226. Suburbia

226. Suburbia

From The Allusionist by Helen Zaltzman

April 27, 2026 · 44 min

About this episode

This episode explores the concept of suburbia and its cultural implications with social historian John Grindrod.

"The word ‘suburbia’ sort of evokes a very fixed idea of a place that is identikit, that all suburbs are the same, that within the suburb everything is the same, that all people are the same, all experiences are the same," says social historian and author John Grindrod, "I think it has this kind of flattening-out facility, that word, that isn't true." Content note: this episode contains one category B swear. And reference to Margaret Thatcher. Visit theallusionist.org/suburbia for more information about the topics in this episode plus a transcript. Find John Grindrod's work at johngrindrod.co.uk, including his new book  Tales of the Suburbs: LGBTQ+ Lives Behind Net Curtains , and his podcast Monstrosities Mon Amour. This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Music and editorial advice were provided by Martin Austwick of palebirdmusic.com. Sign up at theallusionist.org/donate to fund the continuing existence of this independent podcast. In return, you can join me for regular livestreams where I read relaxingly from my…

People in this episode

Host: Helen Zaltzman

Guest: John Grindrod

Topics covered

  • suburbia
  • social history
  • identity
  • LGBTQ+ lives
  • cultural perceptions

Keywords

  • suburbia
  • social history
  • John Grindrod
  • LGBTQ+
  • cultural identity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Monstrosities Mon Amour

Books & works: Tales of the Suburbs: LGBTQ+ Lives Behind Net Curtains

Places: xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)

More episodes of The Allusionist

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Allusionist podcast page.