Music Talks

Music Talks as a Podcast may have finished but my desire to share my Favourite Albums of the Year has not abated and in fact this is the 25th year I have been doing it. It started in 2000 with me, a Dual CD recorder and handmade artwork. Then it was on to a Spotify Playlists and for the last 6 years a Podcast where myself and my dear friend Steven Routledge each choose our favourite 10 albums of the year and talk through why they made the list. Part 1 was released on 19/12/24 and this is Part 2 where we tale through choices 5 to 1 and announce our respective 'Album of the Year' ! I hope you enjoy the episode and ideally find some new music that you love. If you do please let me know at Musictalkspod@Outlook.com. You can find the song selections played in this episode here : https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6qRL4bX56BreAEMRoM9wqi?si=772f619f1c4b403bSteven's choices start at 0' 53 and my section is at 27'17" - enjoy :-)

Music Talks as a Podcast may have finished but my desire to share my Favourite Albums of the Year has not abated and in fact this is the 25th year I have been doing it. It started in 2000 with me, a Dual CD recorder and handmade artwork. Then it was on to a Spotify Playlists and for the last 6 years a Podcast where myself and my dear friend Steven Routledge each choose our favourite 10 albums of the year and talk through why they made the list. Part 1 is now out where we both talk through albums 10 to 6 and Part 2 will be out on Boxing Day.I hope you enjoy the episode and ideally find some new music that you love. If you do please let me know at Musictalkspod@Outlook.com. You can find the song selections played in this episode here : https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3dBRVhkPjEytVjZoqPa6KR?si=48518c60563343acSteven's choices start at 1' 44" and my section is at 25'08" - enjoy :-)

This is Part 2 of the 100th Episode of Music Talks, which is also the final episode of Music Talks. Five years and 100 episodes felt to me like a good time to bring things to a close. It has been a fantastic, joyful, fulfilling and most importantly FUN experience doing this Podcast, and it is something I will always treasure. To mark this occasion, I thought it was time for me to appear as a guest on my own show and I'm delighted to say that my very first guest, Steve Clayton, agreed to come back and be the host of this episode. Thank you Steve!It will be no surprise to anyone that I had quite a lot to say hence splitting the episode into two parts, both of which are a vinyl friendly 45 ish minutes in length! Music Talks was originally conceived as a 'music nerd' Podcast but over time it morphed into something different with many guests not just telling their life story but also being incredibly open and honest about the ups and downs they had faced. I felt I had to honour that in these episodes and do the same. In musical terms my episode contains major and minor chords but of course music (and life) is only interesting when there are both!. I hope you enjoy the stories and that even for my oldest friends there might be a new story or two in there. As far as the music choices go these were my song choices for Part 2. 90's -  Don't Look Back In Anger *-           Oasis 00's -  First Day of My Life             -           Bright Eyes10's -  Long Walk Home                  -           Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band20's -  The Only Road                      -           Elbow   * The episode was recorded just BEFORE Oasis announced their reunion tour! I say my thank you' s at the end of the episode but a heartfelt thanks to all my guests and everyone who ever listened, you gave me SO much for which I will always be grateful!To close out Music Talks completely there will be a couple of compilation episodes in October & November and then the annual ' Favourite Albums of the Year' with Steven Routledge in December. I hope you will be able to listen to those episodes but in the meantime I hope you enjoy this one :-) If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

This is Part 1 of the 100th Episode of Music Talks, which is also the final episode of Music Talks. Five years and 100 episodes felt to me like a good time to bring things to a close. It has been a fantastic, joyful, fulfilling and most importantly FUN experience doing this Podcast, and it is something I will always treasure. To mark this occasion, I thought it was time for me to appear as a guest on my own show and I'm delighted to say that my very first guest, Steve Clayton, agreed to come back and be the host of this episode. Thank you Steve!It will be no surprise to anyone that I had quite a lot to say hence splitting the episode into two parts, both of which are a vinyl friendly 45 minutes in length! Music Talks was originally conceived as a 'music nerd' Podcast but over time it morphed into something different with many guests not just telling their life story but also being incredibly open and honest about the ups and downs they had faced. I felt I had to honour that in these episodes and do the same. In musical terms my episode contains major and minor chords but of course music (and life) is only interesting when there are both. I hope you enjoy the stories and that even for my oldest friends there might be a new story or two in there. As far as the music choices go these were my choices for Part 1 50's -  Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'      - From ‘Carousel' 60's -  I Am The Walrus                             - The Beatles70's -  My Old School                               - Steely Dan80's -  Mary's Prayer                                 - Danny Wilson I mention a lot of other music as well and for Part 1 they can be found here along with my main selections. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3jCpe8EAqur9pqEI9SW0xj?si=ad7da10f6eb1478fI hope you enjoy Part 1 enough that you will be back for Part 2 which will be out on Thursday 12th September. Thanks for listening and enjoy! If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

September 4th will see the 100th and final episode of Music Talks and I know the guest for that episode pretty well as its ……ME!! Given I will be moving chairs I needed someone to be the host of that episode and who better than Steve Clayton, a dear friend, my very first guest on Music Talks and one of the best communicators I know. Given his role at Microsoft is ‘Chief Storyteller' that's no surprise. The original episode I did with Steve went out on June 25th, 2019, but I didn't  want to just re-post it. The brilliant Andy Rhode at Audionauts has been helping me edit Music Talks for almost three years now and so I asked him to re-edit and remaster that original recording and I think he's done a great job. I was never happy with the sound on that first episode and whilst it's still not perfect it sounds a lot better than it did. He's also edited it down to a Vinyl friendly 45 minutes and I'm pleased to say that most of what has been edited out is me not Steve! For those of you who have heard the original episode I hope this will be an enjoyable reminder and for anyone that hasn't then I hope this will be a good introduction to the host of Episode 100. Steve's music choices were: 70's –   Go Your Own Way -                                                 Fleetwood Mac80's -    Where The Streets Have No Name -                    U290's -    Unfinished Sympathy -                                          Massive Attack00's -    The Planets Bend Between Us                              Snow Patrol10's -    A Sky Full of Stars                                                    ColdplayEnjoy and see you on September 4th If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

Welcome to Episode 99 of Music Talks, it's a significant one with a very special guest. The guest in question is Kevin Clement who amongst other things is the host of the brilliantly named radio show ‘Mysterious Debris' on Rockin' the Suburbs Radio. Kevin is special to me because prior to starting Music Talks I did some pilot episodes with my dear friend Jesse Jackson as a co-host under the name ‘Teatime with Terry' (I thought that was a great name until somebody said they thought it was a golf podcast). The original plan was that we would have friends of mine or Jessie's as our ‘guinea pigs' to test out the format. Jesse was good enough to post the first couple of episodes on Setlustingbruce.com at which point an email arrived from Kevin saying, ‘like the format and love to be on the show'! Believe me I can still remember the excitement

