Best David Hepworth Podcasts (2025)

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John Prine, Elvis Costello and a jukebox on fire 39:25

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1h ago39:25

39:25

Novelist and journalist Tom Piazza struck up a friendship with the irreplaceable John Prine in the last years of his life. This relationship, which began as a profile for a magazine, almost blossomed into an autobiography and involved a road trip in an inadvisable vehicle, has resulted in a new book “Living In The Present With John Prine”. Which in…

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Alex's star-studded week in Hollywood 44:44

2h ago44:44

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Having disposed of the surprising history of pop stars who posed for Playboy, discussing whether the universe really needs another album called "Play", come up with a couple of nominations for Best Album Title Of All Time, we hear about Alex's experiences seeing Oasis in the midst of 90,000 who have never been to Manchester and how he "used the for…

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Peter Hammill on Bowie, other superfans & 47 albums of ‘self-sabotage and chaos’. 36:59

4d ago36:59

36:59

Peter Hammill, adored by Bowie, Mark E Smith and many others, co-founded Van Der Graaf Generator when he was 19. And he’s made 47 albums since, powered by “hubris, enthusiasm and sheer bloody-mindness” and celebrated in a new 18-CD box set. He talks to us here from Somerset about … … supporting Hendrix at the Albert Hall and being ‘the Shirley Bass…

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Forest hillbillies, Brockley badlands: pubs, plaques, poetry, Pétrus and potatoes. (Sept 25) 59:21

3h ago59:21

59:21

In this episode:Pub quiz 1News about our new bookA plaque for MickyDirty's sports weekendsAnal canal actionCanadaPétrusBroadstairsPub and Beer NewsCrisp NewsOther NewsPub Quiz 2Potato CornerBum DosserSocial Media SceneBy Deserter

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Talking Heads, where they came from and where they went - with Jonathan Gould 45:09

1h ago45:09

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Has there ever been a group like Talking Heads? Jonathan Gould’s Burning Down The House explores their affluent background, the root of their ambition and the springboard of the New York scene of the late ‘70s (he was a regular at CBGB). Along with … ... the romanticised image of CBGB and the reality … their black music roots: “the same instrumenta…

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Freddie Mercury has a daughter’ – and Lesley-Ann Jones can prove it 31:44

1h ago31:44

31:44

Freddie Mercury had an affair with a close friend’s wife and, in 1977, became a father. He’s now a grandfather. That’s the foundation of a new book ‘Love, Freddie’ by his highly respected biographer Lesley-Ann Jones which details a four-year, detailed exchange with his daughter ‘B’, now 48, and the contents of the 17 notebooks he gave her before he…

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Oasis in 2026, the Troggs and what Morrissey’s only gone and done now! 52:37

8d ago52:37

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All the leaves are brown and the sky’s a bit unruly but mellow fruitfulness abounds in this week’s pick of the rock and roll news. Add to basket … … is Morrissey hacked off, broke or just desperate for attention? … are stadium gigs the new tourism? … bucket hats, Man City, lads culture … how did America finally ‘get’ Oasis? … singles that weren’t o…

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‘Hey Joe’, its miracle birth & why violent songs are like True Crime - by Jason Schneider 36:53

6d ago36:53

36:53

Immortalised by Hendrix, ‘Hey Joe’ had its roots in 18th century murder ballads, ‘60s folk and rock clubs before the world got to hear it. Jason Schneider unravels its twisted genesis in ‘That Gun In Your Hand’, and talks to us here about the miracles that allowed it to happen and the sad fate of Billy Roberts, the man who claimed he wrote it. Alon…

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Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span drove Rev Gary Davis round Britain in a Triumph Herald 37:17

6d ago37:17

37:17

Maddy Prior – folk royalty, an absolute hero of ours – is touring with Steeleye Span again this autumn 66 years after they started, a life someone should make into a movie. She talks to us here about her undimmed love of live performance and … … when the height of your ambition is a £3 ticket to Blackpool Pleasure Beach … “Rod Argent, the first boy…

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Why reviews lost their sting - and what matters more, the song or the record? 41:17

8d ago41:17

41:17

Our pencil-chewing, critical assessment of this week’s news gets mainly * and *** reviews, among them … …. Sting v Summers & Copeland over Every Breath You Take, the goose that laid the golden egg … what John Lennon would have thought about the ‘cancelled’ track on Some Time In New York City … when did “critically acclaimed” come to mean unpopular?…

