Best David Hepworth Podcasts (2025)

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How many bands can you name every member of? 48:30

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24m ago48:30

48:30

This week’s news put through the wringer and hung out to dry. On the line you’ll find … … Taylor Swift and Ophelia and other things pop videos turned into tourist attractions … the appeal of D’Angelo’s Voodoo: “he made albums with no disdain for the listener” …. David Hepworth and “the single most exciting thing that ever happened to me in my entir…

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The Zombies’ Colin Blunstone – a psychedelic showpiece then ‘washed up’ aged 21 36:59

15m ago36:59

36:59

The Zombies formed before the Stones and had huge hits with She’s Not There and Time Of The Season. Their baroque masterpiece Odessey and Oracle now gets ranked beside Revolver and Pet Sounds. Colin Blunstone has a solo tour in 2026 and looks back here in his wood-panelled den at the first shows he played, the people he met and being No 1 in Americ…

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Led Zeppelin’s fight for attention and how they fudged their backstory 39:42

2d ago39:42

39:42

This lavish, beautifully designed collection of late ‘60s news stories, reviews and press clippings sheds new light on the band’s roots and ascent from the days when the Kidderminster Shuttle would spell their name wrong and print their parents’ address. Richard Morton Jack, author and compiler of ‘Led Zeppelin: The Only Way To Fly’, looks back her…

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Stones, Blondie, Iggy and songs that make a movie & why we loved Diane Keaton 54:06

3d ago54:06

54:06

Shifting the pass-the-parcel of news and removing the wrapping when the music stops. Which this week happens here … … will rock bands get offered the Saudi money? … “there could be no British nightclubs in 2030” … Diane Keaton and why all men were besotted … the day Led Zeppelin played an Aqua Theatre for an audience swimming and in boats … “the op…

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Ringo and why the Beatles wouldn’t have worked without him 37:52

6d ago37:52

37:52

The look, sound, story and dynamic of the Beatles can’t be imagined without him. Nor can their success. Tom Doyle, author and drummer, examines the unexplored depths of the one at the back from 70 different angles, one per chapter, in his new memoir ‘Ringo: A Fab Life’ and talks to us here about …. … how he learnt to read by looking at his Dad’s Be…

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Rock stars we envy, Madonna as a sister-in-law & the British obsession with poshness 52:50

11d ago52:50

52:50

Steering the supercar of enquiry round the rock and roll racetrack with the occasional stop for a tyre change. Foot-to-floor moments this week include… … why are the British so hung up about posh pop stars? … the 10-second moment of his stage routine that Springsteen must find addictive … the flaming bra, the flying dress, the human horse: Lady Gag…

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Bowie, Boy George and the rise of the riotous Blitz club with Robert Elms 32:18

13d ago32:18

32:18

London’s Blitz club in 1980 had a huge impact on the way the decade looked and sounded, the launchpad for Boy George, Spandau Ballet, a new age of electro-pop and many writers, designers and photographers. The author and broadcaster Robert Elms was one of its cornerstones, “a place for people who’d outgrown the 20th Century”. We talk here about his…

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Dungeons and flagons: beer, pubs, crisps and dossers in Boro & Bermo (Oct 25) 56:00

14d ago56:00

56:00

In this episode:Pub Quiz 1Latest book update - please order from deserter.storeLondon Brewers AllianceSheffieldJapanese punkSXSEPub & Beer NewsCrisp NewsDrug NewsOther newsPub Quiz 2Readers' LettersDesert Island CrispspsPotato CornerBum DosserSocial Media SceneBy Deserter

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The Prince story by 200 people who knew him - and John McKie 39:07

17d ago39:07

39:07

Prince’s commercial peak was Purple Rain but John McKie thinks Sign O’ The Times was his creative masterpiece and tracked down over 200 collaborators, girlfriends, “Prince whisperers”, assistants and admirers to piece together the story of its construction (without allowing himself to use the word “genius”). Which leads us up some colourful, spot-l…

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The three London kids who invented rock style 34:42

16d ago34:42

34:42

Paul Gorman, biographer of Malcolm McLaren and friend of the pod, tells the extraordinary story of the three young hipsters behind Granny Takes A Trip, the Kings Road store that was a magnet for rock’s glitterati in the late 60s. •⁠ ⁠Sheila Cohen, the first queen of cool; she invented the whole idea of vintage •⁠ ⁠Nigel Waymouth, who never went to …

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Danny Thompson’s bass adventures, Dylan’s women, TV satire and great sleeve art. 56:40

18d ago56:40

56:40

News, rants, theories, stories and assorted old hokum which this week stumbles into … … Kate Bush, Thunderbirds, Tim Buckley, the Blind Boys of Alabama … the magical bass adventures of Danny Thompson (and the time he headlined over the Beatles) … how Claudia Cardinale wound up on the sleeve of Blonde On Blonde … would Roxy Music have made it if the…

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Thea Gilmore on Joan Baez, Jake Thackray and Dave Pegg’s dog starting her career 26:17

22d ago26:17

26:17

We’ve always liked Thea Gilmore who once crossed America with Joan Baez in a pre-Election campaign tour and has released 21 albums (“I’ve got musical ADHD!)”. She looks back here at the first shows she ever saw and played which involves … … a deep dive into Jake Thackray – “Last Will And Testament still makes me cry” … spotting her dad in the crowd…

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How pioneer tape-rat Roger Armstrong found vintage America a whole new audience 48:40

23d ago48:40

48:40

Roger Armstrong co-founded the legendary Rock On record shop and was running the Chiswick label long before the punk rock explosion of independents, a believer that you could license rare R&B, soul and rockabilly classics while cutting new records with rising stars (Shane MacGowan, Kirsty MacColl and Joe Strummer among them). He then co-founded Ace…

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Why Van and Fairport make the perfect send-off, Robert Redford & the best-looking rock stars 47:59

24d ago47:59

47:59

On the menu at the rock and roll state banquet … … Into the Mystic, Meet On The Ledge, In My Life, Tom Waits’ Take It With Me and other perfect songs for a last farewell … the day we joined the world’s best band … Robert Redford’s blinding handsomeness and the greatest moment – all three seconds of it – in Butch Cassidy And the Sundance Kid … best-…

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

28d 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

1M ago44:44

44:44

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

1M 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

1M 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

1M ago45:09

45:09

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

1M 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

1M ago52:37

52:37

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

1M 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

1M 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

2M 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

2M 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

2M 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

2M 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

2M 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

2M 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

2M ago1:01:54

1:01:54

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

2M 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

2M 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

2M 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

2M ago52:13

52:13

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

2M 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

3M 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

3M 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

3M ago33:07

33:07

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

3M 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

3M 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

3M ago57:48

57:48

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

3M 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

3M 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

3M 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

3M ago1:01:12

1:01:12

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

3M 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

3M 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

3M ago34:12

34:12

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…

1
Peter Hook looks back at Joy Division, New Order and how not to be a DJ 31:01

3M 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

4M 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…