Talkhouse Podcast

In conversation on the latest episode of the Talkhouse Film Podcast are Super Size Me director Morgan Spurlock and Louis Theroux, whose latest documentary, My Scientology Movie, is in theaters now. In a highly entertaining discussion, the two talk about: Michael Moore; the joys and pitfalls of immersive journalism; Theroux's time with the infamous British TV presenter Jimmy Saville; getting up close and personal with bigots, pedophiles, Ted Nugent and other unsavory characters; whether or not Louis hates Alex Gibney (who, of course, made his own Scientology doc); Janet Jackson and Nipplegate; and much more. For more filmmakers talking film and TV, visit Talkhouse Film at talkhouse.com/film.

Tori Amos and Garbage’s Shirley Manson ruled the ‘90s alternative music charts with hits like “Cornflake Girl” and “Only Happy When It Rains" (respectively), and they continue to make vital music today. On the eve of Amos’ Boys for Pele twentieth anniversary deluxe reissue release, the old friends sat down to talk revisiting their younger selves and early work, the constraints society puts on aging women, the film Audrie & Daisy being a powerful teaching tool against sexual assault and the song Amos wrote for it, motherhood, and the patriarchy in the music business. They even offer some advice to aspiring female pop stars. Subscribe now on iTunes or Stitcher to stay in the loop on future Talkhouse Podcasts.

— Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast producer and engineer

On this week’s Talkhouse Podcast, we’ve got a pair of Norwegian friends who both have excellent new records out this year: Sondre Lerche and AURORA.

Lerche started writing gorgeous pop songs while he was still a teen in the suburbs of Bergen, Norway. It wasn’t too long before his music started finding its way out into the world, and he’s released a bunch of albums since the early 2000s. Though clearly starting from a pop background—his songs are incredibly catchy—Lerche has nimbly moved through various permutations over the years, flirting with jazzy sounds, more intimate acoustic numbers, touches of Brazilian sounds, and the occasional out-and-out new wavey rock. Not long before the pandemic, Lerche recorded Patience, which he intended to tour behind, but instead he ended up moving back to Norway from Los Angeles and recording another excellent album, called Avatars of Love. For this one, his tenth, Lerche recruited a bunch of friends to help out, including another Norwegian star from a younger generation, AURORA. Here’s a bit of the sensual duet they performed together for the album, it’s called “Alone in the Night.”

As you can hear, AURORA has a kind of otherworldly quality to her voice, though on her own records it’s more often set against a more electronic backdrop: You may have heard her killer single “Cure for Me,” which came out last year and appears on her latest album, which came out earlier this year. It’s called The Gods We Can Touch, and she’s once again—like Lerche—supremely interested in lyrics, this time around going heavy on love and relationships.

You’ll hear the two of them chat about the importance of love in this podcast, as well as their native Norway, earlobe hair, and more. One minute they’re deep into how music can help us overcome grief, and the next they’re talking about how religion and music are both like penises, in that they are beautiful and lovely, but you shouldn’t shove any of them in someone’s face. Enjoy.

Thanks for listening to the Talkhouse Podcast , and thanks to AURORA and Sondre Lerche for letting us listen in on their fun. If you liked what you heard, please follow Talkhouse wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Myron Kaplan, and the Talkhouse theme is composed and performed by the Range. See you next time!