James Kavanagh - “My bully found all manner of creative ways to make my life hell”

About this episode

James Kavanagh discusses his experiences with bullying, coming out, and mental health through the lens of five significant songs.

Podcaster and presenter, James Kavanagh, tells Brendan about his life through the prism of five songs from Enya to Kate Bush to The Spice Girls. He talks about receiving homophobic bullying as a teen, coming out as gay, finding his tribe, having panic attacks as an adult and moving to rural Kilkenny.

People in this episode

Host: Brendan O'Connor

Guest: James Kavanagh

Topics covered

• bullying
• coming out
• mental health
• music
• identity

Keywords

• bullying
• homophobia
• panic attacks
• coming out
• music

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Enya, Kate Bush, The Spice Girls

More episodes of Brendan O'Connor

• Elvis Costello: “This is my face – there's nothing I can do about it!” · June 7, 2026 · 27 min
• “It felt like a secret world, with music from another planet” - The Pretty in Pink soundtrack at 40 · June 7, 2026 · 11 min
• The Watchlist · June 7, 2026 · 12 min
• The Newspaper Panel · June 7, 2026 · 54 min
• Masterchef’s Anna Haugh: “Appalling treatment of restaurant staff makes my blood boil” · June 6, 2026 · 12 min
• Author, Elizabeth Strout: “A marriage can be a lonely place” · June 6, 2026 · 31 min