Mario's Sunday Roast

Emmet Ryan Connected editor and journalist with The Sunday Business Post joined Mario today to talk sport in the era of Covid.  Are you still getting enjoyment from watching sport in the absence of fans? To hear the full chat press the Play button below.  [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/10/11135517/Emmet-Ryan.mp3"][/audio]  

David Quinn, Director of the Iona Institute and columnist with the Sunday Times joined Mario today to discuss his idea of conservatism , his opinions of assisted suicide, church services in the pandemic and more on Mario`s Sunday Roast. To hear the full chat press the Play button below.  [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/10/11154706/David-Quinn.mp3"][/audio]

Leader of The Late Late Show House Band -the Camembert Quartet, Paddy Cullivan joins Mario today for this week's story behind the song. He pays tribute to Eddie Van Halen who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 65. The chosen song is "Jump" , released in December 1983 as the lead single from their album 1984. This was  Van Halen's most successful single to date, reaching number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. To hear the full chat press the Play button below. 

In early November in the states democracy will appear to be hanging by a thread - not only might Trump "refuse to leave" if he loses - he may also attempt to steal a lost election by exploiting a peculiar loophole in the American electoral system. Mario discusses the loophole in more detail on Mario`s Sunday Roast panel; To hear the full chat press the Play button below.  [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/10/11151646/Democracy.mp3"][/audio]

This weekend saw us celebrate world mental health day- so we are allowing ourselves to be "Covid Cranky". Suzanne Kane co-host of the Dubland Podcast brings the covid cranky topic to the roast. She feels that while we are all doing our best to keep a positive outlook - its completely ok to admit you might be in an absolute fouler or tell someone to shove your zoom quiz! To hear the full chat press the Play button below.  [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/10/11135611/Suzanne-Kane.mp3"][/audio]

Last week Today FM's Matt Cooper revealed on The Last Word for first time that he has been living with Type 2 Diabetes . Matt is busy man but quite a health conscious one and his announcement took many by surprise. Matt joined Mario on Mario's Sunday Roast to chat about his diagnosis, saying, "We do a health spot on the Last Word and I thought it would be a bit dishonest not to discuss Type 2 diabetes without saying 'well actually as it happens, I have the condition and this is my experience with it" and be of use to some people listening." To hear the full chat press the Play button below. where Matt brings us through the full story of how he discovered he has Type 2 diabetes. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/08/31180007/Matt-MSR.mp3"][/audio]

Philip O’Connor is a journalist and broadcaster and this autumn, as America goes to the polls to select a new president in what promises to be one of the most exciting and divisive political elections in history, Philip is aiming to do something that has never been done before . Record 50 podcasts from all 50 states in just 50 days. Every day will bring a new update from the American heartland to help people better understand the issues that matter to ordinary Americans. Philip joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to discuss his plan of action, 'Instead of sitting at a desk rewriting press releases or talking to academics and other journalists and regurgitating opinion polls that turn out to be wrong, I’m going to hit the road through all 50 states for 50 days and see what they have to say. "I’m going to visit diners and laundromats, gyms and gas stations, main streets and city halls to find out exactly what they are thinking and what will influence how they cast their votes." [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/08/21183623/Podcasts-MSR.mp3"][/audio]

Sunscreen was released in 1999, and is a spoken word recording, consisting of a series of nuggets of wisdom or advice for people, set to a nice mellow but downbeat electronic track. The voiceover is provided by an Australian actor called Lee Perry. The backing is the choral version of "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)", a 1991 song by Rozalla, used in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. Broadcaster Joe Donnelly joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to chat about the Story Behind The Song 'Sunscreen.' On why he thinks the song strikes such a chord Joe says, "I think it was one of those songs that will have really meant something to people leaving school or college at the time, or embarking on – or ending – a relationship. "At it’s heart the piece – to me anyway – is about time and age. It’s about trying to limit the amount of regrets you’ll have in your life. It’s about self-compassion and kindness. It’s about coming to terms with how quickly the past becomes the past. "One of my favourite lines is: ‘Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh, never mind / You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded’. It’s just part of life and growing up that you realise so many things after time has passed, when you’re looking back. I saw a great line recently, can’t quite recall it fully, but it was something like: ‘Life experience is the exam for which there was no text book’. I think that’s kind of the essence of this song. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/08/21181049/TSBTS-MSR.mp3"][/audio]

