Show Notes
Flo is off the plot today and in the London garden of English musician, filmmaker, painter and feminist icon, Gina Birch.
Gina’s career spans the late 1970s and 80s when, alongside Ana De Silva, she formed The Raincoats. Through the 80s and 90s she continued to make music with Red Crayola and toured with Nirvana, as well as making music videos for the likes of New Order. Constantly evolving, her more contemporary work is in paint, film and more music. Her new album, Trouble, is just out on Third Man Records.
Flo and Gina got so lost in conversation that the gardening barely gets a look in. Some green beans did eventually get planted whilst they talk about feminist icons, the Women In Revolt show, life in 1970s London and Gina's occasional wish to be a bus conductor.
This episode of Digging is sponsored by Niwaki: the go to destination for functional, durable Japanese gardening gear. For 10% off your Niwaki purchase, head to Niwaki.com and enter the code DIGGINGWITHFLO at the checkout.
Presenter - Flo Dill, Producer - Connor Gani, Editing - Omar Serge, Sound Recording and Mastering - Sophie Ellison, Exec Producer - Lizzy King
A video version of this episode is also available on YouTube.
Music - Cleaners from Venus - The Artichoke That Loved Me, courtesy of Martin Newell & Captured Tracks.
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More from Digging with Flo
This week Flo is in the picturesque town of Wivenhoe, Essex for a slightly different take on Digging. She’s meeting one of the UK’s most quietly remarkable musical figures: Martin Newell. Singer-songwriter, poet, columnist and author - as well as the man behind cult guitar pop outfit Cleaners from Venus (whose song The Artichoke That Loved Me has heralded the start of this podcast since launch back in 2023) - Martin is a hero of the DIY music scene.
Flo is in the greenhouse today with avant-garde artist, musician and filmmaker Laurie Anderson. Laurie is an enduring creative force who has been at the forefront of innovations in music and technology since the 1970s, including her creation of the Talking Stick and voice filters. As the pair plant out crocus sativa bulbs they compare strange counting habits, their very different takes on AI, and Laurie’s time hanging out with Andy Kaufman.
Flo is in the polytunnel today with venerated British musician, producer and composer Dev Hynes. Previously part of dance punk outfit Test Icicles, he ventured into solo music as Lightspeed Champion before evolving into Blood Orange, which he releases music under today.
It’s officially autumn on the allotment, and Flo is joined by beloved contemporary art critics The White Pube, aka Zarina Muhammad and Gabrielle De La Puente. Raised on Tumblr and MySpace, the duo met at art school, and began publishing reviews, criticism and essays on their website under their collective name The White Pube. Over the last 10 years they have become a vital voice in the contemporary art world, and their project has evolved to include reviews of video games, a podcast, a discord community, and most recently a book: Poor Artists.
Flo is back on the allotment today with a packed-out interview featuring a beguilingly down-to-earth star.