The Big Interview

A former journalist and editor at ‘The Wall Street Journal’, now president and CEO of The Atlantic Council, Fred Kempe’s life and career spans from the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall to the ongoing war in Ukraine and other geopolitical threats. A passionate advocate for American engagement in the world, Kempe sat down with Monocle’s Chris Cermak in Washington ahead of a US presidential election that could send the superpower in two very different directions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Back in 2013, American singer and songwriter Jason Isbell released the album ‘Southeastern’, which tracked his life as an enthusiastic-if-reckless archetype of the dissolute southern rocker. It was an overwhelming critical and commercial success. Five more studio albums followed, turning Grammy-winning Isbell into a chart-topper and – as of Martin Scorcese’s ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’ – a movie star. Here he sits down with Andrew Mueller for a candid chat about his life and music, his viral ‘feral hogs’ tweet and his acting debut alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gherardo Felloni, creative director of Parisian luxury-accessories house Roger Vivier, joins Monocle’s associate editor Grace Charlton to discuss the brand’s spring-summer 2025 collection. Felloni tells us about his vision for the brand, reissuing some of the most iconic buckled shoes to have walked this earth and updating house codes for the modern woman. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Widely considered to be one of the most influential figures in fashion and retail, the ad interim CEO and president of the Yoox Net-a-Porter Group, Alison Loehnis, has been a leading force at the pioneering online retailer for more than a decade. Here, she joins Monocle’s fashion director Natalie Theodosi for a sprawling conversation about leadership, balancing creativity and business, nurturing young brands and entering a new chapter in the industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than a decade after reaching worldwide acclaim with his six-volume autobiographical novel ‘My Struggle’, the Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard has returned to the fictional form in ‘The Morning Star’ series. Knausgaard sat down with Gunnar Gronlid to talk about the latest entry ‘The Third Realm’, embodying new perspectives and his fixation with death, family and freedom. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

British comedy veteran of ‘The Young Ones’ and ‘Bottom’ fame Adrian Edmondson sits down with Andrew Mueller to talk about his memoir ‘Berserker!’, his often violent skits with late collaborator Rik Mayall and using humour to deal with trauma. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former FBI director-turned-crime-fiction-author James Comey speaks with Andrew Mueller about his new novel, ‘Westport’, the dangers of a new Donald Trump presidency and whether he regrets reopening the Hillary Clinton investigation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Award-winning artist, photographer and filmmaker Alison Jackson sits down with Georgina Godwin to speak about her staged and satiric photographs of celebrity lookalikes, her time as a politician and her planned Donald Trump feature film. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Science broadcaster and author Ziya Tong sits down with Andrew Mueller to discuss her new documentary film, ‘Plastic People: The Hidden Crisis of Microplastics’, her stint as one of Canada’s top encyclopaedia salespeople and the struggle to communicate important science issues to the public. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swinging sixties fashion icon Penelope Tree sits down with Georgina Godwin to discuss her debut novel, ‘Piece of My Heart’, and her rise to fame at Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball. Plus: her relationship with photographer David Bailey, the skin condition that ended her modelling career and her spiritual awakening. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

London and New York-based street photographer Joel Meyerowtiz sits down with Monocle’s photography director, Matthew Beaman, to discuss quitting his job after working with Robert Frank, finding “decisive moments”, how smartphones changed the world, his love of Leica and large-format cameras and how time has affected his photographs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The minister of foreign affairs of Lithuania sits down with Andrew Mueller to discuss the importance of military preparedness, diplomatic efforts and being able to explain and justify your arguments to the electorate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The six-time Grammy award-winning musician sits down with Robert Bound to discuss the release of the fourth and final instalment of his ‘Djesse’ album series, his creative process, the influence of his mother and how he transforms his audiences into choirs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The British astronaut sits down with Andrew Mueller to discuss his remarkable career, the future of space exploration and his new book ‘Space: The Human Story’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The culinary legend and actress sits down with Robert Bound to discuss her cookbooks, which span the flavours of India, and how she unintentionally became a household name for anyone with a taste for South Asian cuisine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell sits down with Georgina Godwin to discuss his life, career and gripping podcast series, ‘Revisionist History’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The former Australian senator sits down with Andrew Mueller to reflect on the highlights of his political career and how he became leader of the world’s first Green party. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The celebrated Canadian historian sits down with Andrew Mueller to discuss her bestselling books, the history of warfare and the challenge that Vladimir Putin poses to the world order. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chinese dissident artist Badiucao sits down with Georgina Godwin to discuss his life in self-imposed exile and how he uses his art to challenge censorship and human-rights abuses in China. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Grammy award-winning American singer sits down with Andrew Mueller to discuss her remarkable career and mission to highlight the untold stories of people who have contributed to musical history in the US. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.