Culture Club - August Curriculum： What We’re Reading, Watching & Listening To

00:00:00.000 bonus bookmark recommendations episode i'm maggie zhao and i'm jasmine wallace and you're listening

00:00:10.440 to culture club where true writers and editors analyze pop culture the internet and the arts

00:00:16.100 today we're on the lands of the wondry wawrung people of the kulin nations we would like to

00:00:21.160 pay our respects to elders past and present and extend that to any aboriginal or torres

00:00:26.000 Strait Islander listeners today. It's time for a little extended bookmark episode. Mags, you are

00:00:36.480 up first. What have you loved watching, reading, listening to lately and what are you looking

00:00:41.320 forward to? I am recommending Fame Sick by Lena Dunham. Oh my goodness. I only just finished this

00:00:47.840 book, but I picked it up a little while ago and that's not a bad reflection on the book. I really

00:00:53.480 liked this memoir and I want to talk about it I feel like it was everywhere when it was released

00:00:59.940 um but I'm a bit of a slow reader sometimes we haven't had a chance to talk about it it's so

00:01:05.500 weird you bring this up because on the tram today I was like I'm going to read Fame Sick this whole

00:01:09.980 weekend I got some girls content served on my feed I was like yeah I'm ready now I'm spiritually

00:01:15.380 ready to read Fame Sick so talk to us about it of course so Fame Sick is the second memoir of

00:01:22.100 Lena Dunham and of course she is the creator of girls she is a writer she is I don't even know

00:01:28.120 how to describe it you know she's like she's everything she does everything she makes tv

00:01:31.460 shows and movies um she's been a public figure as well so this memoir is split into three parts

00:01:37.800 I'm not a girl not yet a woman and all I need is time and I didn't know this but I'm sure you know

00:01:43.800 uh those are lyrics from Britney Spears's song I'm not a girl not yet a woman I love it like

00:01:49.880 I'm sure you know because of the book club retreat we did uh blind karaoke and hit me baby one more

00:01:54.660 time came on and I knew all the lyrics and you were like oh my god jazz the 90s girls and us just

00:01:59.420 like locked in straight away um what was your favorite part of fame sick yeah so what I loved

00:02:05.420 is I grew up knowing the name Lena Dunham but I didn't actually know anything about her I didn't

00:02:11.480 even know she was dating Jack Antonoff okay that's how much I didn't know her this is a generational

00:02:16.580 divide between us again yeah yeah it is so I have now started watching girls and I'm loving it so

00:02:23.720 much but again didn't know much about her my favorite thing is I just do love her voice I

00:02:29.780 think she's so funny she's so witty she's so like I just loved reading her words my favorite insights

00:02:36.740 were around fame of course and her relationship with Jack found that interesting most interesting

00:02:42.840 relationship her relationship with her parents who are like art industry darlings but like indie art

00:02:49.660 I mean they do have paintings in the Met so they're pretty well known but in some circles right

00:02:54.460 and the way that especially her mum grappled with her fame her mainstream fame fame it was so

00:03:00.460 interesting because there was a bit of jealousy but also just like a weird distance between them

00:03:07.260 so I like that I will say first half of the book much easier to rip through you know that's when

00:03:12.700 she's at the height of her career and then I think this is telling and I think she would agree

00:03:18.620 the second half is mostly dealing with Lena Dunham's chronic illnesses right and it does

00:03:25.140 take a turn in terms of like the tone and the speed and I feel like you were sitting with her

00:03:30.860 through that pain and it's not something that you want to like you know rip through it's not

00:03:34.840 enjoyable but that's the truth of it so i really enjoyed it i read a tidbit somewhere that was it

00:03:40.360 her dad like or her parents like begged her not to write the second memoir because she's already

00:03:44.380 written a memoir in 2014 titled not that kind of girl which i loved um and when she was thinking

00:03:50.760 about writing the second one her parents like no like not after what you went through the first

00:03:53.840 time but i feel like it's become like a a swan song this second memoir it's so funny because

00:03:59.420 i've had other people bring up that quote and that was from her dad her dad since the beginning of

00:04:03.640 her career has been like why are you doing like in like a supportive way but being like ew this

00:04:08.320 fame machine is like so weird like he has consistently kind of deterred her away from it

00:04:14.860 yeah what's something that you have loved recently one book that I've read recently

00:04:20.100 that I'm telling everyone about is Good Witch by Lucienne Tonti this was recently released

00:04:26.160 Lucy Ann is an Australian fashion journalist and editor, and this book is about witches.

