Episoder
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In this episode we're joined by NME legend Chris Salewicz, author of acclaimed books about Bob Marley, Joe Strummer and others.
We hear about our guest's boyhood in Yorkshire — and about the first gig he ever saw: the Beatles in Leeds in 1963 (followed in rapid succession by the Rolling Stones — plus a young David Bowie — in Huddersfield). Chris then describes how a move to London in the early '70s led to getting his foot in the door at Let It Rock and then, in 1974, at the indispensable New Musical Express.
Discussion of the culture at the NME — sprinkled with yarns about such colleagues as Mick Farren, Tony Tyler and Tony Stewart — prompts recollections of Chris' interviews with Jimmy Page (in 1977) and Prince (in 1981)... and culminates in the moment he opted to quit the paper for pastures new. A digression on Supertramp's 50-year-old Crime of the Century sparks a passionate defence of that unfairly maligned ensemble by 28-year-old Jasper Murison-Bowie.
Jumping forward to the 21st century, we hear wonderful clips from Gavin Martin's 2006 audio interview with the youngest member of the "27 Club" series Chris collected in his 2015 book Dead Gods. Our thoughts on the astounding talent and tragically short life of Amy Winehouse then follows.
After Mark quotes from newly-added library pieces — Val Wilmer's 1967 interview with free-jazz trailblazer Archie Shepp; Mick Brown's 1975 encounter with Bakersfield country icon Buck Owens – Jasper concludes the episode with his thoughts on a piece about "hip hop's Mozart" J Dilla (2011).
Many thanks to special guest Chris Salewicz. For more Chris and info about all his books, visit chris-salewicz.com.
Pieces discussed: The Gig Interview: Jimmy Page, The Clash: Clash On Tour, Bob Marley: A Day Out At The Gun Court, Prince, Supertramp: Crime Of The Century, Supertramp: To Concept Or Not To Concept?, Supertramp: The Taking of America by Strategy, Supertramp: Is This Really The Most Fun You Can Have With a Washing-Up Glove?, Amy Winehouse audio, Archie Shepp, Buck Owens and J Dilla: The Mozart of Hip-Hop. -
For this episode we're joined by the admirable Simon Raymonde, sometime Cocteau Twin, head honcho at Bella Union Records and author of the autobiographical In One Ear.
We commence by asking our guest about growing up as the son of the legendary Ivor Raymonde, string arranger on umpteen hits by pop idols from Billy Fury to the Walker Brothers. We hear clips from Ira Robbins' 1989 audio interview with Raymonde Sr.'s most famous client Dusty Springfield — and discuss a Ray Connolly piece from 1970 in which she more or less outs herself as gay.
Simon then talks about his days behind the counter at Beggars Banquet Records and how they led to his joining the Cocteaus in 1984. Clips from a 1996 audio interview with the trio prompt his reflections on writing and performing with Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser — and how their extraordinary music won the admiration of everyone from Prince to Jeff Buckley. Simon also recalls the fallout from leaving indie sanctuary 4AD for major-label Fontana.
We conclude by asking our guest about the 27-year-old Bella Union label, home to Midlake, Fleet Foxes, Beach House, John Grant, Flaming Lips and Father John Misty… and to 17-year-old Nell Smith, who tragically died in a car accident three days before we recorded this episode.
After Mark quotes from newly-added library pieces — Val Wilmer's 1966 interview with Sun Ra; Lester Bangs' rave review of the Temptations' Sky's the Limit — Jasper brings the episode to a close with his thoughts on early interviews with Alicia Keys (2001) and Amy Winehouse (2004).
Many thanks to special guest Simon Raymonde. In One Ear: Cocteau Twins, Ivor and Me is published by Nine Eight Books and available now from all good bookshops. Visit the Bella Union Vinyl Shop at 25 Church St in Brighton and online at bellaunionvinylshop.com.
Pieces discussed: Cocteau Twins, Cocteau Triplets, Cocteau Quadruplets, Dusty Springfield audio, Dusty Springfield: Dusty at 30... loneliness is an occasional thing, Sun Ra: Flying Saucers Coming To Take Me Away, Ha Ha!, The Temptations: Sky's the Limit, Alicia Keys: Move over Macy and Whine and Song; Amy Winehouse hits out at girl singers and why she's one of the very best. -
Manglende episoder?
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For this episode we're joined – all the way from sunny Southern California – by L.A. Times legend Robert Hilburn.
Bob beams in to discuss his new biography of the peerless Randy Newman, but we start by asking him about the early childhood memories (of his native Louisiana) that he shares with Randy himself. From there he takes us from the Eureka moment of hearing a then-unknown Elvis Presley on the radio for the first time – through his teen years in suburban SoCal – to his early freelance pieces for the Times. Which include his account of accompanying Johnny Cash to Folsom Prison in January 1968...
