Good morning,
It seems this week, every human celebrity with a working womb has declared herself pregnant. Since we blindly follow celebrities in all our actions, allow us to take this opportunity to announce that we, too, have a bun in the oven. Our due date is 13th January 2011 and we’ve already picked a name for the new arrival, Answer Me This! Episode 162. Ooohowowowow – we think the blighter’s on its way….:
This classic episode is available to BUY NOW for just 79p at the Answer Me This! Store, through a secure server, without DRM restriction. CLICK HERE to find out more and support our podcast. (This helps keep our most recent episodes free)
Today’s episode is accompanied by a token amount of afterbirth and a sizable amount of the following:
Reebok Runtone Trainers
white-collar boxing
‘Heart and Soul’
Love and Other Drugs
Richard Branson
greedy Jet Li
Peter Pan, master builder
Babycham
ivy-covered halls
Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’
Ian McEwan’s Enduring Love
Sidney Paget
witches’ hats
bullet time*
the MTV Generation
the greatest album Meat Loaf never made
and
deep-fried eggs.
Plus: Olly has a horrific DIY suggestion for replacing a lost eye; Helen brings down London, one neighbourhood at a time; and Martin the Sound Man recommends that if you only read one book in your life, it should be this one.
This week’s Bit of Crap on the App (get it for your shiny iPhone or your shiny Android – those of you with non-shiny phones, forget it) is a question from Mark who’s been thinking the unthinkable: if Wills’n’Kate don’t make it to the altar on April 29th, what will happen to our promised national holiday? Panic! (Don’t panic.)
You’ll also note that, at the end of the episode, we appeal for your suggestions to guide listener Karen gently into the magnificent world of book-reading. Please leave those in the comments below; then please leave your QUESTIONS for future episodes as voicemails on the Question Line (dial 0208 123 5877 or Skype ID answermethis) or emails to answermethispodcast@googlemail.com.
Great! Now we’re off to stand on the front steps of the Portland Hospital holding a wadded-up pale blue blanket so that maybe someone takes our picture. We’re over the moon! Etc etc.
Helen & Olly
* In case you couldn’t remember what that is, here’s a refresher:
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Tags: actors, Agatha Christie, age restrictions, Big, books, booze, Brad Pitt, champagne, chippies, company histories, confectionery, customs, deer, deerstalker, deerstalking, eggs, equestrianism, eyepatches, eyes, fashion, Fight Club, film stars, films, fish and chips, fitness, food, glass eyes, gyms, hats, Henry James, history, Hoagy Carmichael, horses, Ian McEwan, Ivy League, Jacqueline Susann, Jet Li, JM Barrie, Katherine Mansfield, Keanu Reeves, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meat Loaf, Milkybar, Milkybar Kid, Mission Impossible, movies, music, new year, Nicolas Cage, Norman Wisdom, novels, Peter Falk, Peter Pan, PG Wodehouse, phrases, pickled eggs, pickles, pirates, reading, Richard Branson, Sherlock Holmes, Shoreditch, songs, Stephen King, sunglasses, sweeties, The Matrix, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Tom Lehrer, toys, tweed, tweet, university, USA, Val Kilmer, Valley of the Dolls, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Records, Wendy, Wendy house, Will Smith, witches
Answer Me This! Podcast 
January 20, 2011 at 11:53 pm |
The Count of Monte Cristo is a corker
January 19, 2011 at 4:55 pm |
Despite the fact that you all seem impressed by ‘Heart and Soul’ I, having learned piano with the J.W.Schaum books until grade 4 piano, I was never taught Heart and Soul and can see nothing in it but a fucking annoying tune and irritating arpeggios. Why are people so obsessed with the damn song?
January 19, 2011 at 4:55 pm |
Yeah, I’m 14 now.
January 18, 2011 at 10:25 pm |
She mentioned she likes the ’20s, so why not The Great Gatsby? It’s a corker of a plot and even if you don’t probe right imto the full analysis it’s a fantastic portrait of American life of the era!
January 19, 2011 at 8:48 pm |
But would you really recommend it as the first (real) book she reads? I read it recently, and I don’t think I would have enjoyed it much when I was younger.
January 19, 2011 at 9:13 pm |
I agree, Dom – it left me cold when I first read it as a teenager.