00:04:33.300 It charts the witch hunts in England and Scotland and America.

00:04:38.020 It talks a little bit about Salem, but basically the thesis of it is that the systems that

00:04:43.380 we live under today, like patriarchy, capitalism, women not being paid for the labor, and the

00:04:51.120 degradation of women's hobbies, is because of the witch hunts and witches.

00:04:56.160 so if you're interested in history i think you'll really enjoy this because it's a really it's not

00:05:02.120 too academic it's not too heavy there's a beautiful through line story and you feel like you learn

00:05:08.040 something but also feel empowered to like gather your coven and really lean into your witchy

00:05:15.220 feminist vibes i love this book too and i don't want to give anything away but keep an eye out

00:05:21.480 in our podcast feed if that topic interests you what else have you been loving lately mags well

00:05:27.380 i'm going to continue that history train of yours and i've been listening to hot history podcast

00:05:33.160 which i just adore so hot history podcast it started back in 2023 it's made by an australian

00:05:40.160 her name is ainsley harvey and she distills like the big topics she kind of her tagline is like

00:05:45.480 the things you should know about but you don't so it is a very accessible lens on historical

00:05:50.960 moments history is one of my weak spots and I do really want to work on my knowledge so this is

00:05:58.060 helping so for instance I recently listened to her episode about the city of Atlantis fact or

00:06:03.780 fiction and she kind of breaks down the the history behind it the folklore behind it and

00:06:09.720 where different experts in the space sit what I love is that she is really funny and like she will

00:06:16.500 ad lib like fun like quirky like girly things which I need to break it up um and I can't wait

00:06:24.600 to listen to more she's really blowing up at the moment and for good reason I have had her on my

00:06:29.600 list for so long so I'm really I really need to deep dive because you know I'm a bit of a history

00:06:34.920 nerd myself so very keen on that do you have another recommendation for us I have an older

00:06:40.560 recommendation that I watched recently and I think if you are at this similar age and maybe

00:06:46.320 going through a bit of a life shift you might enjoy it. I'm wondering if a lot of our listeners

00:06:51.140 have seen this already but I'll just say it because I watched it on Tuesday night. It's

00:06:57.060 Frances Ha which is a 2012 movie by Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig. They are now married. They weren't

00:07:03.900 married at the time they wrote it together and it stars Francis who is a 27 year old dancer and she

00:07:12.160 has a best friend named Sophie they're like very enmeshed very codependent they went to university

00:07:17.280 together and it's about that phase in your life where your best friends like go on different paths

00:07:23.040 and you can kind of have like a bit of an existential crisis over it it is quite like an

00:07:27.880 indie looking film it's set in New York um I've seen it multiple times but I think it's I always

00:07:34.100 go back to it probably once a year whoa yeah have you seen it before yeah I've seen it once yeah

00:07:39.060 I just go back to it once yeah I just think I love Greta Goig's writing as well and I think it's

00:07:45.260 just such a beautiful look at those like codependent I guess to use like a modern therapy

00:07:51.660 speak for it uh friendships and so if you just want like a Sunday afternoon movie something

00:07:58.500 quite easy but that makes you think about like the friendships and the relationships in your life

00:08:03.380 and also your own life what you're doing to like make your life harder or easier then I'd recommend

00:08:08.620 that maybe a little bit of a basic wreck but I just love it so much and also tidbit uh I found

00:08:16.440 out today that the Odyssey and Frances Hart were edited by the same woman, Jennifer Lane.

00:08:22.900 That's a really good tidbit. Mags, what's something else that you've liked recently?