My guest in this episode is Nicki Cockburn. Nicki now lives in Cardiff but was born in 1978 in Zimbabwe. At 5 months old, after her Mum insisted on a second opinion, she was diagnosed as being blind. For sighted people like me that would feel like a massive burden and challenge but in talking about it Nicki says “I'm really happy with it, you have to adapt' and “it's been a problem for a lot of people, but never for me”. Nicki doesn't shy away from discussing some of the challenges and prejudice she has faced but her indomitable spirit shines through our whole conversation and I found it deeply inspirational, and I trust you will too. The other thing that shines through is Nicki's deep love of music which has been a positive force in her life for so long. She references over 50 artists in our chat and it's not everyone that can go from ‘The Chicken Song' through Jaco Pastorius to Rage Against the Machine! Nicki isn't just a listener she is also a musician. Her musical journey has gone through Piano, Flute and Guitar before she arrived in early 40's at the Bass Guitar, which describes as ‘her instrument' and one of her song choices specifically reflect that. Her song choices are : 70's      Your My Best Friend                                Don Williams80's      Rio                                                                      Duran Duran90's      The Car Song                                               Elastica00's      Bass Tribute                                                 Victor Wooten10's      Trust In You                                                  Lauren Dagle20's      Too Good For Giving Up                       Liam Gallagher Enjoy :-)If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest today is dear friend and an ex-colleague, Derrick Mc Court. Derrick and I first met in 2001 when he joined Microsoft in Ireland. Our paths crossed many times and in many ways over the years and it has always been a pleasure to spend time with him. Today he is General Manager of the Customer Success Unit in Microsoft UK and sits on the UK Board.  A quick look at his LinkedIn Profile will show the considerable skills he has but for me the most significant thing is that in amongst all the corporate madness he has managed to remain impressively grounded and that comes across in our chat. Derrick has three passions which are key to him keeping his feet on the ground the first of which is his family. He was born in 1969 and grew up in Belfast during ‘The Troubles' which he reflects on in a typically thoughtful and moving way. For the past 15 years home has been in Edinburgh where he lives with his wife and their two boys Conner and Joe. His eldest boy Jamie got married last week and his daughter Lucy lives in London and works in I.T. The second passion, as you will hear is music and at festivals like Download that is shared with Connor and Joe. His final passion is running, and he is well on the way to completing the ‘Big 6' Marathons and getting his ‘Six Star Finisher Medal'. Music and Playlists are clearly an important part of his running regime hence the title of the episode. Derrick's song selections are: 70's      I've Got A Feeling                                      The Beatles80's      Alive And Kicking                                       Simple Minds90's      Paranoid Android                                      Radiohead00's      I Predict A Riot                                            Kaiser Chiefs10's      X-Ray Visons                                               Clutch20's      Mr. Motivator                                               Idles Enjoy

My guest in this episode is Lynn Asher ( www.lynnasher.com ) who was introduced to Music Talks by a recent guest Paul Webb (Ep 92).  Lynn is a native of Portland Maine but she had a childhood dream to move to California. It took some time to fulfil her dream but this year Lynn celebrates 30 years living in California and her musical career spans a similar timescale. Despite being a ‘late bloomer' Lynn has performed and recorded with many big names in the music business including:·       Big Brother & The Holding Company·       Jerry Harrison - Talking Heads, ·       Bob Weir- Grateful Dead ·       Narada Michael Walden - Producer - Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand. Drummer for Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jeff Beck, Aretha Franklin, & Journey. Lynn writes her own original material, one of which is the song choice for the 2000's and was also the assistant to Tracy Chapman for a time. As you will hear at the start of the episode there was also a live appearance with a big musical hero of mine ……In 2009, Lynn became a vocal coach and it has become a real passion, particularly working with young singers, one of which provides her song choice for the 2020's (www.annaharrell.net )Lynn's story is a great musical journey but there is also a personal journey and adversity to be dealt with. In Lynn's case this was dealing with Breast Cancer on three occasions, and I hope you find her insight into how she thought and dealt with that as inspirational as I did. Lynn's song choices are. 60's -    Hey Jude                                                        - The Beatles70's -    You Should Be Dancing                         - Bee Gees80's -    You Can Sleep While I Drive               - Melissa Etheridge90's -    Why                                                                   - Annie Lennox00's -    Now That You're Gone                           - Lynn Asher10's -    Freedom                                                         - (From ‘Django Unchained') 20's -    Night Light                                                    - Anna HarrellIf you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode is Claire Sanderson who was introduced to the show by an early guest and now a dear friend, Ian Braisby. Claire was born and grew up in Cornwall with her parents and two elder brothers. She describes her childhood as being ‘surrounded by all types of music' and that breadth is reflected in her song choices and the much longer list she sent to me. Her song choices are: 80's      I Should Be So Lucky                                                             Kylie Minogue 90's      I'll Do Anything For Love (But I Wont Do That)    Meat Loaf00's      Song For The Road                                                                 David Ford10's      F**kin' Perfect                                                                           Pink20's      I'll See You In My Dreams                                                   Bruce Springsteen  At 18 Claire moved to Cardiff to study Music at the University and has had the good sense to stay in the city ever since. By day she is a Civil Servant, but flexible working enables her to follow her passion for music as a serious amateur musician who plays in an orchestra and sings in a choir. She also recently started doing on-line talks about music which you can find at https://events.restless.co.uk/event-calendar/?categories=musicMusic has been a constant in Claire's life, and it has provided both comfort and joy. But she also talks very openly about the challenges she faced in studying and playing at the highest level and there are great lessons for all of us in that story. A recent convert to the delights of Bruce Frederick Springsteen the episode closes with a poignant song choice from his most recent album ‘Letter To You' and a Music Talks first where we play two versions of the same song ! Enjoy

My guest in this episode is Mark Dempsey who comes to Music Talks via my dear friend Jesse Jackson at the great Podcast ‘SetLustingBruce'. Like all Springsteen fans Mark is passionate about Bruce's music but the joy of this episode is how much passion Mark has for all his song choices. If any of them are new to you I'm certain you will be seeking them out after having heard Mark talk about them and they are great choices: 70's -     Three Steps To Heaven                  Showaddywaddy80's -     Dancing In The Dark                       Bruce Springsteen90's -     Polaroids                                                Shawn Colvin00's -     Stuck Between Stations               The Hold Steady10's -     The Ceiling                                            The Wild Feathers20's -     No Mercy                                               Nils LofgrenBristol born and bred Mark celebrated his 50th birthday at the end of 2023 and so doing Music Talks was a good opportunity to look back and reflect. He has lived most of his life in the South West of England but for five years between 2011 and 2016 he and his wife Catherine lived in Toronto. With the same passion and enthusiasm he shows for music, Mark talks us through the delight of moving from ‘sleepy Wiltshire' to the most multicultural and multiracial city in the world. As you would expect that experience also informs his song choice for the 2010's.In 94 episodes of Music Talks there have been many great stories, but Mark's closing story in ‘Final Thoughts' is one of my absolute favourites. It's also where the title of the episode comes from but that's all im going to say ……….Enjoy

This time of year isn't just the season of goodwill it's also the season of “Best Of” lists and it's part of the musical year that I love.  It's always good to know that things you like are also enjoyed by others but the real joy for me is gaining new insight into albums I've enjoyed or discovering albums that I have missed.  My hope is that this episode will do some of that for you.  As in previous years I am joined by my Podcast pal Steven Routledge and we both talk through our Top 10 albums and play a short clip from each of them.  In this Part 2 we each count down from 5 to 1 and reveal our ‘Album of the Year '‘Chapter Markers' contains full details of songs/artists/albums and there is a summary list below. You can also use 'Chapter markers ' to play individual choices if you wish.  Steven's Album Choices: 5 – ‘Nothing Lasts Forever'             - Teenage Fanclub 4 – ‘Rat Saw God'                                  - Wednesday3 – ‘The Ballad of Darren'                 - Blur 2 – ‘It All Began With Loneliness' - The Anchoret1 – Roll Up A” Song                                - Gonzalez Smith  My Album Choices:5 – ‘IDES'                                                     - King Creosote4 – ‘Joy'All'                                                  -Jenny Lewis3 – ‘Strays'                                                   - Margo Price 2 – The Great White Sea Eagle       - James Yorkston/Nina Persson/ The Second Hand Orchestra1 – ‘The Candle and the Flame'      - Robert Forster Please do let me know what you think of these choices and particularly if there is new music you like. You can do that by emailing me at musictalkspod@outlook.com , I really look forward to hearing from you.   Wishing you a very Happy New Year and lets hope 2024 is another great year for music. Music Talks will be back with the first episode of the New Year on Thursday February 1st, 2024. If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

