PODCAST · arts
Talk ’90s to me
by Podmasters
Diving deep into a wild decade of chaos, creativity and hedonism – from Oasis to ‘Friends’, from grunge to girl power, from Kate Moss to alcopops to ‘Trainspotting’ and beyond. Join award-winning Observer journalist and Smash Hits graduate Miranda Sawyer as she meets the people who were really there for the decade of Cool Britannia, Cantona and the Chemical Generation. Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky for clips, behind the scenes content and to send us your questions & thoughts! You can now support us on Patreon! Help support the podcast and get episodes early and ad-free, bonus content and some EXCELLENT merch. Talk ’90s To Me – could a podcast BE any more brilliant? Talk ’90s To Me is a P
Episodes
-
Hardcore! How ’90s TECHNO blew up the dancefloor – with Joe Muggs
Diving deep into all things ’90s… Hardcore, crusty, dub, four to the floor, LET’S HAVE IT… we are, of course, finally diving into the unrelenting, tribe-declaring world of ’90s techno (and the chemical revolution that fuelled the whole thing). The story starts in a Detroit suburb in the late ’80s...
-
Hole, Courtney Love, Smashing Pumpkins… Bass legend MELISSA AUF DER MAUR on the “beautiful mess” of grunge
Diving deep into all things ’90s… Canadian art school kid turned indie bass player Melissa Auf Der Maur was sucked into the whirlwind of two of the biggest alt.rock and grunge bands of the ’90s, centre stage with two of the most divisive characters of the decade: first Billy Corgan and then...
-
Censored! – Queer moments of ’90s TV that changed history – with Scott Bryan
Diving deep into all things ’90s… Which TV moments stick with you forever? If you were growing up queer in the 90s, some of those scenes went beyond fond memory and became monumentally life-affirming. From Two of Us to Queer as Folk, Brookside to Coronation Street, ’90s TV was peppered with...
-
Andrew Weatherall – From Primal Scream to Warp Records and beyond, the Guv’nor of British dance music
Diving deep into all things ’90s… We celebrate Andrew Weatherall, the DJ giant who influenced every corner of electronic music across the ’90s and ’00s. Master arranger, remix royalty, father of indie dance and pioneering selector, he brought dub, rock and roll, soul, pop, punk, noise and techno...
-
Kylie! – Michael Hutchence, ‘Indie Kylie’ and those gold hotpants
Diving deep into all things ’90s… It’s the episode you’ve been waiting for. We present to you, Princess of Pop, ultimate gay icon, international treasure… Kylie. She kicked off the decade with Michael Hutchence on her arm – a masterclass in shaking off your good girl past – before diving into the...
-
Talk '90s To Me - info on our first live show!
We are going live! On 15th October, Talk '90s is live at the ICMP in Queen's Park, London. We are joined by former guest and Bandsplain-legend Yasi Salek to talk all things Courtney Love - don't miss out. Tickets are just £17 and available from here (£13 for Patreons - sign up now) - there are…
more -
The Face magazine – How the Bible of the ’90s launched Kate Moss and got sued by Jason Donovan
Diving deep into all things ’90s… From Kate Moss and Keanu Reeves to Blur, Britpop and climate change, the original style mag The Face celebrated youth culture as well as spotlighting social change. Founded by former NME editor Nick Logan in May 1980, it paved the way for titles like i-D and…
more -
Mark Kermode – My all-time favourite soundtracks from the ’90s
Diving deep into all things ’90s… He’s Britain’s best and most admired film critic and he cut his teeth in the ’90s, but what are Mark Kermode’s favourite movie soundtracks from our favourite decade? The bequiffed star of 5Live, primetime TV and now his award-winning podcast with Simon Mayo has...
-
The Girlie Show’s Sarah Cawood – “I was never a ladette!”
Diving deep into all things ’90s… Young and quick-witted with an infectious energy and a flame of short red hair, Sarah Cawood encapsulated everything it meant to be a ’90s TV presenter. Fronting The Girlie Show with Sara Cox before moving onto Singled Out, Live and Kicking, Top of the Pops and...