TikTok made headlines this week as Donald Trump signed an executive order banning it, forcing the company to sell its American branch. The order comes as news of TikTok's plans to sett up a data centre in Ireland were revealed. There are numerous concerns about the apps privacy settings and how much access the app has to stuff like your clipboard and exact location. People complain about Facebook and it’s use of data but TikTok is apparently worse.   So what is it about TikTok that has seen usage of the App explode over the last 12 months and why does Donald Trump hate it so much? Internet comedian Michael Fry joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to discuss. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/08/11154844/MSR-TIKTOK.mp3"][/audio]

Back in the spring of 1993 New Order hit us with Regret. Things were never the same for New Order after the release of this track so it’s a bit of a swan song for the band. It was New Order’s biggest hit aside from Blue Monday. This week Today FM's Paul McLoone picked Regret for The Story Behind The Song on Mario's Sunday Roast. Paul says Regret brings back loads of memories of his time as The Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show producer, as years ago Paul chose this as the theme tune for the Breakfast show. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/08/10170320/TSBTS.mp3"][/audio]

American indie pop band Foster the People released Pumped Up Kicks as the group's debut single. Despite it's upbeat melody, the lyrics describe the homicidal thoughts of a troubled youth. The lines in the chorus warn potential victims to "outrun my gun" and that they "better run, better run, faster than my bullet." Today FM's Suzanne Kane joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast, to delve into The Story Behind The Song. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/08/05174254/MSR-TSBTS.mp3"][/audio]

With school out for summer as the Dail takes it's usual six week long holiday, we took a look back at some Dail moments which stand out more than others. There's nothing more like car crash TV when it all kicks off amongst our representatives. John Drennan, political correspondent, joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast, to go behind the scenes of the most memorable spats in the Dail. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/08/05171115/MSR-DAIL-SPATS.mp3"][/audio]

All schools are set to reopen next month.   One of the big questions now is how will kids adapt psychologically to being back in school. Will younger kids experience separation anxiety after having spent several months with their parents (and vice versa)? Will older students adapt to all of the changes brought into the classrooms? Aileen Hickey, CEO, Parentline joined Mario's Sunday Roast to chat about the concerns she feels parents will have about a return to school. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/07/31152417/MSR-BACK-TO-SCHOOL.mp3"][/audio]

It's hard to believe that Pulp's Common People was released 25 years ago. The overall theme of the song is the over-romanticised empathy with “poor folk” popular among wealthy students. As for the women talked about in the song? There were rumours that it was the wife of former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis but Cocker still hasn’t revealed it. Alison Curtis joined Mario for The Story Behind The Song. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/07/30180927/TSBTS.mp3"][/audio]

The world today looks very different to the world we remember from six months ago. We lost a lot of freedom in the first half of 2020, all in a bid to try and halt to the spread of Covid-19. The whole world shut down in March 2020, and we have been struggling with the repercussions of not being able to leave our homes, see our family, and plan our future ever since. If someone had told you how 2020 would pan out last year you would have said, 'That will not happen.' However, should we start getting used to the idea that our world is changing and there's no going back? And the biggest changes are yet to come? Environmental commentator John Gibbons joined Mario's Sunday Roast to walk us through an essay getting a lot of traction online. It outlines the end of human civilisation, decade by decade, starting with the breakdown of life as we know it in the 2020s, to the breakdown of vital systems in the 2030s to the eventual eradication of human life by the 2040s. The author of the essay, Umair Qaque says, 'The end of human civilization is now easy enough to see, over the next three to five decades. It’s made of climate change, mass extinction, ecological collapse, and the economic depressions, financial implosions, political upheavals, pandemics, plagues, floods, fires, and social breakdowns all those will ignite.' You can read the full essay here. Catch Mario and John's full chat by pressing the play button below. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/07/27145754/MSR-Gibbons.mp3"][/audio]

A Design For Life is built to stick in your head with it's unusual time signature and massive chorus, once you hear it you'll be humming it all day. Released in April 1996 the tune was a huge success for Manic Street Preachers, going on to become a number 2 hit in the UK. Neal Davies, CEO, BBDO Dublin joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to chat about the lead song from the best selling Everything Must Go LP. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/07/23171827/TSBTS-MSR.mp3"][/audio]