This time of year isn't just the season of goodwill it's also the season of “Best Of” lists and it's part of the musical year that I love.It's always good to know that things you like are also enjoyed by others but the real joy for me is gaining new insight into albums I've enjoyed or discovering albums that I have missed.My hope is that this episode will do some of that for you.As in previous years I am joined by my Podcast pal Steven Routledge and we both talk through our Top 10 albums and play a short clip from each of them.In this part we count down from 10 to 5 and in Part 2 (released on 28/12/23) we go from 5 to 1. 'Chapter Markers' contains full details of songs/artists/albums and there is a summary list below. You can also use 'Chapter markers ' to play individual choices  if you wish.Steven's Album Choices: 10 - 'Stone' by BARONESS   9 - 'In Between Thoughts ...A New World' by Rodrigo y Gabriela   8 - 'The Storm Rages On by James McKeiver & The Starry Sky Band    7 - 'Bird Machine' by Sparklehorse   6 - 'Oromet' by OrometMy Album Choices:10 - 'Black Bay' by Silver Moth   9 - 'Folded Landscapes' by Erland Cooper & the Scottish Ensemble    8 - 'My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross' by Anohni & The Johnsons   7 - 'First Two Pages of Frankenstein' by The National     6 - 'Every Acre' by H.C. McEntire  Please do let me know what you think of these choices and particularly if there is new music you like. You can do that by emailing me at musictalkspod@outlook.com , I really look forward to hearing from you. Have a great Christmas and here's to 2024 being another great year for music. If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode is award winning author and playwright Gabriel Bergmoser. Gabriel is one of my youngest guests at 32 but, as you will hear, he has packed a lot into those years and he describes himself as ‘crime author, playwright, podcaster, actor, dog lover and massive Springsteen fan'. He was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia when he was a few months old and that has been home over since. He now lives in Melbourne but does a great job of painting a picture of what growing up in rural Australia was like for a creative, non-sporty boy who was an aggressively average student (his phrase not mine!) A visit to the cinema to see ‘The Fellowship of the Ring' lit his creative spark and it has stayed with him ever since. A quick glance at his Wiki page (Gabriel Bergmoser - Wikipedia) will show how prodigious and successful he has been over the past 10 years. Highlights include winning the Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award in 2015 and four years later signing a two-book deal with Harper Collins. The first of the books was ‘The Hunted' which was a worldwide success and resulted in a book deal with Faber in the UK and a subsequent film deal. Despite all that success Gabriel is clear eyed about the reality of being a creative in 2023 and the fact that there will always be ups and downs whoever you are. Similarly, he delivers a strong message about hard work and application being more important than talent and the need at times to ‘Just Do It'. As you would expect he tells a great story around each of his song selection which were: 90's        Kiss Me                                Sixpence None the Richer00's        Mr. Brightside                  The Killers10's        Unbelievers                       Vampire Weekend20's        Dorothea                            Taylor SwiftIf you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode is Paul Webb who comes to the show via an introduction from a previous guest Nick Sheppard (Ep.53) – Many thanks Nick. Paul is a self-confessed ‘Music Talks Junkie' and I love the fact that he listens to the episodes on his journey to and from Fly Fishing. Originally from the UK he's lived in the U.S for over 30 years and now has the joy of living in Bend, Oregon which I am very jealous of having had a couple of delightful holidays there and at one point we seriously considered retiring there. Music is a clear passion for Paul, both listening but also playing guitar. He describes himself disparagingly as ‘a hack' but I hardly think that's fair particularly given he's a left hander who plays right-handed. His musical passion is complemented by several others including:·        Family – his wife Talley and their two children Ellis & Dylan.·        Climbing – Paul shares several fun, inspirational stories about climbing as well as one about climbing the Royal Arches in Yosemite and almost not making it down. ·        Cycling – with three friends he did The Race Across America, which is 3200 miles in 7 days. This was the inspiration for one of his song choices and the title of the episode. He also shares openly and movingly about the challenges his son Ellis faced with addiction and how he came very close to death. I'm delighted to say that Ellis is now well into his recovery and in Paul's own words is thriving. Paul finishes his song selections with a performance of an original song by himself and his younger child Dylan. There's a great story behind it and the performance is just exquisite. Paul's song selections are: 60's -     Moon River                                                                   Audrey Hepburn70's -     Carillon                                                                            Sky80's -     Love Is A Stranger                                                     Eurythmics90's -     Signe                                                                                 Eric Clapton00's -     Fix You                                                                             Coldplay10's -     Catch & Release (Deepend Remix)                 Matt Summers20's -     Made It Out of Clay                                                  Dylan Webb If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode is Giorgos Gavriil who generously allowed me to use his English name of ‘George' through our chat. Born in 1975 in the port city of Piraeus in Greater Athens, George continues to live in Greece but has moved to the mountains from the sea where he lives with wife and his two young children.He was a late bloomer in terms of music but when things clicked in his late teens there was no looking back. He describes himself as ‘compulsive' and ‘obsessive' and this has driven a lifelong passion that's produced a deep love and an encyclopaedic knowledge of popular music. In recent years those same characteristics have driven his learning to play guitar which he impressively practices an hour a day! George was good enough to provide me with his list of 101 Favourite Albums and it makes for fascinating reading.  We tale about some of those albums during the episode but if anyone would like to see the full list, please email me at musictalkspod@outlook.comThere is a strong theme of passion and emotion that runs through all of George's song selections and it's a list I really love. His song selections were: 70's        Mind Power                                                                   James Brown80's        Tango Till They're Sore                                            Tom Waits90's        Love You Should've Come Over                         Jeff Buckley 00's        A Thousand Kisses Deep                                        Leonard Cohen 10's        Conversation 16                                                          The National20's        Love Is The Main Thing                                             Fontaines D.C. Enjoy :-) If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode is Craig Colby, a master storyteller with a successful 30-year award winning career in television working for The Sports Network and the Discovery Channel amongst others. In 2017, the opportunity of losing his job presented itself and he set up his own story telling company Colbyvision. He now spends his time helping production companies broadcasters and business owners make top-notch programs & tell their stories.  He also has one of my favourite Lockdown stories. Craig connected with people over Facebook by wearing a different hat each day for 125 days and people then shared their hats in the comments. At the behest of his mother this then became his first book ‘ALL CAPS: Stories That Justify an Outrageous Hat Collection' which won the Non-Fiction Category at The Canadian Book Awards in 2022. Craig comes to Music Talks via my dear friend Jesse Jackson from the Set Lusting Bruce Podcast. Jesse's intro mail included the great line ‘Craig's book is Music Talks with hats!' – how could I resist. The book is available on Amazon but if you are in the UK and want a physical copy it currently ships from the U.S. but believe me its worth the wait! It's no surprise that Craig has a compelling story to tell with lots of great insights and observations. He also put a lot of work into making song selections that have a personal connection but also have a connection to what was going on in the wider world.  Craig's song selections were: 60's      -           Love Child                                         -           Diana Ross & The Supremes 70's      -           Don't Take Away The Music   -           Tavares80's      -           Modern Love                                   -           David Bowie90's      -           Fumbling Towards Ectasy        -           Sarah McLachlan00's      -           Lonesome Day                                -           Bruce Springsteen10's      -           Tightrope                                           -           Janelle Monae20's      -           As It Was                                             -           Harry Styles Enjoy :-)If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode is Marian Jago, Senior Lecturer in Popular Music and Jazz Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Marian comes to Music Talks through the miracle and wonder of social media and a shared love of the music of Bruce Springsteen. I saw a post in a fan group on Facebook that said, ‘my course on Bruce Springsteen' and that was Marian. We got into a dialogue and to my amazement she was teaching her course ‘Three Minute Records' at my local university in Edinburgh.  Inevitably we talk about Bruce and the course, but we cover a lot more ground than that in this episode.Prior to becoming an academic Marian was a Producer of Live Concerts and Events before dedicating herself to becoming a Jazz Saxophonist. It's a remarkable story of commitment and determination where she gets to meet, and is consistently helped by, a host of jazz luminaries from Canada and the US, and this culminates in Lee Konitz the composer and saxophonist being her tutor for eight years. Like many people I have a very romantic view of the life of a professional musician and Marian does a great job of painting a picture of the harsh reality whilst also saying ‘this was the happiest time of my life'. Though now living in Edinburgh Marian is Canadian and that is a theme that runs through our conversation and not just in terms of some of her choices. Regarding choices Marian is transparent about her dislike of rules and authority and so she submitted two sets of song choices to me for the episode – ‘The Rule Abiding List' and ‘The Alternative List'. You will need to listen to get the full story but here is the ‘Rule Abiding List'. 70's - Another Brick in The Wall  -               Pink Floyd80's - Down in The Bottom              -               Colin James90's - The Obvious Child                   -               Paul Simon 00's - It's Alright with Me                  -               Murley-Bickert-Wallace  10's - At Transformation                    -               The Tragically Hip 20's – If I Was The Priest                    -               Bruce Springsteen Outro – Welcome to Hard Times  -               Charley Crockett Enjoy