-
DJ legend SMOKIN JO on 90’s clubs – “It was hot, it was sweaty, everyone was off their t*ts!”
Diving deep into all things ’90s… A regular on the decks at Turnmills, Fabric, Ministry of Sound, The Haçienda, Space, Amnesia, Privilege and Panorama Bar, the legendary Smokin Jo is the only woman ever (!!) to win DJ Mag’s coveted DJ of the Year award. After a painful childhood, she found…
more -
Raving in the ’90s – Pills, acid, warehouse parties and more with author Kirk Field
Diving deep into all things ’90s… “It’s an event for 4000 people starting at midnight. We won’t need alcohol – just water and soft drinks.” When Kirk Field found himself helping a mobile bar service to deliver to strange, out-of-town, alcohol-free parties – Sunrise, Raindance ajd more – he was on...
-
Tim Booth from James – “Sit Down? I’d rather keep dancing.”
Diving deep into all things ’90s… It was impossible to miss anthemic Manchester groundbreakers James’ monster hits in the ’90s, like Sit Down, Laid and She’s A Star. Huge communal singalongs with a melancholic beauty that struck a chord on both sides of the pond, they put James right into the...
-
Shirley Manson of Garbage – “Weird girls and disobedient women? That’s the ’90s”
Diving deep into all things ’90s… The fierce face and blazing voice of post-grunge feminist rock’n’roll, Shirley Manson became a 90s icon with Garbage’s era-defining hits: Only Happy When It Rains, Stupid Girl, Milk, I Think I’m Paranoid and more. A James Bond theme, acting in video games and TV…
more -
Primal Scream! – Bobby Gillespie on ’90s rock, rave and getting loaded (and having a good time)
Diving deep into all things ’90s… Primal Scream began the decade by smashing indie rock into acid house. Their euphoric classic Screamadelica made everyone briefly believe in a happier, kinder, more disco-psychedelic Britain. But there’s more to the Scream than Movin’ On Up and their late ’90s...
-
Tony Hawk, RaD magazine, MTV and more – the rebirth of SKATING
Diving deep into all things ’90s… In 1978, skate died for good. Skateparks closed, toys went to landfill, boards gathered cobwebs and Tony Hawk couldn’t pay his bills. But then a new wave of skaters swapped the vert for the street, new fashion brands and magazines like RaD (Read and Destroy) and...
-
Godfather of Britpop! – Producer Stephen Street on Blur, The Cranberries, Morrissey and more
Diving deep into all things ’90s… If you wanted the Britpop sound* you called Stephen Street – the legendary record producer, musician and band-wrangler who brought out the magic in Blur’s Parklife and The Great Escape, two colossal Cranberries albums, and Britpop classics from Sleeper, Catatonia...
-
ELIS JAMES of BBC 5Live – “Manics, Super Furries, terrible shoes and MY ’90s”
Diving deep into all things ’90s… Stand-up comic, actor, prolific podcaster, 5 Live fixture and proud ’90s kid Elis James has led a hectic life, from playing in indie bands in his mum’s wedding dress to selling out the London Palladium. Today he’s here to talk about his ’90s – from his burgeoning...
-
Clueless! Why this ’90s classic is still the best teen film of all time
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Observant, razor-sharp, and totally uncynical, there’s a reason why Clueless has stood the test of time. Often referred to as the best teen film ever, it takes Jane Austen’s Emma and transplants her into the plastic-chic world of 90s Beverly Hills. At its centre…
more -
Paula Yates – The life, loves and tragedy of a Big Breakfast superstar
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Big Breakfast presenter, tabloid icon and 50% of THE rock power couple, Paula Yates was one of the most fascinating and complicated figures of the 1990s. A journalist, presenter, style icon and gossip column fixture, she helped redefine celebrity culture with her...
