The Big Interview

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SOCIETY & CULTURE
EVERY TWO MONTHS

Long-form conversations about the lives and careers of the world's leading and most exciting names from the worlds of art, design, literature, politics, business and food. We hear from the masters themselves, about their art, their craft, their secrets and successes.

4 JUL

Odile Renaud-Basso

The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, founded after the Cold War, discusses Ukraine’s rebuilding and the institution’s newfound purpose in an age of retrenching from foreign aid. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 min
13 JUN

American cyber-defence specialist Jen Easterly on why protecting US infrastructure matters

Jen Easterly led the agency keeping the US safe from cyber attacks for four years. She’s worried about where things have gone over the past few months. Emma Nelson discusses her life of service. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 min
18 APR

Norma Kamali

After a career spanning almost six decades, US fashion icon Norma Kamali is still reinventing herself. After immersing herself in the London fashion scene in the 1960s and establishing a New York boutique at the end of the decade, Kamali quickly rose to prominence. Her designs could be found on the star-studded dance floors of Studio 54, on an iconic 1976 Farrah Fawcett poster and on Whitney Houston’s first album cover. She joins Monocle’s Emma Nelson to tell us about her approach to design, her dedication to wellness and how Donald Trump’s tariffs are affecting her business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 min
14 MAR

Bob Mould

An icon of US alternative rock, Bob Mould was a member of influential Minneapolis band Hüsker Dü, which combined screaming guitars with sweet pop melodies in the 1980s and inspired later acts such as Nirvana. Mould’s subsequent band Sugar recorded three acclaimed albums in the mid-1990s. He has since built up a solo catalogue that has included several stylistic deviations but keeps circling back to the power-trio format. Mould’s latest solo album is ‘Here We Go Crazy’. He sits down with Andrew Mueller to play a couple of songs and talk about the legacy of Hüsker Dü, being outed as a gay man in the 1990s and Donald Trump’s WWE-style politics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 min
21 FEB

Bill Broyles

The films of screenwriter Bill Broyles have time and again cemented themselves as classics of American cinema. Following his debut with the acclaimed series ‘China Beach’, came films including ‘Apollo 13’, ‘Cast Away’ and ‘Jarhead’. Broyles’ writing for the screen has been informed at least in part by an eventful personal life. As a young man, he was a US Marine Corps platoon commander in the Vietnam War, an experience he recalls in the Apple TV+ series ‘Vietnam: The War That Changed America’. He was subsequently a journalist, launching ‘Texas Monthly’ and editing ‘Newsweek’ before heading to Hollywood. Broyles sits down with Andrew Mueller for a contemplative look back on his successes and failures, as well as reflecting on the best and worst aspects of American culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 min
14 FEB

Joe Wright

Joe Wright is the acclaimed film director known for single-take shots, redefining cinematic genres and updating classic narratives. He first appeared on the global stage with his feature directorial debut, ‘Pride & Prejudice’, starring Keira Knightley, followed by a string of celebrated releases that include the seven-time Academy Award-nominated drama ‘Atonement’, the action-packed thriller ‘Hanna’ and the biographical drama ‘Darkest Hour’. As one of the more technically adventurous and unpredictable directors of his generation, Wright’s latest project might be his most ambitious: a new eight-part series documenting the rise of a dictator, ‘Mussolini: Son Of The Century’. It has already stirred debate across Europe and beyond since its release, and is regarded by many critics as the best show of 2025 so far. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 min
31 JAN

Ludovico Einaudi

Ludovico Einaudi is an Italian pianist and composer known for his unique blend of classical, folk and modern influences. His iconic albums, film scores and record-breaking concerts have made him one of the world’s most influential living composers. His new 13-track album, ‘The Summer Portraits’, is now available and Einaudi is also gearing up for a five-night residency at the Royal Albert Hall in London – the longest continuous headline run by a pianist at the historic venue. Sitting down with Monocle’s Laura Kramer, Einaudi speaks about his inspirations, his love of photography and paintings, and how he balances modern digital convenience with the beauty of analog technology in his creative process. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

22 min
17 JAN

Damian Woetzel

Damian Woetzel is a former principal dancer at the New York City Ballet and the current president of the world’s most prestigious performing arts conservatory, The Juilliard School. After an illustrious career as one of the world’s foremost male dancers, Woetzel went on to earn a degree from Harvard, serve on Barack Obama’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and direct a series of major arts programmes, including at The Aspen Institute. As president of Juilliard since 2018, he hopes to one day make the school tuition-free. Woetzel spoke with Monocle’s Emma Nelson about discovering his passion young, his jeté-like rise in ballet and the role of art as a public good. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

26 min

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Long-form conversations about the lives and careers of the world's leading and most exciting names from the worlds of art, design, literature, politics, business and food. We hear from the masters themselves, about their art, their craft, their secrets and successes.