Saturday Morning for Saturday 13 August 2022

8.10 Tom Bower: Meghan’s interview with Oprah was ‘the last straw’ 

Britain’s leading biographer Tom Bower has turned his sights on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry for his latest offering, Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors.

Dubbed a “demolition job” by The Times, the book depicts Markle as a merciless opportunist who uses the prince for her personal advancement, and in doing so has caused irreversible damage to the British monarchy. Bower says he felt compelled to write the book following the couple's interview with Oprah Winfrey last year. He claims many things Markle said in the interview were "patently untrue".

Bower's previous subjects for biography include Richard Branson, Jeremy Corbyn, Simon Cowell, Prince Charles and Boris Johnson.

 

9.05 Rachel Kushner: reflections on running with The Hard Crowd

Los Angeles-based author Rachel Kushner covers diverse ground in her new collection of essays, from illegal motorbike racing on Baha Peninsula to recounting time spent in a Palestinian refugee camp.

Written between 2000 and 2020, the essays in The Hard Crowd have drawn comparison to the work of the late Joan Didion, whose dispatches on California culture established her as a leading exponent of New Journalism.

Kushner’s previous books include Telex from Cuba, The Flamethrowers, and The Mars Room, which was shortlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s and the Paris Review.

Rachel Kushner will be appearing in conversation with Megan Dunn at Word Christchurch Festival on 2 September. Head over here for more information.

 

9.35 Dr Neil Shubin: the fish that evolved to walk but stayed in the water

A newly unveiled fossil fish called Qikiqtania wakei is thought to have shunned the forward march of evolution, eschewing the ability to walk and deciding to stay in the water. The Qikiqtania lived about 375 million years ago, and is a close relative of the four-legged “fishapod” Tiktaalik.

The Tiktaalik was discovered in 2004 during an expedition to the Canadian Arctic by Dr Neil Shubin and his team. It has been widely celebrated as the fossil link between fish and land animals. The Qikiqtania was found on the same trip, but was until recently encased in rock waiting to be discovered.

Paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Dr Neil Shubin heads The Shubin Lab at the University of Chicago.

 

10.05 Sharon Ready & Liz Gregory: standing up to the shepherds of Gloriavale 

A new documentary about the Gloriavale Christian Community follows a lone family as they mount a ground-breaking legal case against the community's powerful leaders, known as the shepherds.

Directed by Fergus Grady and Noel Smyth, Gloriavale provides astonishing insight into the lives of Sharon Ready and her family members as they fight to expose the widespread abuse and institutional failures.

Ready is one of the original members of Gloriavale, having joined the community at age 15 with her mother and siblings. She joins us along with Liz Gregory of the Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust.

Gloriavale is screening as part of the NZ International Film Festival, premiering in Dunedin and Wellington on Saturday 13 August. The film will be opening in cinemas around the country on 18 August.

 

10.40 Prof Peter McIntyre: could polio make a comeback?

Traces of poliovirus in New York’s sewage system have health authorities concerned a recent case could be the tip of the iceberg. An unvaccinated man was diagnosed with polio late July, the city’s first case in almost a decade. It is thought the man contracted a form of polio that can be traced back to the oral vaccine. The oral vaccine is no longer given in the States.

Poliovirus was also detected in London’s wastewater between February and May, and both countries are now urging people to ensure they are vaccinated against the highly-infectious disease.

Professor Peter McIntyre from  the University of Otago is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on vaccine-preventable diseases.

 

11.05  Playing Favourites with musician Rutene Spooner

Rising musical theatre star Rutene Spooner is getting ready to hit the road with his show Thoroughly Modern Māui, in which the tricky demigod gets a modern-day makeover. Spooner wrote and performs in the show, and says it’s a playful way of touching on some serious topics facing Māori today.

Spooner (Ngāti Porou, Ngaruahine) has appeared in musicals such as Grease, Chicago, Anything Goes, Billy Elliot and Oklahoma. He has toured Australia as part of the cast of Jersey Boys, and is one of the members of the Modern Māori Quartet.

Thoroughly Modern Māui is heading to Wellington, Ōtaki, Auckland, Whakatāne, Hawke's Bay, Dunedin, and Nelson in September and October. Head over here for full details. 

 

Books mentioned on this show: 

Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors
By Tom Bower
Publisher: Bonnier Books
ISBN: 9781788705035

The Hard Crowd: Essays 2000-2020
By Rachel Kushner
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
ISBN: 9781787333109

 

Songs featured on this show:

Outsider
Bonnie Prince Billy
Played at 8.50am

Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod
The Mountain Goats
Played at 9.30am

Paikea
Waihirere Māori Club
Played at 11.15am

Till
The Hi- Marks
Played at 11.32am

Mareikura 
Modern Maori Quartet featuring Awhimai Fraser
Played at 11.42am