October 3, 2025 • 6 mins
Taylor Swift has released her hotly anticipated 12th album 'The Life of a Showgirl'.
It's a shift away from the bleakness of her previous album 'The Tortured Poets Department', Swift describing it as a 'vibrant and lively' project.
However while it's a departure from TTPD, it's almost a return to for the pop superstar, filled with upbeat pop and soft rock songs - the album centring around her relationship with her fiancé Travis Kelce.
Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to give his thoughts on the album.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks at B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
How many times has your boyfriend said, are we always talking?
Actually sweet? All the time you've spent on Honestly, it's
actually real, man, Really, God, no, thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
That is actually romantic. Tell us for a song from
her new album, The Life of a show Girl. That's
a diss track about Charlie x ex. The man to
explain exactly what she's dissing and what that's all about
is Chris Schultz. He's listened to the album and is
with us now and he listened to the album and
an album listening party of all places I did.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Yeah, six pm last night, I trudged along to Real
Groovy Records in Auckland Central. I thought they were going
to be use out the door of teenagers desperate to
hear this thing, to get their hands on the vinyl.
It wasn't like that. It was quite muted. There were
probably only a quarter to a third of the people
that were there for the last one. Yeah, I should explain.
I've got eleven year old.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Done and feel like you have to explain. This is
a no judgment zone.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Saturday Morning. Do you know that I did think about
queuing for the glitter face paint. Yeah you know that
step two too fa. Yeah. The response was quite muted.
There wasn't a lot as much screaming from the teenagers
this time, and I think that's because the album is
it does just feel like a shiny little relic of
the past. It's gleaming. She's worked with the producers who
(01:49):
made her biggest songs, Max Martin and Shellback. They're the
ones who helped her write the songs that reverberated around
stadiums all through the eras to her. So she's going
back to that the reputation era, that kind of thing,
and it doesn't always work because things have moved on
a bit pop. You know, if you look at Charlie
xy X's Brat, if you look at Lord's Virgin, these
(02:11):
are missy pop albums there. They're all over the place.
They're sort of working themselves out. And this is not that.
This is like a shiny, gleaming car, new car sitting
in a driveway, all spotless and yeah, right clean and decise.
You can you can feel the polish on it.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
I felt like it was a bit like it's funny
that you said, it was a bit of a muted response.
I felt like the album itself was a bit mutant,
like and maybe like I was expecting big stadium bangers perhaps,
and that's where I kind of went roight, Like it
felt a little bit low energy to me. And I've
only listened to it once, so, like, you know, and
I'm no expert, but I sort of expected like really
(02:50):
big radio play, like hey we go, and instead it
was just like, oh, you know, like that was that
actually romantic? Was the probably the Catcher song?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Yeah, Yeah, Elizabeth Taylor is the one that stood out
for me.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Right.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
There could be a couple of reasons for that. You know,
it's coming from a different place. She's she's quite be
in her life right now, like she's at the title
of the Titan Pole. She hasn't had a breakup, she's engaged,
she's getting married. You know, that doesn't necessarily make for
the most interesting art. Yeah. The other thing is she
hasn't really given us a break from like the Taylor swift,
the pop culture phenomenon. It's just been ubiquitous for years now.
(03:25):
She's only just finished the eras to her that went
for two years, one hundred and forty nine stops famously
not New Zealand, by the way, I'll get that in there.
But there hasn't been a chance to build anticipation for this,
and I think even if she'd waited another six months,
it might have been more of an event.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Yeah, that's a good point. Actually, I wonder if, yeah,
I suppose it depends when the wedding's going to be. Yeah,
that'll there'll be something that no doubt fits in with
that relatively elegantly. But yeah, it's yeah, you feel like
it's kind of just looking back a little bit.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
Maybe I would caution though, that we did feel this
way about the Torch of Poets Departments right at the time.
It does take time for these songs to sink, and
there are hooks here. This is not a badly written
album by any stretch of the imagination. There's a few plunkers.