Bob's famously influential 1970 review of Elton John at West Hollywood's beloved Troubadour club gives us a chance to discuss the halcyon days of singer-songwriters and leads directly on to Randy Newman, whose "Troub" debut in the same year Bob also reviewed. We talk at length about the satirical genius behind 'Sail Away', 'Short People' and 'I Love L.A.', revisiting the 50-year-old Good Old Boys in depth and listening to clips from John Hutchinson's 1983 audio interview with Randy.
Pieces discussed: Doug Weston: A Man Who Had a Passion for Art of the Troubadour, Elton John @ the Troubadour, Randy Newman @ the Troubadour, Randy Newman audio interview, Thelonious Monk, The Problems of Being Roger McGuinn, Felton Jarvis: Nashville Producer and Cornershop. -
For this episode we're joined by the Brooklyn-based Andrew Smith, author of the bestselling Moondust, the "dotcom swindle" saga Totally Wired and the brand-new Devil in the Stack.
We start by asking Andrew about the peripatetic childhood that took him from Greenwich Village to Hastings via San Francisco's summer of love. A riveting account of auditioning to replace Mick Jones in the Clash leads us to our guest's recollections of writing in the '80s and '90s for Melody Maker and The Face — and eventually becoming chief pop critic at London's Sunday Times.
Jumping to Andrew's new book — with its subtitle A Coding Odyssey — we ask him about music's "digital revolution" in the mid-'80s, with particular attention to the ubiquity of Yamaha's DX7 keyboard. From there we revisit his 1995 interview with Björk – an artist who overtly embraced electronic sounds in that decade — and then listen to two audio clips from David Toop's absorbing encounter with the Icelandic maverick six years later.
After a fascinating discussion about A.I. – its upsides and its threat not merely to musicians but to humanity at large — we return to the mid-'90s to celebrate the all-too-short life of the Notorious B.I.G., hip hop's "King of New York" in that all-too-violent decade.
Mark provides quotes from recently-added library pieces about Captain Beefheart (1969), the Sex Pistols (1978) and oddly Francophobe goths Sisters of Mercy (1987), and Jasper wraps up the episode with his thoughts on articles about pop fanzines (2003) and writer, photographer and recent podcast guest Val Wilmer (2024).
Many thanks to special guest Andrew Smith. Devil in the Stack: A Coding Odyssey is published by Grove Press and available now. Visit Andrew's website at andrewsmithauthor.com for more details.
Pieces discussed: Andrew Smith on RBP, Björk: An International Word, Sound and Fury: Radiohead, Björk audio, Notorious B.I.G.: B.I.G. Trouble, Biggie, Tupac et al: Hollywood or Bust-up, Black Metropolis: Notorious R.I.P., Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica, The Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, The Sisters Of Mercy: After The Flood, The Fanzine Editor: Publish And Be Damned and Val Wilmer: Deep Blues 1960–1988 (Café Royal). -
For this episode we're joined by a living musical legend whose career as an A&R man, manager, producer, label-owner and writer spans over 60 extraordinary years.On the day his monumental "journey through Global Music" And the Roots of Rhythm Remain is published, the peerless Joe Boyd visits RBP's Hammersmith HQ to talk about the book — and the 17+ years it took to write the follow-up to 2006's acclaimed memoir White Bicycles. After we hear about the 1987 meeting that led to the adoption of the now-discredited term "World Music" as a marketing category, discussion touches on the sound, rhythms and political impact of music from South Africa, Brazil, Bulgaria and — inevitably — Jamaica.Clips from John Hutchinson's 1982 audio interview with the late great Kate McGarrigle – mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright — lead to our guest's recollections of working with her and sister Anna on their magical eponymous debut in 1975. Joe also reminisces about Junco Partner, the 1976 album he made with New Orleans piano genius James Booker.Talk of the week's featured RBP writer Robert Shelton — coinciding with the imminent reissue of the latter's epic Bob Dylan biography No Direction Home — prompts memories of the late New York Times critic from Joe, who (lest we forget) worked as stage manager at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival in which Dylan first "went electric".Many thanks to special guest Joe Boyd. And the Roots of Rhythm Remain is published by Faber in the UK and Ze Books in the US; visit Joe's website joeboyd.co.uk for more details.Pieces discussed: Joe Boyd: Freaky Galahad, Joe Boyd: An Interview, Joe Boyd on White Bicycles, Kate McGarrigle audio, Bob Dylan at Gerde's Folk City, New York, Pop Singers and Song Writers Racing Down Bob Dylan's Road and Bob Dylan: How does it feel on your own?.
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Joining us all the way from Santa Barbara for this episode is Darrell M. McNeill, director of operations at the Black Rock Coalition and author of a new 33 1/3 study of the Isley Brothers' mighty 1973 album 3 + 3.
We start by asking our guest about his '90s contributions to the Village Voice and his involvement with the B.R.C.. Crediting his dad for his own childhood love of the Isleys, Darrell tells us how he came to write about the band. We discuss their unique history across six-plus decades, arriving at the dramatic game-changer that was 3 + 3.