This week the government announced that the planned reopening of all pubs from this week will not go ahead for reasons of public health. When the pubs used to close on Good Friday’s in Ireland it would cause consternation – one day in the year when we couldn’t go to our local watering hole However, during Covid, we have managed to survive for several months without pubs - although almost every joke and whatsapp meme seemed to revolve around alcohol and the pub. So what have we learned about our relationship with drink and the pub during lockdown, and is the crisis changing the role of the pub in irish society? Columnist Liam Collins and Clara Kavanagh, Today FM Producer joined Mario on Mario's Sunday Roast to look at the future of the Irish pub as long as the threat of Covid-19 remains. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/07/20132234/pubs-MSR.mp3"][/audio]

Throughout the Covid crisis communities have been finding ways to work together while being told to stay apart. In some ways Covid-19 has brought us closer together. However, as we head into our fifth month of dealing with the fallout of Covid-19 it seems we are becoming more and more divided over certain issues. Foreign travel and the wearing of face masks are now incredibly polarising subject matters. With the announcement on 'safe' countries for travel due later this week columnist Larissa Nolan joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to try and get to the root of what is causing this divide. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/07/20115949/Travel-MSR.mp3"][/audio]

Steve Wickham was once described by Mike Scott of the Waterboys as "the world's greatest rock fiddle player.” Steve joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast, direct from a closet in his home in Sligo, fresh off a Zoom gig to remember. Over the weekend Steve travelled from Sligo to Windmill Lane studios to perform via Zoom at the SEAC Live series of gigs with No Crows – the folk orchestra that he plays with. Steve has recorded with so many artists in these studios including Elvis Costello and Sinead O’Connor, he also played fiddle on ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ for U2. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/07/13144810/Wickham-MSR.mp3"][/audio]

The Fugees recorded "Killing Me Softly" for their hugely successful second and final album The Score. The band tried to change the lyrics to make the song focus on anti-drug and anti-poverty messages but the songwriters put a stop to that. The cover of Roberta Flack's original release was a huge hit, reaching number two in the US and topping the charts in the UK where it became the biggest-selling single of 1996. It would go on to sell 1.36 million copies in Britain alone. Dee Reddy joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to tell us more about The Story Behind The Song "Killing Me Softly." [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/07/13143456/TSBTS-KILLING-ME-SOFTLY.mp3"][/audio]

The tributes have been flowing ever since the death of Jack Charlton was announced over the weekend. It feels like everyone has a fond Charlton memory they get comfort from sharing. Eamon Dunphy, Ray Houghton and Mark Lawrenson joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to pay tribute to the man who gave so much to the beautiful game and to our own emerald isle too. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/07/13140239/JACK-MSR-FULL_mixdown.mp3"][/audio]

Who could ever forget it? The memory of Italia 90 is as strong as a sea breeze on a windy day! Eamon Dunphy joined Mario on Mario's Sunday Roast to relive his memories of Italia 90. He also discussed the state of modern football, and took some listeners questions too. Catch the full chat below! [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/07/03174117/Eamon-MSR.mp3"][/audio]

It’s 2002 and Britney Spears is big business. She’s the ‘All American’ princess of pop that has grown up in front of the world. Her boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, is in one of the world’s most successful boybands, NSync. When they break up the rumour mill goes into overdrive with cheating accusations. Word is that Britney cheated on Justin but he won’t confirm it. However, when he releases his first solo album, Justified, in November 2002, the songs seem to tell the full story. In particular, one song. ‘Cry Me A River’. Today FM's Shauna O'Reilly joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to tell The Story Behind The Song. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/07/03163021/SBTS.mp3"][/audio]

Stan was released on November 21, 2000 going to to reach number one in twelve countries. Stan is based on the number of fans who grew to believe they were some how entitled to meet and spend time with Eminem at any given opportunity. It’s bigger message is the exploration of mental health, each verse flip flops through ‘Stans’ childhood/ adult / marriage issues. Broadcaster Suzanne Kane joined Mario on Mario's Sunday Roast to tell us the full story about Stan, undoubtedly one of Eminem's biggest hits. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/06/26144308/SBTS1.mp3"][/audio]

Donie O'Sullivan is a CNN reporter who works closely with CNN's investigative unit tracking and identifying online disinformation campaigns targeting Americans during election campaigns. He is at the forefront of online conspiracy theories and how they can be used and manipulated to sway the voting public. There's no doubt that there is a growing ‘popularity’ of conspiracy theories. You just need to take one look at Alex Jones's popularity to see the appetite for disinformation is ever growing. Donie O'Sullivan joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to walk us through it. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/06/26143310/Donie-MSR.mp3"][/audio]

