What do pulsars, nuclear politics and hypothetical love particles have in common? They’ve all inspired songs by Lynda Williams – physicist, performer and self-styled “Physics Chanteuse”.
In this month’s Physics World Stories* podcast, host Andrew Glester is in conversation with Williams, whose unique approach to science communication blends physics with cabaret and satire. You’ll be treated to a selection of her songs, including a toe-tapping tribute to Jocelyn Bell Burnell, the Northern Irish physicist who discovered pulsars.
Williams discusses her writing process, which includes a full-blooded commitment to getting the science right. She describes how her shows evolve throughout the course of a tour, how she balances life on the road with other life commitments, and how Kip Thorne once arranged for her to perform at a birthday celebration for Stephen Hawking. (Yes, really.)
Her latest show, Atomic Cabaret*, dives into the existential risks of the nuclear age, marking 80 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The one-woman musical kicks off in Belfast on 18 June and heads to the Edinburgh Festival in August.
If you like your physics with a side of showbiz and social activism, this episode hits all the right notes. Find out more at Lynda’s website).