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Debsey Wykes of Dolly Mixture wants you to read her teenage diary 37:33

13d ago37:33

37:33

Debsey Wykes was in Dolly Mixture, one of the very few all-girl groups in post-punk London, a time when bands with charisma won the battle for attention and you promoted singles on the back of a truck. Her memoir Teenage Daydream perfectly captures a slice of late ‘70s life, the thrill of playing the pub circuit and trying to storm Radio One. Along…

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Singers’ vast egos explained and what’s the real definition of ‘a fan’? 36:35

20d ago36:35

36:35

A tub-thumping, snare-cracking, cymbal-simmering, two-way backbeat to this week’s rock and roll news, the on-beats including … … “Trauma-bonding?” Why being ‘a fan’ is like a love affair … Ian Brown, Morrissey, Siouxsie, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison … why singers who don’t play an instrument are a different species … the stadium-rock drummer transfer…

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Neil Hannon - the Divine Comedy, the Father Ted saga & nights at the Indie Disco 29:11

18d ago29:11

29:11

How can you not love the Divine Comedy whose inspirations include Tom Lehrer and “Landfill Indie”? And Neil Hannon wrote music for Wonka, Father Ted and the IT Crowd. There’s a new album, Rainy Sunday Afternoon, and a tour in October and all bases are covered in this conversation from Kildare, these among them … … seeing U2 at Croke Park “and feeli…

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Tanita Tikaram - from ‘girl with guitar in bedroom’ to Hammersmith Odeon in six months 33:31

20d ago33:31

33:31

Tanita Tikaram’s second gig had an audience of three – one paying customer and two concert promoters. When one of them wanted to talk to her afterwards she said, “sorry, I’ve got to get the train home.” She was 17. In this podcast she tells us the story of the one of the fastest career ascents on record which stops off at … … an open-mic night with…

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Bob Mould remembers Hüsker Dü, Sugar & that guy with the hipster moustache 33:03

21d ago33:03

33:03

Bob Mould, whose records with Hüsker Dü had such impact on Nirvana and Pixies, is back on tour again, both solo and with a band. “I’ve built this tiny soap box - and if you don’t like it, it’s been nice knowing you!” He talks to us from San Francisco about … … March 30 1979: “the day that changed my life” … over-refreshment on the bus to see Rush a…

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Comedy records, TV gold & have Oasis and Coldplay hoovered up all the cash? 1:01:54

27d ago1:01:54

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Damping down the wildfires of rock and roll news this week we focus on the following … … Oasis, Taylor Swift and Coldplay and the new age of Winner Takes All … did Bob Dylan write a song with Gene Simmons, advertise lingerie or appear on a telethon with Harry Dean Stanton? … movies that need making eg the Molly Drake Story, the Rock And Roll Mitfor…

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Brian Protheroe on the eternal life of his 1974 hit “Pinball” 33:13

24d ago33:13

33:13

Paul Weller has just covered it on his new album. Morrissey played it to Noel Gallagher who took the idea and ran with it. What explains the enduring appeal of a record that stalled at number 22 all those years ago? Actor/musician Brian Protheroe doesn’t know but he’s certainly grateful that it’s being reissued once again. His story takes us back t…

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Terry Reid, the man who really invented Led Zeppelin, & guitar fetishism 46:18

1M ago46:18

46:18

Other, weaker podcasts may take the summer off. Not this one. …the story of Jerry Garcia’s alligator strat, Paul McCartney’s violin bass and the instrument Peter Frampton thought had gone forever …the long story of Terry Reid, who turned down Led Zeppelin, and the golden afternoon when he was the most charismatic figure in roc …the real reason why …

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Peter Ames Carlin on the record that made Bruce Springsteen 42:45

1M ago42:45

42:45

word-podcast-798-peter-ames-carlin Friend of the pod and chronicler of the careers of Springsteen, Paul Simon and REM, Peter Ames Carlin has heard all the recordings that went into the album which was Springsteen’s last chance saloon and spoken to the people who were there to put together the story of how it was all done. ….the lucky break that cam…

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A Lambeth Lullaby: pubs, pints, cats, crisps and ornithology (Aug 2025) 52:13

