PODCAST · arts
The Allender Calendar
by Robin Allender
A monthly podcast in which Robin Allender talks to writers, musicians and performers about their work and inspirations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
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Episode 26: Jake Crawford (unpeople)
This month I'm talking to Jake Crawford, singer and guitarist with the fantastic alternative metal band unpeople. unpeople's debut album, we are unpeople, is released today (9 October 2026), so please check it out! It's a brilliantly varied record; alongside influences from Deftones and Sikth…
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Episode 25: Anwen Crawford
This month on The Allender Calendar I'm talking to the writer and visual artist Anwen Crawford. I met Anwen when she guested on The Clientele Podcast a few years ago and we stayed in touch. Anwen has such a precise and vivid way of writing, mixing personal biography with critical analysis. Her...
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Episode 24: Simon Reynolds
This month on The Allender Calendar I'm delighted to be joined by the music journalist Simon Reynolds to discuss his new book Still in a Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers and the Reinvention of Rock, 1984–1994. Simon has previously written about music's obsession with the past (Retromania) and the future...
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Episode 23 (Part 2): Cass McCombs's Wit's End with William Doyle
In part two of my interview with William Doyle about Cass McCombs's Wit's End, we go through the album song-by-song. We even get the guitars out to play along. If you want to support the podcast, you can buy me a coffee here: https://buymeacoffee.com/robinallender Hosted on Acast. See...
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Episode 23 (Part 1): Cass McCombs's Wit's End with William Doyle
This month on The Allender Calendar, it's a two-part special as I (Robin Allender) talk to the musician William Doyle about Cass McCombs's beautifully morbid 2011 album, Wit's End. In the first part, we discuss Cass's extraordinary lyrics, what makes him such a unique (and underrated) songwrite,...
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Episode 22: Guillermo Stitch's The Coast of Everything with David Collard
Happy Bloomsday! This month I'm delighted to welcome back writer and top-tier Joycean David Collard to celebrate the publication (on 16 June, no less) of Guillermo Stitch's dazzling new novel The Coast of Everything. Guillermo Stitch's Substack: https://guillermostitch.substack.com/ Support the...
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Episode 21: John Robins
This month on The Allender Calendar I’m talking to comedian, broadcaster, and very good friend John Robins about his book Thirst: Twelve Drinks That Changed My Life. It's a beautifully written account of alcoholism and recovery – candid, profound and very funny. I’m positive it will help a lot of...
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Episode 20: Simon Love
This month on the pod I'm joined by London-based Cardiff-born musician Simon Love! Simon is a superb songwriter with excellent pop smarts, an innate feeling for hooks, and a gift for Ray Davies-esque scene-setting. His lyrics are often very funny (in particular the bridge-burning bitterness of...
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Episode 19: Julia Jacklin's Crushing with Celya AB
This month on The Allender Calendar I'm talking to the fantastic stand-up comedian Celya AB about Crushing, the 2019 album by Julia Jacklin. We had a great chat about music in general, and vulnerability in performance, specifically relating to Celya's last show Of All People. Through the course…
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Episode 18: Wendy Erskine
This month on The Allender Calendar I chat to the Northern Irish writer Wendy Erskine about her 2025 novel The Benefactors. The novel's central incident is the sexual assault of a teenage girl, Misty, at a party. The novel follows Misty, the boys involved in the assault, and their families – and...
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Episode 17: Ben Pester
This month on The Allender Calendar, I'm chatting to the author Ben Pester about his debut novel The Expansion Project. Part corporate satire, part Lynchian dreamscape, The Expansion Project explores loss, parenthood, grief, and the ways in which identity and meaning are being distorted as...
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Episode 16: Pierre Novellie
This month on The Allender Calendar I'm joined by the comedian Pierre Novellie to discuss his 2024 book Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things?: A Comedian's Guide to Autism. It's a brilliant, and very funny, book which taught me so much about the condition. We discuss the misunderstandings and...
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Episode 15: Emily Breeze
This month on The Allender Calendar, I speak to the fabulous Bristol-based musician Emily Breeze, whose lipstick-smeared and glitter-drenched album Rats in Paradise is one of my favourites of the year. And Emily very kindly gave me permission to include snippets from the album in the episode! We...
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Episode 14: Rose Ruane
This month on The Allender Calendar I talk to the fabulous writer Rose Ruane. Rose has published two novels, Birding (2024), which was longlisted for the 2025 Women's Prize for Fiction, and This is Yesterday (2019). Rose writes brilliantly and insightfully about female relationships, the legacy…
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Episode 13: Jordan Brookes
On the month's episode of The Allender Calendar I talk to the fantastic comedian Jordan Brookes. 2019 Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Bleed: https://youtu.be/z5O3PI9whAo?si=K9WSnV8YrJftiliy I've Got Nothing: https://youtu.be/myOoRrMIyO8?si=YbwPZl5-Ei8348lD Body of Work:...
