Show Notes
This week’s episode begins on a sceptical note, namely the lads talking about the live recording of Toby's "other" podcast (The Weekly Sceptic) at the Emmanuel Centre on Saturday evening. When James organised a live recording of The Delingpod at the same venue, he sold out the 900-seat auditorium, but Tobes only managed to fill the 250-seater. The first question during the Q&A was from a fan who asked how much longer the London Calling can continue, given how acrimonious some of the exchanges between the hosts are getting and how they often seem to be talking past each other.
After we’ve got that out the way, they just about have time to pay tribute to two of their favourite writers, Martin Amis and Jeremy Clarke, who both died at the weekend.
Opening sound this week is the late Jeremy Clarke reading from his column Low Life: Dead cool (September 3, 2016) from The Spectator via Facebook.
More from London Calling
In 1935 Cole Porter penned a tune called "Just One of Those Things" about a love affair "too hot not to cool down." And so it goes.
Everyone is a little miserable this week, fueled by the rainy summer England has had this year. Or maybe because we're all getting a little bit older. James "celebrated" #58 this past weekend and Toby isn't looking forward to #60 due this October.
This week James and Toby open the discussion with James’ recent gig in Dorset and the division in towns like Bridport and Totnes between the woke and the awake, particularly over traffic calming measures like LTNs, Ulez schemes and 15-minute cities.
It's hot in the Mediterranean and James and Toby discuss the recent forest fires in Greece and whether climate change or arsonists are to blame. This triggers an argument (From these two? Really?) about whether there are enough honest journalists left to expose such wrongdoing and that, in turn, leads to a heated discussion about whether the journalist Ross Clark is a genuine climate contrarian because concedes that the world has got a little bit warmer in the past 150 years.
"The best laid plans of mice and men," said Rabbie Burns, "often go awry." And so it is as Toby tells James about how his travel plans have gone over the past fortnight, even though he’s in Majorca with his wife and four children.