Advertising and music go hand in hand. Nearly every great and memorable ads features an iconic tune, and that doesn't happen by accident. What started off as jingles in the early days of commercial radio has evolved into big money business over the years. Neal Davis, CEO of BBDO Dublin joined Mario on Mario's Sunday Roast to to delve deeper into this fascinating subject. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/06/19180202/MSR-Music-and-Ads.mp3"][/audio]

Munya Chawawa went viral after posting a parody of the reporting of Black Lives Matter protests. He says he was inspired to make the video because of how disappointed he was about the coverage the movement was getting. The parody video now has over 3 million views on Twitter and was shared around the world. British media reporting on the Black Lives Matter protests tomorrow. ‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/yHQqmkDcnk — Munya Chawawa (@munyachawawa) June 7, 2020 Munya joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast, you can listen back to their full chat below. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/06/19161056/MSR-Munya.mp3"][/audio]

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free was recorded by Nina Simone in 1967. It was written by Billy Taylor and Dick Dallas in 1963 and went on to be adopted by the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s in which Nina Simone was heavily involved. Lyrically the song is one of frustration at the plight of the black community while also outlining what freedom and equality would look like. John Caddell joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to dive deeper into the Story Behind The Song 'I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free'. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/06/11181544/SBTS.mp3"][/audio]

Deborah Somorin moved from Nigeria to Naas when she was ten years old. Growing up, she faced homelessness, a teenage pregnancy and the loss of her mother to suicide. Now she's helping disadvantaged students succeed with Empower the Family, which is an approved housing body. This week Deborah posted on LinkedIn saying: Like every black person in Ireland, I’m battling with a lot of different emotions right now – explain how you’re feeling and why… What I’ve learned to date is you can’t force people to listen or to choose to do the right thing. But, thankfully the people who want to listen and want to do the right thing, outnumber those that don’t – what does she mean by this?  I don’t know what moving forward looks like but I do know that systemic racial inequality isn’t an issue unique to the US. Deborah recommended that people find out more about this issue and educate themselves on whats happening in Ireland - For those that want to listen and be educated on systemic racial oppression in Ireland, I’ve linked to an academic paper from Dr. Ebun Joseph. She teaches Black Studies at University College Dublin. Dr Ebun is genuinely one of my favourite people on the planet Deborah joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast, you can catch their full chat by pressing the play button below. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/06/11174246/Deborah-MSR.mp3"][/audio]

Cait O'Riordan has been in New York for the last four years. Before Covid hit O'Riordan was midway through a really interesting tour, which saw Spider Stacy and Cait O'Riordan, both of The Pogues ,hit the road and play a full Pogues set, backed by Lost Bayou Ramblers. With that tour on hold for the time being O'Riordan joined Mario's Sunday Roast to talk us through what lockdown life is like in New York. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/06/03191312/Cait-OR.mp3"][/audio]

When it was first released people thoughtM.I.A.'s Paper Planes was about robbery and drugs and crime in general. However the hit song is actually representative of M.I.A.'s impressions of how immigrants are perceived in the countries they move to. Maya "M.I.A." Arulpragasam comes from Sri Lanka and the singer has experienced life as an immigrant in Britain and in the U.S. M.I.A. explained that the "paper planes are counterfeit visas made by immigrants." Broadcaster Suzanne Kane joined Mario's Sunday Roast to tell us more about the surprise hit Paper Planes. [audio mp3="https://media.radiocms.net/uploads/2020/06/03185029/SBTS-MSR.mp3"][/audio]

Jeff Bezos looks set to retain his title of the 'world's richest man' even after the global pandemic takes it's toll this year. Projections place Bezos' net worth at the end of 2020 in the region of around $200 Billion. But apart from his vast wealth, what do we really know about the mysterious Amazon tycoon? Emmet Ryan from the Business Post joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to bring us up to speed on all things Jeff Bezos. Catch their chat in full by pressing the Listen button on this page.  

