Nostalgia Interviews with Chris Deacy

From before I moved out of my office at the University of Kent, it was so good to record an interview with Eleni Kapogianni - my first of two consecutive interviews with Linguistics colleagues - and this was really enjoyable to listen to just now. We talk about film, storytelling, fiction, pragmatics, discourse analysis, growing up in a seaside town in Greece and on her grandparents' farm, going to Philosophy conferences as a child, the magical nature of radio as a medium, and what her younger self would make of what she is doing now (and vice versa). Thank you so much Eleni.

Eleni Kapogianni My guest this week is Eleni Kapogianni who I have known for about a decade. Eleni lectures in Linguistics at the University of Kent, and we talk about the big role that film (and film dialogue) plays in her research. Storytelling and fiction is a big hobby for Eleni, and we di...

Here is the link to week 7 of my Cabin FM afternoon show. There will be more Nostalgia Interviews to post in the coming weeks - I am just a few away from posting my 200th - but do check out my radio show, where one of my guests is former Nostalgia Interviews guest Paul March-Russell. Paul edits the sci-fi journal Foundation and talks with me here on Cabin FM about the Arthur C. Clarke Awards, watching '2001: A Space Odyssey' at the Kavanagh in 1978 and Kevin Ayers and the Herne Bay music scene.

Chris Deacy Cabin FM Tuesday 16 July 2024 with edits Highlights of my afternoon show on Cabin FM on Tuesday 16 July 2024 featuring a poll for listeners to vote for their favourite James Bond song, an interview with Paul March-Russell about science fiction and Herne Bay singer-songwriter Kevin Ayers, On This Day In History, films news and reviews (incl...

I so enjoyed interviewing Duncan Woodruff for my latest Nostalgia Interviews podcast episode. Duncan is an actor and stage combat instructor and we find out what Duncan thinks about stage and film performances, his latest film 'Occupied' (Bruce Partleton, 2024), his thoughts on method, fantasy, auditions, serendipitous accidents, breaking the fourth wall, and his reflections on what has changed in the industry.

Duncan Woodruff My guest this week is actor and stage combat instructor Duncan Woodruff who did a History degree at the University of Kent about fifteen years ago. We learn that Duncan had a plan from when he was at school to go into acting, and that his work in fight directing was more seren...

Huge congratulations to Sofia Akin who is about to join BBC South East as a Broadcast Journalist. Sofia has been my regular interviewer on Kent Tonight over recent months, and it was wonderful to have a chance to interview her for my Nostalgia Interviews with Chris Deacy podcast. Cue several Sliding Doors moments!

Sofia Akin My guest this week is Sofia Akin, journalist and main anchor at KMTV's Kent Tonight, and (as we learn in the breaking news at the end) who is about to join the BBC as a Broadcast Journalist.

It was a real pleasure to interview the KMTV Channel Director Andy Richards for my latest podcast interview. We learn about Andy's journey from the Channel Islands to Kent via Middlesbrough, Chichester and Devon, and encompassing film, the arts, education, journalism, management, heroes... and stay tuned for a special announcement at the end that concerns me directly...

Andy Richards My guest this week is Andy Richards, Channel Director of KMTV. Born in Guernsey in 1982, Andy reveals what it was like to grow up on a small island. The first film he saw was ET and Andy discusses the importance in those days of Blockbuster Video where he worked when he was 18...

Exciting to see my Cabin FM profile page, and looking forward to going live on air on Tuesday 4 June from 1-4pm. Watch this space...

Chris Deacy Chris Deacy About Me I was a university lecturer for 25 years, and have written and taught on religion, film, life after death, Christmas and nostalgia. I am originally from Cardiff and lived in West Wales before moving to Canterbury in 2004. I have hosted a podcast called Nostalgia Interviews wit.....

It was wonderful to turn the tables and interview one of my regular interviewers on KMTV, Abby Hook, for the latest episode of my Nostalgia Interviews with Chris Deacy podcast. Abby is Assistant News Editor at KMTV, and we find out how she became a journalist, how it wasn't the route she originally expected to follow, being recognized in the street, what happens when things go wrong on TV, what Abby has learned about herself, having a strong sense of self, the notion of 'it's meant to be', and the fear of failure.

Abby Hook My guest this week is Abby Hook, Assistant News Editor, journalist and presenter at KMTV where she has been based for the last two years. Abby talks about the demanding nature of journalism and how you have to love it to do it, and we learn that she grew up regularly doing drama.

This is a dream interview for me as it is with Professor Paul Badham who was at Lampeter for many years and who has been such a seminal influence on my own life and career. It was a huge pleasure to catch up with Paul for the first time in many years and to hear his life story...

