Howzat? 5.5 / 6

Kathy Burke is a fucking legend, and I don’t use the word “fucking” lightly here. 

Even though the premise of this show is slightly contrived (panel of highly paid executives, take note – death,  bit on-the-nose, isn’t it?), nothing can touch Kathy Burke at the moment. 

She is speedily turning into a [*deep breath*] national treasure because A) she’s fucking funny, and B) her ‘no-filter’ approach proves that you can have very strong opinions about politics, and reflect the musings of most of the country / world, but still be warm, empathetic, downright personal and – even more importantly than that, entertaining. 

Anyway, onto it…

Where There’s A Will, There’s A Wake is basically a light-hearted chat about death, coupled with a guest plugging the latest thing they’ve made / they’re in / something they’re indirectly hoping to make money from.

And in this episode, model and comedian Michelle De Swarte talks about her impending slippage off the mortal coil – the combination of which results in an overpowering sweary cunt-fest like no other. De Swarte gives as good as she gets and the pairing genuinely sound like they’ve been best mates for ages.

It’s nice and as a Brit, listening to this is the audio equivalent of slipping into a pair of old, comfortable shoes. However, Americans / those easily offended, take note – this may have the opposite effect. 

The format is straightforward with De Swarte running through every aspect of her “ideal death”: 

Last meal? Christmas dinner; how? Heart attack surrounded by friends; obituary? (Vogue front cover), Wake? Big ol’ knees up with a Jamaican spread, everyone getting fucked up on booze and drugs; reincarnation? “I want to be a rich, gay couple’s cat”; famous last words (“fuck me, that’s funny”)

Yes, it’s another fairly lame format point, acting as a vehicle for a brilliant host – a kind of paint-by-numbers for the podcast execs at Sony. However, luckily for them, Burke holds her own and completely “gets it”. This is a brilliant show because of her, not the format, which can do one as far as I’m concerned. 

One note to the contrary – the choir singers who chant the ‘stings’ which separate the conversation points are inspired. 

LP