'Each week we pack a lifetime's worth of people, their stories, their ideas and the things they make, into the program.' Luke Clancy celebrates the 100th edition of Culture File Weekly.
One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven. Other numbers follow, but it’s hard to keep track. The thing is, linear time is a human construct, statistics are fiction; and, by the way, they’ve been running the numbers again for the Big Bang, and that never happened either.
But let’s just carry on anyway. My name is Luke Clancy and I look after The Culture File Weekly, RTÉ lyric fm’s Saturday teatime excursion into world culture, which celebrates its 100th episode about now. Maybe they’ve already put that somewhere in the headline up above. (I saw you look.) And each week we pack a lifetime’s worth of people, their stories, their ideas and the things they make, into the program. All to give you something unique to cook along to.
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From the ancient perfume ingredient, oud, right up to this moment’s friendship-retaining, pizza bill-splitting and mate-repaying social currencies, The Culture File Weekly has been busy delving into the essential culture that you didn't know you needed.
So if you missed any of the 100 episodes, you might not have heard the special sound of the juice running as sugar cane gets squeezed to make the purest Mauritian rum. Or you might have missed the lip-smacking story of Japanese shaved ices, or indeed the history of Japanese tattoos. Maybe you never heard the snuffling hound, Gigi, as she searched the forests of Alba for its white gold: the truffle. Or brought your ears to Banksy's displeasure park, Dismaland. You might even have missed the unnatural beauty of Irish harp music played on a Martin guitar.
In which case, don’t panic. This is 2016. There are plenty of ways to listen back.
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In this weirdly messed up time, as we wait for 2016’s next most awful news, it’s great to hear each week that none our guests is put off by the crazy spin of this year. Whether they’re dancers, rum-makers, free improvisers, bog butter aficionados, podcast comedians, sean nos singers, post-internet artists, EDM academics, whether they’re fiddlers, vegan bodybuilders, psychedelic potters, showband refugees, decent skins or poets, basically, they’re all thriving on it.
My point is (possibly) doesn’t time fly? Or at least, your earth time, earthling.
Or possibly, my point is: isn't the world still kind of “wow”, y’know, despite everything?
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And to prove it, not one but two Culture File Weekly regulars, perfume guru Lizzie Ostrom and technology soothsayer Aisling Kelliher, will, all being well, have new babies beside them at the mic in 2017. Oops...has this suddenly turned into a Christmas Round Robin? I’m pretty sure that’s not what the man from the RTÉ Culture website was looking for. But second week of December already and there's so much left to do: tat to be ordered online, parties to be skipped and convivial drinks to be shared with Mary from Accounts. I really must stop writing now and run and catch the post. Whatever that is.
Culture File Weekly, Saturday, RTÉ lyric fm @ 6.30pm. Luke Clancy's daily Culture File reports can also be heard on Lorcan Murray's Classic Drive - RTÉ lyric fm from 4.00pm daily.