My guest in this episode is Brian MacKay who was introduced to Music Talks by Roy Sharples my guest in Episode 61. (Thanks Roy!) Bryan is just 50 and works in a third sector charity.  He lives in Peterhead, a large fishing port in Aberdeenshire, with his wife, 4 children and a Cockapoo acquired during Covid. Like me Bryan is the youngest in his family but in his case, he had three older sisters and on his own admittance was spoilt rotten as a child. Since 2015 he has been a keen runner and next month, he will run his first Marathon and an Ultra Marathon is the eventual goal. That sort of commitment and determination can also be seen in Bryan's obsessive love of bands and music, and he has some great stories to tell, including how Lana Del ray made him late for work.!. His musical taste is genuinely wide ranging, and I can't wait to pull together the Playlist for this episode as he touched on so many great artists in our chat. Bryan's song choices are: 70's -     Please Mr. Postman -                                  Carpenters80's -     Waterfall -                                                        The Stone Roses90's -     Dead Flag Blues -                                         Godspeed You! Black Emperor    00's -     Slow Show                                                       The National10's -     Video Games                                                  Lana Del Rey 20's -     Death Is Not The End                                Embrace                                                           If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode is Henrik Johnson, who is my first guest from Sweden. Henrik was born and grew up in a small town called Karlskoga which is between Stockholm and Oslo. Whilst not ‘desperate to get out ‘he left Karlskoga at the first opportunity and has subsequently lived & worked on three continents including stints in Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Greece. For the past 20 years home has been Southern California where he lives today in Newport Beach with his wife Lisa and their 6-year-old daughter Sarah. Henrik's story is one of grabbing opportunities when they come up (even if it takes you to a war zone) , making what you enjoy your guiding light and recognising that necessity is the mother of invention.  It also contains a brilliantly romantic story of him, very uncharacteristically, inviting Lisa his wife on a sailing holiday in the Caribbean after their first date! Like many of my guests Henrik shares a twin passion for music and technology and you can see this running through his music choices. Not surprisingly though he starts with Abba and the delights of Eurovision, and because of the brilliant story above I made an exception and allowed Henrik to choose his first dance song at his wedding for the 2010's His song choices are: 70's        Waterloo                                                              Abba80's        Just Can't Get Enough                                  Depeche Mode90's        Friday I'm In Love                                             The Cure00's        Nothing But You (PvD Radio Mix)          Paul Van Dyk 10's        What A Wonderful World                           Louis Armstrong 20's        You Are                                                                   Gareth Emery                                                  If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest on this episode is Christina Boubalou who comes to the show via an introduction from a previous guest Roy Sharples (Ep.61). Thanks for the intro Roy, and your continued support. I'm delighted to say that Christina is my first guest from Greece, and she is a true Athenian. She has lived there all her life and continues to live there today along with her husband who was her best friend in high school! Christina always thought she would become a chemist but through a set of happy accidents she started her working career in 1997 in the music industry with Virgin Records. She later moved into Marketing & PR in the corporate world but describes her time in the music industry as ‘the best job I ever had'. In her own words she has always been ‘obsessed with music' and on numerous occasions it has been her ‘saviour and salvation'. She talks fondly about the challenges of getting to hear music and see live shows in Greece and for me that was a timely reminder of how spoiled we were musically growing up in the UK or the US. At the end of the day though music lovers will always find a way. Whilst I wasn't aware when Roy made the introduction Christina is also a big fan of Springsteen and on July 23rd she will be in Munich for the first time to see him live, I just wish I could be there with her

My guest in this episode is friend and colleague Mike Palmer. A Middlesborough lad, Mike moved to Manchester in 1984 to study Computing at UMIST where his degree supervisor was Bernard Richards, one of Alan Turing's last students. Mike has never left the Northwest and he and his family have become committed ‘Mancophiles', not least because of the great environment the city provides for music and the arts.Mike is a passionate music lover but it's words that really impact him and as per the title of the episode on occasions make him cry. Similarly, recorded music is great but for him it's all about the live performance. He inherited this love from his parents (who met Ella Fitzgerald!) and he and his wife Gerri have passed that on to his two daughters Emily and Anna.Consequently, each of his song choices are from bands he has seen live. Mike has a wealth of great stories including: ·         The Clash at Manchester Apollo in 1981·         Bowie at Murrayfield in 1983 on the Let's Dance Tour ·         The Smiths at Middlesborough Town Hall Crypt in 1984·         Chatting with Michael Stipe at Leeds Warehouse in 1984 ·         Asking Don Letts to move out of his seat at a Big Audio Dynamite gig in 1986·         Radiohead at Glastonbury in 1997·         The XX at a secret venue under Victoria Station with 60 people in 2013·         The joy of attending Green Man every year with about 20 family and friendsMike's song choices are: 70's        (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais         The Clash80's        New England                                                             Billy Bragg90's        Fake Plastic Trees                                                   Radiohead00's        One Day Like This                                                   Elbow10's        Make Me Feel                                                           Janelle Monae 20's        The 345                                                                         Self Esteem If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode is author, speaker & entrepreneur, Penny Power, OBE. I first met Penny in the late 90's when she had just started the first Social Network, Ecademy with the declared aim of helping business people achieve success through online tools, community, and friendship. At that time there were a lot of people talking about online tools but very few talking about community, friendship and love , all of which have permeated Penny's work throughout her career. The intro to her 2018 book ‘Business is Personal' says ‘Penny has poured her heart into this book, and it is incredibly revealing' and I feel very privileged that she did the same in our conversation. It would be easy for Penny to paint a rose-tinted picture of the journey she has been on, and she is the first to say she has much to be grateful for. But alongside that, life has thrown up some massive challenges, awful luck, and real tragedy. Penny takes us through both sides of that story in the open, honest, and authentic way that is her trademark and I find it genuinely inspirational. I always tell my guests:  ‘it's completely up to you how you want to approach the episode and the story you want to tell. All episodes are a mix of music nerdery and life story but the balance between them is different for each guest/episode which is one of the joys for me. This is an episode that is more focussed on the life story, but Penny's song choices enhance her story so much and I would be surprised if you don't choke up to at least one of them (and I'm very glad I allowed Penny two songs from the same artist) Her song choices are: 60's        Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da                                    The Beatles 70's        Solitaire                                                                Carpenters80's        One Moment in Time                                   Whitney Houston90's        Get There                                                            Oleta Adams00's        I Didn't Know My Own Strength           Whitney Houston10's        Just the Way You Are                                   Bruno Mars20's        The Rose                                                              Bette MidlerIf you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode has two names! In his day to day life he is Noury Bernard-Hasan , or in true rock star style simply ‘Noury' to anyone who knows him.  However, for the last 15+ years he has also been a semi-professional Blues musician and he performs under the name of ‘Son Jack Jr'.  Born in 1962, shortly after his parents emigrated to England from India, Noury grew up around West Kensington and the Hammersmith Road. His love of music started at an early age when he was given his first guitar by Manny Elias who went on to be the drummer with Tears for Fears in their heyday. Noury was not a fan of Progressive Rock or Disco and in 1973 the film American Graffiti resulted in in a dalliance with playing Rock & Roll over the next couple of years. But all that changed on his 15th Birthday (7/02/77) when he went to The Nashville Room and saw a band he'd never heard of – The Jam! The world was never the same for Noury after that night and subsequently he was in a band who released an album and were well known on ‘the London Scene'. As is so often the case though the band eventually petered out and in the early 80's, encouraged by his girlfriend at the time, Noury enrolled on a programming course convincing himself this was another creative outlet. Cobol and writing Capex systems for Hertz didn't initially deliver against that brief but it did lead to a successful 30-year career with Microsoft and then Amazon from which he recently retired at the end of last year. Whilst working for Microsoft he moved to Seattle in 1997 which reignited his interest in music and resulted in a massive life change. In the city of grunge Noury developed an interest and then a deep passion for the Blues which kick-started his semi pro career as Son Jack Jr. His passion for the Blues comes across loud and clear in this episode and I for one learnt a lot. It's also great to hear him talk how he got to support Charlie Musselwhite and Chuck Berry amongst others. Noury moved back to the UK in the summer of 2020 with his wife and their 17-year-old daughter and in December of last year he announced his retirement from corporate life. Which of course leaves a lot more time for music. A new band is being put together as we speak, and I can't wait to see them live. I hope you enjoy our conversation half as much as I did. If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode is renowned UK illustrator Ian Wright. His work as a commercial illustrator has spanned four decades, starting with his illustrative cover of The Undertones' Teenage Kicks 7” single in the late 1970s, progressing with his illustrative artwork in The Face magazine in their 1980s heyday and his famous weekly black and white portraits for the New Musical Express (NME).Ian's subsequent work has involved collaboration with many famous names and brands including Issy Miyake, Givenchy and portraits of Sun Ra, Motorhead and Grandmaster Flash. In a delightfully wide-ranging chat, in both musical choices and subject matter, amongst other things we talk about: ·        Ian's love of Radio, initially inspired by his dad ‘streaming' Radio Luxembourg into his bedroom on a Friday night ·        The life-changing impact of Hendrix's appearance on the Happening for Lulu         show in January 1969 ·        The influence of Bob Harris and John Peel·        Developing a passion for Reggae in the 70's that continues to this day ·        What is was like orking on NME & The Face in the 80's ·        Pete Townsend making him a coffee (Ian doesn't drink coffee) ·        Moving to New York in the 00's & working to a soundtrack of the (then unreleased) Beatles Remasters ·        Coming full circle and in March last year getting his own Radio show on Charlie Bones Do!! You!! Radio (https://doyouworld/) Ian's song choices are appropriately wide ranging and were: 50's      Summertime                             Ella Fitzgerald. Louis Armstrong       60's      If 6 Was 9                                    The Jimi Hendrix Experience70's      Dub With A Difference       Harry Mudie 80's      Kalimankou Denkou              The Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir90's      All Is Full Of Love                      Bjork00's      King In My Empire                    Rhythm & Sound10's      Rock The Machine                    Lisa O'Neill 20's      Time Is Precious                         SAULT             If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