Released in 1992, Connected went on to become a big hit internationally, especially the United States. It continues to live on nearly 30 years later, featuring in ads and most recently in the latest Netflix trending show 'The Last Dance', the tune plays over a montage of Michael Jordan scoring a rake of points against the New York Nicks. Connected was written in a basement studio in Brixton and it’s about people being connected, not being ‘blind’ to racial conflict. The walking talking musical encyclopedia that is Joe Donnelly joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to walk us through the full Story Behind The Song 'Connected.' Catch their chat in full by pressing the Listen button on this page.    

Wind Of Change was originally written and recorded 1991, following a trip by the German band Scorpions to the USSR. It topped the charts in Germany and across Europe, in the US and in the UK and has since gone on to become a song associated with the fall of the Berlin Wall. It remains the top selling German single to date. However the song has recently been the subject of a podcast which explores the rumour that it was, in fact, written by the CIA. To hear all about The Story Behind The Song on Mario's Sunday Roast press the Listen button on this page.  

Across Europe on May 8, VE Day was celebrated to mark the end of World War 2. This reminded Mario of an email / phone call he received a few years ago from a guy called Fin Dwyer . Fin is a historian and presenter of the hugely popular Irish History podcast. He had been working on a fascinating story about a time after the war, when a number of leading Nazis – people who Donald Trump would have called ‘Bad Dudes’ -  were welcomed in Ireland and given shelter here. One of them was a particularly nasty character called Otto Skorzeny, one of Hitler's right hand men. But what came as a complete surprise to Mario was that Fin told him how his Grandfather – who by then had been living in Ireland for years – mounted a campaign to make Irish people and officials aware of just how nasty this guy Otto was, and why he should be expelled from the country. Catch the full chat between Fin Dwyer of the Irish History podcast and Mario by pressing the Listen button on this page.    

Why have conspiracy theories gone in to overdrive during Covid-19? People have always loved a good conspiracy theory, from Roswell and Area 51, to the US government’s role in 9/11. Some find them interesting and amusing, while others deeply believe them and work hard to disseminate them as widely as possible But the Covid19 pandemic appears to have sent conspiracy theorists in to overdrive. Ian O’Doherty joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to tell us why. From 5G technology being to blame for Covid-19, to how Bill Gate is involved, to how the virus apparently "escaped from a Chinese lab", Ian and Mario run through them all. The good, the bad and the ugly. Catch up by pressing the Listen button on this page.    

'You're going to be facing Trump for a second term so just get used to it.' Most weeks on Mario's Sunday Roast Mario Rosenstock takes to the airwaves and is quite critical about Trump and his antics. This week we challenged financial analyst and columnist Karl Deeter, who is a US native, to see if he could convince Mario to have a slight change of view on all things Trump. It's fair to say Karl's 'defence of Trump' divided the nation. Catch the full chat by pressing the Listen button on this page.  

The new Michael Jordan series on Netflix, The Last Dance,has everyone talking. With sport all but cancelled around the world it's a good time to catch up with the best sports documentaries out there. Daragh Keany from the Sunday World has put together his choice of the best sports documentaries of all time. His list includes The Barkley Marathons, Undefeated and Senna He joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to walk us through them, catch the full chat by pressing the Listen button on this page.    

Bond songs are almost as iconic as the films they accompany. With it's big Bond sound and Adele's powerful delivery Skyfall has become a fan favourite around the world. Adele was at first reluctant to take on 'Skyfall', but it's fair to say that it all worked out in the end. Skyfall became the first Bond theme tune to win Best Original Song at the Oscars, and was a huge hit for Adele. Broadcaster Trevor Keegan joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to tell us the Story Behind The Song Skyfall. Catch their full chat by pressing the Listen button on this page.

In 1995 Waterfalls took the charts by storm. The video for the hit single won TLC the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year that year and Waterfalls still remains in the top ten songs of the 90’s. TLC released the song wanting to raise awareness about serious of HIV/AIDS and to promote safe sex. Suzanne Kane, broadcaster and co-host The Dubland podcast, joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to talk about the full Story Behind The Song. Catch the full chat by pressing the Listen button on this page.

Like all of us, Irish comedian PJ Gallagher was anxious and stressed at the start of the lockdown in Ireland. PJ says he doesn’t cope well with not having a plan or knowing when this is all going to end and he found himself getting very worried about his mum. But recently things have started to shift for PJ, who joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to chat about how is is now gradually starting to see the the benefits of his change of lifestyle Where he used to spend a fortune on the gym, now he has realised he can do all of the exercise he needs in his garden, for free! Now that he’s not spending a fortune eating out he’s saving lots of money and has also developed a new passion for fruit and veg and he’s watching very little TV and reading far more As a result of all this he thinks life after lockdown is going to be very different for him Catch PJ's full chat with Mario by pressing the Listen button on this page.