Paul Badham My guest this week is Professor Paul Badham who for many years was Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Lampeter, where he began his career in 1973. His own father had done an English degree there before studying Theology at Oxford and whose own writings were influen...

It was a huge pleasure to interview Henrik Schoenefeldt for my latest Nostalgia Interview. We discuss sustainability in architecture, how Henrik grew up in Germany in a former industrial city, how Covid and Brexit prompted questions of identity, his secondment to the Palace of Westminster, crossing national boundaries, being interested in the popular culture of a previous generation, and looking back in order to go forward.

Henrik Schoenefeldt My guest this week is Henrik Schoenefeldt, Professor of Sustainable Architecture, who has been at the University of Kent since 2011. He was at Cambridge prior to moving to Kent and we learn about the role of sustainability in architecture from an historical perspective, such a...

My guest this week is Sabrina Mei-Li Smith who lectures in Creative Writing at De Montfort University in Leicester. Sabrina has written a novel set in the mid-1990s and some of the research behind her novel is heavily connected to the themes of nostalgia and identity.

We learn about the way Sabrina examines themes of race and gender within the accepted narrative that surrounds the rise and demise of Britpop, the emergence of 1994's Criminal Justice Act, and the standardization and neutralization of alternative lifestyles.

Sabrina also has an exhibition as a work in progress, which focuses on her novel's research materials. This exhibition consists of archive materials from NME, Melody Maker, and fanzines as a method of communication before the widespread use of the internet.

Sabrina Mei-Li Smith My guest this week is Sabrina Mei-Li Smith who lectures in Creative Writing at De Montfort University in Leicester. Sabrina has written a novel set in the mid-1990s and some of the research behind her novel is heavily connected to the themes of nostalgia and identity.

I had a great time interviewing Sally Bernard for my latest Nostalgia Interview. Sally was a schoolteacher for many years and we find out why she wanted to be a better schoolteacher than the teachers who had taught her, about growing up in Bristol, living in Bermuda and New Zealand, why she still sends letters, why one of her teachers from school was fired for teaching dances from West Side Story, and why she doesn't have any regrets.

Sally Bernard My guest this week is Sally Bernard who was a schoolteacher for many years, currently living in Deal, Kent. She originally wanted to run an antique shop but her father played a key role in the career route that she followed.

It was so wonderful to meet Sally Nicholls in Cardiff just before New Year to record this latest episode of my podcast. We talk about Lampeter, growing up in the countryside, travelling the world to see Neil Diamond in concert, why Michael Palin is the only man who has left her lost for words, her time in Patagonia during Covid, and the importance of living in the present moment. Thank you so much Sally for a really inspiring conversation.

Sally Nicholls It was a great pleasure for this week’s Nostalgia Interviews podcast to meet Sally Nicholls who was at Lampeter from 1992-95 where she studied Welsh.

Safeer Khan is Imam at Gillingham mosque in Kent and it was a great pleasure to meet Safeer for my latest Nostalgia Interview. We talk about his faith, Islamophobia, Israel-Gaza, the dangers of radicalization, playing football in Sierra Leone, and whether negative experiences can bring people closer to God.

Safeer Khan It was a great pleasure for this week’s Nostalgia Interview to meet Safeer Khan. Safeer is Imam at a mosque in Gillingham where he has been based since 2014. He leads the prayers every day and takes classes at the mosque. We learn about the Indian origins of his Ahmadiyya com...

Simon Smith was at SDUC from 1988-91 when he studied Religious Studies, and then stayed on to do the Interfaith Studies MA. Here's my latest Nostalgia Interview where we talk about Lampeter, being allowed to write an essay as an undergraduate on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the perennial question 'Are you religious?', buying his first single at the age of 9, listening to the charts on Tuesday lunchtimes and seeing John Peel and Gary Numan on Top of the Pops, The Jam, The Damned, Miles Davis, the death of cultural icons and whether we can remember the memories of other people...

Simon Smith It was a great pleasure for this week’s Nostalgia Interviews podcast to meet Simon Smith who was at Lampeter from 1988-91, where he studied Religious Studies, and then stayed on for the Interfaith Studies MA.

It was a huge privilege to interview Louise Naylor for my latest (186th!) Nostalgia Interview. Louise retired in autumn 2023 from the University of Kent where she worked for 34 years, and we talk about serendipity, opportunity, the recipe for staying the course, the two-way nature of education, her background in biochemistry, being the first in her family to go to university, the notion of simple abundance, being a journey rather than a destination type of person, the importance in her life of music, and the role of passion and compassion.