This time of year isn't just the season of goodwill it's also the season of “Best Of” lists and it's part of the musical year that I love.It's always good to know that things you like are also enjoyed by others but the real joy for me is gaining new insight into albums I've enjoyed or discovering albums that I have missed.My hope is that this episode will do some of that for you.As in previous years I am joined by my Podcast pal Steven Routledge and we both talk through our Top 10 albums and play a short clip from each of them.In this part we count down from 5 to 1 and reveal our personal Favourite Album of the year. You can use 'Chapter Markers' to see our choices (they are shown as artist & album) and also listen to individual choices if you wish.You can also hear the full versions of the clips we played at:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2DYWpMMNT0lovGTEgPyOOq?si=b287b1928ec346f8I'm afraid this requires a cut & pasteFinally please do let me know what you think of these choices and particularly if there is new music you like. You can do that by emailing me at musictalkspod@outlook.com , I really look forward to hearing from you. Happy New Year to you and lets hope 2023 will be another great year for music.If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

This time of year isn't just the season of goodwill it's also the season of “Best Of” lists and it's part of the musical year that I love. It's always good to know that things you like are also enjoyed by others but the real joy for me is gaining new insight into albums I've enjoyed or discovering albums that I have missed. My hope is that this episode will do some of that for you. As in previous years I am joined by my Podcast pal Steven Routledge and we both talk through our Top 10 albums and play a short clip from each of them. In this part we count down from 10 to 5 and in Part 2 (released on 29/12/22) we go from 5 to 1. You can use 'Chapter Markers' to see our choices (they are shown as artist & album) and also listen to individual choices if you wish. Please do let me know what you think of these choices and particularly if there is new music you like. You can do that by emailing me at musictalkspod@outlook.com , I really look forward to hearing from you. Have a great Christmas and here's to 2023 being another great year for music. If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

This is part 2 of my chat with Dermot McCormack which was an absolute delight to do and so much fun. As was the case in Pt.1 the episode has some great music choices and a wealth of fantastic stories including Dermot : Running the Digital business at MTV Breaking the world record for most concerts in 24 hours with The Flaming Lips Almost becoming CEO of Fender Guitars Getting 1 million concurrent users on a live stream Meeting Elvis Costello and so many more! Dermot's song choices were: The 00's - Do You Realize - The Flaming Lips The 10's - Give Me Everything - Pitbull, Neyo, Afrojack, Nayer The 20's - Fairytale of New York - The Pogues with Kirsty McColl And with that final song selection all that is left to say is "Happy Christmas" If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode is Dermot McCormack. Given his name it will be no surprise to hear that Dermot was born in Dublin in 1969 and grew up in the working-class area of Ballyfermot in the city. In the early 90's, after a formative year in France and a summer spent in the US, he emigrated to the US which is still home to him today. For a long time, he lived in New York, but he recently moved with his wife Donna to the sunshine and sand of Manhattan Beach in California. Whilst his degree was in Electrical Engineering, he has spent his working life at the intersection of Technology, Music, Content & Entertainment. He has worked at several major companies including Viacom, AOL & MTV and highlights for me include him being part of the team that produced Rock Band Beatles Edition, powering all the music in Tesla's and owning a Podcast company! Like all my guests Dermot has a deep love of music and wide-ranging tastes, with Tom Waits, Ska and a certain Irish band called U2 being deep favourites. Whatever your views on U2 I challenge you not to be moved and inspired by Dermot's story of walking 10 minutes from home in 1983 to see U2 at Phoenix Park and 17 years later having dinner with Bono where he was given the nickname ‘Digital Dermot from Dublin'. Dermot's song choices in this Part. 1 episode are: 60's       Here Comes The Sun                                                          The Beatles 70's       I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You               Tom Waits 80's       Ghost Town                                                                               The Specials 90's       One                                                                                                 U2 Enjoy :-)If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

This is Part 2 of my Music Talks chat with Geoff Sutton.If you enjoyed Part 1 you will be delighted to hear that the stories and music just ‘keep on coming' (as they used to say on the radio!) In this episode Geoff talks about a whole host of things including:  ·         His time at The Daily Mirror, The Sunday Express and Today ·         Visiting Cuba ·         Becoming a father to his two children Helen and Daniel ·         Joining Microsoft in 1996 to launch MSN News & start of an 18-year journey ·         Almost being sacked by Bill Gates because of the ‘ iLoo Project' ·         Working on the People's Vote Campaign ·         Learning to play the Saxophone in Lockdown ·         Becoming a Powerboat Skipper His Music choices are: 90's - Chan Chan                               Buena Vista Social Club 00's – All Fall Down                         Kanye West, Syleena Johnson 10's – Waiting All Night                 Rudimental (Ft. Ella Eyre) 20's – Betty et Zorg                         Gabriel Yared Enjoy :-)If you would like to be on the show then please contact me at musictalkspod@outlook.com Please follow and like Music Talks on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspod . You can also find me on Twitter @musictalkspod .