00:08:27.260 I listened to a really good podcast episode. It was by 7am and it was called

00:08:32.280 Who is Lily Jay, the Australian Influencer Accused of Using AI in Aid Videos? This is like one of my,

00:08:39.820 I love topics like this essentially when when people influences I should say are like scamming

00:08:46.580 people I hate it like obviously this is a terrible thing but I find it so fascinating definitely an

00:08:52.560 interest area of mine so I'll read you some of their like blurb for this episode you know

00:08:57.760 a blonde woman stands among smiling children holding lollipops a foundation banner hangs

00:09:03.340 behind them she announces that a new orphanage has opened in Africa but evidence collected during an

00:09:09.500 abc investigation suggests that the women in the video isn't real neither are the children or the

00:09:14.900 banner behind them the scene appears to have been generated using artificial intelligence

00:09:20.460 so yeah i know it's a terrible freaking story it follows yeah a very famous influencer she's got

00:09:27.480 over three million followers who has made like a supposed charity that raises money uh to make

00:09:34.460 you know orphanages and to help um people in countries that need support and it turns out

00:09:40.940 that this isn't real like all her content essentially uses AI so this 7 a.m episode

00:09:47.540 interviewed um a couple of the journalists who worked on this piece so they're from the ABC

00:09:51.720 Verify team which is wild that we need this fact checking is so crucial but in the age of AI it

00:09:57.820 must be like such a tough job and I think reporting like this is so important especially

00:10:04.660 when there's money involved especially when people are leveraging world events and hardship

00:10:10.340 like to raise money essentially for themselves fascinating it was a fascinating story I haven't

00:10:16.580 heard anything about this neither and I'd never heard of her either but I will link both that

00:10:21.920 podcast episode and the ABC report in the show notes of course so scary that people can do that

00:10:27.600 and the fact that it's getting harder and harder to identify the AI.

00:10:31.140 Jazz, what's something else that you have been loving recently?

00:10:34.060 I'm going to recommend an album because I feel like I love music so, so much

00:10:38.500 and I don't talk about it enough.

00:10:39.900 This album is Switcheroo by the artist Jelly Ha Ha.

00:10:43.420 I sent this album to you.

00:10:46.360 I sent this to you a few weeks ago and I was like,

00:10:48.760 I think you'll really like this.

00:10:50.220 And you were like, what did you say?

00:10:51.640 You said something like, oh, I think it's a bit too cool for me.

00:10:54.160 I did say that.

00:10:54.920 I did say that because it's a little bit more is a hyper poppy-esque or electronic sorry

00:10:59.420 electro pop yeah I guess it's like indie electro pop I'd say yeah and I was like thank you for

00:11:06.680 thinking of me I did feel cool and then you sent me a screenshot that you were listening to it over

00:11:11.320 coffee with Tom and did you enjoy it yeah well I feel like it was more Tom's like Tom's vibe more

00:11:18.080 but I want to listen to like the full album now yes I keep going back to it you know when you

00:11:23.440 stumble across albums like you'll find one single off it even if the album came out maybe a couple

00:11:27.900 years ago you're like why haven't i heard of this artist i love when the algorithm actually

00:11:32.160 delivers you something that you really enjoy switcheroo came out in 2025 jelly haha is uh

00:11:39.220 from la her look i guess is very like kooky and she's very into like conceptual art vibes it's

00:11:47.320 very synth filled as well and if you look at pictures of her she's very very artistic

00:11:52.920 she says that she is inspired by like children's um tv shows as well as studio 54 so she has a

00:12:01.520 very strong aesthetic but the sound it's very futuristic i think she also said that she's

00:12:06.860 inspired by area 51s like aliens and it's all very like playful and fun and i think i love when you

00:12:12.920 stumble across an album that is so fun and you just keep going back to a couple songs and then

00:12:17.260 then you're like who is this if you're into artists like magdalena bay then i'd recommend

00:12:21.800 jelly haha her real name is angel abaya and she's of filipino descent if you're yeah into

00:12:27.780 pop music especially um electro pop highly recommend do you have like one song you'd

00:12:33.180 recommend to people i keep going back to the song it's oh my god i literally opened up and

00:12:40.320 it was on my thing it's in my on repeat playlist it's called pluto is not a planet it's a restaurant

00:12:45.320 I like how quirky this artist is. We need more of that.

