The Taschen Podcast

Walt Disney dreamed for decades about opening the ultimate entertainment venue, but it wasn’t until the early 1950s that his handpicked team began to bring his vision to life. Together, artists, architects, and engineers transformed a dusty tract of orange groves about an hour south of Los Angeles into one of the world’s most beloved destinations.

We take to the road as seasoned motor sports journalist Pino Allievi explores the extraordinary vision of Enzo Ferrari and how a car manufacturer from a small town in Northern Italy became a global force on the race track and a dominate symbol of wealth and status.

For many years, TASCHEN has published the work of artists and thinkers who raise awareness around environmental issues and champion sustainable interaction with our planet. This month, in response to the latest UN climate report, we’re joined by TASCHEN author Tim Radford who discusses what this report means, what we need to do to stabilize the Earth’s temperature, and where we might find sources of hope amid bleak prospects. Next up, Rem Koolhaas and designer Irma Boom discuss the future of our built environment and their new book, Elements of Architecture. From shape-shifting façades to the history of the toilet, they describe the essential elements that make up every building and the six-year process behind their architectural encyclopedia. Finally, we wrap up with some of the finest art of the 20th century as TASCHEN editor Hans Werner Holzwarth explores Jean-Michel Basquiat’s narratives of finding and searching, his heritage and heroes. The TASCHEN podcast is produced by Eliza Apperly and present

In this special episode of the #TASCHENpodcast, we’re joined by photographer and filmmaker Blake Wood to remember his close friend Amy Winehouse. With her deep, expressive vocals and raw lyrics, the London-born singer and songwriter rocketed to fame in the early 2000s. Her 2006 album, Back to Black, won five Grammys and spawned a number of hit singles, among them Rehab, Tears Dry on Their Own, and the album’s title track. But international acclaim also brought difficulties; Winehouse became one of the most hounded figures in tabloid culture, with near-constant scrutiny of her romantic life, as well as her battles with bulimia and alcohol and drug addiction—a battle that would ultimately cost her her life. Now, seven years after the singer’s death, Wood, one of her closest friends and oftentimes flatmate, has published a collection of his personal photos of Amy to pay tribute to the “loving and caring and loyal” woman he knew behind the celebrity headlines. Blake joins us from New York to talk about their

Film composer Gerald Fried is one of few individuals who knew Stanley Kubrick back in the day. In 1940s New York, he was starting his career as a musician, when Kubrick, just 16 at the time, came to work as a photographer at Look magazine. The two became close friends and collaborators; Kubrick was even go-to babysitter for Fried’s young son. Later, Fried would compose music for five of Kubrick’s films: Day of the Fight, Fear and Desire, Killer’s Kiss, The Killing, and Paths of Glory. In our exclusive interview, Fried reveals their working process and recalls Kubrick the brilliant “super nerd” who “wanted badly to feel like a regular person … but was just too smart and too talented.”   Next up, we explore modernist Vienna, 100 years on from the deaths of four of its major protagonists: Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Otto Wagner, and Koloman Moser. Art critic and historian Kimberly Bradley, based in the Austrian capital, takes us back to the city’s bustling turn-of-the-century art scene and considers its legacy a

Imaginative freedom and authoritarian clout come head to head in this episode as we journey through the imposing architecture of North Korea; the heyday of Funk, Soul, and RnB; and Christo’s latest grand-scale happening in London’s Hyde Park. First up, Guardian critic Oliver Wainwright shares his journey to Pyongyang and the outlandish constructions of the Kim regime. Next, photographer Bruce Talamon takes us back to a heyday in black music, sharing anecdotes — and tips — from his time capturing Aretha Franklin, Al Green, The Jackson Five, not to mention Thanksgiving Dinner with Marvin Gaye. Finally, our friend Christo calls in to discuss his latest project, the London Mastaba in Hyde Park, and his and Jeanne-Claude’s long-standing fascination with barrels as a creative material. The TASCHEN Podcast is presented by Kevin Caners and produced by Eliza Apperly.

From Japan’s annual penis festival to Ancient Egyptian burial rites, this episode of the TASCHEN podcast explores some of humanity’s most intricate—and eccentric—traditions and rituals from cradle to grave. First up, graphic designer Nigel Holmes talks us through the outlandish contests and events that make up his hilarious new book, Crazy Competitions. Next, TASCHEN Editor Noel Daniels recounts the rich cultural fabric of A Thousand and One Nights and how she discovered Kay Nielsen’s exquisite illustrations to these ancient folk tales. Finally, Egyptologist Salima Ikram discusses the importance of death and mummification in Ancient Egypt before Sandro Vannini explains how he photographed the murals, tombs, and artefacts surrounding King Tutankhamun’s journey into the afterlife. Produced by Eliza Apperly and presented by Arsalan Mohammad