Inevitably referencing Jimi Hendrix — an Isleys sideman in the mid-'60s — we ask Darrell about the group's pioneering hybrid of R&B and rock and their covers of classic songs by Carole King, James Taylor et al. A special nod, of course, to Jimi's incalculable influence on kid brother and budding guitar genius Ernie.
From the Isleys to Isaac Hayes: following two clips from Ira Robbins' 1995 audio interview with the sometime Stax superstar, we discuss such radical milestones as 'Theme from Shaft' and Hot Buttered Soul's version of Bacharach & David's 'Walk On By'.
After a brief digression to salute the 50th anniversary of long-time RBP contributor John Broven's seminal 1974 book Walking to New Orleans, Mark talks us out with quotes from newly-added interviews with Janis Joplin (1969) and Beatles session guitarist David Spinozza (1971). Jasper then wraps up the episode with remarks on Destiny's Child (2003) and The Comet is Coming (2019).
Many thanks to special guest Darrell M. McNeill. His book on the Isley Brother's 3 + 3 is published by Bloomsbury and available now.
Pieces discussed: The Isleys: first time winners again!, The Isley Brothers: 3 + 3, The Isley Brothers: 3 + 3 = Super Success, Ernie Isley: Pride of the Isleys, Isaac Hayes audio, Fats Domino & His Orchestra: Saville Theatre, Behind The Sun: New Orleans, 'See You Later Alligator': Bobby Charles, Janis Joplin: Janis Superhypermost!, Paul McCartney: Working with Paul — A Session Musician Speaks, Kelly Rowland: Real Girl Talk, Michie Mee is the First Lady of Toronto Hip-Hop and The Comet is Coming: Interstellar Apocalypse. -
In this episode we're joined by the esteemed Joe "Mr. C" McEwen, who Zooms in from L.A. to reminisce about his storied career as a writer, DJ and A&R man.
We begin in our guest's native Philadelphia, where his teenage mind was blown by a James Brown show in 1966, and follow him up to his adopted Boston. He recalls his early reviews for The Boston Phoenix and revisits his 1975 homage to Sam Cooke for The Real Paper. His 1977 encounter with a 19-year-old Michael Jackson prompts discussion of a comparatively low point in the future superstar's career.
From the same year, Joe's profile of Joe Tex leads into clips from the late Cliff White's glorious audio interview with the country-soul legend who'd just scored a hit with the discofied 'Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)'. We discuss Tex's place in the southern soul pantheon before moving on to the marvellous Lost Soul compilations "Mr. C" assembled in 1982.
We hear about Joe's A&R years at Columbia and then Sire/Reprise, taking in reminiscences of British bands Ride, Primal Scream and My Bloody Valentine. He also revisits his working friendships with Sire founder Seymour Stein and with previous RBP podcast guests Geoff Travis, Alan McGee and Rob Dickins. We hear about his role in the '90s "alt.country" phenomenon via the signing of Uncle Tupelo and his subsequent association with spinoff bands Wilco and Son Volt. We conclude with the Sire signing of Muscle Shoals legend Dan Penn for 1994's Do Right Man album.
Mark talks us out with quotes from newly-added library pieces about sometime Ikette P.P. Arnold (1967), the Stones' Keith Richard(s) (1969), doomed dub poet Mikey Smith (1983) and the deeply druggy Alice in Chains (1993)... after which Jasper wraps up the episode with his thoughts on pieces about laptop pop (2001) and Kendrick Lamar (2012).
Many thanks to special guest Joe McEwen.
Pieces discussed: Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson, Joe Tex: The Soul Of An Underdog, Joe Tex audio, Lost Soul, Vols. 1-3, Uncle Tupelo live, Uncle Tupelo: Are you ready for the alt. country?, Wilco: Last Twang in Town, Dan Penn: Once More With Feeling, P.P. Arnold, Keith Richard(s), Mikey Smith: Poet and His Roots, Alice in Chains: Misery loves company, Laptop punk and the powerbook pop and Kendrick Lamar: Inside the Year's Best Album. -
In this episode the marvellous Mark Williams Zooms in from mid-Wales to regale us with tales from the heyday of the UK's underground press and his later involvement with the L.A. punk scene.
We start in mid-'60s Newcastle – where our guest drummed with beat combo the Jailbirds – and move on to his days at the Birmingham Arts Lab via a flat above London's hallowed 2i's coffee bar. A return to the capital in late '68 brings Mark to the offices of leading underground paper International Times (a.k.a. it) and his irregularly-recompensed stint as the editor of its "Plug & Socket" music section. A weekend in the arms of Janis Joplin is among the highlights of his it tenure before he departs to launch the short-lived Strange Days – for which he was due to interview Jimi Hendrix on the day after the guitarist died.