-
Select Magazine – How the ’90s greatest music mag launched Britpop and reinvented Glastonbury
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Not many images epitomise Britpop more than Suede’s Brett Anderson in front of a Union Jack with “Yanks go home!” emblazoned across his chest. Suede were not happy… but the readers of Select Magazine – the delinquent lovechild of Smash Hits and NME – loved it....
-
Buffy the Vampire Slayer! – How a surprise monster hit redefined horror
This episode was recorded prior to the sad death of the brilliant Anthony Head on 5 June 2026. Diving deep into all things ’90s. Fangs for the memory! Buffy the Vampire Slayer began life as a teen horror-comedy film that came and went in 1992 with barely any impact. But five years later, creator...
-
Cash, cocaine and chaos – The mad, bad ’90s music biz with author John Niven
Diving deep into all things ’90s. The music business’s last hurrah of excess, extravagance and super-colossal expense accounts came in the ’90s – and John Niven was in the front row as an A&R man* at era-defining label London Records. His experiences of trying to sign the next big thing in a…
more -
Showgirls – Worst film of the ’90s or misunderstood gem?
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Paul Verhoeven’s camp, deranged, Vegas-based “erotic drama” Showgirls was a $45 million Hollywood gamble that became one of the biggest box office flops of the decade. Nominated for 16 Razzies, it got its lead actress Elizabeth Berkeley effectively blacklisted…
more -
From Queen to Mogwai – John Robins on his ’90s music journey
Diving deep into all things ’90s. John Robins was a child at the start of the ’90s and eighteen by the end of it. He talks through his early obsession with Freddie Mercury and Queen’s ‘90s releases, his controversial non-uniform day outfits and how his music taste evolved to the likes of Mogwai…
more -
Prozac Nation! – How one grunge-era depression memoir changed everything
Diving deep into all things ’90s… Elizabeth Wurtzel’s groundbreaking grunge-era memoir of depression, medication and alienation Prozac Nation divided opinion like few books ever have. How did it become the book of a generation? Does it stand up now? Did Wurtzel reinvent an old genre or start a…
more -
Alcopops! – Hooch, Metz, Breezers and the booze of the ’90s
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Bright, sugary and brewed to go down far too easily, alcopops arrived in the ’90s with a bang. They blurred the line between soft drink and spirit, encouraged a new generation into the pubs and if you believed the tabloids sparked a youth drinking revolution.…
more -
Ash! – Tim Wheeler on the Northern Irish kids who crashed the Britpop party
Diving deep into all things ’90s. It’s 1994, three schoolkids from Downpatrick get permission from their headteacher to go on tour with Elastica… and the rest is history. Ash arrive with the bombastic Girl From Mars and pure teenage nerve, somehow landing a record deal before they’ve finished…
more -
Goldie – The drum’n’bass bad boy who defined ’90s Jungle
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Nothing captures the raw excitement of ’90s clubbing like the speaker-shattering sound of jungle and drum’n’bass – a collision of real time breakbeats and chest-rattling sub-bass that created a culture that still lives on today. And the undisputed don of the…
more -
Sky Magazine! – Sex, sin and six-packs with the Bible of the ’90s
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Stuffed with high-glam, sex-soaked shots featuring the likes of Kylie, Johnny Depp, Madonna, Ewan McGregor and Uma Thurman, Sky Magazine was the glossiest badge of adulthood you could possibly leave on the coffee table. In an age when satellite TV was booming and...
-
Judge Jules – The original superstar DJ on decks, drugs and rock’n’roll
Diving deep into all things ’90s. “The Judge won’t budge!” DJ Julius O'Riordan AKA Judge Jules was at the centre of the ’90s dance music boom that took the scene from pirate radio and illegal raves to Radio 1, superclubs and Ibiza at its most ’avin it. The law student turned DJ became one of the...
-
This Life – The definitive guide to being young in the ’90s
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Cigs for breakfast! Oral sex in the kitchen! Wobbly cameras! E binges! Egg! Milly! Miles! Anna! Warren! And “the punch”. It’s 30 years since the groundbreaking houseshare drama This Life exploded onto our screens and gave us a candid look into the lives of young...