1M ago52:13

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In this episode:Pub Quiz 1Shirk, Rust & Pray IIJust Fall Over at the Camden FringeErithCornwallDorchester Court Summer PartyDash the HengeA new career Pub & Beer NewsThe latest from The Shirker's RestCrisp NewsOther NewsPub Quiz 2Readers' LettersBook Corner: The Longest Crawl by Ian MarchantBum DosserSocial Media Funnies…

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Jah Wobble - 40 hilarious unedited minutes interrupted by a pest control officer 39:58

1M ago39:58

39:58

Jah Wobble - touring in October - is outstanding company and rattles on here like a steam train, sparking off at tangents in a brilliant, barely steerable monologue with a crackling cast of characters. It’s not often a podcast gets a visitor mid-recording who says, “I’ve put more poison in - but the good news is, there’s nothing in your traps!” Her…

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Elvis, the Colonel & how unseen letters changed Peter Guralnick’s view of their partnership 52:47

1M ago52:47

52:47

There’s a widely accepted view of the relationship between Elvis and his manager Tom Parker, the one sustained by the recent Baz Luhrmann movie, but a new and fascinating archive of unseen letters makes you see it differently: it was warmer, deeper and infinitely more complicated. Peter Guralnick – rock book royalty! - met Parker towards the end of…

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Are the Nineties the new Classic Rock? And whatever happened to comedy records? 36:36

1M ago36:36

36:36

Lowering the magnet of curiosity into the scrapyard of news and seeing what’s attracted, which includes … … does anyone still write satirical songs? … Four Sides of the Circle, Margaret On The Guillotine, From Here To Infirmary … real or fictitious working album titles? … the rarity of hearing new music without knowing what the musician looks like …

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The Wedding Present turns 40, memories of John Peel & ‘the only time I ever pogo-ed’ 33:07

1M ago33:07

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The Wedding Present formed 40 years ago – why does that seem astonishing? - and have a new box set and tour to celebrate. David Gedge digs out his old notes about the first gigs he ever saw and played and looks back at what four decades onstage might have taught him. Among the delights … … Rick Wakeman in full cape attire at Manchester Free Trade H…

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Bret McKenzie on Flight of the Conchords, Hollywood and writing songs for frogs and unicorns 47:27

2M ago47:27

47:27

Bret McKenzie now mainly works on movie soundtracks, the Simpsons, Minecraft and the Muppets among them, which brings the pure delight of hearing his songs sung by Lady Gaga, Benedict Cumberbatch, Miss Piggy and Tony Bennett. He talks here about his early life in Wellington (ballet teacher Mum, racehorse trainer Dad), narrative comedy, songwriting …

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Del Amitri’s Justin Currie has faced every tough crowd imaginable. Lessons were learn 45:54

2M ago45:54

45:54

Justin Currie recorded and toured with Del Amitri and solo for 30 years and his travelogue The Tremolo Diaries perfectly captures the rhythm of life on the road. He talks to us here about combative crowds, the curious bubble you occupy and a recent shock diagnosis that’s forced some adjustments. This includes … … hard-won rules for life on tour: “N…

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Ozzy Osbourne, Jaws, the lost world of mix tapes & the movies’ most chilling moment 57:48

1M ago57:48

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Just when you thought it was safe to listen to a weekly rock and roll podcast … … how Black Sabbath discovered the dark side … why Elvis went onstage with a pistol in both boots … rock stars out of their comfort zone … five perfect things about Jaws we’d never taken onboard … Ozzy Osbourne, the bungled burglary and the fingerless gloves … Tony Iomm…

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The late Nick Drake’s manager on the nine-year project “The Making Of Five Leaves Left” 30:13

2M ago30:13

30:13

Cally Colomon looks after the legacy of Nick Drake, who died in 1974 but attracts new teenage admirers all the time. Here he talks to David Hepworth about just some of what that involves, including: …chancers getting in touch with a bogus live recording when they’ve got a tax bill to pay … film producers wishing to superimpose their image of Nick D…

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Suzi Quatro - how Dad, Elvis and Mickie Most transformed my life 23:24

2M ago23:24

23:24

Suzi Quatro’s been onstage from the age of 14 as the bassist in the all-girl showband the Pleasure Seekers and the rock act Cradle. And then moved to England in 1971 when signed by Mickie Most. This podcast is a testament to the power of self-belief – she’s got more front than Woolworths! - and the two things her father told her. She’s just started…

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Alex Amin 59:51

2M ago59:51

59:51

Recorded on July 21, 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal.

