Lines and Dots - Episode 36 (Cutting Edge)

There are some pieces of music and some works of literature that we revisit over and over again - either because they have such brilliance that they need a repeat watch or because we find them oddly comforting. From the musical Hamilton to the Dilbert Principle and from Douglas Adams' genius to the ingenuity of Will Todd, Maurice and Chris explore what it is that pulls us back to these things so often.  They also display a lack of football knowledge which is only paralelled by their lack of interest in the game.   First recorded on 19th June 2025.

From the windswept deserts of Arrakis to the Republic of Plato and from the riot-inspiring ballet music of Stravinsky through to Mahler's Ressurrection symphony, this week Maurice and Chris tackle those pieces of text and music that reward the dertermined listener. What is it that makes something impenatrable? Why do we feel so delighted when we come to appreciate them? And why on earth am I still using the word 'spandex'?   First recorded on 12th June 2025.

From poetry that meets the needs of business through to a ballet for Barbie, this week's episode explores the intractable pull of the new and the risky - what is it that makes a piece of culture truly new and different? Styling themselves as a breakdancing crew, Maurice and Chris throw down moves to explore the music of Tippet and the extraordinary Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. First recorded on 3rd June 2025. 

The title of this episode should be preceded by a disapproving tut or a disdainful whistling of air through the teeth. Looking at the concept of something becoming outdate or inappropriate in a more modern context, Chris and Maurice consider Nabokov's Lolita, the book of Leviticus, the music of Grease and go on the hunt for a lost cord. All of this while enjoying a reminiscent round or two of the Generation game... didn't they do well?   First recorded on Thursday 22nd May 2025.

Travelling, in at least their own minds, to the village of Upperthong for a spot of Welly Wanging, Chris and Maurice explore the intrac(tor)able influence of the countryside and agriculture on creativity through the ages. From a glorious setting of a tractor catalogue by Milhaud, and an opium-fuelled stroll through the fields with Berlioz to an oddly named memorial by Milton and a bit of post-funereal hanky-panky with Hausmann - its a theme that keeps coming back over and over again!   First recorded on Thursday 15th May 2025. 

Inspired by an intense if typically short British heat wave, Maurice and Chris play some French Cricket as they explore the inspirational power of the Summer. Discussion includes The Pines of Rome, the prescrtiptivism of Tennessee Williams' stage directions, a sonnet by Vivaldi and, of course, a cuckoo. No shins were harmed in the making of this podcast.   First recorded on 7th May 2025.

In this week's (somewhat delayed) episode, Maurice and Chris explore what makes a really good bit of humour. From the genius of Mozart's Musical Joke through to the mischievous Book of Moromon and the magnificently maligning poetry of the Roman poet Martial not to mention the confidence trickster Frank Abagnale Jr.  There is a single profanity in this week's podcast. But it's Classical, so surely that's allowed? First recorded on 1st May 2025.

A tricky topic this week as Maurice and Chris attempt to find a recipe for greatness in the worlds of culture and politics. Exploring 'battlefield experience' with Alexander the Great, longevity, with Handel's Messiah, intelligence and scale of ambition with Tolkien and tact and sensitivity of approach with John Williams - it's clear that there is no one, surefire path! All of this while attempting to demonstrate prowess in that greatest of all sports, Lawn Bowls. First recorded Thursday 27th March 2025.

From Terry Pratchett and Jane Eyre to Bob Dylan and Adele - Maurice and Chris pelaton-spin their way through a smorgasbord of cultural giants that they desperately want to like ... but just don't. It's a question of things having everything they need to be fantastuc and yet, for some reason, not appealing ...  I lied. Chris does not desperately want to like Adele and I have a feeling that comes across..  First Recorded on 27th March 2025

This week, Chris and Maurice take on the difficult challenge of finding pieces of text and music that are so very straightforward one could almost imagine having written them oneself. It soon emerges, however - during an excellent match of noughts and crosses - that such things are hard to find and that such cultural artefacts as a Bach Prelude, a nine-line poem by Frost, haiku poetry and a well-known nursery rhyme are actually fare more brilliant and complex than one would, at first, imagine! First recorded on 13th March 2024.