Monocle on Culture

Eddie Chacon shot to fame as part of the duo Charles & Eddie, alongside the late Charles Pettigrew, with the release of their enduring 1992 single ‘Would I Lie to You?’ In the years after Charles & Eddie amicably split in 1997, Chacon explored another passion of his: fashion photography. But music called him back and, in 2020, he released the solo album ‘Pleasure, Joy and Happiness’, followed by ‘Sundown’ in 2023. Now he has returned with the gorgeous new record ‘Lay Low’. On today’s show, Chacon joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss his unique, heartfelt strain of R&B and the inspiration behind the dreamy tracks on his new record. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nancy Durrant and Matt Wolf join Robert Bound in the studio to discuss the best theatre shows coming to the stage in 2025, including a new production of a West End classic, a play about the experiences of the Windrush generation and a critically acclaimed performance by an Olivier award-winning actress.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We look ahead to the most exciting books, films and exhibitions in 2025, from the first international retrospective of a beloved US artist to a political thriller so potent that its director was forced to flee his home country. John Mitchinson, Francesca Gavin and Simran Hans join Robert Bound in the studio to let you know what should be on your cultural radar in the coming months. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We start the year off with a bang by celebrating the release of two fantastic new films. We hear from director RaMell Ross about ‘Nickel Boys’, a formally inventive and beautifully rendered adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Colson Whitehead. Then: erotic thriller ‘Babygirl’, starring Nicole Kidman, depicts a lustful affair between a CEO and an intern. Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco sits down with director Halina Reijn to find out more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laura Snapes, Toby Earle and Mia Levitin join Robert Bound in the studio to round up the best of this year’s albums, TV and books.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We share highlights from this year's programme, including interviews with the likes of Hans Zimmer and Maggi Hambling, and a very special session with folk duo The Staves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Georgie Rogers and Will Hodgkinson join Robert Bound in the studio for our annual review of the season’s best festive music releases, including albums and singles from Orville Peck, Kelly Clarkson and Jimmy Fallon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We visit two new London exhibitions. ‘Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami’ at Gagosian’s Grosvenor Hill outpost offers the contemporary artist’s interpretations of Edo-era artworks. We sit down with Murakami to discuss AI, where he finds inspiration and the atmosphere that he likes to create in his studio. Plus, we meet the curator of ‘Electric Dreams’ at London’s Tate Modern. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We cover the release of two fascinating and revealing documentaries. Both take a sideways look at men we’re familiar with from their public – and vastly different – profiles: one as a world leader and the other as an icon of Hollywood’s golden age. ‘The Bibi Files’, directed by Alexis Bloom, uses leaked interrogation footage of Benjamin Netanyahu to explore contemporary Israeli politics. Then, ‘Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes’, directed by Kathryn Ferguson, takes a behind-the-scenes look at actor Humphrey Bogart. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hank Willis Thomas is a US artist who works across media to explore themes including identity, popular culture and mass media. We meet him at his exhibition of collages, ‘Kinship of the Soul’, at London’s Pace Gallery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.