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PODCAST

Better World With Design

The Better World With Design (BWWD) podcast is where I, Gary Crossey, explore the intersection of design and music, creativity, and personal growth. In each episode, I combine my web design expertise with authentic storytelling, featuring deep dives into music discoveries, photography, writing, and the arts. Drawing from a rich visual aesthetic of deep blues, forest greens, and warm grays, the show feels like opening a well-worn leather notebook filled with creative insights and artistic

society & culture design

All Episodes

56:51

The Better World with Design Book Club Field Report:...

Better World With Design ·

2026/03/22

Join us as we dissect M.L. Rio's dark academia thriller If We Were Villains — not just as a story, but as a case study in craft, morality, and the seductive danger of performance. This isn't your typical book club. We're going deep: examining the Shakespearean architecture, the groupthink mechanics, and the character roles that turn seven theater students into a tragic machine. Hosted by a reader who believes every great book has an argument worth debating, this series breaks down the novel

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17:06

Working with My 20-Year-Old Self: Birth of The Answer...

Better World With Design ·

2026/03/06

In this episode, I explore what happens when you let your younger self speak without interference—when you refuse to edit, improve, or apologize for who you were.Drawing from my 1996 handwritten journals, written as a nineteen-year-old immigrant in Florida, I discuss how those carefully crafted words became the lyrics for "Pop A Pill"—a track that bridges three decades without compromise.This isn't about nostalgia or revival. It's about genuine dialogue across time, made possible by one

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15:24

The Birth of Acid House: A Sonic Revolution

Better World With Design ·

2026/02/21

Settle in for a deep dive into one of electronic music's most transformative moments. This episode explores the birth and evolution of acid house—a genre that altered the course of music history.We trace the origins of that distinctive squelchy TB-303 sound from Chicago in 1987, examining Phuture's seminal "Acid Trax" and the accidental discovery that launched a movement. But the story goes deeper: we investigate earlier appearances of the 303's characteristic sound and question the

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20:18

Welcome to 2026: A Year of Intentional Purpose

Better World With Design ·

2026/01/01

Join Gary Crossey as he kicks off 2026 with a deep dive into Better World With Design's new direction. This episode explores the decision to center marginalized voices through the Voices from the Margins series, examining why representation matters, how design shapes justice, and what it means to build with intentionality. Discover the year's content strategy, thematic focus areas, and the personal journey that led to this shift in purpose.

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71:46

Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others -...

Better World With Design ·

2025/12/14

In this episode of Better World with Design, host Gary Crossey explores Sara Ahmed's groundbreaking work Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others. This dense but rewarding philosophical text challenges us to rethink how we orient ourselves in the world, and how people design spaces around normative assumptions.Gary shares his honest experience wrestling with Ahmed's challenging ideas, from her insights into lesbian networks and queer women's experiences to her analysis of how

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16:23

The Fire in the Kitchen: A Story of Family...

Better World With Design ·

2025/12/07

A deeply personal narrative about a domestic fire that becomes a metaphor for family dysfunction, addiction, and the hidden struggles of growing up in a home marked by tension. This story examines a moment when an ordinary kitchen accident—a grill pan left on too long—reveals the deeper fractures in a family held together by patterns of escape and avoidance. Through vivid details and honest reflection, it explores how crisis doesn't always bring people together, and how sometimes the most

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26:05

Willem de Kooning: The $160 Million Art Heist and the...

Better World With Design ·

2025/11/30

Join us for a fascinating deep dive into the life and legacy of Willem de Kooning, the Dutch-American painter who redefined Abstract Expressionism and broke all the rules. This episode explores his contradictions as an artist, the infamous $160 million art heist of his painting "Woman-Ochre," and the philosophical questions raised by his work during the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Discover the untold story of how a stolen masterpiece ended up in a bathroom in rural New Mexico, and what it

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35:41

Too Late for Work (Northern Irish Short Story #4) by...

Better World With Design ·

2025/11/16

Better World with Design is a narrative podcast exploring the intersection of faith, design, and human connection through fiction and cultural commentary. Hosted by Gary Crossey, the show features original short stories set in Northern Ireland alongside episodes on design thinking, creative philosophy, and the quiet ways we build meaningful lives.The Northern Irish Short Story series presents fifteen interconnected character-driven tales set in Belfast—intimate portraits of ordinary people

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43:45

The Elect (Northern Irish Short Stories #3) by Gary...

Better World With Design ·

2025/11/09

The third story in the Better World with Design Northern Irish Short Story series. In 1980s Belfast, while bombs and checkpoints divided the city, a small American religious community tried to build their own version of wholesome recreation. "The Elect" follows two young men navigating a church disco in Bangor, exploring themes of faith, performance, and belonging. Inspired by James Joyce's "Two Gallants" and drawn from journal entries kept during the my early years in Northern Ireland,

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38:29

Better World with Design: Deep Dive - Porridge...