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Episode 12: Rebecca Watson
This month on The Allender Calendar I talk to the novelist Rebecca Watson about her books little scratch (2021) and I Will Crash (2024). We discuss whether Rebecca is an 'experimental' writer, or if her unique fragmentary style is really just the most effective and immediate way of communicating...
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Episode 11 (Part 2): Gorky's Zygotic Mynci with Elis James
Part 2 of my chat with comedian Elis James about the brilliant Welsh psychedelic folk band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. Check out Rhodri Viney's latest EP here: https://ratatosk.bandcamp.com/album/1 And here are a few of my favourite Gorky's moments on YouTube: The Banana film with all the early music...
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Episode 11 (Part 1): Gorky's Zygotic Mynci with Elis James
This month on The Allender Calendar I had the great pleasure of talking to the comedian and broadcaster Elis James about our favourite band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. Because Elis and I chatted for over two hours I've decided to release this episodes in two parts (both out today!). In Part 1, Elis…
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Episode 10: Bloomsday Special with David Collard
It's the 16th of June which can mean only one thing: it's Bloomsday, the day on which James Joyce's masterpiece Ulysses is set. To celebrate, I spoke to the amazing writer David Collard about his book Multiple Joyce: 100 Short Essays About James Joyce's Cultural Legacy. And, of course, we also...
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Episode 9: Evie King
This month on The Allender Calendar I talk to the incredible writer and council worker Evie King. Evie's book Ashes to Admin: Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral Officer was published in 2023 and is a profound and moving account of her job. Also, for a book about death, it is very funny....
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Episode 8: Back to the Future with Pravanya Pillay
On this month's podcast, I chat to the brilliant stand-up comedian Pravanya Pillay about the Back to the Future trilogy, a firm childhood favourite. We talk about time travel paradoxes, how the films stand up today, and why it's such a special and mind-blowing series of films to watch when you're...
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Episode 7: Luke Turner
On this month's Allender Calendar I chat to the writer Luke Turner about his book Men at War. Luke's book examines the legacy of the Second World War and shines a light on the real lives of the people who fought in it; their complications, loves, and lusts. We talk about the experiences of gay…
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Episode 6: Josie Long
This month I chat to the amazing comedian, writer and activist Josie Long about her book of short stories Because I Don't Know What You Mean and What You Don't. Josie's stories are rich and varied – very funny and powerfully moving. The book covers a range of topics including political apathy,...
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Episode 5: Our Mutual Friend with Sam Amidon
This month's episode is a bit different! I got together with the American folk musician Sam Amidon to talk about Charles Dickens's last completed novel Our Mutual Friend. Along the way we talk about William Gaddis, Jacques Tati and Kazuo Ishiguro. We also chat about Sam's new album Salt River…
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Episode 4: James Blackshaw
On this month's episode I chat to the guitarist James Blackshaw. We talk about James's influences, his guitar playing technique, and why he decided to take a break from music. I go through a few of my favourite songs by him, and we discuss the making of his new album. We also talk about cooking!...
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Episode 3: Dan Hancox
This week on The Allender Calendar I talk to the journalist Dan Hancox about his new book Multitudes: How Crowds Made the Modern World. Dan's Substack: https://danhancox.substack.com/ Buy the book from Verso here:...
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Episode 2: Frances Leviston
On this month's episode I interview the author Frances Leviston. Frances has written two books of poetry – Public Dream (2007) and Disinformation (2015), both published by Picador. Her debut collection of short stories, The Voice in My Ear, was published by Jonathan Cape in 2020, and that's the...
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Episode 1: Olivia Chaney
In the first episode of The Allender Calendar, Robin chats to folk musician Olivia Chaney. Olivia's latest album Circus of Desire was released in March 2024: https://oliviachaney.bandcamp.com/album/circus-of-desire Olivia recently performed at the Proms as part of an orchestral celebration of…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A monthly podcast in which Robin Allender talks to writers, musicians and performers about their work and inspirations.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
HOSTED BY
Robin Allender
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Allender Calendar have?
The Allender Calendar currently has 28 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Allender Calendar about?
A monthly podcast in which Robin Allender talks to writers, musicians and performers about their work and inspirations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How often does The Allender Calendar release new episodes?
The Allender Calendar has 28 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Allender Calendar?
You can listen to The Allender Calendar 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 The Allender Calendar?
The Allender Calendar is created and hosted by Robin Allender.
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