My guest in this episode is Geoff Sutton. The stereotype of a Microsoft employee is a Computer Sciences nerd in a check shirt and chinos. Whilst they do exist Geoff is a great example of the diversity of background and experience that existed in the company as was my previous guest Neil Jordan (7 years as a Choirister at Windsor Castle) and indeed myself with my English Lit Degree (specialist subjects - Anglo-Saxon Poetry and Medieval Mystery Plays) Geoff joined Microsoft in 1996 to set up MSN News after 16 years as a journalist, including spells at the Daily Mail, Today, Sunday Express and Daily Mirror. It's no surprise then that he has a raft of stories and in this episode, we hear hilarious and fascinating stories about his time on Mail Showbiz including: ·       Running with Madonna ·       Being a waiter at Bill Wyman's Wedding ·       A one-off appearance as Elvis on the West End Stage·       Motivating Boy George to kick his heroin addiction ·       Princess Di and Fergie pretending to be WPCs at Annabel's He then moved over to News and had the challenging experience of covering three major tragedies in the UK in 87/88 namely the King's Cross Fire, the explosion and sinking of the Piper Alpha Oil Platform and Lockerbie Terrorist Attack. Born in Hackney but today Geoff lives in Bermondsey with his wife Asli and he has two grown-up children Helen and Daniel. He is a lifelong Arsenal fan, and he describes his early teens as being all about “Football and Music'. His passion for both continues to shine through and that includes learning to play the Saxophone in lock down (but more on that in Part 2!) . His song choices in this episode are: 60's – Three Coins in The Fountain          Frank Sinatra70's – No Action                                                   Elvis Costello80's – Club Tropicana                                        Wham Enjoy

Neil is a 30-year I.T. veteran, the last 23 years of which have been spent at Microsoft where today he is the WW General Manager for Retail & Health Innovation. Born in Bristol he now lives in Kirkland, WA with his wife Ciara and their three young children Oliver, Archie and Ophelia, and their cat Boris. Despite a love of technology, that started at a young age, Neil's story at its core is a musical one and he describes himself as having a lifelong ‘addiction' to music, whether that be listening, playing, or singing. During our chat he describes the impact of music on himself in numerous ways including ‘soothing, stimulating,  solace, a release, healing and of course magic'. Some of his performance highlights include: ·       As a teenager being in a 6 piece Acapella group, ‘Ok Chorale' who performed at the BBC, made records, & won an award at the Edinburgh Fringe·         Getting a Choral Scholarship at Trinity College Cambridge and travelling all over the world performing at the highest level·         Being a Tenor Lay Clark at St. George's Windsor Castle and singing in the chapel each day ·         Singing the Tenor Solo at the Queen's 70th Birthday celebration and having a ‘nice chat' with her afterwards·         Getting a chance side-gig with the Seattle Opera that he thought was for one show (Tosca) which lasted for nine years. He also talks very honestly about having to leave the role in Windsor Castle due to the breakdown in his singing voice and facing the challenge of vocal nodules in recent years. Neil is a real student of music and I guarantee you will learn something from our chat.  I am also pretty sure it will be the only time you will hear the phrase ‘crazy enharmonic chord progression' on Music Talks. Neil's song selections were 60's        Good Vibrations                               The Beach Boys 70's        More Than A Feeling                      Boston80's        He Knows You Know                      Marillion90's        Something To Save                          George Michael 00's        Just Listen                                            Ocean Lab10's        Ophelia                                                  The Lumineers20's        Happiness Is Easy                            Talk Talk Enjoy

My guest in this episode is Michael Elliott a DJ, radio exec, writer and a man who has overcome a lot of adversity to get to a better place today.He lives in Raleigh NC and is a southerner born and bred with all the challenges and contradictions that brings. An only child he was born with cataracts in both eyes and was partially blind until the age of 50. He grew up surrounded by a music loving family and imagination and creativity were his best friends. He developed an interest in radio at an early age and used to sit in on the morning show at his local station which led to a career of almost 30 years in radio, spanning being a live DJ through to senior management. In 2012, after long term challenges with alcohol he found sobriety which continues to this day despite several subsequent life changing challenges.During this period, he also met the love of his life Liz who he is now happily married to. Liz encouraged him to pursue his passion for music and writing and he is now a contributor to the pioneering roots music authority No Depression and his writing has also appeared in PopMatters, Americana UK, Albumism, and The Bitter Southerner.He has interviewed and produced profiles on musicians as diverse as Isaac Hayes, Charlie Daniels, Little Richard, Kurt Vile and Daniel Lanois. In September 2021 he published the critically acclaimed biography of John Hiatt entitled “Have A Little Faith' with a foreword by Elvis Costello.  Do please look at Michael's website https://michael-elliott.com/ where you will find numerous plaudits for his book from people such as Bonnie Raitt, Rosanne Cash and Rodney Crowell. Michael's song choices were:·         70's -     East Bound and Down                                   Jerry Reed ·         80's -     Sweetheart Like You                                       Bob Dylan·         90's -     Buffalo River Home                                         John Hiatt·         00's -     Get Ur Freak On                                                Missy Elliott·         10's -     Drunk In Love                                                    Beyonce (feat. Jay-Z) ·         20's -     I Don't Live Here Anymore                           The War on Drugs (feat. Lucius) Enjoy ! 

This is Part 2 of my chat with Ian Rogers .There were simply too many good stories to keep this to a single episode .Ian , in his own words: Is a skateboarder from Northern Indiana Has been a record collector since the age of 5Started programming a few years later Became a father at 17 and a grandfather at 50 Dropped out of Grad School in 1995 to go on tour with Beastie Boys Spent 20 years building digital music with Winamp, Yahoo!, Beats, & then Apple Music. Moved to Paris in 2015 to start a new career as Chief Digital Officer at LVMH Became, in Jan 2021, the Chief Experience Officer at Ledger where he's leveraging all this experience and getting to grips  with the new world of digital assets In addition to Beastie Boys, Ian has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry including amongst others  The Pixies, Paul McCartney David Byrne, Brian Eno, Kanye West, Dr.Dre, Jimmy Iovine, and Trent Reznor,A self-declared obsessive his music knowledge and taste is both wide and very deep, with ‘challenging' being his go to choice although Joni Mitchell and Sade do creep in to his listening habits as well. Enjoy! 

My guest in this episode is Ian Rogers who (in his own words): Is a skateboarder from Northern Indiana Has been a record collector since the age of 5Started programming a few years later Became a father at 17 and a grandfather at 50 Dropped out of Grad School in 1995 to go on tour with Beastie Boys Spent 20 years building digital music with Winamp, Yahoo!, Beats, & then Apple Music. Moved to Paris in 2015 to start a new career as Chief Digital Officer at LVMH Became, in Jan 2021, the Chief Experience Officer at Ledger where he's leveraging all this experience and getting to grips  with the new world of digital assets In addition to Beastie Boys, Ian has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry including Dr.Dre, Jimmy Iovine and Trent Reznor. A self-declared obsessive his music knowledge and taste is both wide and very deep, with ‘challenging' being his go to choice although Joni Mitchell and Sade do creep in as well. There were too many good stories to keep this to a single episode, so this is Part 1 with Part 2 to follow in a week Enjoy! 

A MILESTONE COMPILATION Recently Music Talks has passed several significant milestones:   ·        It's Third Anniversary ·        20,000 downloads ·        500 Followers on Facebook ·        75 EpisodesI have done celebratory episodes at 25 and 50 episodes, and this felt like a good opportunity to look back over the past year and choose some of my favourite moments. I have chosen a different guest for each decade, and I believe these clips show the mix of music nerdery and great life stories that the show has become. I'm hoping it will also function as a nice introduction for potential guests to get a feel for what they have signed up for

My guest in this episode is Jeff Smith, MP. A recent press article highlighted that the number of ‘career politicians' in Westminster who have never had what most of us would recognise as ‘a proper job'. It also said working class politicians were ‘an endangered species. I'm delighted to say that Jeff bucks both of those trends. Whilst Jeff grew up in a political household and studied  Politics at Manchester University  being an MP was never in the plan, as can be seen by his subsequent career choice.  After graduation he became the Entertainments Officer for Manchester Students Union which led on to a career as an event manager and DJ. He performed  regularly at V Festival and numerous club nights including  Poptastic in Manchester and Star in Leeds. He had lived almost all his life in Manchester and in 1997 he started to combine his DJ work with being a member of Manchester City Council. This eventually led in 2015 to an unexpected opportunity to become the MP for his ‘home seat' of Withington in Manchester and he successfully regained the seat for Labour (from the Liberal Democrats). Last December, he was appointed as Shadow Minister for Sport, Tourism, Heritage and Music, a role for which he is clearly uniquely qualified. Jeff's musical tastes and choices are as interesting as his CV. Like me he is a Springsteen devotee, and he gets a special Music Talks Award for choosing my favourite ever song – Thunder Road . His song choices are:60's       All My Loving                                                                                         The Beatles 70's       Thunder Road                                                                                        Bruce Springsteen 80's       What Difference Does It Make?                                                 The Smiths 90's       12 Reasons Why I Love Her                                                           My Life Story00's       Grey Day (Paper Faces Mix)                                                          Zoot Woman10's       Love Song                                                                                                   Lana Del Rey20's       I've Got You Under My Skin                                                            Frank Sinatra