-
Eastenders icon Natalie Cassidy! – On being Sonia, barmy soap stories and Britpop!
Diving deep into all things ’90s. What happens when you grow up on the most famous square in Britain? Natalie Cassidy was barely a teenager when she became Sonia Fowler and suddenly the nation was watching her first kisses, first heartbreaks and, yes, her many trumpet solos. In this episode of…
more -
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Rise of the 90s’ Ultimate Heartthrob
Diving deep into all things ’90s. In 1994, a 19-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio received his first Academy Award nomination for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. It proved he was the real deal and set him on course to become more than just an actor. Within a few short years he’d become the ultimate poster...
-
Jeff Buckley – Inside a Beautiful Tragedy
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Jeff Buckley died in 1997 at just 30 years old, leaving behind only a handful of recordings but a huge impression on his fans. In the decades since, the mythology of the singer-songwriter hasn’t really faded. Buckley didn’t leave a long catalogue behind, but what...
-
How The Fast Show and Cold Feet defined ’90s Telly with John Thomson
Diving deep into all things ’90s. British comedy got faster, stranger and more gleefully quotable in the ’90s than ever before. At the centre of it all was John Thomson, the everyman who helped turn The Fast Show into a cultural phenomenon, popped up everywhere from I’m Alan Partridge to Men...
-
Lads' Mags – From Loaded to GQ, how the ’90s changed media
Diving deep into all things ’90s. 1994, Loaded lands on newsstands and suddenly the tone of British magazines shifts overnight. Louder, cheekier, more irreverent than anything before. At the centre of it all is James Brown, the unlikely magazine wunderkind who rocked the world of ’90s publishing....
-
Björk! – The National Elf Service… and how she shaped the ’90s
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Pop was trying very hard to look polished, predictable and a little bit American in the early ’90s… then Björk arrived, barefoot, uncompromising, and sounding like the future of music. She didn’t just release hit records. She blew open the idea of what a pop star...
-
Calvin Klein! The brand that made Kate Moss into the ’90s It Girl
Diving deep into all things ’90s. CK’s iconic black-and-white underwear ads didn’t just sell underwear – they practically defined the style of the ’90s. Slip dresses that looked like you’d forgotten the rest of your outfit, billboards full of brooding half-dressed teenagers, and a minimalist...
-
Disney Villains! – How queer baddies helped save Disney in the ’90s
Diving deep into all things ’90s. The Disney Renaissance is usually remembered for its big tunes and Broadway bombast, but one of its most long-lasting impacts is the strength of its villains. From a sea witch inspired by the most transgressive drag queen of the ’80s to a Shakespearean lion…
more -
When Posh married Becks – The original Beckham wedding that dazzled Britain
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Brooklyn and Nicola? Pffft. In 1999 David Beckham and Victoria Adams were the two most stratospherically famous people in Britain – and their wedding blew the nation’s collective mind. How did the Posh’n’Becks nuptials change celebrity culture, the media and the...
-
Britney Spears – the world’s most powerful teenager
Diving deep into all things ’90s. In 1999, Britney Spears exploded into pop superstardom. One song, one video, and suddenly she was everywhere with barely any build-up and no room to breathe. Was Britney’s debut a pop miracle, or the start of a life lived on other people’s terms? This week…
more -
Josh Widdicombe on TFI Friday and the chaos of ’90s live TV
Diving deep into all things ’90s. This week, Miranda is joined by comedian and podcast royalty Josh Widdicombe (who loved ’90s TV so much he even wrote a book about it Watching Neighbours Twice a Day..) to talk about ’90s TV phenomenon TFI Friday hosted by the one and only Chris Evans. Red hair,...
-
Pulp Fiction! Tarantino’s masterpiece that changed cinema forever
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Cool. Violent. Funny. Quoted to death. Still feels modern today. This week on Talk 90s To Me, Miranda opens the briefcase on 1994’s Pulp Fiction, the film that didn’t just dominate the cinema, it rewired culture entirely. With non-linear storytelling, electric...
