THE BEST PODCAST EVER; THE HIGH LOW PODCAST
Image via Elle.com
Where to begin when it comes to my ALL time FAVOURITE podcast, that I listen to religiously and give out physical fist pumps when new episodes reach the summit in my little purple Podcast app. THE HIGH LOW, has been bringing pleasure far beyond what ASMR could ever achieve since 2017. These two friends, Pandora Sykes and Dolly Alderton, have this magic chemistry and their persiflage is electric and will hook you in and spit you back out wishing you were part of their girl gang. I don’t think I’ve wanted to be part of a girl gang this much since the spice girls, and unfortunately I think the furthest I can part-take in the gang is by purchasing their merch and parading around the burbs in my beret with no f***ks.
Now they probably need no introduction but in case you have been living under a rock, Pandora Sykes, is journalist, writer and speaker from London, who mostly focuses on social commentary, lifestyle, fashion and celebrity. She has been the Fashion Features Editor of The Sunday Times Style magazine and you surely would have read every word she wrote whilst being a contributing editor at ELLE and ManRepeller.com. She has also written for titles including The Observer, The Telegraph, GQ, Vogue UK & Australia, Red, ES Magazine and The Cut (all super impressive for the average Joe and particularly for aspiring journos). Pandora runs her No,1 iTunes weekly pop-culture and current affairs podcast, with the award-winning author and journalist Dolly Alderton. Dolly also having been the producer and writer behind Made in Chelsea (another fabulous tv series, of binge-worthy content following the heirs and heiresses living in Chelsea). The feminist duo’s sole desire for the podcast was: “That life is best consumed with a mix of the trivial and the political. The errant chin hair to the Trumpian politics, if you will.”
And that, they certainly have achieved. From the problematic notions happening in the world with Harvey Weinstein, Hugh Hefner, the founder behind the Bikram yoga movement, the Victoria’s Secret show whilst it was on and then when it got cancelled they manage to have a intelligent conversation, with minimal rambling, respectful consideration of each other’s viewpoints and all performed at warp speed. If you’ve had thoughts that you’ve needed to unpack yourself about all of the iterations of Brexit, Teresa May’s ensembles and questionable yet heart-warming dance routines, these gals are bound to impart a fresh new perspective for you. What I personally find refreshing however is their acceptance of when their thought processes are challenged and bound to budge.
Top things that make me love the HIGH LOW and want to squeeze the cheeks out of it:
The way Dolly calls Pandora her teeny tiny little friend.
Dolly’s hilarious news reporting and obscure news finds ranging from: the Pink Gin Tube Lady who was dressed with bejewelled flip flops and extravagant glasses riding the tube on the Northern line sipping on her gin from a glass to Gwyenth Paltow’s hired library curator Thatcher Wine.
Their love of salt and vinegar crisps, tatoos, crisp sandwiches and Chrismont and their lengthly discussions referring to the merits of chin hair extractors over slivers and which seem to be most effective.
Their vocabulary is simply beyond, being a wordsmith myself, even I have stopped on my walk to take out my Oxford dictionary and look up some words mentioned. Basically, they make you cleverer.
Their absolute unpretentiousness when it comes to bougie cultural moments and bringing it back to keeping it real and calling each other out when they are being basic.. such as Dolly’s basic love for Chrissy Teigan.
Pandora’s jack in the box American accent which comes out on the rare occasion and her deep obsession with the himbos and bimbos on Love Island UK.
The amount of books they manage to get through. I have never met people (okay I haven’t met them, but having listened to every one of their podcasts it sure feels that way) with such reading ability and great literary taste. They have literally inspired me to clock up the reading hours and churn through their reading reccomednations, as they have all been brilliant (other than the horror ones, which have been hard to stomach as I live in la-la-land and like to keep a constant state of cart-wheeling through the fields of flowers). Their book bumper specials are the winning episodes where they unpack 10 or so books they’ve each devoured over a break.
Dolly’s mad obsession with all things Rod Stewart and the man himself. Including his train set fascination and ability to pull off hot pants.
The ye ol’ mail bag, which is a physical sack they dig into to read the correspondence received from listeners.
Pandora and Dolly’s poetry reciting session where they share what they have written about one another, too funny.
If you don’t really know where to begin, as there are over 100 episodes or so, here are 6 really great episodes to get you started (or you can start from the very beginning, I’m a chronological gal myself, the only hurdle you’ll have to overcome is differentiating their voices and trying to tell whose who, Pandora is the more husky-voiced one).
Book bumper specials (as mentioned earlier)- have a pen handy to write them down!
Their 2018 Christmas special. It was jam-packed with Christmas puns and cracker jokes and Dolly’s quiz for Panda and CJ, with impossible to answer questions like what day were her bins taken each week in Camden, was a hoot to listen to.
Greer’s fall from grace, Issa Rae on Kanye, SATC’s 20 year anniversary (8 June, 2018) if you are into the unpacking of the Sex and the City you will also love the Origins podcast where they devote one season to interviewing the cast, crew and writers involved in the filming of all six seasons and why it became such an iconic show.
Ireland’s abortion referendum and a deep dive into the Royal wedding (24 May 2018)
Other episodes cover news from topics like Rachel Dolezal passing as a black woman whilst having no African American heritage, mixed-racism, grass-fed organic porn with wiggly bits and bushes, how black people are scrutinised in the public eye, the fiscal cost of eating healthy, debunking the healthy body myths, the joys of singledom and horrific hen do processions, misogyny battles, liberal eco-chambers with only one accepted way to think, buzz terms like ‘moral triumphalism’ and whatever else is currently capturing the zeitgeist.
All in all the podcast is great for the ‘modern women on the go’ a la self-proclaimed by Dolly herself and if that’s aligned to you, you’re bound for some gaffs and gags (just be warned not to drink coffee whilst listening, it might be spat out in sheer shock or unsolicited laughter).
If you’re a fan what have been your highlights and favourite moments? And if you haven’t yet had a listen, comment below after you’ve heard something that’s delighted you, as sometimes you just need to share with a girlfriend.
Article written by:
Veronika Makovey, is the Editor-in-Chief and founder of MOSS Magazine. She spends a great deal of time entertaining her black Labrador Lucy. She also spent a great deal of time believing that Lucy was a European Labrador because she is guilable and because Lucy looked petite and tres chic. They both share a great love for baguettes and bag-ettes.