My guest in this episode is Randy Brown who is another introduction from my dear friend Jesse Jackson at the Set Lusting Bruce Podcast. Randy has two major passions in his life, Basketball and Music. The former was his career for over 20 years and is the reason for the title of the episode as he was a College Basketball Coach at seven different Universities across America. As for music, it's been a lifelong passion that ‘has been there at the best of times and the worst of times.' Randy has had to deal with both ends of that spectrum including the tragic loss of two of his daughters at a young age to a rare disease and overcoming his alcohol addiction (he has now been sober for 10 years). Despite so much adversity in his life Randy's message, as you will hear, is one of hope which he imparts in his book ‘Rebound Forward' and his work as an inspirational speaker and life coach. Friendships are everything to Randy and it's no coincidence that he knows the performers on several his song selections, all of whom have spent time at Randy's permanent residence which is a 35' Winnebago that he has turned into his own musical Hall of Fame. This episode was also a great personal lesson for me. Given Randy is a Springsteen fan I was surprised to realise he is also a massive Ted Nugent fan. I am embarrassed to say, because of that, I did consider cancelling the recording as Ted's politics and views on gun control are very different to mine and I did that awful thing of then making assumptions about who Randy was. I'm so pleased I resisted that thought and I will always be grateful to Randy for giving me a powerful reminder that ‘we have more in common than divides us' and music is great common ground to occupy. Randy's song selections are: 50's - That'll Be The Day - Buddy Holly, The Crickets60's - Journey To The Centre of the Mind - The Amboy Dukes70's - China Grove - The Doobie Brothers80's - Scarred But Smarter - Drivin N Cryin90's - My Way Down - Chris Duarte Group00's - It's Not You - Halestorm10's - Oh My God - Sixx :A.M.20's - Shapeshifting - Joe Satriani

My guest in this episode is Kirsten Walker who I got to know and work with during my last few years in Seattle. Since then, we have kept in touch, our friendship has grown, and I am delighted to have finally got Kirsten on the show. In this episode we discuss a wide range of topics including  ·        Being born in Copenhagen and a rather unusual claim to fame ·        Being raised by a single parent who was her music loving Dad ·        Colorado to California in a Red 74 Corvette Stingray with two dachshunds·        Living in LA in the 80's, listening to KROQ, skipping school to go to the beach ·        Her husband Greg mistaking the Waterboys for U2. ·        The importance of mixtapes ·        The power of the ‘Sales Hype Song' ·        The trials and tribulations of middle age ·        The joy and challenges of bringing parents up ·        How to be an executive record producer·        Getting to a better place! I have always admired Kirsten's energy, passion, and openness and for me they shine through in our chat. It's also clear that music plays an important part in her life and her song choices were: 70's       Take It Easy                                                            The Eagles 80's       Where The Streets Have No Name          U290's       Enter Sandman                                                     Metallica 00's       Get It Together                                                      Seal 10's       Patience                                                                    Tame Impala 20's       Windows Are Rolled Down                           Amos Lee 

My guest in this episode is Beth Collier, a notoriously curious person who loves storytelling, pop culture and learning. Originally from Indiana, USA, Beth has lived abroad for the last 17 years. That means she knows how to drink tea with milk, but still appreciates it over ice.Over her career she's worked in the entertainment and travel industries in the US, the government in New Zealand, and financial services in London. Beth now helps corporate leaders improve their public speaking, writing, and storytelling skills — no mean feat! — and runs workshops for teams to strengthen their creativity and communication skills. She also produces a great newsletter called Curious Minds which is full of positive, encouraging, inspirational and FUN stories. Beth loves to weave pop culture into business lessons, and it works! You can subscribe to Curious Minds at https://bethcollier@substack.comBeth's song choices are: 70's Last Dance                   Donna Summer 80's Express Yourself       Madonna90's  November Rain        Guns N' Roses00's  Toxic                                Britney Spears 10's Nightcall                         Kavinsky20's  Dreams                          The Cranberries 

My guest is this episode is my friend Kevin Ackhurst.  Kevin was born in South Africa but spent his early years in Zimbabwe and that is where he feels 'he comes from' and 'that's his origin'. As is always his way Kevin talks openly and honestly about growing up in a white and segregated world and how strange that feels to him now looking back. He also talks about developing a deep-seated sense of fairness and that, along with his strong social conscience, can clearly be heard in his first four song choices.   Kevin's father worked in the mining industry and that meant a lot of moving around in childhood years which has continued into adulthood. Kevin moved to Australia in 2014 and is now a resident but has also spent time living and working in the US (Seattle) , New Zealand and Singapore.  He is married to Jodie and they have two children. He describes Jodie (and my wife Laura!) as having ' a lot of spunk'. He can say that, I am far too smart to comment :-). In all seriousness, Kevin's last two song choices are inspired by Jodie, and they clearly show the deep love he has for her.   The title of the episode comes from Kevin's 'final thoughts' and is a statement that I totally subscribe to. Those 'final thoughts' also include one of my favourite pieces of feedback about Music Talks which is 'I feel like I talked about things I only ever think about'Thank you, Kevin! His song choices are: 60's     The Doors                 Five to One 70's     The Jam                      The Eton Rifles 80's     The Smiths                Oscillate Wildly 90's     Bily Bragg                   Accident Waiting To Happen 00's     The National             Slow Show 10's     Hilltop Hoods           I Love It 20's     alt-J                                 U&ME 

This is the second part of my conversation with Malcolm Garrett. It really is more of the same in a good way. The opinions are as strong, the energy is as high, the connections are great, and the stories are fascinating. In between a set of eclectic and considered song choices we cover a lot of topics including:  Malcolm's love of Sigue Sigue Sputnik and how influential and prescient they were. His fascination with the future, his Jerry Andersen collection and James Bond.The move into Digital & his role in merging & connecting the Digital & Analogue worlds. What makes bad design. The connection between Throbbing Gristle and Sex Pistol Getting an MBEThe work he does in Education & his desire to raise the profile of the Design Industry.Malcolm's song choices are: 30–40 Garbage               Stupid Girl                        199540-50    Rammstein        Engel                                   199750-60    X-TG                      All That Is My Own      201260-66    Billie Eilish         No Time to Die               2021Enjoy :-)

My guest in this episode is Malcolm Garrett MBE who rather modestly describes himself as ‘a UK-based graphic designer working across a variety of disciplines and media.'Malcolm has a global reputation for his influence on graphic design and popular culture, both through his landmark designs for clients including Buzzcocks, Duran Duran, Boy George, Simple Minds and Peter Gabriel, and through his pioneering role in championing interaction and digital communications since the early 1990s, with an approach he refers to as ‘connected communications'. He starts this episode by saying ‘I love music and talking about music' and given his deep involvement with the industry, and some of its biggest bands, over 40+ years, then he has a host of stories to tell. For that reason, this is a two-part episode as there was just too many great stories, observations and connections to squeeze into one. Given Malcolm's creative background it's no surprise that he also tweaked with the format. His choices are from his own decades (1-10, Teens, Twenties) rather than the 60's, 70's, 80's etc. and all are female artists or bands with female vocalists. In this Part 1 we go from Malcolm's birth in Northwich in 1956, the massive influence of Liverpool in the 60's, his first record at the age of 8 (Can't Buy Me Love) , education in Manchester, the impact of mind altering drugs, the life changing ‘collision point ‘ that was Punk  and working with bands such as Buzzcocks, Magazine, Duran Duran, Simple Minds and Culture Club. Enjoy

