Ways to Change the World with Krishnan Guru-Murthy

Latest Episodes:

Simon Le Bon on the secret to Duran Duran’s success and why the band shy away from politics Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

He’s the frontman of one of the most iconic bands of the 80s.

Four decades on, Simon Le Bon says that New Wave legends Duran Duran are still going strong, making new music and announcing that they’re going on tour again.

In today’s episode of Ways to Change the World, Simon Le Bon sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss why the band doesn't make political statements, the state of the music industry, and the secret to Duran Duran’s longevity.

Produced by : Imahn Robertson

Sebastian Payne on centre-right ideas and Britain’s political future Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

Sebastian Payne is an author and the Director of centre-right think tank Onward, where he explores the bigger problems and challenges facing Britain today.

He recently left his post as Whitehall Editor of the Financial Times, where he spent years navigating the corridors of Parliament, detangling the latest scandals and finding out what politics really means for people up and down the country. His childhood, growing up in Gateshead, influenced him to write one of his books, ‘Broken Heartlands’, and he went on to write ‘The Fall of Boris Johnson’, charting the former PM’s final weeks in office.

In today’s Ways to Change the World, Sebastian Payne sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss Brexit, Boris, and what we can expect from the next general election.

Produced by Imahn Robertson.

Baaba Maal on the power of music and the future of Africa Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

“I’m a nomadic person, I don’t want to stay in one place”. When Baaba writes his music, he takes inspiration from the places he visits. “When I started travelling, I came to London, I bought cassettes, I appreciated different people. And when I got a chance to meet them, we sat down and wrote songs”. But no matter how much Baaba has travelled, and to where, he always brings his music “back home to Podor, Senegal”.

Baaba has released his first solo album in seven years, ‘Being’, which is inspired by working on the soundtrack to Black Panther and the issues facing the world today, including climate change and desertification in African countries. In today’s Ways to Change the World, Baaba sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss the power of music and why we are all politicians in our own way when it comes to helping the world.

Produced by: Imahn Robertson and Alice Wagstaffe

Music credits:

Wakanda by Ludwig Göransson ft. Baaba Maal - Hollywood Records

Yela by Baaba Maal - Island Records Ltd.

There Will Be Time (Live in South Africa) by Mumford & Sons and Baaba Maal - Gentlemen of the Road, Island, Glassnote

Cariad Lloyd on coping with grief and finding humour in death Feb 03, 2023

Show notes

“I was thinking about all my friends who launched a podcast and I thought, “if I had a podcast. I'd just talk to people about death. That's a terrible idea”.” When Cariad Lloyd’s father died of cancer when she was 15, she was angry, “for, probably, 10 years”. But later in life, she found herself wanting to share her experience of grief, and started the award-winning podcast Griefcast.

Cariad has now written a book, ‘You Are Not Alone’, which delves into her own experience of grief, and what she has learned from her hundreds of podcast guests. In today’s Ways to Change the World, Cariad sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss dying, death, grief, and what comes next.

Produced by Imahn Robertson

Jyoti Patel on identity, belonging, and how to ask someone the question: “Where are you from?” Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

“I didn't write this book to be hugely sellable, hugely commercial - I wrote it because it’s a story that I felt needed to be told.”

Jyoti Patel’s debut novel, ‘The Things That We Lost’ is the story of a British Gujarati mother and son discovering how they fit into the world and learning how to balance the Gujarati and British sides of their identities.

The book earnt Jyoti the Merky Books New Writers Prize 2021, a competition launched by Stormzy and Penguin House UK to discover unpublished and underrepresented writers.

In this episode, Jyoti joins Krishnan to talk about feeling othered, why her book is written in the voice of a young man, and how to ask someone the question, “where are you from?”

Produced by: Imahn Robertson

Frances O’Grady on strikes, single parents and the trade union movement Jan 20, 2023

Show notes

Frances O’Grady stepped down as the General Secretary of British Trades Union Congress at the end of 2022. She was the first woman to hold the post in TUC’s 154-year history.

