Best John Fontain Podcasts (2024)

1
The best music of September; post-pandemic clubbing (Patreon preview) 34:04

1h ago34:04

34:04

From now on, the Best of the Month episode is Patreon-only. Public subscribers get the first 25 minutes or so. Patreon members get to hear the whole episode on their member feeds or on Patreon direct. Episode 263 comes at us fast with Niall Byrne and Andrea Cleary's monthly music recommendations. Chatting Indie Sleaze, a reason to be cheerful with …

1
Big Questions: Are Music Festivals Cooked? Was 2014 A Good Music Year? Will Steven Ever Win A Fantasy Albums Draft? 1:01:38

6d ago1:01:38

1:01:38

Steven and Ian begin this week's episode with the first ever "Furnace-cast" about the current state of Steven's heating and cooling units at his house. Both were being installed during this episode, which might have resulted in some post-punk-style background noise. What's more indie rock than that? After a quick Sportscast about the latest from St…

1
Paying for Multilateralism: the financing of IOs in Geneva 34:21

4d ago34:21

34:21

Livio Silva-Muller and Remo Gassman speak with us about their findings on the financing of international organizations in Geneva, published in a report by the Geneva Graduate Institute. Their illuminating report covers 16 organizations and spans two decades, from 2000 to 2020, providing a comprehensive analysis of financial contributions to Geneva-…

1
Temple Bar Culture Night incident raises questions & actions 43:39

7d ago43:39

43:39

Last Friday, Culture Night in Dublin, the Tola Vintage shop in Temple Bar's annual block party was shut down by the Gardaí, and three people were arrested. The police actions were met with criticism for the use of excessive force and suggestions of an underlying racial motivation. The Gardaí's statement about the matter cited "public safety concern…

1
New Music From Father John Misty + Bright Eyes, Plus: Jane's Addiction And The Smiths Melt Down 56:08

11d ago56:08

56:08

Steven and Ian begin today's episode by reacting to the recent Sean "Diddy" Combs news (1:22), and speculate on whether Get Him To The Greek is the most cancelable movie of all time. From there, they talk about the Father John Misty album announcement, and muse about the Pure Comedy album cycle (8:22). Steven then brings up Ian's great recent profi…

1
Physics, Beauty, and God | Ard Louis 22:25

12d ago22:25

22:25

In today’s episode, a physicist explores this question: Where do you see beauty in the world, and does it point to a higher purpose? You’ll hear from Ard Louis, a professor of theoretical physics at Oxford. Ard shares why he finds his research beautiful, where he believes the laws of nature come from, and how his Christian worldview helps him make …

1
Linkin Park's New Singer Controversy + The Latest Album By The Dare 58:07

18d ago58:07

58:07

Steven and Ian open today's episode with some jokes (and some empathy!) directed at Dave Grohl. The president of rock is down this week, but the guys are not going to kick him. Steven then laments the state of the Green Bay Packers in a quick Sportscast, and the guys marvel at the unintentional comedy of Donald Trump in Politicscast. Steven gets re…

1
Niall and Andrea's favourite music of the month (Patreon preview) 23:10

19d ago23:10

23:10

From now on, the Best of the Month episode is Patreon-only. Public subscribers get the first 25 minutes or so. Patreon members get to hear the whole episode on their member feeds or on Patreon direct. It’s the Nialler9 Podcast’s monthly episode where Niall and Andrea recommend albums and songs of recent weeks. Episode 261 of the Nialler9 Podcast fe…

1
Insights from the World Happiness Report with John Helliwell 43:19

20d ago43:19

43:19

Join us as we delve into the intricacies of the World Happiness Report with the distinguished Professor Emeritus John Helliwell. As a founding editor of the report, Professor Helliwell shares the origins of the report, the methodology behind measuring happiness, and the profound implications of the findings. Discover the pivotal role of the 2011 UN…

1
MJ Lenderman's "Manning Fireworks" + A King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Scene Report 1:01:12

25d ago1:01:12

1:01:12

Steven begins today's episode by apologizing to Ian and the Sum 41 fan community for his recent disrespectful comments on the pod -- new information has come to light that made him rethink his snarkiness (0:58). Then there is a short Sportscast about the new NFL season (4:25), and more despair from Steven about the state of his fantasy albums draft…