Louise Naylor My guest this week is Louise Naylor, who spent 34 years at the University of Kent before retiring in September 2023 as Director of Education. Louise started on a one year temporary lectureship in 1989, and we talk about the role of serendipity and opportunity and the recipe fo...

Here is my interview with Matt Harrington, who like me was at Lampeter from 1991-94. Matt studied English and this is a wonderful nostalgia-filled conversation about the journeys we were on back in the early 1990s and how they have shaped us over the decades since.

Matt Harrington My guest this week is Matt Harrington who studied English at Lampeter from 1991-94. There are many great undergraduate reminisces here, beginning with a recollection of the circumstances around our graduation in July 1994.

It was a joy to be asked to talk about Christmas films - and specifically Elf (2003) - for a special festive edition of a podcast run by Katie Turner and Joe Scales called Gods and Moviemakers. https://shows.acast.com/62e7c870.../6582d7687f4b62001520151e

We recorded this episode last week and it will hopefully give you an insight into the reason why Christmas films play an important role in the lives of so many people, irrespective of whether or not they celebrate Christianity.

shows.acast.com

This is my Christmas special - and it was so fitting to have as my guest Lucinda Murphy aka the other Dr. Christmas! Lucinda did her PhD on Christmas, which was also the subject of my last book. We had never met before doing this interview and it was a real privilege, and great fun, to come across so many areas of intersection - including that Nostalgia, my current project, was also the topic of Lucinda's previous thesis. We also learn about Gelf the Elf and find out which Christmas film and song are Lucinda's favourites.

Lucinda Murphy Christmas Special This week’s episode is a Christmas special as I am joined by someone else who has made Christmas their research project in recent years. Lucinda Murphy and I had never met before we recorded this interview in London in October 2023, and there are many parallels and synergies w...

Henry Jeppesen studied Swedish at Lampeter in the early to mid-90s and it was a huge pleasure to catch up with him to record this latest episode of my Nostalgia podcast. We chat about being on the Ents committee, and some of the bands he brought Lampeter's way, learning a language from scratch, growing up in Norfolk, his chart obsession (we are very kindred spirits!), and how he has used his Swedish professionally as a literary translator.

Henry Jeppesen My guest this week is Henry Jeppesen, a freelance literary translator, who studied Single Honours Swedish at Lampeter from 1993-97. We learn about Henry’s Scandinavian background, find out why he fell in love with Lampeter and what happened on his Year Abroad.

It was so good to interview John Wills for my podcast - click on the photo to hear us talking about video games, working in a video store when young, how we make sense of our pasts, why being a teenager was not always helpful, the comfort of going to the cinema, horror in movies compared to real life (and how John watches horror films with a fellow Buddhist), taking his son to watch Barbie, and why John has some discomfort in looking back.

John Wills My guest this week is John Wills, Professor of American Media and Culture, who has been at the University of Kent since 2005. We discover that John owns various consoles and machines from the 1970s onwards and we find out where his academic interests, e.g. in video games, have...

It was a huge pleasure to interview Katie Marquis for my Nostalgia podcast. Katie runs a prestigious dance school in Canterbury, and we talk about ballet, personae, time management, fate and destiny, her 105-year-old grandmother, having realistic expectations, the impact of the pandemic on her profession, encouraging younger people back into the arts, and what advice Katie would give her younger self.

Katie Marquis It was a great pleasure for this week’s Nostalgia Interviews podcast to meet Katie Marquis. Katie runs Dance Warehouse, a dance school in Canterbury where she was once a pupil. We find out how Katie has realized the three dreams she set herself as a child, and how she is very ...

My latest Nostalgia Interview is with physicist Chris Solomon who talks about the lack of wonder he encountered in his subject while at university, his interest in and religion, having a mother who co-presented an afternoon TV show, meeting Anita Roddick, the 7 Up series, and life lessons.

Chris Solomon My guest this week is Chris Solomon, a Physicist who worked at the University of Kent from 1995 until 2020. He worked in the area of face recognition and subsequently started a company called Vision Metric which has been his main focus.

Gary Bunt is Professor of Islamic Studies at Lampeter, where he was also a PhD student in the 1990s. We were colleagues for many years, but before doing this interview I did not know much at all about Gary's former career in radio, including interviewing Adam Ant and working with Brian Matthew, and encountering The Specials and John Lydon when they were promoting their records, and putting together a documentary on John Lennon following his death.

Gary Bunt My guest this week is Gary Bunt, Professor of Islamic Studies at University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Gary and I made a reverse academic journey as he was an undergraduate student at Kent before moving to Lampeter in later years, whereas I started at Lampeter and moved to ...