I'd point out wood the song would, which is apparently
about her fiance. There is a lot of innuendo in
(04:17):
that song.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Oh, I'm not going to say name alone suggestive.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Yeah, Okay, it's going where you think it's going to, right, right, Okay,
But there's ear worms and they could take time to
really sink in.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, this is the other thing again. Sometimes when you've
only just had a tiny little window to listen to
it once or twice, you don't fully appreciate what are
going to be the catchiest talks. What is the deal
with Charlie xx?
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Do you know.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Two grown men discussing dramas?
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Yeah, no, Charlie Xx. It goes back to a relationship
one of the nineteen seventy five members, and they used
to see each other backstage. Charlie XX write a really
nuanced song about it on Bratt about how she'd see
Charlie she'd see Taylor Swift backstage and realize I could
never be you. She put all this in a song
(05:08):
and this is Taylor Swift's response. Yeah, she's heading back,
but in a way that kind of feels a little mean,
do you know what I mean? Like Charlie XCX also
did this to Lort and they worked it out on
the remix famously Girl so confusing, But Taylor Swift isn't
doing that, she really is just kind of it feels
like she's attacking Charlie. Exciting when you're at the top,
(05:32):
you're always punching out. It feels I mean that the
reaction to it has been that maybe she shouldn't have
done that.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Done that interesting? Okay, so would you give it?
Speaker 4 (05:42):
I think i'd give it three and a half.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Jack.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
It's not her best album by any shot.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
You know.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
The big criticism that's come out of the reviews I've
read is that she's done all of this before and better.
And I do agree with that, right, but I would
just caution that could move up to a four over time.
It's only been nineteen hours since this album came out.
That is not enough time to really get your head
around a Taylor Swift album.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
No, And the good news is, of course, that we're
sitting and happy time pinning of opportunity because this album
is going to be everywhere.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
If you want to go to the movie theaters this week,
and good luck, she is dominating movie theater.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
See. That's that's mate, Like, this is the thing. And
I've had a few texts come in this morning, So Jack, oh,
why why are you going on about Taylor Swift? I mean,
I'm not a big Taylor Swift fan necessarily, but I
can appreciate that she is a social phenomenon. She is
a colossus in our culture. Right now, So thank you
very much. Three and a half out of five you
(06:35):
reckon the Life of a show Girl is worth We're
going to pick out the Life of a show Girl.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
We'll play that.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Song in a couple of minutes on News Talks Chris Shultz.
Of course, you can find them on substack. His substack
is called boiler Room.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, Listen live
to News Talks he'd be from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks at B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
How many times has your boyfriend said, are we always talking?
Actually sweet? All the time you've spent on Honestly, it's
actually real, man, Really, God, no, thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
That is actually romantic. Tell us for a song from
her new album, The Life of a show Girl. That's
a diss track about Charlie x ex. The man to
explain exactly what she's dissing and what that's all about
is Chris Schultz. He's listened to the album and is
with us now and he listened to the album and
an album listening party of all places I did.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Yeah, six pm last night, I trudged along to Real
Groovy Records in Auckland Central. I thought they were going
to be use out the door of teenagers desperate to
hear this thing, to get their hands on the vinyl.
It wasn't like that. It was quite muted. There were
probably only a quarter to a third of the people
that were there for the last one. Yeah, I should explain.
I've got eleven year old.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Done and feel like you have to explain. This is
a no judgment zone.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Saturday Morning. Do you know that I did think about
queuing for the glitter face paint. Yeah you know that
step two too fa. Yeah. The response was quite muted.
There wasn't a lot as much screaming from the teenagers
this time, and I think that's because the album is
it does just feel like a shiny little relic of
the past. It's gleaming. She's worked with the producers who
(01:49):
made her biggest songs, Max Martin and Shellback. They're the
ones who helped her write the songs that reverberated around
stadiums all through the eras to her. So she's going
back to that the reputation era, that kind of thing,
and it doesn't always work because things have moved on
a bit pop. You know, if you look at Charlie
xy X's Brat, if you look at Lord's Virgin, these
(02:11):
are missy pop albums there. They're all over the place.
They're sort of working themselves out. And this is not that.
This is like a shiny, gleaming car, new car sitting
in a driveway, all spotless and yeah, right clean and decise.
You can you can feel the polish on it.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
I felt like it was a bit like it's funny
that you said, it was a bit of a muted response.
