Adam talks with author Zadie Smith about fun, trivial things like Wordle start words, men who dress as if they're still young, and the sadness of podcasts becoming TV shows, and then not trivial things like the problems associated with empathy when it comes to politics, war and fiction writing. Plus, what is Zadie's problem with Generation X?Conversation recorded face-to-face in London on 7 October 2025&nbsp;Thanks to Séamus Murphy-Mitchell for production supportPodcast illustration by <a href="https://helengreenillustration.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Helen Green</a>Listen to Adam's album <a href="https://adambuxton.lnk.to/BuckleUp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">'Buckle Up'</a>&nbsp;Order Adam's book <a href="https://lnk.to/iloveyoubyeee_" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">'I Love You Byeee'&nbsp;</a>Sign up for the newsletter on <a href="https://www.adam-buxton.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Adam's website</a> (scroll down on homepage)RELATED LINKS<a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/465300/dead-and-alive-by-smith-zadie/9780241729595" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DEAD AND ALIVE</a> by Zadie Smith - 2025 (PENGUIN)<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBprZOTMaA0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ZADIE SMITH ON FASHION NEUROSIS PODCAST WITH BELLA FREUD</a> - 2025 (YOUTUBE)<a href="https://shows.acast.com/holding-up-the-ladder/episodes/zadie-smith-devonte-hynes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ZADIE AND DEVONTÉ HYNES ON 'HOLDING UP THE LADDER' PODCAST</a> - 2025 (ACAST)<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/03/06/nx-s1-5319068/wild-card-author-zadie-smith-time#:~:text=Festival%20in%20Denmark.-,YouTube,would%20be%20an%20intolerable%20world." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ZADIE SMITH ON WILD CARD</a> - 2025 (NPR)<a href="https://lisathatcher.com.au/2012/03/04/white-teeth-the-brilliance-of-zadie-smith/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">LISA THATCHER - THE BRILLIANCE OF WHITE TEETH</a> - 2012<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/opinion/charlie-kirk-assassination-fear-politics.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CHARLIE KIRK WAS PRACTICING POLITICS THE RIGHT WAY</a> by Ezra Klein - 11 September, 2025 (NY TIMES)<a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/charlie-kirk-ezra-klein-tanehisi-coates?srsltid=AfmBOoqVrwQJnlFDC1PqzcRl-iB-NlATNoFuEP9m41CPJGKMbXwfsQA7" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CHARLIE KIRK REDEEMED, A POLITICAL CLASS FINDS ITS LOST CAUSE</a> by Ta-Nehisi Coates - 2025 (VANITY FAIR)<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaeoDlLNnok" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EZRA KLEIN AND TA-NEHISI COATES HASH OUT THEIR CHARLIE KIRK DISAGREEMENT</a> - 2025 (YOUTUBE)<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHxw1yI-VSY&t=3s" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PHILOSOPHERS DESCRIBED BY PEEP SHOW</a> - 2025 (YOUTUBE)<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh4vTR80dpw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ZADIE SMITH ON HOW LANGUAGE UPSETS THE RIGHT</a> - 2025 (YOUTUBE)<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD2aZIOwylo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">THANK YOU VERY MUCH - ANDY KAUFMAN DOC</a> (OFFICIAL TRAILER) - 2023 (YOUTUBE)<a href="https://www.adam-buxton.co.uk/bonus-audio/chris-smith" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CHRIS SMITH ON JIM CAREY AND ANDY KAUFMAN</a> (ADAM BUXTON PODCAST BONUS) - 2017 (ADAM'S WEBSITE/SOUNDCLOUD)<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

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