1
Father John Misty: I Love You, Man 1:57:27

27d ago1:57:27

1:57:27

Episode #260 of the Nialler9 Podcast is a long overdue Andrea deep dive into the life and times and music of Josh Tillman aka Father John Misty - Andrea's Cool Big Guy. Over nearly TWO HOURS, Andrea takes us through the highlights of his albums: Fear Fun, I Love You, Honeybear; Pure Comedy, God's Favourite Customer and Chloë and the Next 20th Centu…

1
Changing My Mind: A Skeptical Professor Meets a Surprising God | Molly Worthen 45:32

26d ago45:32

45:32

In today’s episode, you’ll hear the story of Molly Worthen. As a journalist and historian at UNC, Molly has written about Christians for years as an outsider. But in this conversation, she shares how something unexpected happened to her recently: she became one. Molly talks with Lorien Foote, a history professor at Texas A&M. They explore Molly’s w…

1
The Return Of Oasis, TV On The Radio + Nick Cave 1:02:00

1M ago1:02:00

1:02:00

Steven and Ian begin this week's episode by talking about a big potential reunion in the rock world. Of course we're referring to... TV On The Radio! The band appears to be teasing something right now, which the guys assume is probably their first concert dates in five years (1:38). After that, they of course talk about the return of Oasis. Steven …

1
Informing Interwar Internationalism: The League of Nations Information Service 39:15

1M ago39:15

39:15

In this episode, Emil Seidenfaden, an historian presently undertaking postdoctoral research at the Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen, joined us to talk about his recent book, Informing Interwar Internationalism. This fascinating work combines international history and media history and explores the intersection of journalism and diplomacy at…

1
Fontaines D.C. - Romance review (with Aoife Barry) 1:03:56

1M ago1:03:56

1:03:56

Niall is joined by journalist and arts writer Aoife Barry to review the fourth album from the Fontaines - new chapter, new label, new look, new sound for the band? Romance signifies some change from the Fontaines, their first on new label XL Recordings, they have graduated from the indie producer du jour Dan Carey with James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, B…

1
Fontaines DC + The Defining Indie Artists Of "Obamacore" 1:02:55

1M ago1:02:55

1:02:55

Steven and Ian open this week's episode by talking about pontoon boats -- Steven was on one this week, and he listened to Steve Winwood's "Back In The High Life Again" on a loop. Ian shares his own pontoon story about someone named Uncle Zippy (2:05). After a brief look at the Fantasy Albums Draft (5:05) -- Steven has records from Sabrina Carpenter…

1
The End Of Black Midi, The Rise Of Wishy + "Yay Or Nay?" On Ween 59:37

2M ago59:37

59:37

Steven and Ian begin today's episode with a review of Phoenix's performance at the Olympics last weekend, and the maddening idea that every band from the aughts is now being lumped into the made-up phenomenon known as "indie sleaze" (1:09). From there, they move on to the news that the proggy British post-punk band Black Midi has apparently broken …

1
Henri La Fontaine, un enragé de la paix avec Pierre Van den Dungen 54:00

2M ago54:00

54:00

Pour cet épisode, nous sommes enchantés d’accueillir Pierre Van Den Dungen pour parler d’Henri La Fontaine, un homme intense et fascinant gratifié du prix Nobel de la Paix en 1913. Pierre Van Den Dungen, docteur en Philosophie et Lettres (Histoire), a consulté la totalité des papiers personnels de La Fontaine au Mundaneum, à Mons, afin de rédiger l…

1
The Explosion Of Chappell Roan + The Worst Song Ever Written 1:01:11

2M ago1:01:11

1:01:11

Steven and Ian open this week's episode with a quick Politics-cast about Tim Walz, the VP candidate whose life resembles a middle-aged man's version of a Hold Steady song (2:05). From there, they discuss a range of not-quite-indie topics — the retirement of Aerosmith from the road (15:30), the explosion of Chappell Roan (24:33), and whether John Ma…

1
Niall and Andrea's favourite music of July (Patreon preview) 28:07

2M ago28:07

28:07

From now on, the Best of the Month episode is going Patreon-only. Public subscribers get the first 20 minutes or so. Patreon members get to hear the whole episode on their member feeds or on Patreon direct. It’s the Nialler9 Podcast’s monthly episode where Niall and Andrea recommend albums and songs of recent weeks. Episode 258 of the Nialler9 Podc…

1
How Your Worldview Affects Your Life | Dallas Willard 28:16

2M ago28:16

28:16

Today’s episode is about worldviews. What is one? Do you have one? And, if so, how does it influence your daily life? You’ll hear from Dallas Willard (1935 — 2013), a philosophy professor from USC. Willard explores how we can identify worldviews, why we should question ours, and how Jesus offers a unique and satisfying one. This forum was held at U…