A special episode exploring TASCHEN’s SUMO of incredible and previously unseen Buddhist art, Murals of Tibet. We speak to monk and writer Matthieu Ricard, curator and explorer Ian Baker, Managing Editor Florian Kobler, the scholar and Tibetologist Heather Stoddard, and the photographer behind the book, Thomas Laird, to understand the intricate imagery and spirituality of these extraordinary temple paintings. Produced by Eliza Apperly and presented by Arsalan Mohammad

Welcome on a city tour like no other as urbanist and professor of architecture Giovanni Fanelli delves into the public space, fascist legacies, and “tragedy and comedy” of Rome. Next up, pop culture historian Jim Heimann drives us through the back streets and shocking crime scenes that made 1920s to ’50s Los Angeles the perfect inspiration for noir literature and film. Then we wrap up in London, where Gallery Director Nolan Browne unveils a new set of Albert Watson prints in TASCHEN’s latest locale. Presented and written by Arsalan Mohammad and produced by Eliza Apperly.

We kick off 2018 with a journey to one of the greatest creative and communal events on earth as photographer NK Guy and artist Kate Raudenbush explore the incredible art of Burning Man. Graphic design heroes Steven Heller and Jens Müller dive into Graphic Design History, the biggest graphic design book yet, before photographer Michael O’Neill shares his personal and spiritual yoga story behind the book and movie On Yoga: The Architecture of Peace.

Pop-culture polymath and Gorillaz mastermind Jamie Hewlett tells us about his comic influences, transition to fine art, and what’s next for the cult virtual band. TASCHEN’s Florian Kobler heads to Culver City, California, to explore the extraordinary Cold War artifacts of the Wende Museum, before Arsalan and Eliza chat with legendary photographer Peter Lindbergh about his campaign against Photoshop and new book of Pirelli calendar outtakes. Presented and written by Arsalan Mohammad and produced by Eliza Apperly

“Just imagine if the Nazis hadn’t come to power”. With the launch of Robert Nippoldt’s book ”Night Falls on Berlin in the Roaring Twenties”, we revisit all things 1920s Berlin; the dance, the art, the music, the cabaret, the “new women”, and the frenzied political climate. A round-table with Robert Nippoldt, Boris Pofalla, Stephan Wuthe, Annelie Lütgens (Berlinische Galerie), Lucy Wassensteiner (Max Liebermann Villa), and TASCHEN Editor, Florian Kobler, featuring original musical recordings. Produced by Eliza Apperly and presented by Arsalan Mohammad

Hot-shot photographer Albert Watson shares the whirlwind experiences behind his new portfolio KAOS, Marvel Editor Roy Thomas recalls super hero stories from the golden age of comics, and Brazilian modernist Beatriz Milhazes calls in from Rio to talk nature, carnival, and what she’s learnt from her long, colorful career. Produced by Eliza Apperly and presented by Arsalan Mohammad

We meet the man who photographed David Bowie on the set of 1975 classic, The Man Who Fell To Earth, talk fetish art with TASCHEN’S Sexy Editor Dian Hanson, and take a tour along one of the most historic trails in Japan. Produced by Eliza Apperly and presented by Arsalan Mohammad

We talk daring expeditions in Afghanistan with veteran photographer Steve McCurry; explore the revolutionary gay art of Tom of Finland with John Waters and Dian Hanson; and find out what it was like to work with Andy Warhol in the 1950s from his first assistant, Vito Giallo. Produced by Eliza Apperly and presented by Arsalan Mohammad

We go behind the scenes of Mario Testino’s revealing new show and book, “Undressed”; explore William Blake’s breathtaking illustrations to Dante’s The Divine Comedy; and discover why Marvin E. Newman is the most important New York photographer you’ve never heard of. Produced by Eliza Apperly and presented by Arsalan Mohammad

Team TASCHEN recalls the legendary Muhammad Ali and his epic “Rumble in the Jungle” of 1974. Art Historian Kimberley Bradley discusses the raw graphics and sexual figuration of Egon Schiele, before Walton Ford and Zoe Lescaze introduce “Paleoart”, a thrilling new book on the art of depicting dinosaurs. Produced by Eliza Apperly and presented by Arsalan Mohammad

Legendary photojournalist Steve Schapiro talks about his work on the civil rights frontier and encounters with James Baldwin; Karl Kolbitz’s new photo book Ingressi di Milano takes us on a tour through Milan’s stunning modernist hallways; and Dian Hanson pays tribute to Chinese photographer, Ren Hang. Produced by Eliza Apperly and presented by Arsalan Mohammad

Welcome to the TASCHEN podcast! We kick off in L.A. with Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, who tells us all about the making of the show and the definitive companion book. Veteran rock critic and author Barney Hoskyns chats about the legendary Capitol Records label, before photographer Sebastião Salgado revisits the epic drama of the Kuwaiti oil fires. Produced by Eliza Apperly and presented by Arsalan Mohammad