Call in the Night Boys

Hello listenersAfter another long break - life gets in the way, you know - Gav and Nick return with an episode dedicated to the late Charlie Watts, focusing on the Stones' classic 1978 LP Some Girls.This episode also features a fair amount of ASMR, courtesy of our lovely mouths.

This episode we discuss car culture, the appeal of sports cars, road movies, books and songs about the open road, and Elon Musk (I wish we didn't have to talk about him, but it seemed necessary at the time).**This episode has been reuploaded after being deleted from the podcast hosting platform a few months ago. Why not listen again? ... Or, er, even for the first time?**

Nick introduces Gav to the films of B-movie maestro Larry Cohen, RIP, who wrote and directed such classics as It's Alive, Black Caesar and Q: The Winged Serpent. We also look in depth at his masterpiece, God Told Me To, a sci-fi-horror-Catholic-screw-up-detective classic.**This episode has been reuploaded after being deleted from the podcast hosting platform a few months ago. Why not listen again? ... Or, er, even for the first time?**

Hello friends! Here's another much-delayed episode of Call in the Night Boys. This time we discuss movies that are really just vehicles for pop stars, such as A Hard Day's Night and ... Spice World. Actually, we just talk about Spice World. And Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. And the Pet Shop Boys' It Couldn't Happen Here. And Prince's Purple Rain. And Elvis a bit. And the Beatles, a bit.. And the Ramones. And Sun Ra. And his Arkestra.

Hello again! It’s Easter. A time of rebirth and renewal. A time to dig out those old sound clips that you previously considered unworthy of broadcast and to attempt to give them new life. In this re-edited version of our bumper episode on car culture, Nick and Gavin once again discuss cars, magazines, films and advertisements that evoke the spirit of driving and car ownership. In this version, we ask: - Why can’t either of us say ‘patented’? - Who is more drunk (in the studio, not in the car) – Nick or Gavin? - Will Gavin get shot down for the manner in which he attempts to praise Bertha Benz? (Answer: almost certainly) - Did we ‘enjoy MG’ a little too much? - Which is the worst car advert (indeed, the worst ad) ever? (Nick says, ‘Seat – Because them…us’) - What’s that buzzing noise? (Answer: Nick’s laptop fan) - Are John and Ian with us, and will we get the backing? - Would you want your car delivered by Kowalski and have you gathered that he drives very fast? - Is ‘Weekend’ about the hell of consumer culture or the sexiness of sitting on eggs? - Is greed good, and will all have our own trains in the future? - Is Nick’s new car more boring than a Honda Jazz? At least it’s not a Nissan Note….

"Explaning a joke is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better but it dies in the process" - E.B White. In our new podcast we take a scalpel to stand-up comedy and ruin it for everyone in the process. Why do we feel conflicted about stand-up comedy? Includes discussion of: Stewart Lee! Mark Watson! Frankie Boyle! Russell Brand! James Corden! Nish Kumar! Arnold Schwarzenegger! James Bond! Cruelty! Freud! Alan Partridge! Curb Your Enthusiasm! A passing mention of Roisin Conaty, Sarah Milican and Sara Pascoe! Sorry!

Merry Christmas! Why not listen to our latest podcast on feelgood films while basting your turkey and knocking back too much sherry? We discuss three feelgood movies each that, if you go on to watch them, will make the end of 2020 feel better. We also look at: What makes a feelgood movie? Do all feelgood movies make you feelgood? Or do they make you feel bad? Why Commando is one of the greatest movies ever. Jenny! What do sandwiches symbolise in Hollywood? Who is Dave? What are Goonies? Where is Chunk?

In our new episode, we discuss 10 cover versions that we love, from Shirley Bassey to The Slits. We also look at the phenomena of cover versions performed for TV commercials and internet 'shredding' of original songs. We've also created a YouTube playlist of our 10 cover versions, so you can enjoy them without us babbling over the top. Enjoy! Go to: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHb3mc1D2z957rzVeHcejHzEeBkHnKXKz

For our special coronavirus episode our friend Matt joins us from a mysterious location in China! He tells us what life was life during lockdown in a Chinese city. We discuss how governments in Britain and China have coped with the virus. 'They said what now?' - A corona quiz. We wonder how the virus has changed the world of advertising. Matt introduces the world to a new product that's perfect for lockdown: Friendship Suits. Will the world return to normal after the pandemic - and should it?

We return after a break to discuss The Fall and the redoubtable Mark E Smith, with a focus on the celebrated 1985 LP, This Nation's Saving Grace. Gav has never paid too much attention to John Peel's favourite band - until now. What does he make of the album? Are The Fall music or anti-music? What were Mark E Smith's influences? Was Brix Smith the real genius of 1980s Fall? Can you really rhyme 'wrath' with 'bombast'? ** Apologies for the frequent distortion on Nick's microphone - we're still getting used to podcasting over the internet. We hope you can still enjoy the episode. **

Gav and Nick look ahead to Halloween 2020! Featuring special guest stars Romy and Elliott! Also featuring: The Yorkshire Moors! The difference between horror and terror! Ruth Gordon! William Hague! Morning in America! Why none of the Alien sequels is any good really! Elizabeth Taylor! Donald Sutherland! Rat turds! Italian rip-offs! Home and Away! Queuing!

Hello everyone! Our bumper, hour-long episode is all about car culture (pronounced "ka-kultur"). Gavin introduces Nick to his sports car - a 1973 orange MG, with added rain leakage. Gav also reads saucy letters from the MG Owners Club Magazine. Mmmm. Nick has never been in a sports car before. He'd always wanted to drive one since he was a very small boy. Instead, he drives sensible family cars, and wonders where his dreams went... Gavin and Nick discuss music and cars, including songs that are inspired by or about driving. Car adverts are examined. Spoiler: They have always been appalling. We take a look at several films about cars and car culture, from John Carpenter's Christine to Jean-Luc Godard's Weekend. We even did some research from the internet and discovered when electric motors for cars were first invented. Clue: it wasn't in the last 30 years. The talk moves inevitably to Elon Musk, and we wonder what transport will look like in 50 years' time. Or, as Gavin puts it, the "future history"of cars.

This episode, Nick introduces Gavin to the movies of Larry Cohen, the much-loved director of cult films such as Q: The Winged Serpent, It's Alive and The Stuff, who passed away in March 2019. They take a look at Cohen's 1976 feature, God Told Me To, a thriller about New York detective, played by Tony Lo Bianco, investigating a series of random murders in which the suspects all claim that no less than God told them to kill... The film explores themes of Catholicism, guilt, paranoia, sex, intersex, satanic panic, mass hysteria, messiah complexes and much, much more! R.I.P Larry.

For our first episode, Gavin introduces Nick to Talk Talk's final album, Laughing Stock (1991). Questions are raised: What exactly is jazz? Did Talk Talk invent post-rock? Are Radiohead influenced by Talk Talk? (Yes) Were the 1980s any good? Were Duran Duran any good? What was Simon Le Bon's food on board the Durany tour bus? Did Mark Hollis "sing the English gospel", as some correspondents say? RIP Mark Hollis.