1
The Dog Days Of Summer-cast Feat. Vampire Weekend, American Football + Father John Misty 57:52

2M ago57:52

57:52

Today's episode begins with Steven and Ian dipping into Sportscast discourse about the Olympics and Jordan Love's recent historic NFL contract (2:20). After that, they delve into the week's new releases, which include a Smashing Pumpkins album not even Steven and Ian care about (11:25) and an Ian fantasy draft pick that might have been a reach. The…

1
Surviving the UN - a conversation with Robert Bruce Adolph 15:46

2M ago15:46

15:46

Robert Bruce Adolph joined us for this short episode to talk about his book Surviving the UN: The Unexpected Challenge. Robert worked on assignments in many conflict areas in the world in the 1990s during his second career as a UN Chief Security Officer, following his retirement as US Army Special Forces Lieutenant-Colonel. He was present during th…

1
The Brat Summer/Kamala Harris Convergence + New Albums By Jack White And Childish Gambino 1:00:35

2M ago1:00:35

1:00:35

Today's episode begins with an extended rant from Steven about a big pet peeve: The conflation of music taste with personal morality and/or ideology. This came up multiple times this week, first with Charli XCX's apparent endorsement of Kamala Harris and the deep investigation into JD Vance's Spotify playlists (2:17). After Steven's rant, Ian share…

1
Shiv on collaborating with James Vincent McMorrow and making big life decisions 43:24

2M ago43:24

43:24

Siobhan McClean aka shiv is an Irish-Zimbabwean producer, singer-songwriter of neo-soul, RnB and lo-fi hip-hop who has shared two songs from the forthcoming debut album the defiance of a sadgirl this September, 'Limerence' and 'Cherry Pie', the latter featuring Kojaque, and produced by Gaptoof. I spoke to Shiv about the nature of collaborating and …

1
The Implosion Of Tenacious D + The Return Of Japandroids 1:00:42

2M ago1:00:42

1:00:42

Steven and Ian begin today's episode by reflecting on what they were doing when you-know-what happened last weekend. Then they get down to what is truly the biggest news of the week: The release of EA College Football 25, which is about to become Ian's obsession (6:00). After Video Game-cast, they pivot to a discussion about Tenacious D and their i…

1
Multilateralism, Multiculturalism and Working at the UN 45:27

3M ago45:27

45:27

The interns working at the UN Library & Archives Geneva gathered for a discussion with the Director of the Library & Archives, Francesco Pisano, on their thoughts on multilateralism, multiculturalism and working at the UN. Raphaela, Lucas, Alicia, Mengna and Ashrul come from different countries, are studying at different institutions and have diffe…

1
A short history of French Touch 1:10:26

3M ago1:10:26

1:10:26

Exploring a subset of electronic music made in France from the years 1996 to 2004. It's the latest episode in the Niall explains a dance music genre to Andrea series. What is French Touch? For some it means house music of French origin of the '90s and 2000s. For me, it's more defined. French Touch is more of a subgenre almost exclusively made by Fr…

1
Andrea & Niall's favourite music of June (Patreon Preview) 21:21

3M ago21:21

21:21

From this episode going forward, the Best of the Month episode is going Patreon-only. Public subscribers get the first 20 minutes or so for free but to hear the whole episode you'll have to sign up to Patreon to hear all 70 minutes of the podcast. It’s the Nialler9 Podcast’s monthly episode where Niall and Andrea recommend albums and songs of recen…

1
A Very Packed Day For Album Releases 57:53

3M ago57:53

57:53

Today is a very packed day for album releases, ranging from acclaimed indie acts (Clairo! Cassandra Jenkins! ) (34:00) to the opposite of acclaimed indie acts (a new Eric Clapton live album!) (10:15). Steven and Ian looked at the slate and decided to play FMK (2:00), touching on albums from Cigarettes After Sex (19:50), Eminem (17:00), Sturgill Sim…

1
Is Science the Only or Best Path to Knowledge? | Sethupathy & Rudge 38:24

3M ago38:24

38:24

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from two scientists as they discuss the topic of knowledge. Is scientific knowledge the only true form of knowledge? Or are there other equally valid ways of knowing? You’ll hear from Praveen Sethupathy, professor of physiological genomics at Cornell, and David Rudge, professor of biological sciences at Western Michi…