She is now a Labour peer in the House of Lords where she is committed to abolishing the unelected chamber.

She joins Krishnan to talk about the history of the trade union movement, why she thinks workers are going on strike and what the government should be doing to support them and support for single parents.

Produced by : Imahn Robertson

Rick Rubin on working with Run DMC, The Strokes, Slayer and Johnny Cash and how to be an artist Jan 13, 2023

Show notes

Rick Rubin is the legendary music producer who founded Def Jam records, one of the most important hip hop labels of the 80s.

He has won nine Grammy awards and worked with some of the biggest artists of our time, to name but a few: Jay Z, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Strokes, Adele, Run DMZ and Slayer.

He joins Krishnan to talk about his incredible career, as well as the launch of his new book ‘The Creative Act’.

Produced by: Joe Lord Jones and Nina Hodgson

Music Credits:

Superrappin’ - Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, and The Furious Five

Label: Enjoy Records

Producer – Bobby Robinson

It's Yours - T La Rock

Artists: Jazzy Jay and T La Rock

Label: Def Jam Recordings

Producer Rick Rubin

Feel the Heartbeat - Treacherous Three

Label: Enjoy Records

Producer – Bobby Robinson

The Big Beat - Label: Capitol Records

Producer – Eddy Offord

The Adults Are Talking - The Strokes

Label: RCA AND Cult Records

Producer – Rick Rubin

Angel of Death Slayer

Label: Geffen Records – Def Jam Recordings

Producer: Rick Rubin

Trouble Funk - Drop The Bomb

Label: Sugar Hill Records

Producer – Reo Edwards

Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash

Label: Columbia

Producer – Bob Johnston

Hurt - Johnny Cash

Label - American & Lost Highway

Produced by Rick Rubin

Fight For Your Right - Beastie Boys

Label - Def Jam & Columbia Records

Produced by - Rick Rubin,

I Can't Live Without My Radio - LL Cool J

Label - Def Jam/Columbia/CBS

Producer Rick Rubin & Jazzy Jay

RUN DMC - Walk This Way ft. Aerosmith

Label - Geffen Records

Produced by - Rick Rubin & Russell Simmons

Ways to Change the World with Chatbot GPT Dec 23, 2022

Show notes

ChatbotGPT is a new artificial intelligence programme designed to simulate human conversation and tackle complex questions.

It's made by Open AI foundation, a tech-startup co-founded by Elon Musk, and it draws on text taken from a variety of sources on the internet and its creators say it has learned how to answer academic questions, and even sometimes admits when it's wrong. We've done an interview by putting questions to the chatbot, and then generating a voice for it using different software.

We asked the Chatbot GPT whether fears about A.I. threatening the human race are well-founded.

Nouriel Roubini on the ‘megathreats’ to our global economy, how to stop them and his nickname Dr Doom Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

Nouriel Roubini is an economist, a professor in New York, a global economic consultant and an author who, amongst many distinguishing things, was one of those who foresaw the 2008 credit crunch and financial crisis.

His latest work is called ‘Megathreats’, and it details 10 trends that make it more likely than not that we are heading for a global economic crash of stagnant growth, debt crises and high inflation that will cause decades of dystopian suffering and injustice. No wonder they call him Dr. Doom.

In this episode, Nouriel joins Krishnan to talk about climate change, job-displacing artificial intelligence and our future.

Produced by: Imahn Robertson

George Takei on being sent to an internment camp, Star Trek and hiding his sexuality. Dec 09, 2022

Show notes

George Takei is an actor, activist and author, best known for his role of Lieutenant Sulu in Star Trek.

Imprisoned as a child in the United States for being of Japanese origin, he campaigns for gay and immigrant rights. He brings his award-winning broadway musical ‘Allegiance’ to London, which is inspired by his own memories of growing up in a Japanese internment camp.

George joins Krishnan to tell his extraordinary story, from childhood to stardom and his mission to raise awareness about his life.

Produced by: Imahn Robertson

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