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New Nick Drake tapes, Bob Marley’s masterpiece and the Coldplay ‘kiss-cam’. 1:01:12

2M ago1:01:12

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A rain-splashed, dub-filled, cash-scattering foray into this week’s news and events which happily lands upon … … meeting Maddy Prior – a Prior engagement? – and the time Steeleye Span showered their audience with £8,000. … hearing Nick Drake’s demos on a narrowboat in the pitch dark a few hundred feet below London. … Steve Miller’s cancelled tour, …

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The story of David Ackles, who never recovered from putting out “the best album ever made”. 27:59

2M ago27:59

27:59

Picked up in the great singer-songwriter sweep of the late 60s and signed to Elektra Records, David Ackles made four albums which went over the heads of the record-buying public, attracted over-the-top reviews and earned the undying devotion of fans like Elvis Costello and Elton John. Now Mark Brend’s book brings together an appreciation of his wor…

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Kevin Rowland, Oasis, Velvet Sundown – and do we want the truth or just a good story? 46:00

2M ago46:00

46:00

Our patent fact-from-fiction separator goes into overdrive this week though sometimes, as Robert Wyatt observed, Ruth is stranger than Richard. High in the mix … … FOMO (Fear Of Missing Oasis), Gen Z’s love of queuing and has there ever been a greater outpouring of joy at a band reunion? …what’s the greatest musical city? … Kevin Rowland – cheat, b…

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John Otway – Micro-stardom, 5,000 gigs and how to capture a crowd in 20 seconds 34:12

2M ago34:12

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John Otway – self-billed as “Rock And Roll’s Greatest Failure” - has played 5,260 gigs in 53 years, a record possibly only beaten by BB King. There are more this autumn of course. He simply can’t stop. “People buying me drinks and telling me what a good bloke I am? Why would you stop?” We talk to him here about the art of shambling stagecraft and a…

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Peter Hook looks back at Joy Division, New Order and how not to be a DJ 31:01

2M ago31:01

31:01

Peter Hook, bold pioneer of the high, clambering, tune-filled bassline, is touring this autumn with Peter Hook & the Light. We talk to him in Prestatyn - about to deejay at mate’s birthday - about the first gigs he ever saw and played, heavy-handed club owners, tough crowds on dance floors, the world audience for his two old bands and few key momen…

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Live Aid remembered – from inside and out – on its 40th birthday 54:10

2M ago54:10

54:10

A 40th anniversary special with two of its presenters (Hepworth and Ellen) and old pal and TV critic Boyd Hilton who watched on the day aged 18 (“young, pretentious, idiotic”) and reviews the new BBC documentary. We look back at … … the ways Live Aid changed television – “not about music but spectacle and scale”. … would the idea of staging it have…

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Alexander Nekrasov 20:06

3M ago20:06

20:06

Recorded on November 28, 2024 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull and 58 years of one-legged live performance 26:41

3M ago26:41

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Ian Anderson is touring again in 2026 and talks to us here about tweed stage-wear, an audience of four, his teenage heroes and the first shows he ever saw and played. There’s all sorts within, including … … playing his first gig to Catholic schoolgirls at the Holy Family Youth Club in Blackpool – “we emptied the room”. … queues round the block at t…

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Album sleeves the modern world would ban & the best song titles and opening lines 54:55

2M ago54:55

54:55

It’s Happy Hour in the Rock and Roll Lounge of News and we’re working our way through anything over 40 per cent proof. Which means ice, a slice and …. … how the F-Bomb lost its impact. … Mick Ralphs and Lalo Schifrin RIP – and chapeau to "There's A Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On’. … the Blush-o-meter! Album sleeves that’d get you lynched in the 21st …

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Bobby Bluebell’s thriving third act, ‘80s Glasgow and the gift that keeps on giving 23:45

3M ago23:45

23:45

Bobby Bluebell remembers the “cuddly duffle-coat friendship” of Glasgow bands in the early ‘80s and the Bluebells’ second act rebooted by the Volkswagen ad. The band are touring again and an even bigger part of the city’s thriving musical community, and he looks back here at the first gigs he ever saw and played, along with … … singing “When I’m De…

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Dubmaster Dennis Bovell has had 50 fun-filled years making magical records 24:15

