus, we help set up your weekend with some recommendations which include: a book, an album and two ... Show More
50m 32s
Apr 3
339: Ancient Mysteries Solved? Shroud of Turin, Pyramid’s True Purpose & the Emerald Tablet of Thoth
Support our Sponsors!: FUM: https://tryfum.com/milehigher Stitchfix: https://stitchfix.com/milehigher Graham Hancock Episode: https://youtu.be/opAdW8bvYHI Intro 0:00 A Very Brief History of Relics 4:55 A Hidden City Under the Pyramids? 10:42 The Crazy Tech Used to Find Secrets 17 ... Show More
1h 24m
Jul 2024
ASML, roi d’Europe
Dans la bataille mondiale des puces, ASML est le grand et le seul fournisseur européen des fabricants chinois et américains. Pour « La Story », le podcast d’actualité des « Echos », Pierrick Fay et son invité Florian Dèbes décrivent les perspectives de ce fleuron incontournable, ... Show More
22m 17s
Dec 2024
Hanukkah & the Maccabees
It's perhaps the best known Jewish festival of the year, but what exactly are Hanukkah's origins, and why was it first celebrated? On today's episode of the Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined once again by Dr Jodi Magness to answer these questions and unravel the holiday's comple ... Show More
41m 35s