The High Low is clearly the way to go.
Pan back to four months ago. There I am, lying in bed with a few pages left of ‘Everything I Know About Love’ by Dolly Alderton. I know what’s coming and quite frankly, I'm not ready for it. Finishing this book was not something I wanted to do. So instead I read a paragraph, then put the book down. I decided to carry on with this rather sad ritual, day-by-day reading one paragraph at a time, in an attempt to put off the inevitable for as long as I could. Once I finished the book, I couldn’t stop thinking, writing or screaming about it. I immediately sent it to one of my friends in an attempt to spread the love (a fitting theme), and in return she told me about the High Low podcast. I was searching for some more constant Dolly-ness and this podcast, co-hosted by herself and fellow journalist, Pandora Sykes, filled said hole perfectly.
Photo credit: Eva K Salvi
Already mentioned in our ‘Podcast Picks’, The High Low is a total joy. A weekly pop-culture / news podcast, including both the high-brow and low-brow. I had the (fangirl) honour of catching up with Dolly and Pandora and having a brief chat about the show and their roaring twenties.
LB: To start with the basics, how did you two meet & how did the idea of the High Low come about?
We met through a mutual friend, about 5 years ago. Pandora was working as an editor at The Sunday Times Style and myself, a columnist - and we wanted to work on something together. Podcasts were very under the radar at that point, (particularly those helmed by (gasp!) women), so we started ‘The Pandolly Podcast’. We had a lot of fun with it and it ran for 5 months until Pandora left The Sunday Times and we decided to start a new podcast afresh, independently. And The High Low was born.
Did you expect it to have the success it has had?
Not at all! It was a fun project, we didn’t know it would become a bonafide media channel. We have loved watching it unfold utterly organically. If you start creative things to make money, they rarely do. It has to be a byproduct of the passion.
One of the most appealing things about THL is it's unique way of presenting news, combining hilarious, bizarre stories with important news headlines. Do you think that the way news is presented to young people needs to change because we have such a different way of accessing/absorbing it now, with Instagram/twitter etc…?We don’t really do it specifically - it would be patronising to assume that young people can’t ‘digest’ the news - but we combine the high and the low brow, the sublime and the ridiculous, because that’s how we absorb news and culture; that’s how we conduct conversations with friends and loved ones - with a mixture of the heavy and the silly. That’s what life is, too. A mix.
Photo credit: Eva K Salvi
Do you worry that this generation aren't engaging as much in 'hard news' or do you think that this is now an outdated view and we are in fact much more woke than people assume?
Both! A lot of people feel compelled to avoid ‘the bad news cycle’ which is worrying as it means you ignore the darker parts of the world, which bring important context to the brighter parts, but equally - we are assaulted by news now, 24/7. Not just on the TV but on your e-mail, your social media, every single device you engage with. It can feel over-whelming. And yet, young people (particularly teenagers) are far more politically engaged than we ever were.
Your closeness is evident through the way you both interact during the podcast & Dolly, ‘Everything I Know About Love’ largely focuses on strong friendships and how they impact your life. Would you agree with the argument that longevity is the marker of a strong friendship?
For the most part, as our friends have been our friends since we were kids and teenagers, although our particular friendship is proof that ‘adult’ friendships, (in a non porny sense) can garner strength very quickly, if the right one.
Roaring twenties:
How would you describe your university experience in a sentence?
Drunken, chaotic, emotional, hilarious.
Any tips on people struggling at uni?
Try and enjoy it for what it is. It is not the most important part of your life. Try and learn something. Then shake it off.
More & more people are deciding not to go to university nowadays. What is your take on this? Do you think university is vital?
No! Especially not for a writer. It can be a useful holistic experience more than it can an educational one. Pandora went to a single sex school from the age of 4-18. She needed university or she would have just spent the entirety of her first job staring at men, fascinated that they were allowed to operate in the same space as her during daylight hours.
Tips for young people who want to become writers/journalists?
Write, write, write. Read, read, read. Pitch, pitch, pitch. And intern everywhere, everytime you can afford to. Don’t be fussy!
A book that one MUST read in their adolescence-adulthood period?
Pandora: Prep, Catcher In The Rye, The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing.
Dolly: The Bell Jar, Any Human Heart, The Colour Purple, Love Story, The Whole Woman, The Female Eunuch, I Capture The Castle, White Teeth.
Finally, what piece of advice would you give young people today?
Try not to get distracted by the white noise. Do what you want to do, not what everyone else is doing. And be kind.
*exhale*
If you haven't already, I strongly urge you to go and listen to the High Low right this second. Dolly's book has also just been released as a hard-back with a bonus chapter, 'Everything I know About Love at Thirty.' So go and listen and read... at the same time.
Listen here and follow their socials @TheHighLowShow @pandorasykes @dollyalderton