It being 50 years since the first Knebworth festival, we revisit that Allmans-headlined "Bucolic Frolic" and discuss the phenomenon of such gatherings. Jumping forward five years, we hear about our guest's years in Los Angeles and his work with Slash (the publication and the label) – the Germs connection leading into clips from a 1983 John Tobler audio interview with Joan Jett. Finally we hear about the 1981 launch of Felix Dennis' splendidly opportunistic New Music News and Mark's memories of editing his hilarious pal Tom Hibbert.
Mark talks us out with quotes from newly-added library pieces about teen heartthrob Bobby Vinton (1962), the broken-through Doors (1967), infamous Stone/Beatles lawyer/manager Allen Klein (1969) and southern-soul Mecca Muscle Shoals (1970)... after which Jasper wraps up the episode with his thoughts on militant (and prescient) rappers Dead Prez (2003) and the enduring influence of Chic (2021).
Many thanks to special guest Mark Williams.
Pieces discussed: Janis Joplin: Janis, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones: Free Concerts,When the Allman Brothers Band Headlined the First Knebworth, Cancel the inquest: the festival she lives, Knebworth: Great music but a non-event, Letter from Britain, L.A. Punk: Pogo-ing On The Fault Line, Joan Jett audio, It's Tom Hibbert's World, Bobby Vinton, The Doors, Allen Klein, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Dead Prez and The Chic Effect. -
In this episode we welcome the esteemed David Toop to Hammersmith – on the UK's General Election day – to discuss his extraordinary new book about (and around) Dr. John's 1968 album Gris-Gris.
First we revisit the short-lived but splendidly eclectic Collusion magazine our guest co-founded in 1981: we hear about its inception and mission, as manifest in groundbreaking pieces about rap, surf, salsa, exotica and "paranoid sex in '60s soul". We touch on key points along the journey of David's journalistic career before arriving at The Wire in the '90s. A 2012 Pitchfork piece about Wire icon Scott Walker leads us to David's audio interview for that article: two clips from the conversation prompt discussion of Walker's remarkable career from the Walker Brothers to his new album Bish Bosch.
Finally we reach the debut album by Malcolm Rebennack, a.k.a. "Dr. John the Night Tripper", and learn of the long gestation of David's book during lockdown. David discusses the complex themes and issues explored in Two-Headed Doctor, including voodoo, racism, minstrelsy, New Orleans, unreliable mythography, and the unsung brilliance of the album's co-creator Harold Battiste. A gravelly clip from the late Charlie Gillett's 1971 audio interview with the Night Tripper himself provides a capsule backstory to the album's germination.
Mark talks us out with quotes from newly-added library pieces about Stan Getz (1973), Fred Wesley (1974), Primal Scream (1997) and Robbie Williams (1999).
Many thanks to special guest David Toop. Listening for Ghosts in Dr John's Gris-Gris will be published on August 20th by Strange Attractor.
Pieces discussed: ¿Te Gusta La Musica Latina?, Alone in the Dark: Björk on Vespertine, Incredibly Strange and Highly Exotic, Scott Walker audio, Mystic vapour: 'Jump Sturdy' (book excerpt), Dr. John: Shadowy Singer Rises From Bayou, Dr. John In Babylon, Dr. John audio, Harold Battiste, Stan Getz, Fred Wesley, Primal Scream and Robbie Williams. -
In this episode we welcome John Doran and Luke Turner to downtown Hammersmith and invite them to talk about their much-loved and newly-revamped Quietus "webzine". (That's Noughties-speak, for all you kids out there.)
The intrepid duo look back on the 2008 birth of their baby and reflect on its survival and evolution over the subsequent 16 years. Quotes from pieces they wrote about Kanye West (2008) and Britpop "fakestalgia" (2014) prompt thoughts on such much-missed Quietus writers – and RBP contributors – as S(teven)Wells, Dele Fadele and Neil Kulkarni.
Mention of a recent Quietus piece about Yoko Ono leads us to clips from Mark Kemp's 1992 audio interview with the pioneering avant-gardist whose life and work are celebrated in an exhibition at London's Tate Modern (15 February to 1 September, 2024). Ardent fans of Ono's woefully-overlooked solo albums, John and Luke talk about the relentless racist/misogynist abuse she's suffered as "the woman who broke up the Beatles" [sic].
Staying in the demi-monde of downtown New York transgression, we pay tribute to departed jazz-punk No Waver James Chance, another Quietus anti-icon, before Mark winds up the episode with quotes from newly-added library pieces about the Beatles (1963), the Temptations (1970), Kurtis Blow (1981), Jerry Dammers (1990) and Glen Campbell (1999). Finally, Jasper rounds things off with remarks on Atlanta's overshadowed rappers Goodie Mob...
Many thanks to special guests John Doran and Luke Turner. Read the Quietus at thequietus.com, and find their books, including Jolly Lad and Men at War in all good bookshops.