We should be feasting on the early rounds of the World Snooker Championship right now but unfortunately it, along with many other major sporting events due to be taking place around the world at the moment, has been postponed due to Covid-19. So to give us all the snooker fix we crave, Irish snooker champion Ken Doherty joined Mario for a chat on Mario's Sunday Roast. The pair chatted about Ken's memories of winning the world snooker championships in 1997, making Denis Taylor laugh in the commentary box and one incredible night out he had with film star Jackie Chan. Catch the full chat by pressing the Listen button on this page.  

Whitney Houston stormed the charts in 1992 with her cover of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You. Originally written and recorded 1973 it hit number 1 in the charts twice for Dolly before Whitney made it her own. When Whitney released it in 1992 the single spent 14 weeks at #1 in US and eight weeks at the top of the charts in Ireland. It remains top selling single of all time by a female artist. Presenter Dee Reddy joined Mario on Mario's Sunday Roast to give us the full Story Behind The Song. Catch up by pressing the Listen button on this page.  

The coronavirus crisis has been teaching us a lot about the fragility of our world. We are learning about the virus on a daily basis, including the effect it has had on the environment. Global Carbon Project estimates global CO2 could fall by 5% in 2020 as a result of the virus. This is the biggest one-year fall since end of WW2. While in China, emissions fell by 25% in first quarter of 2020, but are already showing clear signs of rebounding back to ‘normal’. John Gibbons, environmental columnist and campaigner, joined Mario to walk us through the long lasting effects Covid-19 will have on the environment. Catch the chat in full by pressing the Listen button on this page.

Things got real for couples across Ireland when Leo announced a shutdown over a week ago. For some people, personality traits they used to find endearing about their partner now makes them want to scream and when the mood turns sour getting up and heading out for some breathing space is no longer an option. So how have couples been surviving lockdown? Irish comedians Fred Cooke and his partner Julie Jay joined Mario for Mario's Sunday Roast to chat all about it, revealing how they're coping with Love on Lockdown. You can catch the full chat by pressing the Listen button on this page.

George Bush once described Eminem as "the biggest threat to American youth since polio." When the rapper first burst onto the music scene in the late 90s, people didn't know what to make of the Dr. Dre protégé. Very quickly Eminem addressed any confusion over how he would fit into the rap world with the release of his multi chart-topping debut single, 'My Name Is.' Today FM producer Clara Kavanagh joined Mario's Sunday Roast to take us through The Story Behind The Song. Catch the full chat by pressing the Listen button on this page.

The world has changed in more ways than we can count ever since Covid-19 became part of our every day language. Columnist Larissa Nolan joined Mario during Mario's Sunday Roast to delve into the wider repercussions of the coronavirus and what it could all mean for society going forward. To catch the full chat press the Listen button on this page.

The Story Behind The Song 'Cars' is a colourful one. It's based on road rage and a real-life event Gary Numan experienced in his own vehicle in London in the 70s when people gave chase to the singer. Music legend Joe Donnelly join Mario to walk is through the classic that is Gary Numan's 'Cars.' To catch the full chat press the Listen button on this page.

Economist David McWilliams joined Mario on Mario's Sunday Roast to talk about how other countries have been dealing with the impending economic and financial catastrophe of Covid-19. David explains ‘Helicopter Money’, where everyone in the country gets a lump sum deposited in to their bank accounts, with no strings attached. He talked through the impact of the crisis on people working in the gig economy and if it will change our economy and the way we operate in the future. To hear their full chat, press the listen button on this page.

The Story Behind The Song This week John Caddell, Assistant Programme Director for Today FM and a walking encyclopedia of all things music, joined Mario for The Story Behind The Song. John chose Pretenders - Back on the Chain Gang. To hear more about The Story Behind The Song, press the listen button on this page.

This week's show looked a little different due to Covid-19. Instead of our usual panel, Mario was joined in studio by Alison Curtis from Today FM's Weekend Breakfast. Mario and Alison discussed how Mother's Day this year was like no other Mother's Day anyone can remember. Check out their full chat by pressing the listen button on screen.