This was a really eye-opening experience when, in Tenby, back in July, I was invited to meet Anne and Vicky, the daughters of veteran Principal of St. David's (University) College, John Roland Lloyd Thomas (1953 to 1976). We spoke for an hour and their reminiscences shed light on a different era, from the days when students wore academic gowns, had to be back in College by around 10pm and there weren't, at first, any female students.

This is a unique slice-of-life which takes us back to living behind the College Chapel with its spiders, attics and cellars, how the place evolved over the years, and how they feel about the town where they grew up now after so many decades.

Anne Pőnisch & Victoria Tomlinson It was a huge privilege for my latest Nostalgia Interview to meet Anne Pőnisch and Vicky Tomlinson, daughters of John Roland Lloyd Thomas who was Principal of Saint David’s (University) College for nearly a quarter of a century from 1953 until the mid-1970s.

It was wonderful to catch up with Kate Heffner for my latest Nostalgia Interview where we talk about women in science fiction fandom, growing up in poverty in Long Beach, California, where books were not affordable, why libraries are sacred spaces, outsider culture, the relationship between teaching and autobiography, and why Kate didn't think she would live beyond age 25.

There are so many nuggets in this interview - thank you so much Kate for being an amazing guest and for recording this with me.

Kate Heffner My guest this week is Kate Heffner who is doing a PhD on women in science fiction fandom in the History Department at the University of Kent.

This is where I get to share my own excitement as I am interviewed on my own podcast about what it is that makes me tick! Craig Braddick has done a brilliant job of turning the tables on me and asking me about the things that defined me in terms of growing up with Radio 1 in the 1980s and Radio 2 in the 1990s and beyond, and about how being a contestant on Blockbusters guided me towards my own broadcasting career.

For anyone who knew me at school or university this might shed some light on the kind of person I was in those days, and you can work out for yourselves whether and how I might have changed over the years!

This was a joy to do, and Craig did a phenomenal job of researching and asking me the questions! It felt a bit like doing a viva, but not in a bad way!

Chris Deacy (interviewed by Craig Braddick) In a special edition of my podcast this week, Craig Braddick has interviewed me to talk about growing up in the 1980s with Radio 1 and then into Radio 2 into the 90s and beyond, and how being a contestant on Blockbusters guided me towards my own broadcasting career.

It was a real privilege to interview Terry Lindvall for my podcast. Terry is the C.S. Lewis Chair of Communication and Christian Thought at Virginia Wesleyan University, and we talk about movies, parables, spiritual journeys, Tim Burton's Big Fish, animation, laughter, satire, crisis, and the importance of personal stories. Click on the link to hear the interview. Thank you Terry for being such a witty and profound guest.

Terry Lindvall My guest this week is Terry Lindvall, the C.S. Lewis Chair of Communication and Christian Thought at Virginia Wesleyan College. Terry talks about his seminary background, looking at religion and popular culture, and we find out about Terry’s academic history and his work in hi...

It was fantastic to catch up with Chris Cotter from the Open University for this week's Nostalgia Interview where we talk about podcasting (Chris is a trailblazer), growing up in Northern Ireland, moving to Edinburgh but migrating from Physics to Religious Studies, feeling more Irish in Scotland than in Belfast, his changing views on nationalism, his passion for amateur dramatics, being a reserved person but wanting to perform on the stage, watching films on train journeys, and what attracts him to the movies of Darren Aronofsky.

Chris Cotter My guest this week is Chris Cotter who lectures for the Open University and has a rich background in podcasts. He co-founded the Religious Studies Product podcast in 2012, and we talk about our thoughts on podcasts and why academics want to discuss their research.

I am so glad I had the chance to catch up with Krysia Waldock to do this interview which discusses autism, neurodiversity, disability, religion, languages, educational barriers, and the advantages of being an 'in the moment' type of person.

Krysia Waldock My guest this week is Krysia Waldock, who is doing a PhD at the University of Kent that straddles various disciplinary areas. Krysia is based in the University’s Tizard Centre and has an undergraduate background in languages.

Steve Jacobs and I were at university together from 1991-94 and it was a huge pleasure to catch up with Steve for my latest Nostalgia Interview. We recall the very different, by today's standards, way we received our degree results, Steve's work in Religion and Media at Wolverhampton, his PhD on Hindu reform movements, his background in catering and running a vegetarian kitchen, sustainable living, his many visits to India, yoga, the fluid construct of home, and aerograms...

Steve Jacobs It was fantastic to catch up with Steve Jacobs, a retired Senior Lecturer in Media, Religion and Culture at the University of Wolverhampton, for my latest Nostalgia Interview. Steve and I were at Lampeter together from 1991-4 where we both received the same degree classificati...