Pieces discussed: Kanye West: Sensitive Soul, Modern Life Isn't Rubbish: The Trouble With Britpop Nostalgia, Yoko Ono audio, Q: Why Interview James Chance? A: Because He's There, Bow To The Devilish Prince: James Chance Interviewed, Downtown icon James Chance cuts loose, It's the Beatles! Part 5: How To Avoid The Stage Door Crowds... Enter Through The Roof, Temptations: no trouble pleasing their audience, Kurtis Blow: Rap-sody in Blow, Mandela's Day — The Journey To Freedom, Glen Campbell: "I could have gone the same way as Elvis" and Goodie Mob: World Party -
In this episode we're joined from Nashville by acclaimed critic, author and broadcaster Ann Powers for a discussion of her new Joni Mitchell book.
Starting in Ann's native Seattle, we hear about her early '80s pieces for The Rocket before moving on to her stints at the San Francisco Weekly and the New York Times. Mention of Piece by Piece, the 2005 book she wrote with Tori Amos, leads us to clips from Steven Daly's 1998 audio interview with Amos and a broader conversation about the wave of female singer-songwriters that engulfed pop music in the '90s.
Ann's noughties move to California and the L.A. Times prompts discussion of the "dreamlike" night she spent chez Prince on New Year's Eve, 2008. From there we jump to the life and music of an artist Prince admired more than most: Joni Mitchell, subject of Ann's remarkable new book Travelling. With particular focus of 50-year-old jazz-rock masterpiece Court and Spark, we explore the richness and complexity of Joni's '70s work, her deep engagement with the Black American experience, and the worship she's experiencing in the wake of the recent "Joni Jams".
Many thanks to special guest Ann Powers. Travelling: on the Path of Joni Mitchell is published by Harper Collins and available now from all good bookshops.
Pieces discussed: Ride the Unicorn: Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Tanita Tikaram, Tori Amos (1998), My Night with Prince, Joni's Jazz-rock and Fusion's Big Bang, A New Canon: In Pop Music, Women Belong at the Center of the Story, Louise: Sheepish in wolverine's clothing, Millie Jackson: The Poor People's Queen and Chvrches: "It only takes two seconds to say: I don't agree with white supremacy." -
In this episode — our first-ever "field recording" — we travel up to North London to interview the legendary writer-photographer Val Wilmer.
Val takes us back to her earliest musical memories in Streatham, South London, and her immersion in the capital's '60s jazz and blues scenes. We hear about her first pieces for Jazz Journal and her experiences of interviewing (and photographing) the likes of blues singer Jesse Fuller. We also hear about her remarkable DownBeat interview with Jimi Hendrix from early 1968.
Val's classic 1977 book As Serious As Your Life — reissued in 2018 — provides the pretext for asking about her passionate championing of the "free jazz" of John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and others. We focus on her 1966 Melody Maker encounter with the extraordinary Albert Ayler and the unsolved mystery of his death in 1970.
A discussion of Val's deep involvement in the women's movement leads us to clips from Ira Robbins 1994 audio interview with the late Lesley ('It's My Party') Gore — and in particular her startling photo-feminist classic 'You Don't Own Me', six decades young this year. Jasper talks us out with his thoughts on Alan Light's 1991 Rolling Stone interview with Queen Latifah.
Many thanks to special guest Val Wilmer. As Serious As Your Life is published by Serpent's Tail and available from all good bookshops.
Pieces discussed: Jimi Hendrix: An experience, Once Upon A Time In Williamsburg, Ayler: Mystic tenor with a direct hot line to heaven?, Memories of Hoppy: An interview with Val Wilmer, The New Jazz Gets With It (That Means With Contemporary Art), Tempo: Coltrane, Shankar and All That Rock & Roll, Coltrane, Davis, Monk, Mingus, Lesley Gore audio and Queen Latifah's New Gambit. -
In this episode we welcome Fast Show legend Simon Day to downtown Hammersmith and ask him about his musical passions and the immortal Life Of Rock With Brian Pern.
We start with our guest's misspent youth in south-east London, where he frequently saw bands such as Dr. Feelgood and local lads Squeeze and even fronted his own punk combo Simon & the Virgins. We hear about his early days on the standup circuit and his close associations with Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer and the gang that coalesced around The Fast Show. From there we discuss the genesis of his "prog'n'roll" alter ego Brian Pern and his affectionate lampooning of Peter Gabriel.
Clips from a 2003 audio interview with Steely Dan prompt an in-depth conversation about Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker. During this, Simon tells us how he first fell for the arch duo and we collectively compare notes on some of the group's greatest songs and albums.
After a brief mention of featured writer Dorian Lynskey and his new book Everything Must Go, Mark quotes from newly-added library pieces about Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx and Beatles hairdresser Leslie Cavendish before Jasper talks us out with his thoughts on M. People's Heather Small and a particularly cantankerous Van Morrison.
Many thanks to special guest Simon Day.