January 18, 2011 at 4:28 am |
About Sherlock Holmes being pictured wearing a deestalker, you were correct that Sidney Paget, who illustrated the stories that appeared in The Strand magazine, only drew Holmes wearing a deerstalker when in the country.
The popular image of Holmes with a deerstalker and Inverness cape came from the actor and playwright William Gillette. The curved pipe came entirely from Gillette. I don’t have my research on the subject at hand, but I recall reading something about how he couldn’t perform the role of Sherlock Holmes night after night holding a straight pipe in his mouth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gillette
November 4, 2011 at 1:14 am |
Conversely, if you ever told Arthur Conan Doyle that Holmes wore a Deerstalker, he’d look at ya funny. Because Holmes didn’t wear a deerstalker in the books. Ever.
January 17, 2011 at 8:26 pm |
What about “The Magicians” by Lev Grossman? It’s like Harry Potter with shagging.
Or you guys mentioned short stories, there is a good collection of short stories that came out recently by Neil Gaiman called “Fragile Things.”
Also, what about David Sedaris? He’s got some pretty engrossing books that are funny and fast reads, “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “Barrell Fever.”
January 17, 2011 at 7:24 pm |
I love the PG Wodehouse suggestion – those books are hilarious. Another really fun one to read is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos – it’s a classic and it’s hysterical. Also, I do love a bit of Austen and if you’ve never read Pride and Prejudice it really is great. Oh actually another really hilarious one is How I Paid for College. I laughed out loud reading it on the train to work. Totally embarrassing as all the other passengers looked at me funny. Super funny.
January 17, 2011 at 1:29 am |
Re Books for beginners
am currently working my way through the ian fleming James Bond Books ( 15 written by the man himself)
could be a good starting point for your questioner
January 17, 2011 at 6:12 pm |
They are amazing
January 17, 2011 at 12:36 am |
A suggestion for a funny book set in the 20’s: Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. Possibly perfect for a fan of AMT, it’s a wonderfully satirical story.
January 17, 2011 at 9:42 am |
good call!
January 16, 2011 at 7:29 pm |
I have to ask for the American listeners: what, exactly, ARE Wendy Houses? I’ve heard the term before in other British sources, but still not sure what it is. A dollhouse? An outdoor play house?
January 16, 2011 at 7:44 pm |
I guess playhouse would be the best translation – the outdoor ones are like fancy sheds, the indoor ones like these: http://www.jellybabys.co.uk/baby-toys-c-69/childrens-play-houses/childrens-wendy-houses.html
January 16, 2011 at 6:36 pm |
its a bit basic but maybe she should get an autobiography of someone she likes. or failing that the sherlock holmes stories are quite easy going
January 16, 2011 at 4:39 pm |
i worked in a bookshop until recently and on my last working day TWO people came in and asked what book they should buy as they want to ‘read more’.
even though that is a ridiculous thing to ask, i suggested looking in the teenage section. books like ‘the boy in the striped pyjamas’ are written for teenagers to be able to read and are simpler than a lengthy piece of fiction, but are often much deeper than shite such as ‘twilight’. also ‘never let me go’ and ‘before i die’ are pretty good teen books
January 16, 2011 at 4:06 pm |
If she’s only read Harry Potter, why not start with stuff from a similar demographic with a teen or adult fantasy like Artemis Fowl or some Terry Pratchett so she can work her way up?
Also, I’ve always been quite a big reader, but the thing that really pushed me from teen and pre-teen fiction to adult stuff is Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – the most fun, exciting and hilarious book I’ve ever read (besides Answer Me This! of course). It’s obviously not exacty hard-hitting stuff, but I found it a nice in between for teen and adult fiction.
January 16, 2011 at 6:41 am |
Great Gatsby
classic 20’s lit
and A Farewell to Arms
January 16, 2011 at 5:13 pm |
great gatsby is a top book if you don’t read much
a) it’s short (but yet, still makes you look intelligent)
b) Set in the 1920s – lots of cars and cocktail parties
Also, anything by Steinbeck. Cannery Row is really good. Funny with interesting developed characters.
January 16, 2011 at 4:40 am |
RE: Good Books
I would suggest any novel by Michael Ondaatje. To start off, probably some of his more popular books like Divisadero, In the Skin of a Lion, or The English Patient; then I would suggest moving to the more intense novels like Anil’s Ghost (my personal favourite)
January 15, 2011 at 9:21 am |
I would suggest maybe reading an autobiography of someone you’re really interested in. It should get you into the swing of reading, while keeping up your interest enough to stop the short attention span from wondering off, ow ow ow i have something in my eye.