I felt like the album itself was a bit mutant,
like and maybe like I was expecting big stadium bangers perhaps,
and that's where I kind of went roight, Like it
felt a little bit low energy to me. And I've
only listened to it once, so, like, you know, and
I'm no expert, but I sort of expected like really
(02:50):
big radio play, like hey we go, and instead it
was just like, oh, you know, like that was that
actually romantic? Was the probably the Catcher song?
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Yeah, Yeah, Elizabeth Taylor is the one that stood out
for me.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Right.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
There could be a couple of reasons for that. You know,
it's coming from a different place. She's she's quite be
in her life right now, like she's at the title
of the Titan Pole. She hasn't had a breakup, she's engaged,
she's getting married. You know, that doesn't necessarily make for
the most interesting art. Yeah. The other thing is she
hasn't really given us a break from like the Taylor swift,
the pop culture phenomenon. It's just been ubiquitous for years now.
(03:25):
She's only just finished the eras to her that went
for two years, one hundred and forty nine stops famously
not New Zealand, by the way, I'll get that in there.
But there hasn't been a chance to build anticipation for this,
and I think even if she'd waited another six months,
it might have been more of an event.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Yeah, that's a good point. Actually, I wonder if, yeah,
I suppose it depends when the wedding's going to be. Yeah,
that'll there'll be something that no doubt fits in with
that relatively elegantly. But yeah, it's yeah, you feel like
it's kind of just looking back a little bit.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
Maybe I would caution though, that we did feel this
way about the Torch of Poets Departments right at the time.
It does take time for these songs to sink, and
there are hooks here. This is not a badly written
album by any stretch of the imagination. There's a few plunkers.
I'd point out wood the song would, which is apparently
about her fiance. There is a lot of innuendo in
(04:17):
that song.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Oh, I'm not going to say name alone suggestive.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
Yeah, Okay, it's going where you think it's going to, right, right, Okay,
But there's ear worms and they could take time to
really sink in.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, this is the other thing again. Sometimes when you've
only just had a tiny little window to listen to
it once or twice, you don't fully appreciate what are
going to be the catchiest talks. What is the deal
with Charlie xx?
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Do you know.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Two grown men discussing dramas?
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (04:46):
Yeah, no, Charlie Xx. It goes back to a relationship
one of the nineteen seventy five members, and they used
to see each other backstage. Charlie XX write a really
nuanced song about it on Bratt about how she'd see
Charlie she'd see Taylor Swift backstage and realize I could
never be you. She put all this in a song
(05:08):
and this is Taylor Swift's response. Yeah, she's heading back,
but in a way that kind of feels a little mean,
do you know what I mean? Like Charlie XCX also
did this to Lort and they worked it out on
the remix famously Girl so confusing, But Taylor Swift isn't
doing that, she really is just kind of it feels
like she's attacking Charlie. Exciting when you're at the top,
(05:32):
you're always punching out. It feels I mean that the
reaction to it has been that maybe she shouldn't have
done that.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Done that interesting? Okay, so would you give it?
Speaker 4 (05:42):
I think i'd give it three and a half.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Jack.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
It's not her best album by any shot.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
You know.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
The big criticism that's come out of the reviews I've
read is that she's done all of this before and better.
And I do agree with that, right, but I would
just caution that could move up to a four over time.
It's only been nineteen hours since this album came out.
That is not enough time to really get your head
around a Taylor Swift album.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
No, And the good news is, of course, that we're
sitting and happy time pinning of opportunity because this album
is going to be everywhere.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
If you want to go to the movie theaters this week,
and good luck, she is dominating movie theater.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
See. That's that's mate, Like, this is the thing. And
I've had a few texts come in this morning, So Jack, oh,
why why are you going on about Taylor Swift? I mean,
I'm not a big Taylor Swift fan necessarily, but I
can appreciate that she is a social phenomenon. She is
a colossus in our culture. Right now, So thank you
very much. Three and a half out of five you
(06:35):
reckon the Life of a show Girl is worth We're
going to pick out the Life of a show Girl.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
We'll play that.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Song in a couple of minutes on News Talks Chris Shultz.
Of course, you can find them on substack. His substack
is called boiler Room.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, Listen live
to News Talks he'd be from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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