Pieces discussed: Genesis Doing The Foxtrot, Genesis: No "Pale" Imitation, Seventies prog rockers Genesis are back, but are they welcomed?, All Apologies: Brian Pern, Steely Dan audio, Wayne Robins on the RBP podcast, Pete Seeger, Kendrick Lamar, Why do pop stars fall for conspiracy theories?, Dorian Lynskey on the RBP podcast, Mötley Crüe, Beatles hairdresser Leslie Cavendish, Elvis, The King Remembered — An oral history, Heather Small: Proud, Los Campesinos!, and A duel with Van Morrison. -
In this episode we welcome the splendid Steffan Chirazi to RBP Towers and ask him about his career as a metal/hard rock specialist and his long association with the mighty Metallica.
We hear about our guest's lucky break as a 15-year-old Motörhead maniac when the band's frontman Lemmy gave up three hours to Steffan during the sessions for 1983's Another Perfect Day – and became a dear friend for life. Steffan then recounts how he got his foot in the door at Sounds and its enduring HM spinoff Kerrang!.
The first of many interviews with Metallica led to Steffan moving to San Francisco, where the band's bassist Cliff Burton showed him around town – only to die, tragically, in a car crash just months later. Clips from Barney's 1996 audio interview with Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield prompt a conversation about our guest's close involvement with the thrashmeisters and his eventual stewardship of their in-house mag-turned-website So What!
Following the metallic section of the episode we return to the older San Francisco of Haight-Ashbury and its '60s summer(s) of druggy love. Clips from Gene Sculatti and Davin Seay's 1984 audio interview with Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna bassist Jack Casady – about to turn 80 as we record this episode – give us the chance to ask Steffan about the days of the Grateful Dead and their many hirsute friends. From there we switch to the rather different environment that was late '60s Detroit, paying tribute to poet, political firebrand and MC5 manager John Sinclair.
We circle back to Steffan's post-Kerrang! career and hear about his 1999 encounter with David Bowie before Jasper talks us out with his thoughts on newly-added library pieces about LL Cool J and Eels.
Many thanks to special guest Steffan Chirazi. Find him on Patreon at patreon.com/steffyspurs and read the Metallica magazine So What! at metallica.com. Listen to the official Metallica podcast at https://metallica.lnk.to/TheMetallicaReport.
Pieces discussed: Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister: The Man Behind the Myth, Metallica: Thrash on Delivery, Metallica audio, Jefferson Airplane's Jack Casady audio, Portrait of the Artist: David Bowie, LL Cool J: Time Traveller and Eels: Shootenanny!. -
In this episode we welcome revered High Llamas leader (and arranger to the hip and the mighty) Sean O'Hagan to Hammersmith and ask him about his life and times from Microdisney to new album Hey Panda.We hear about Sean's Luton childhood, his family's move back to Ireland, and his 1980 encounter with the late Cathal Coughlan — the Corkonian with whom he formed the brave and brilliant Microdisney. Their path through '80s pop via Rough Trade and Virgin, and their eventual unravelling at the end of the decade, is discussed with reference to the new BBC documentary The Clock Comes Down the Stairs.The birth of the High Llamas involves RBP's own Mark Pringle, who recalls his production work on the 1992 EP Apricots (a.k.a. Santa Barbara). The influence of Brian Wilson on the sound and aesthetic of 1994's Gideon Gaye and 1996's Hawaii leads to Sean's reminiscences of meeting the Beach Boys and (almost) producing them. A side story involves his amusing memories of backing another cult L.A. genius, Love's Arthur Lee, in London.After we've heard clips from Mike Quigley's 1969 audio interview with Carl Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston, we return to the arc of the Llamas' story and ask Sean about the influence of contemporary R&B on the Llamas' Hey Panda.Finally, Mark and Jasper talk us out with quotes from the pieces they've most enjoyed adding to the RBP library over the preceding fortnight.Many thanks to special guest Sean O'Hagan. The High Llamas new album, Hey Panda, is out now; visit highllamas.com or your local record shop to get your hands on it.Pieces discussed: The High Llamas: You Can Call Me Alpaca, The High Llamas: Lo-fi Heaven, The High Llamas: A Different Breed, An Improbable History: Microdisney Interviewed, The Beach Boys audio, Ted Nugent Unleashes His Little Ball of Fire, Leonard Bernstein: Lenny's song and dance in Vienna, Lounging with Mr Williams, So why exactly does David Gray have this effect on women? and Terence Trent D'Arby: Neither Fish Nor Flesh.
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In this episode we welcome long-time RBP contributor Ira Robbins as he celebrates the 50th anniversary of the launch of his beloved Trouser Press.
Ira tells us about the musical Anglophilia that began for him with the Beatles but surged with the 1968 release of The Who Sell Out. He then recounts the beginning of his friendship with schoolmate Dave Schulps and explains how it led to a shared obsession with the British music press.