-
Adidas Gazelles – The '90s trainer that will never go out of style
A special preview of the kind of thing we're doing over on our Patreon to tide you over the new year! Suede, slim and quietly confident, Gazelles could improve almost any outfit. Worn by everyone from indie kids to people who definitely weren’t trying, they went to gigs, clubs, school and back...
-
Were the ’90s the golden age of Christmas Number Ones?
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Did the Great British Christmas Number One peak in the ’90s? Miranda Sawyer sits down with comedian Marc Burrows, author of Mistletoe and Vinyl: The Story of the Christmas No. 1, to get our heads around the annual scramble to be top of the Christmas pops. It’s an...
-
Stay Another Day – The story of East 17's accidental Christmas classic with Tony Mortimer
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Today we unwrap one of the great Christmas gifts: how a lad from Walthamstow wrote the Crimbo anthem of the 90s. Yes, we’re talking about East 17’s Stay Another Day. Miranda sits down with Tony Mortimer to find out how he turned real heartbreak into a perennial...
-
Italia ’90 – Gazza’s tears, Maradona’s madness and the tournament that changed football!
Diving deep into all things ’90s. Italia ’90 wasn’t just a World Cup, it was a national mood. The summer when Gazza wept, England stumbled heroically, and football suddenly looked… different. Sleeker. Made for TV. This week on Talk ’90s to Me, Miranda Sawyer is joined by Simon Kuper, author of...
-
Catwalk Britain, Absolutely Fabulous and shopping in the ’90s – with Mary Portas, darling!
Diving deep into all things ’90s. The British high street was everything in the ’90s. A place to roam, reinvent yourself and blow your wages on whatever you fancied. Fashion maven Mary “Queen of Shops” Portas, author of I Shop, Therefore I Am, joins Miranda to revisit a decade when shop floors...
-
Seinfeld – The best sitcom of the ’90s?
The brand new podcast that dives deep into all things ’90s. Seinfeld was a “show about nothing” that critics didn’t get, audiences didn’t love at first, and yet somehow became one of the biggest comedy phenomena of the decade. From Jerry’s neuroses and Elaine’s sharp tongue to Kramer’s manic…
more -
RIP Mani – Why the Stone Roses bass genius was universally loved
The sudden death of Stone Roses bassist Gary “Mani” Mounfield aged only 63 shocked music fans everywhere and led to an outpouring of love and appreciation from fans and friends including Liam Gallagher, New Order, Elbow, the Courteeners, and many more. In a special tribute edition Miranda talks…
more
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Diving deep into a wild decade of chaos, creativity and hedonism – from Oasis to ‘Friends’, from grunge to girl power, from Kate Moss to alcopops to ‘Trainspotting’ and beyond. Join award-winning Observer journalist and Smash Hits graduate Miranda Sawyer as she meets the people who were really there for the decade of Cool Britannia, Cantona and the Chemical Generation.
Follow us on Instagram and BlueSky for clips, behind the scenes content and to send us your questions & thoughts!
You can now support us on Patreon! Help support the podcast and get episodes early and ad-free, bonus content and some EXCELLENT merch.
Talk ’90s To Me – could a podcast BE any more brilliant?
Talk ’90s To Me is a P
HOSTED BY
Podmasters
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Talk ’90s to me have?
Talk ’90s to me currently has 68 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Talk ’90s to me about?
Diving deep into a wild decade of chaos, creativity and hedonism – from Oasis to ‘Friends’, from grunge to girl power, from Kate Moss to alcopops to ‘Trainspotting’ and beyond. Join award-winning Observer journalist and Smash Hits graduate Miranda Sawyer as she meets the people who were really...
How often does Talk ’90s to me release new episodes?
Talk ’90s to me has 68 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Talk ’90s to me?
You can listen to Talk ’90s to me on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Talk ’90s to me?
Talk ’90s to me is created and hosted by Podmasters.
URL copied to clipboard!