Lights, Camera... Aggro?

Everyone has a book inside them. 

That's what they say, isn't it? I think it's probably true. Sure, not everyone has the discipline or desire to complete it, but a story? Yeah! People have all sorts of things to say that the world would like to hear. That's the joy of reading. It's the buzz of stumbling across someone who had the perseverance and single-mindedness to write their story down; a story that happens to connect with you and your own experiences of the world. That's the thrill of books, right there.

But how about this? Everyone has a podcast inside them? Sheesh. Have I made you do a hard cringe? I know I know. There's something less noble about speaking your truth when it comes to podding over writing. Is it snobbery? A rejection of modern technology? Or is it simply that in a relatively short time, we've been flooded by the world and her husband's podcasts? General interest, niche and specific, dangerous and concerning, or vapid and silly - there's something for everyone with a click of the right app. 

So why bring this up now? Well, to my absolute surprise, it appears I've started my own pod. Yeah. Madness, innit? The world needs no more publicly shared opinions about inconsequential matters. Yet here I am! 

Some background maybe useful at this point. I have a friend who I catch up with, now and then. Invariably and unintentionally, our conversation often turns to films. Ones we've seen recently, the latest blockbusters currently being hyped, or the hidden gems that streaming services occasionally pump out. When we chat film, two things are apparent. 

1. We both consider ourselves devoted movie fans. 
2. Neither of us watches the same films. 

When I talk about my all time faves, Phil - the friend in question - has never seen them. And he calls himself a film fan! Likewise, while he raves about the latest blockbuster, I tune him out because I know it's not something that's going to trouble my next cinema visit. It didn't take too much thought to go from that state of affairs, to him saying, 'This would make a good podcast!' 

So here we are. Next month we launch Lights, Camera... Aggro? Two friends, one film, very little agreement. I'm quite proud of that tagline, thank you very much. You've guessed the format, right? We take it in turns to make the other person watch one of our all time faves. Then, we chat about it, try to find areas of agreement, but more likely realise the other person has terrible taste and why are we friends with them anyway?

In all seriousness, we've done a bunch of trial runs and it's been fun. Yeah, fun! Getting to talk at length about long-loved cinematic masterpieces, is brill. Obviously there's the payoff. On alternate weeks I have to sit through something I've managed to avoid for years. Decades even. That's trickier. But listening back to some of the episodes, I reckon they're a good listen. Does the world need another movie podcast? Hell no! Does that matter? Double hell no! 

If this has piqued your interest even a teensy bit, then hurrah! The first episode drops on Wednesday 17th September. And the movie we're discussing? Clueless! Yep, we're hitting the ground running with some 90s teen satire. Follow us on YouTube if you're even the slightest bit curious. It's free! The first pod will be there in a little over a month's time. And if you're keen to know even more, you can find us at Bluesky and Insta too. 

Thanks for reading. I'm still unsure as to how much this improves the world, but it's been lots of fun regardless. Maybe sometimes that's enough?

Have a lovely week, folks.