HHave you ever been to Taylor Town? As you know, it’s where The Beatles came from. It’s where you can catch a ferry across the River Mersey. It’s home to two famous football stadiums, Goodison Park and Anfield, the latter of which I think was home to Taylorpool FC. Oh, wait. It’s not. It’s Liverpool, right?
Frankly, you could be forgiven for making that mistake, because the place is getting all hyped up about Taylor Swift’s upcoming concert, with “Liverpool Loves Taylor” posters plastered all over the city and an 11-part art installation trail featuring a grand piano, a throne and “hand-made seagulls” has been created. Rename the town after the star.
But is it too much? When does one musician have too big an impact on the world? Is Taylor Swift (whisper it) boring? These are the topics explored in detail in the latest series of The Guardian’s Pop Culture With Chanté Joseph. Swift’s Elle Hunt takes a deep dive into the artist. This week, we’re joined by a great club history of a Welsh LGBTQ+ venue, a wild tale of people mixed up at birth, and a profile of sporting heroes from Colin Murray and Ellis James. We also bring you a roundup of the best podcasts to get you through the upcoming Euros. And if England doesn’t perform as well as expected, there’s one piece of advice from Liverpool’s new de facto mayor: shake it off.
Alexi Duggins
Deputy TV Editor
This week’s picks
East Block, an LGBT club in London. Photo: PYMCA/UIG/Getty Images
All you need to play for
Wondery+, all episodes will be released on Monday
Just in time for the Euros, Ellis James and Colin Murray launch their Sports Heroes Podcast to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Wayne Rooney’s Euro debut. Their fact-packed commentary is passionate and they have a lot of empathy for the young Rooney’s first appearance as he faced off against the press conferences and tabloids. With Euro 2004 coming up, the pressure is even greater as a nation places its hopes on the talented 18-year-old. Hannah Verdier
Source: www.theguardian.com