The story of the 1974 launch of Anglophile fanzine Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press, in partnership with the late Karen Rose, is accompanied by quotes from a 2001 interview Ira gave to RockCritics.com. He talks about the years that followed the dropping of the "Trans-Oceanic" prefix, and about some of the contributors – more than a few female – who made Trouser Press such essential '70s reading.
After playing a clip from a 1975 audio interview Ira did with Cockney Rebel's late frontman Steve Harley – who died after this episode was recorded – we turn our attention to his more recent encounter with the rather more genial Nick Lowe. Clips from this 2007 conversation prompt a general appreciation of the Jesus of Cool's career from Kippington Lodge to Little Village via Elvis Costello and Johnny Cash.
After we've paid tribute to the departed Eric Carmen – with our guest disputing that (the) Raspberries were authentically "power pop" – Mark talks us out with quotes from the pieces he's most enjoyed adding to the RBP library over the preceding fortnight.
Many thanks to special guest Ira Robbins. Zip It Up! The Best of Trouser Press Magazine 1974–1984 is published by Trouser Press Books and available now via trouserpressbooks.com.
Pieces discussed: Ira Robbins articles, The Story behind Trouser Press, Ira interviewed on RockCritics.com, Steve Harley audio, The New Wave Washes Out, Nick Lowe audio, Eric Carmen: Rock's Rejuvenated Raspberry, World Party, Charlie Watts, Was (Not Was), Rhythm and Blues and Kiss. -
In this episode we welcome esteemed writer and editor Alan Light and ask him about the years he spent at Rolling Stone, Vibe and Spin — plus his close encounters with Prince, Taylor Swift and Townes Van Zandt.
Vibe is the particular focus of interest for Alan's hosts, hence we hear about the magazine's inception, its co-founder Quincy Jones, our guest's long interview(s) with The Artist No Longer Known As Prince... and the problem with being a white editor of an essentially Black publication. Not to mention being at the helm when the East vs. West Coast rap wars kicked off and led to the killings of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.. Alan's 1999 move to alternative-rock bastion Spin prompts questions about managing music magazines and nurturing their writers. He talks proudly of Spin's coverage of the infamous Woodstock '99 festival.
Our guest's return to full-time writing meant that he went on to interview many of music's biggest stars — none bigger than Taylor Swift, about whom he speaks with the greatest respect. The singer's 2014 switch from country to pop with the 1989 album triggers a fascinating conversation about the Swift phenomenon.
What would have been the "late great" Townes Van Zandt's 80th birthday provides the perfect excuse to hear clips from John Tobler's 1987 audio interview with the tragically self-destructive Texan. Alan recalls a couple of "long evenings" with the singer-songwriter who died in 1997 — and tells Townes' funniest joke in the process.
After Mark quotes from recently-added library articles about Loverboy and Warren Zevon, Jasper wraps matters up with his thoughts on Papa Roach and Françoise Hardy.
Many thanks to special guest Alan Light. Find all his books, including Let's Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain and The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and the Unlikely Ascent of Hallelujah, at all good bookshops. To listen to his podcast, visit sounduppod.com.
Pieces discussed: Vibe: the Hip Hop Years, R.I.P. Vibe, The Demise of Vibe and the Future of Criticism, Prince breaks the silence, Taylor Swift on writing her own rules, Taylor Swift at CMA Fest, Townes Van Zandt audio, Loverboy, Warren Zevon, Papa Roach and Françoise Hardy. -
In this episode the writer and academic Kimberly Mack joins us from Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to discuss the subject of "Black rock" in the context of her 33 1/3 study of Living Colour's Time's Up.
We start by asking our guest about her childhood as the daughter of a rock-obsessed Black mother – and her experience of seeing Cheap Trick when theirs were the only Black faces in the Radio City Music Hall audience. She then discusses the "fictional categories (with real-world consequences)" of (white) rock and (Black) funk and R&B, from the earliest marketing of "race records" to the continuing genre segregation of the present day.
We trace the line from Jimi Hendrix to Bad Brains – and the racist barriers they encountered. This culminates in Kimberly's recollection of seeing Living Colour on Showtime at the Apollo in 1988 – and how itled eventually to the writing of last year's book about Time's Up.
Mark introduces clips from a 1988 audio interview with Living Colour's Vernon Reid. These lead in turn to a conversation about the late Greg Tate, mentor and inspiration to Kimberly and so many others – and the writer who co-founded the Black Rock Coalition with Reid. After namechecks for female rock icons from Labelle to Tracy Chapman, Kimberly talks about the "untold history" of marginalised American rock critics, a book about which she is currently researching.
After tributes to MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, Can frontman Damo Suzuki and Melody Maker/Quietus scribe Neil Kulkarni, Mark quotes from newly-added RBP library articles about David Bowie (1967), Bill Withers (1972), Alice Cooper (1975) and Porter Wagoner (1978). Jasper then wraps matters up with his thoughts about Frank Owen's 2003 report on the slaying of Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay and – from last year – Steve Pafford's account of the making of Gloria Gaynor's immortal disco anthem 'I Will Survive'.