00:12:49.540 LA-based radio station described her as a sonic acrobat, if that gives you any more detail into

00:12:54.620 her style. What's a book that you're looking forward to reading, Max?

00:12:58.080 I've got this on my Kobo, Locked and Loaded. It is called My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrati.

00:13:04.500 This is a 2011 literary fiction novel, and that's actually like her pseudonym. So that's not her

00:13:10.460 real name it's been translated into English it is kind of like dare I say a sleeper hit it's

00:13:15.720 it's making the rounds now uh one of our book club friends got it in our like book swap thing

00:13:21.340 as well so it's been top of mind for me and it is the story of two friends it begins in the 1950s

00:13:29.000 in a poor but vibrant neighborhood in Naples in the outskirt of Naples and it follows this

00:13:35.800 friendship of these two women i know that this is the start of a series so i assume that we see them

00:13:41.580 grow up together uh this is not a typical book that's like right up my alley but it's speaking

00:13:47.680 to me so i i will be reading that soon and i will report back i think it's important to like when you

00:13:54.980 a book keeps coming up it's like especially an older one to read it when the time is right and

00:13:58.940 it feels like the time's right for you i haven't read this very popular though um so i can't wait

00:14:03.380 hear what you think yeah what about you what's a book that you're excited to read i also received

00:14:07.720 a book in our book club retreat secret santa game and this was from our friend grace the book is

00:14:14.140 whistler by ann patchett i haven't read anything of ann's before so i'm excited to dive into her

00:14:20.820 world with a brand new release of course ann is the author of tom lake and the dutch house but

00:14:26.860 in whistler it follows the story of daphne who notices an older gentleman following her around

00:14:32.160 the Met Museum of Art in New York, but she doesn't expect it to be Eddie, her former stepfather.

00:14:38.100 When you read out that blurb at book club, we were like, oh, she doesn't expect. And then you

00:14:41.760 were like, stepfather. I'm like, oh, I hope it's not a romance. Yeah. I'm kind of curious to see

00:14:47.060 what it'll be because it's about their friendship and their relationship. So Eddie was married to

00:14:53.440 Daphne's mother for a short time when Daphne was only nine. And then she hasn't seen him for many

00:14:57.960 years, not since a fateful event changed the direction of both of their lives. So I'm assuming

00:15:03.200 this book is going to be about relationships, distance, coming together again, a story of

00:15:08.980 family, memory, and love. The blurb also reads, it's an intimate portrait of how the feeling of

00:15:14.640 being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.

00:15:20.340 I'm very intrigued about this. Harper's Bazaar listed it in the best books of 2026 and said,

00:15:26.360 a quietly compelling story about the power of familial love to transcend time and blood

00:15:31.560 oh i feel like this is up your alley yeah i do love literary fiction i love a character

00:15:39.360 examination and i think books about relationships and family it's like why we're human like i think

00:15:46.240 it's like such a portrait of humanity so i love these books grace knows me very well

00:15:51.120 so i'm assuming i'm going to enjoy this have you read any of ann patrick's before

00:15:56.040 I haven't and I've heard like mixings about Tom Lake I think it's like quite slow moving her

00:16:02.040 novels which isn't a bad thing but like not something that I'd rush to pick up but I do

00:16:06.420 want to read her so you tell me if I'd like her and the cover is this beautiful painting of a

00:16:11.560 horse just in a field this beautiful blue sky behind it so that's very compelling as well

00:16:15.660 what is something else that you're looking forward to watching Maggie I have a tv show

00:16:19.620 recommendation that is coming out mid-August. That is My Brilliant Career. Okay, and I know

00:16:26.100 it's confusing. The book I recommended was My Brilliant Friend. What are the bloody chances?