January 15, 2011 at 5:02 pm |
Shame autobiographies tend to be so badly written (or am i just being a literary snob here? :-p)
January 14, 2011 at 4:26 pm |
This podcast isn’t showing up on the iTunes feed… argh! Unless it’s just my computer being daft…
January 14, 2011 at 4:52 pm |
it’s not just you – observe the note in bright orange at the top of the post
January 14, 2011 at 6:47 pm |
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a brilliant short narrative novel that is easy to read, and set in the 1920’s. Aside from that, obviously the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is a fabulous read, but i thought that Enduring Love by Ian Mcewan was crap.
January 14, 2011 at 1:09 am |
Neil Gaiman books are excellent as they are amusing, interesting, and easy to read (i’d suggest American Gods or Neverwhere myself). But for an ideal ‘first book’ i’d buy To Kill a Mockingbird.
Poignant, amusing at times, easy to read but also engrossing, something that will make you think and move you, that you will read hundreds of times (so getting more bang for your buck) and a generally important book to read,
January 15, 2011 at 1:53 pm |
I came here to suggest Neil Gaiman; Stardust is an utter joy. He’s also a master of the short story, so that’s an option.
January 13, 2011 at 10:38 pm |
I am in year 10 at school and I really never bother reading books because there are ways of getting away with it like looking on wiki about the book or watching the film version. I suggest buy a film they are cheaper and more enjoyable.
January 14, 2011 at 12:17 am |
Shame on you!
January 13, 2011 at 8:59 pm |
Maybe Karen, you could join an online bookclub, just to give you some ideas about what to read. I would definitely recommend Jeeves and Wooster books, which are great fun, but old so people won’t look down on you.
But don’t start with Enduring Love. It’s awful.
January 13, 2011 at 9:03 pm |
Good point
January 13, 2011 at 8:41 pm |
For a new reader I’d say some Neil Gaiman might be good: Anansi Boys is really fun, but so is pretty much everything he’s done. Douglas Adams would be a good bet as well.
I remember really loving The Beach by Alex Garland at around Karen’s age too.
January 15, 2011 at 1:03 am |
Of course, there’s always non-fiction.
I hear The Big Necessity is really good.
January 13, 2011 at 8:18 pm |
Helen, you know how you were talking about the expression “Hell for Leather”? In Aleister Crowley’s 1917 book Moonchild, he used the expression “L for leather”.
January 13, 2011 at 7:58 pm |
Dear Helen and Olly (and Martin the soundman)
I’m too lazy to jump on the 202 just on the offchance that Bookseller Crow still has some signed copies of your book hanging around.
Does he? If not, I’ll still buy the book, but it’ll be less exciting.
Thanks!
Robin
January 14, 2011 at 12:25 am |
He shortly will have more copies; to save you a lengthy bus journey, you could just order one via http://booksellercrow.com – I think he was chucking in free postage….
January 13, 2011 at 6:33 pm |
about the books… for the 1920s/1930s i would choose some evelyn waugh for some satirical brillance, and for the 1950s/1960s maybe some capote (breakfast at tiffanys, or in cold blood), or to kill a mockingbird by harper lee ^_^
January 14, 2011 at 12:24 am |
Evelyn Waugh is a good call! Decline and Fall, though, not bloody Brideshead.
January 14, 2011 at 11:19 am |
Oh don’t besmirch the good name of Brideshead – it’s great, as long as you pay no attention to the wierdly tacked on heterosexuality.
January 14, 2011 at 11:20 am
the problem is not weirdly tacked-on heterosexuality – it’s the weirdly tacked-on Catholicism.
January 14, 2011 at 2:06 pm
I’d managed to wipe that from memory!
January 13, 2011 at 4:27 pm |
Am I being daft? It’s not appearing on itunes?
January 13, 2011 at 4:30 pm |
Not daft – another week, another glitch with our hosting company. Sadface.
Hopefully it’ll show up on iTunes soon!
January 13, 2011 at 4:31 pm |
oh no! Double sad face! *slightly hyperventilates*
January 13, 2011 at 9:00 pm |
That’ll teach you for using Sadface for hosting. They’re well rubbish.
January 14, 2011 at 11:21 am
now you tell me.