Many thanks to special guest Kimberly Mack. Living Colour's Time's Up is published by Bloomsbury and available now. Visit Kimberly's website at kimberlymack.com.
Pieces discussed: Johnny Rotten, My Mom and Me, Living Colour's Time's Up (excerpt), Q&A with Jack White, David Toop on Black Rock, RJ Smith on Black Rock & Roll, Michael A. Gonzales' Tribute to Black Rock Coalition, Vernon Reid audio -
In this extra-special episode we welcome into the RBP lair not one but two legends of music journalism. Former Smash Hits/Q/MOJO supremo Mark Ellen and Sylvia (I'm Not With The Band) Patterson join us to pay tribute to their late friend and colleague upon the publication of our book Phew, Eh Readers? The Life and Writing of Tom Hibbert – the single funniest music journalist who ever lived.
Both guests recount their initial and unforgettable encounters with "Hibbs" – Mark's at New Music News in 1980; Sylvia's at Smash Hits in 1986 — before we look back at Tom's early years, his marriage to the marvellous Allyce Tessier and his pop passions from the Byrds to Big Star (via Moby Grape and the 13th Floor Elevators).
Interspersing the conversation with quotes from the classic Hibbert pieces collected in Phew, Eh Readers? and the tributes to Tom we commissioned for the book — plus clips from audio interviews with Jon Bon Jovi, Vivien Stanshall and Tom's Smash Hits colleague Neil Tennant — we follow our hero's path through his brilliant career.
Stops along the way include his entirely made-up letters to New Music News, his 1987 audience with Margaret Thatcher, his infamous "Who the Hell" interviews for Q and his hilariously irreverent columns for The Observer and the Mail On Sunday. Not forgetting the Love Trousers, the neo-psychedelic covers band he formed with Mr. Ellen...
The pathos of Tom's twilight years, following his 1997 hospitalisation with pneumonia and pancreatitis — is touched upon before we wrap up with a fond nod to his old pal "Juggins". We shall not read his like again.
Phew, Eh Readers?: The Life and Writing of Tom Hibbert is published by Nine Eight Books on 1st February, 2024.
Pieces discussed: Tom Hibbert articles on Rock's Backpages, Billy Idol on Majorca, Jon Bon Jovi audio, Neil Tennant on the RBP podcast, Just Like Gene Autry, the Margaret Thatcher interview??!, Who the hell does Ringo Starr think he is? and Who the hell does Roger Waters think he is? -
In this episode we welcome the legendary Penelope Spheeris and invite her to talk us through her extraordinary life and brilliant career.
Barney wastes little time in asking the Louisiana-born filmmaker about the shocking traumas of her childhood and teenage years. We hear about her alcoholic mother's multiple marriages and the family's move to Southern California that led to Penelope putting herself through film school before graduating from UCLA.
Along with the Saturday Night Live shorts she made with actor/comic Albert Brooks, Penelope talks about the pioneering Rock 'n' Reel production company that made '70s videos for everyone from Funkadelic to Fleetwood Mac. We also learn about her conversion to punk rock via Brendan Mullen's Masque club, where she shot SoCal hardcore bands like X, Fear, the Germs and Black Flag, the footage winding up in 1981's thrilling Decline of Western Civilization.
From the first Decline we jump forward seven years to Decline II — and to a discussion of the '80s glam-metal scene that exploded on West Hollywood's Sunset Strip via bands such as W.A.S.P. and Poison. In addition we hear clips from Mat Snow's 1989 audio interview with all-girl quartet Vixen, sparking a discussion of rampant misogyny on the big-hair metal scene.
With Decline II: The Metal Years being our guest's de facto passport to directing 1992's enormo-grossing Wayne's World, we ask Spheeris to recall her not-altogether- felicitous experience of working on the hit Saturday Night Live spinoff with Mike Myers and Dana Carvey. We also consider how the week's featured writer "Metal Mike" Saunders bridged the gulf between metal and punk, tracing his maverick career from a 1971 Creem review of Sir Lord Baltimore's Kingdom Come to the 1978 formation of SoCal hardcore band Angry Samoans.
After Mark offers quotes from recently-added library pieces about electro-pop duo Erasure, rapper Schoolly D and, yes, Penelope Spheeris, Jasper closes out the episode with remarks on articles about El Paso's At the Drive-In and David Bowie.
Many thanks to special guest Penelope Spheeris. Visit her website at penelopespheeris.com.
Pieces discussed: The Decline of Western Civilization, Penelope Spheeris: The "Mad Surgeon" of Film, Vixen audio, Sir Lord Baltimore, A Brief Survey of the State of Metal Music Today, Metal Mike Saunders, Angry Samoans, Annie Nightingale, Erasure, Penelope Spheeris interviewed by Richard Harrington, Schoolly D, At the Drive-In and David Bowie. - Vis mere
