The Reason Why
A brand new podcast by Seamas Carey.
Welcome to Cornwall; a land of contradictions. Join Seamas as he takes a deep dive look at the social issues, housing crisis, hidden history and culture wars in contemporary Cornwall.
"I was born and grew up in Cornwall. I live and work here. However, it frustrates me. I love it, and some days I hate it. In equal measures it can limit and inspire. For someone like me, a confident, white, heterosexual, cis, non disabled male, it’s easy to fit in and belong. But Cornwall can also be, like most places, grumpy, unwelcoming and sometimes xenophobic.
I wanted to pick it all apart, to understand what’s really going on here. But more immediately, I wanted to know the reason why it’s so hard to buy a house right now, in the place where I grew up.
Over the course of a year, I interviewed over 50 people on the topics of identity, nationalism, history, second homes, rural racism, and gender politics in Cornwall." - Seamas Carey
THE REASON WHY – LIVE EPISODE
STATEMENT FROM IMPOSSIBLE 23 September 2022
As part of Falmouth International Arts Fest 2022, we invited Seamas Carey to host a live panel discussion from themes raised across his podcast series The Reason Why at the Falmouth based venue The Cornish Bank. The night covered second homes, nationalism, flags, rural racism and LGBTQIA+ issues. Seamas has edited the event into a 2-part podcast being released today, Friday 23rd September, and it is available wherever you get your podcasts.
When we started imPOSSIBLE in 2020, a core objective was to open up difficult conversations; in a positive way to try and support a wave of change.
The Reason Why live debate raised important points of tension which exist within rural settings that are often ignored or dismissed. Polarised conversations that arguably have never been had before publicly here in Cornwall, which we hope can be the starting points for progressive change and understanding in the future. But undeniably, the conversation was at times really uncomfortable and upsetting for people on the panel and in the audience, and it was hard.
We know there is no easy fix or answer to the points raised, but on this public release of the event, we want to put in place some structured support which we hope will act as a space to continue to discuss the issues.
We want to thank everyone who took part bravely and warmly in the discussion – the panelists and the audience. There was tension but there was also love and care in the room.
We urge you to be mindful that although you might disagree with some of what you hear – and you may want to have your say – please be aware of what impact your comments could have on the human beings involved.
You can contact us directly at info@impossibleproducing.com with comments or thoughts about the content of this debate or the podcast in general.
What now?
If you would be interested in being part of a follow up conversation about anything related to this podcast please contact us at info@impossibleproducing.com
Thank you for taking the time to read this
Much love
Gabby and Charlie
PODCAST CREDITS
Written and presented by Seamas Carey
Additional theme tune production by Mr BJ Jackson
Graphic Design by Phyllida Bluemel
Photography by Steve Tanner
Special thanks to all contributors as well as The Holman Climax Male Voice Choir, for the sampling of their 1974 album - The Reason Why
Associate producer: Charlie Bunker
Executive producer: Paul Dodgson
An Impossible Producing and Seamas Carey production, funded by Arts Council England
Available on all major streaming sites.
ABOUT SEAMAS CAREY
https://seamascareymusic.com/home
Seamas Carey is a Cornish artist best known for his anarchic, interactive and community based projects such as Pagan Pandemonium, I Wish I Was A Standing Stone and Seamas Carey Meets His 4 Year Old Self (Emma Rice’s 2019 theatre highlight, The Guardian). He also conducts Cornwall’s first alternative male voice choir, Men Are Singing. In 2020 he was the winner of the Maurice O’Connell Bursary Award. Seamas is a multi-instrumentalist (accordion, piano, double bass, bagpipes) and has worked for the past nine years as a composer, performer, choir leader, musical director, puppeteer, silent film pianist and piano tuner. He grew up in Cornwall where he still lives, but has toured all over the world with theatre productions by Wildworks, Kneehigh and Sally Cookson.
Seamas also has a brand new show out called Help! I think I’m a Nationalist. A new one man comedy show about identity, second homes, nationalism, xenophobia, bagpipes and Aphex Twin.