3M ago24:15

24:15

Dennis Bovell has worked his dub magic on everyone from Janet Kaye to the Slits, the Pop Group, Jarvis Cocker and Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood – and his own band Matumbi. He talks here about the thrill and freedom of making dub records, his new album Wise Music In Dub – which reworks ‘Pass The Dutchie’, Minnie Riperton and the Stylistics – and how …

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Up the Elephant and round the Castle: pubs, drugs, sport and dossers (June 25) 1:03:58

2M ago1:03:58

1:03:58

In this episode:Pub Quiz 1Windsor RacesWide AwakeWembley doubleDeptford againTennis at Queen'sNew EP from Andrew GrumbridgePub & Beer NewsCrisp NewsDrug NewsWalking NewsRIP Micky SciencePub Quiz 2Readers' LettersBook CornerDesert Island CrispsBum DosserSocial Media SceneIt's Just Another Day (feat. AOC)…

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Rick Wakeman once signed a contract guaranteeing he’d wear “at least one cape onstage” 32:02

3M ago32:02

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Rick Wakeman was onstage from the age of five and looks back with us here on a life of live performance – jazz and blues bands, the Strawbs, Yes – and ahead to this autumn’s tour performing King Arthur and the Six Wives of Henry the Eighth. “I wake up every morning, throw off the duvet and – if nothing else has fallen off – have a great day!” There…

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10cc’s I’m Not In Love is still weird & wonderful! - plus Kneecap & Carol Kaye 54:05

3M ago54:05

54:05

Chasing the shade and applying Factor 50 in the wilting heat of this week’s rock and roll news turns the conversation to … … Kneecap v the Prime Minister. … will any openly anti-Trump musician find it hard to tour the States? … the girl who’s listening to all 10,000 of her late father’s albums, one 60-second Instagram reel at a time. … a bottle of …

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The WJAHOM Interview Podcast - Party Nails 35:40

3M ago35:40

35:40

I had a fabulous chat with supremely talented American artist Party Nails. Her album 'Pillow Talk' released back in January remains a contender for my album of the year for 2025. She is a wonderful raconteur, check out the interview. You can find more about Mayhem at withjustahintofmayhem.comBy Bill Adamson - Head Honcho of withjustahintofmayhem.com

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When Peter Hooton, the Farm & Eric Cantona played Clash songs in an amphitheatre 40:44

3M ago40:44

40:44

The Farm are touring again this summer and have just made their first album for 31 years (with the same-line-up). This sparky and wide-ranging conversation with Peter Hooton stops off at the following … … the advice Mark E Smith gave him when they were interviewed by Select magazine. … “Suedeheads v Trogs and Greebos”: early ‘70s tribal warfare in …

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Carol Decker of T’Pau and the ocean-going world of the 80s package tour 35:23

3M ago35:23

35:23

Carol Decker - another Smash Hits cover star on the podcast! T’Pau are playing dates this summer and autumn and she talks here – hilariously - about life on the ‘80s package tour circuit and the first shows she ever saw and played, which stops off at …. … does any audience beat a Butlin’s Mid-Weeker on their third pint? … from Black Mirror to PG Ti…

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The magnificent Sly Stone & Brian Wilson and the curse of our expectations 35:32

3M ago35:32

35:32

As the great Warren Zevon said, ‘Enjoy every sandwich’. The two-man canoe navigates this week’s rock and roll rivulet which sadly entails reflections on a pair of towering musical giants ‘whose legend occupied the space where activity should have been’. Things considered include … …are you born with genius or does a set of circumstances allow it to…

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Why Oasis were God’s gift to the rock press and the story of two missing teeth 41:58

3M ago41:58

41:58

Liam Gallagher calls Ted Kessler and Hamish MacBain “the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore of music journalism”. Both worked at the NME (and Ted at Q), both interviewed the band many times and have just published ‘A Sound So Very Loud’ which, in the grand tradition of Revolution In The Head, tells the story of every Oasis song ever recorded. They talk to…

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Elkie Brooks once opened for the Beatles. A lot happened in the next 65 years … 25:03

3M ago25:03

25:03

Elkie Brooks was on a package tour aged 15, supported the Beatles and the Animals, made a single when she was 19, joined the jazz-rock Dada, then Vinegar Joe (with Robert Palmer) and has since made 20 albums. She’s now out on her ‘Long Farewell Tour’ and looks back with us here from her home in Devon at … … supporting the Beatles in ’64 and an audi…