The Blindboy Podcast Custard Creams and The CIA
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Nov 3, 2021 An ambient album made for houseplants sparks a wild journey through Victorian fern mania, miniature greenhouses, and women botanists collecting in the woods. Then come Cold War-era CIA experiments on whether plants can sense human thoughts, plus a peek at making songs live online and embracing public failure.
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Plants, Ferns, and Biscuits
- Blindboy recounts discovering an album made for plants, prompting a deep dive into its cultural origins.
- This led him to explore Victorian fern obsession and its link to custard cream biscuit designs.
Victorian Fern Craze
- Victorians' fern obsession stemmed from industrial pollution hindering houseplant growth.
- Nathaniel Ward's invention of the Wardian case, a mini-greenhouse, popularized fern cultivation.
Controlling Nature
- Wardian cases reflected the Victorian ideology of controlling nature through science.
- This mindset, rooted in the Enlightenment, also justified colonialism and contributed to current environmental issues.