It was a thrill to be asked onto the Cerys Matthews Show for BBC Radio 6. I’m a huge fan, so it was a lovely opportunity to not just talk about maps, but the music I listen to whilst enjoying them!
The full show is here (From 2:02:01).
Ahead of appearing they asked me to suggest 5 tracks, which I’ve listed here as some people have been in touch to ask for the list. They played 4 on the show. Enjoy!
1. Feed Your Head; Paul Kalkbrenner. This track, sampling Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” was probably the one I listened to most during the long days (and nights) spent in the map library. The place became a strange world of distant and unfamiliar places that made me feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland…and Lewis Caroll had some smart things to say about maps.
2. Everest. Public Service Broadcasting. A favourite map in the book is a stunning chart of Everest and its surrounding area. The expedition that created it had all the drama that the sampled commentary in this track evokes.
3. Welcome Home, Son. Radical Face. An uplifting track that kept me company in the archive and captures the familiarity of known places, and the sense that they change over time.
4 . This is a Low; Blur. A tour of the shipping forecast map…what more can a cartographer ask for!
5. [Not Played] Two Tribes (Carnage Mix). Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The cold war (and nuclear) threat casts a long shadow over the map library, given that many of the maps were produced by both the Soviet Union and the West. This song is a good reminder of the futility of war, and the bassline kept me motivated as I tidied the piles of maps I’d pulled out of the drawers!
If you enjoyed this post then you might also enjoy The Library of Lost Maps. Pick up your copy here.