Better World With Design ·

2025/11/06

In this episode of Better World with Design, host Gary Crossey takes you on an in-depth journey through Porridge Radio's 2024 album "Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me." This isn't your typical music review—it's an honest, unvarnished conversation about what makes this record work, where it falls short, and why emotional authenticity matters more than sonic innovation.We explore Dana Margolin's raw vocal performances, the album's refusal to romanticize mental health

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25:07

Working the Floor (Northern Irish Short Story #2) A...

Better World With Design ·

2025/11/02

In "Working the Floor," a young man working in a Belfast shoe shop finds connection in the careful ritual of fitting shoes—and in the brief, electric touch that can change everything while changing nothing at all. This is the second story in a series drawn from journal entries kept during my early years in Northern Ireland, transformed into fictional narratives that explore the quiet negotiations we make with ourselves and others in spaces that don't always make room for us.Set in a divided

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15:48

The Selfish Giant — Oscar Wilde Audiobook and Reflection

Better World With Design ·

2025/11/01

When a giant walls off his garden, winter settles in for good—until one small act of welcome changes everything. In this immersive reading of Oscar Wilde’s “The Selfish Giant,” you’ll hear gentle sound design, a faithful performance of the text, and a warm reflection on why this simple fairy tale still melts hearts today. We connect this story to our earlier Oscar Wilde episode, The Canterville Ghost, showing how Wilde pairs wit with compassion and why his work matters now more than

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22:35

The Bowler Hat by Gary Crossey (short story)

Better World With Design ·

2025/10/27

In this episode, I will present "The Bowler Hat", a quietly powerful story set in Belfast during the Troubles. When a young man buys a fifty-pence bowler hat from a second-hand shop, he embarks on an unexpected journey through a divided city. Neither protest nor performance, his daily walks in the hat become something else entirely: a small, stubborn act of bridging.Through precise, poetic prose, this story captures the careful grammar of a place where kerbs keep their colors and streets

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78:21

Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich - How...

Better World With Design ·

2025/10/03

In this episode, Gary Crossey examines Norman Ohler's "Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich," which reveals the widespread drug use in Nazi Germany during World War II. The book explores how methamphetamine, cocaine, and opioids were used by soldiers, leaders, and civilians to fuel the German war machine. Particular attention is given to the transformation of substances from "miracle medicines" to dangerous drugs, and the troubling parallels with modern pharmaceutical and enhancement

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81:17

Better World with Design: Uncovering Frances Glessner...

Better World With Design ·

2025/09/10

This episode of "Better World with Design" examines Bruce Goldfarb's "18 Tiny Deaths" and reveals how Frances Glessner Lee's innovative dioramas revolutionized crime scene investigation. We explore how her unique approach combined craft skills with scientific methodology to transform an entire field, creating lasting impact through thoughtful design interventions.

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92:09

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde - Complete...

Better World With Design ·

2025/08/24

Join Gary Crossey for a complete reading of Oscar Wilde's beloved supernatural comedy "The Canterville Ghost." This episode features:Opening Commentary - Personal reflections on discovering Wilde's works along Florida railway tracks and connections to Northern IrelandComplete Reading - The full unabridged text of "The Canterville Ghost"Closing Thoughts - Analysis of Wilde's brilliant blend of humor, heart, and cultural satireFirst published in 1887, "The Canterville Ghost" tells the story

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19:43

Small Things Like These - Finding Moral Courage in...

Better World With Design ·

2025/08/16

POWERFUL AND HAUNTING: In this podcast, Gary Crossey takes you inside Claire Keegan's masterful novella "Small Things Like These," where one man's moral choice challenges generations of institutional abuse in 1980s Ireland. With personal stories and unflinching honesty, Crossey connects Ireland's traumatic past to the uncomfortable silences we maintain in our own communities today. A must-listen exploration of complicity, courage, and the moments that define our humanity.What would you risk

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17:44

Deep Dive into Lola Young's "d£aler"

Better World With Design ·

2025/07/31

Join host Gary Crossey for an in-depth analysis of Lola Young's haunting track "dealer." In this episode, we explore the song's raw emotional landscape, examining themes of addiction, dependency, and the complicated desire for escape. Through careful lyrical analysis, we unpack how Young masterfully captures the paralysis of emotional distress, the isolation of modern urban life, and the cyclical nature of destructive patterns.This episode breaks down:The emotional vulnerability and rawness

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10:23

Design Wisdom: Montaigne's Guide to Intellectual...

Better World With Design ·

2025/07/01

Join host Gary Crossey as he explores timeless philosophical ideas and applies them to modern life. Each episode unpacks complex ideas from history's greatest thinkers and makes them relevant to today's challenges in design, technology, and society.

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17:47

Mixes Of A Lost World': The Cure's Remix LP — Hits,...

Better World With Design ·

2025/06/14

Join me on a candid, track-by-track journey through The Cure's brand new 2025 remix album, 'Mixes Of A Lost World.' In this episode, I share my honest, fan-driven review of all 24 remixes from their acclaimed 'Songs of a Lost World' LP.From the initial disappointment with the early singles (looking at you, Paul Oakenfold and Four Tet!) to the unexpected, genre-bending triumphs by Meera, Âme, and Mental Overdrive, this album is a true mixed bag. We'll explore the moments where remixers

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