00:16:31.960 This is called My Brilliant Career. I'm so excited to talk about this one because we talked about it

00:16:36.760 on the podcast because this is based on a book written in 1901 by Miles Franklin. Australians

00:16:45.360 ears might be pricking because we have the miles franklin literary award and yes this is named

00:16:50.100 after this author the reason i know that novel is because it was turned into an original australian

00:16:56.520 musical which i think is one of the best australian musicals original musicals i've seen

00:17:02.260 like ever such a great storyline it's a storyline that will really resonate with our audience

00:17:08.420 because it's about this girl who turns into a woman, Sabella, and she is like so fiercely

00:17:15.440 independent. She wants to kind of put traditions and like the traditional pathways of women behind

00:17:21.540 her. She's so ambitious. She's silly. She's like messy. She is such a fantastic like firecracker

00:17:30.220 of a character. And I loved seeing that musical. I've seen it twice now. And it's quite incredible

00:17:35.520 that netflix is turning this into a tv show it was filmed in south australia and i am excited for

00:17:43.680 it and it stars philippa northeast um i'm not a big period drama person i mean i love bridgerton

00:17:50.300 and there have been the headline that was like this is like australia's bridgerton

00:17:54.740 um so i think it'll be a fun one to watch oh my gosh i'm so excited for that yeah

00:18:00.260 australia's bridgerton is a great tagline yeah i'm ready what about you what else are you looking

00:18:05.060 forward to consuming i've been wanting to go to the movies for so long and especially to see this

00:18:11.760 movie that i've heard so much about it's called the invite it's another movie directed by olivia

00:18:16.720 wilde and i've just seen so much press around this um really great reviews and i think she's

00:18:23.600 having a really great press tour and i think when you juxtapose that against don't worry darling's

00:18:27.820 press tour I'm really glad that she's back and I'm very inspired by her ability to be a beginner

00:18:36.860 at something in directing like yes she directed Booksmart in 2019 that was her directorial debut

00:18:42.040 then don't worry darling and now this feels very different this story follows two couples Seth

00:18:47.620 Rogan and Olivia Wilde play Joe and Angela and they invite their quote enigmatic upstairs

00:18:53.220 neighbors over for dinner then what starts as an awkward evening of drinks and conversation

00:18:58.520 drifts into unexpected territory and forces everyone at the table to confront uncomfortable

00:19:03.720 truths about love attraction and commitment it also stars edward norton and penelope cruz as

00:19:09.220 other couple and people have been comparing it to the drama as well in the kind of aesthetics of it

00:19:16.680 even the name the invite the drama true true true and I think it's also like similar premise of

00:19:23.980 what gets uncovered at like a dinner party with like lots of wine so kind of similar but I've

00:19:29.960 only heard good things and I really want to go see it at the movies and then deep dive into her

00:19:35.280 press tour she's done a podcast with Louis Theroux she went on call her daddy as well um so I'm

00:19:42.600 looking forward to hearing more about olivia's creative practice and her ability to like get up

00:19:48.180 again especially after all the not backlash but all the conversation around don't worry darling

00:19:53.520 and i would call that a circus the press circus that followed that um as well as the reviews of

00:19:59.400 don't worry darling yeah i would say that the invite reminds me of one of my favorite plays

00:20:03.780 which is called who's afraid of virginia wolf i love it again it follows this married couple who

00:20:09.340 invite a young couple in and secrets and chaos ensue so I am excited to watch the the invite

00:20:18.240 she's also in something else isn't she like she's got she's on a run right now who's afraid of

00:20:23.820 Virginia Woolf is also a movie on HBO if you people can't get to the play it's from 1966 so

00:20:30.280 don't add us if there's something contemptuous in there but yeah I really I saw that play when it

00:20:37.040 was in melbourne incredible that was our very quick little extended bookmarked recommendation

00:20:43.600 episode hope you enjoyed and we'll be back in your feeds very soon thanks for tuning in bye

Culture Club - August 03, 2026

August Curriculum： What We’re Reading, Watching & Listening To

Episode Stats

Transcript