1
Our Q3 Fantasy Albums Draft 1:09:00

3M ago1:09:00

1:09:00

Steven and Ian are true patriots, and they pay tribute to the ol' U.S. of A at the start of this week's episode by picking some of their favorite patio music albums of 2024 so far, as well as their picks for the greatest patio album of all time (2:29). This is the music you'll want to rock at your July 4th weekend gathering. From there, they do a q…

1
Youth in Multilateralism - a conversation with Ellie Hutterli 22:35

3M ago22:35

22:35

Ellie Hutterli is a Senior Swiss UN Youth Delegate for 2022-24 and her priority topics are sustainable cities and communities, digitalization, reduced inequalities with a special focus on gender equality, and youth participation and inclusion. Ellie joins us for this episode to talk more about the Youth Delegate programme, her priority topic on wom…

1
Our Favorite Albums Of 2024 So Far 1:04:40

3M ago1:04:40

1:04:40

Steven and Ian begin today's episode by reflecting on the short-lived beef between Dave Grohl and Taylor Swift, which was initiated by a dad joke told on stage by the former about the latter (0:26). The guys also discuss the new album announcement from MJ Lenderman, and Steven tries not to be too annoying about what will likely be one of his favori…

1
The song of the summer 2024 1:11:23

3M ago1:11:23

1:11:23

It's our annual look at the contenders for the song of the summer. There's no formula for writing a song of the summer, the same way that you can't guarantee a Christmas classic, but there are some ground rules that seem to apply for most of the songs in contention every year. As noted by Mark Savage's The secrets of a hit summer song piece, some k…

1
Indiecast Hands Out The Mid-Year Indiecasties For 2024 59:14

3M ago59:14

59:14

Today's episode begins with Steven confronting Ian over a difficult subject: The big plate of donuts that Ian stole from Steven at his book event in Los Angeles last week (0:25). Will the guys be able to get past this? Yes, they will. But not before some serious donut shaming! After resolving the donut issue, they briefly discuss Steven's plans to …

1
Long Problems: Climate Change and the Challenge of Governing Across Time 35:00

3M ago35:00

35:00

Thomas Hale is Professor in Public Policy (Global Public Policy) at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. He also co-leads the Net Zero Tracker and the Net Zero Regulation and Policy Hub. His research explores how we can manage transnational problems effectively and fairly. In this conversation, Professor Hale talks with F…

1
Indiecast Answers Listener Questions 55:39

4M ago55:39

55:39

Steven is on the road this week doing book promotion and other fun things, so it seemed like a perfect time for he and Ian to answer some listener emails. As always, our listeners stepped up with some amazing topics this week. First, the guys talk about the recent Sufjan Stevens Illinois musical and discuss other albums that might warrant the adapt…

1
Charli XCX's Brat phenomenon (with Kelly Doherty) 1:20:38

4M ago1:20:38

1:20:38

It’s a new album special as we take a deep dive into Charli XCX’s sixth album brat. On Episode 253 we are joined by Kelly Doherty (of The Vinyl Factory, Satellite Towns and formerly Nialler9) to discuss all things brat from the clubby rollout to the surprising vulnerability and insecurities on Charli’s latest record. We put in context of her career…

1
What Technology Can (And Can't) Do | Rosalind Picard & Joshua Knobe 24:16

4M ago24:16

24:16

Advances in artificial intelligence and computing technology are happening at breakneck speed. Yet even the best A. I. today still falls short. Whether it's a frustratingly unhelpful chatbot, the uncanny valley of immersive virtual reality, or the nonsensical answers of ChatGPT. Are these glitches a short-term problem? Or is there something about h…

1
Andrea & Niall's favourite music of May 1:14:12

4M ago1:14:12

1:14:12

It’s the Nialler9 Podcast’s monthly episode where Niall and Andrea recommend albums and songs of recent weeks. Episode 252 of the Nialler9 Podcast and we are excited and enthusing about music of May. There are songs from Kynsy, His Father's Voice, PinkPantheress, Clairo, Kawaii Hoe and Charli XCX. And albums this month from Papa Romeo, Billie Eilis…

1
New Albums By Charli XCX And Good Looks + The 20th Anniversary Of The Killers' "Hot Fuss" 59:09

4M ago59:09

59:09

After a brief Sportscast on the media meltdown over Caitlin Clark’s early stint in the WNBA (0:30), Steven and Ian have perhaps the least likely conversation in Indiecast history about Ian going to a Sarah McLachlan concert (!) and seeing a fight almost break out (!!) (7:21). They also talk about Steven’s upcoming book event on June 11 at Book Soup…

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