Sentimental Garbage

Maisie Peters, a musician with an album called The Good Witch, joins the show to discuss the cultural significance and personal experience of reading Twilight. They talk about the fascination with enduring love, personal connections to the book, Taylor Lautner's performances, and the chemistry between the actors. They also delve into the concept of magic, the power of music, and the impact of Twilight on teenage girls.

*SPOILERS FROM 48 MINS ONWARDS*Friend of the pod Dolly Alderton returns to interview me about The Rachel Incident, the latest novel from Caroline O'Donoghue (me) Order The Rachel Incident: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Clare-Caroline-ODonoghue/dp/0349013551/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2LAN076BK3XQ&keywords=the+rachel+incident+caroline+o%27donoghue&qid=1687367028&sprefix=the+rache%2Caps%2C477&sr=8-1https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-rachel-incident/caroline-odonoghue/9780349013558https://store.virago.co.uk/products/the-rachel-incident Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom McInnes is back for the ultimate test of this podcast's entire premise. Namely, can two people have an incredibly long and feelings-y chat about a three minute pop song from 1983? Let's see x Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a big week to be a Taylor Swift fan, so we're back for a second go of Midnights with Jen Cownie. We talk the bonus extras, the great ironies of “The Great War”, the Blake Lively fan fiction on “Bigger than the Whole Sky”, real Paris vs American Paris, and much much more. Also: what exactly DID happen to Caroline's Instagram? Apologies about the sound quality, the ever evolving narrative around Taylor meant we had to record this episode in a tin box. SENTIMENTAL GARBAGE LIVE(London) with Dolly Alderton: waterstones.com/events/sentimental-garbage-with-dolly-alderton-and-caroline-odonoghue-at-waterstones-piccadilly/london-piccadillySENTIMENTAL GARBAGE LIVE (Dublin) with Sophie White: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/caroline-odonoghues-sentimental-garbage-podcast-live-dublin-event-tickets-646891288257?aff=ebdssbcategorybrowse Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk disordered eating, body image and diets through the prism of pop culture, with Hanna Flint, the author of Strong Female Character. Is there such a thing as a "responsible" way to depict an eating disorder? Can we ever forgive Richard Curtis for what he did to Martine McCutcheon? And can we fairly say that we in a more body positive era when Ozempic is becoming more normal than ever? And has pop culture made us think that eating disorders are a White Girl Problem? We mention Love Actually, Bridget Jones Diary, The Whale, Heathers, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Jacqueline Wilson, School of Rock, Queen Latifah, and the Special K "drop a jean size" challenge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 1990s answer to Hard Day's Night was Spice World: The Movie, 92 minutes of pure joy that also provides Baby's First Blueprint to how fame works when you're a young woman. We talk about Wannabe as the Kennedy Assassination for millennial women, the subtext of the Spice Girls songbook, the insane cameos, the incredible plot strands, and the sad uselessness of the pregnant friend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could Joe Alwyn's departure from Taylor's life be the skeleton key to understanding Midnights, Taylor Swift's murkiest album? Jen Cownie returns for a track-by-track study that, she believes, tells the story of a woman who is breaking up with herself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Filmmaker and author Emma Forrest on her lifelong relationship with Cher. We talk noses, outsiders, plastic surgery, Mermaids, Moonstruck, I Got You Babe, the Sonny years and much much more. This is a really good one. Emma Forrest's new book, Busy Being Free, is available everywhere now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Novelist Ore Agbaje-Williams joins us for a childhood favourite that almost threatens to fall down behind the couch: the straight-to-video Cinderella, starring Brandy, Whitney Houston and Whoopi Goldberg. We talk about the baffling charm of this adaptation, the star-power of the cast, the new Little Mermaid, the endless drudgery of the 'representation' conversation, childhood desires and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Curious about what Sentimental Garbage sounds like live? Journalist and author Emer McLysaght joins us to talk Taylor Swift, 10 Things I Hate About You, roast dinners, social media activism, Karens vs Aislings, Adrian Mole, Phoebe and Paul, and why aren't our ex-boyfriends online. Thank you to Cúirt Festival for recording this for us, particularly to our stage manager Naomi Cantwell and sound engineer Dan Smith for sorting it all out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.