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CMU Approved
Approved: A Way From Home
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 8 May 2018
It’s been a while since we’ve had a podcast recommendation in this slot. In fact, it’s entirely possible that the last one was radio presenter Jon Hillock’s previous effort, All Back No Front. Two years on from the last episode of that show, he returns with a new one that puts a new twist on both music recommendation and interview shows, A Way From Home.
As the name suggests, this new show is about getting away from what you know. In part it’s about listening to music differently. On each episode, he leaves his own house and heads off to someone else’s. There he listens to tracks from their record collection on their stereo, as well as playing them a few recommendations of his own.
The back and forth of this hits on something really interesting. It’s not like a radio presenter playing music to you (although, ironically, most of the episodes so far are a radio presenter interviewing a radio presenter). There’s something more personal about it, quite likely due to the guests being on such familiar territory.
Conversation flows naturally too. Talk of records being played shifts to hopes, fears and ideas on life, without the usual contrived atmosphere of an interview. It’s a genuine conversation, which leads to a higher proportion of ‘holy shit, I thought I was the only person who thought that’ moments per episode.
This links nicely to CALM, the charity with which the show is associated. The Campaign Against Living Miserably works to reduce male suicide, particularly by encouraging men to speak to people about their feelings.
Guests on A Way From Home so far are radio presenters Tom Ravenscroft and Nick Luscombe, and former Soul Jazz A&R Nicole Mckenzie. You can listen to all three, plus an introductory episode more fully explaining the premise, through your podcast app of choice, or with full tracks on Mixcloud.
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