My guest in this episode is David Wilner who was born in Dover, New Hampshire in 1963 on the day Dion was recording ‘Drip Drop'! His formative years were spent between New Hampshire and Washington State, but he has subsequently lived In Ohio, Tucson, Boston, and Minneapolis as well as spending four years in the UK, indulging his Anglophilia, in the Noughties. He now resides in Prague and is adamant that he won't be moving again. I have always believed that travel and living away from home gives you more of a world view and that comes across strongly in David's song choices and his reasons for making them. He also has a host of great stories including: ·        Elvis Costello providing a musical epiphany on Saturday Night Live on 17/12/77·        Breaking into the back door of a gig to see The Ramones ·        Having Jonathan Richman sing to him on the sidewalk before a show ·        His love of The Jam and a pilgrimage to Bracklesham Bay ·        Seeing Nirvana Live on the day ‘Nevermind' was released In David's own words ‘he may have spent his career in finance, but his inner punk was never far away ‘

In a first for Music Talks my guest in this episode is Rachel King who is married to my previous guest Harris King, 'the love of her life'. They share a deep love and passion for music and as per the title of the episode they live in 'A House of Music' .   Rachel was born in Chattanooga, a couple of hours from Nashville but is not a great lover of country music. She has a music loving sister, and they grew up listening to Motown from her parents and Big Bands from her grandmother, along with 40's music and Elvis Gospel. An incredibly formative influence for her were mixtapes pilfered from a friends older, cooler sister. Not only did she have great taste but there were no song titles on the tapes!   Rachel has a deep love of 'the South' but describes herself as 'very blue in a red state' but works hard to avoid conflict. She has built a successful career in the Insurance Industry, which doesn't have a great record when it comes to diversity and equality, and we discuss some of the challenges she has had to face and overcome as a woman in that environment.   Other interests include Sports (Baseball, Formula1, Basketball), Reading and Gardening but what is clear from our conversation, and as John Miles said in 1976, for Rachel it's a clear case that ' Music was my first love and it will be my last' Rachel's song choices were:  70's -   Suicide                             Ghost Rider80's -   Pride                                  U290's -   Fake Plastic Trees      Radiohead 00's -   Just Be Simple              Songs: Ohia 10's -   Slomo                                 Slowdive20's -   Like I Used To                Sharon Von Etten, Angel Olsen  A song from every artist we mention , including Rachel's song choices, can be found here. It's a great mix. Enjoy :-) https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3o1DfLLAV5ODZqcNBcjG0Q?si=ab282dbadf1544f3

My guest in this episode is Harris King. Harris was introduced to Music Talks by previous guests Steven Routledge and Justin Steiner who are fellow members of the brilliant community that has grown up around the Rockin' The Suburbs Podcast and now Radio Station -  suburbspod.comLike many of my guests Harris isn't just a music lover he's a music scholar who immerses himself in the music he listens to and the bands that he likes. As he says at one point in our chat “I'm always listening”. As you would expect all that listening spans a wide range of musical styles and to my delight a lot of bands and songs that I had simply never heard of. As well as a fascinating chat it's going to make for a great Playlist :-). Harris lives in South Carolina and in many ways is very rooted in the South and can trace his families roots back to the 1700's.  But in his adult life he has also built a real connection to Germany and has lived and worked there for several years.  Those two very differing cultures are reflected in some of his song choices and are also the reason for the title of the episode. Elektro Kultur is the title of his radio show on Rockin' The Suburbs Radio that focuses on electronic music and the culture that surrounds it.  And in amongst all this music chat is a lovely heart-warming about how Harris met his wife Rachel on Twitter after they connected through a shared love of Baseball and specifically the Atlanta Braves. They later realised they also had a shared passion for music, and both had Radio shows. The rest, as they say, is history and I'm a sucker for a happy ending

My guest is Julie Simpson, a delightful, fun lady who I met in the late 90's and I have always viewed as ‘a force of nature' and you will hear a lot of her energy, enthusiasm, and humour in this episode Julie is the youngest of 9 children and was born in Germany but grew up in Basingstoke. Her story is an inspirational one of starting with little and triumphing over adversity. This started at 14 when her much loved father, a Sergeant Major, died of a heart attack whilst she was with him.  Leaving school at 16, she eventually found her way into the IT sector and in 2003 took the brave step of setting up her own company Resource IT, which is now one of the most successful marketing agencies focused on the I.T. Channel. Music for Julie has always been about joy, passion, and community but in recent years, particularly after her Mum passed away, some of that has gone and so appearing in this episode is part of an effort to regain some of that joy and passion. I sincerely hope its successful!So, we talk about music, but we also rightly talk at length about the challenges of being a woman in an IT sector that even today is 87% male. Julie is a co-founder of the Women in Technology Network (WIT), a global not-for-profit organisation that is centred on driving the diversity and inclusion agenda. In just under four years WIT is now represented in over 40 countries with over 3,500 members. You can find more details at Home (womenintechnology.org)Regular listeners will know I love my connections but I am not proud of this one. 87% of the IT Industry is male and it appears 87% of the guests on Music Talks have also been male. Please help me change that ! Julie would be the first to acknowledge that her song choices are mainstream, but they are also songs that she absolutely loves and that bring back a lot of great memories and positive messages. Enjoy! 60's - Mamas & The Papas - California Dreaming70's - Bay City Rollers - Bye Bye Baby80's - Adam & The Ants - Stand & Deliver90's - The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony00's - George Michael - As10's - David Guetta, Sia - Titanium20's - Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande - Rain On Me

In this episode my guest is Mat Bancroft, Independent Curator, Archivist and Art Director specialising in 20th Century Pop Culture. Mat has many strings to his bow but the first thing that will pop for any music fan is that he has been Johnny Marr's Art Director since 2012 and has produced a distinct and impressive body of work over that period. Mat was born in Nottingham in 1979 but very deliberately went to University in Manchester in 1998 because of his love of the city's culture, both art and music. That interest and passion continues to this day and in recent years Mat was involved in two celebrated exhibitions examining the impact of Factory Records (Use Hearing Protection) and the work of Joy Division and New Order (True Faith).  It wasn't a direct route to the work Mat does today and his is an inspiring story of the need to listen to what your gut is telling you and being brave enough to start again. It's also a really encouraging story that, in the case of his work with Johnny Marr, serendipity will sometimes come along to help a little. Mat's song choices are below, and you will see that he doesn't just listen to music from Manchester. However, for me the highlight of this episode is the excitement and joy that comes through when Mat talks about being 15 and discovering Oasis and Britpop.Enjoy!70's       Joy Division                      Shadowplay80's       Pet Shop Boys                 West End Girls 90's       Oasis                                     Some Might Say 00's       Madonna                             Hung Up 10's       Ibrahim Maalouf             Defile 196220's       Sault                                        Wildfires

My guest in this episode is Justin Steiner who comes to Music Talks through his friendship with Music Talks regular and long-time supporter, Steven Routledge. They describe themselves as ‘mind meld musical brothers' but the interesting thing about their friendship is that, to date, they have not actually met face to face as Justin lives near Chicago and Steven near Stirling, in Scotland. They met through the brilliant Rockin' The Suburbs Podcast (https://www.suburbspod.com) which, when Covid hit, started ‘Friday Night Hootenanny's'. This was a group of people, geographically disperse, connected by a love of music, meeting up to drink, chat and play! Justin talks very movingly about that experience and what a lifeline it was during the challenges of lockdown and Covid. For me, it's an inspirational story of the power of music and technology to connect people and long may it continue! Before we get to that though Justin takes us on a fascinating musical journey from The Muppets, through classical music in Dad's car, Country music, Top 40 Radio, the musical peak that is 1997 and the desire to explore and find new music. He also reminds us how much the technology that delivers music has changed over that time.  His song choices are: 70's       The Muppet Show Theme           The Muppets80's       Michael Jackson                            Billie Jean 90's       Matthew Sweet                            Girlfriend 00's       Nada Surf                                       Always Love 10's       Superchunk                                   Everything at Once 20's       Jeff Rosenstock                             Ohio Tpe

My guest in this episode is Dave Cronen who like many of my guests has an encyclopaedic knowledge of music and pop culture. What makes Dave unique is that he has spent all 37 years of his working life in the music industry and I saw little sign of him stopping any time soon. Interestingly , he doesn't play an instrument or a note of music and is fiercely proud of that fact. Today Dave is an artist manager and the owner of Trust Management but his career started in retail at Virgin Records in 1984. He then went to work at Rough Trade working his way up to sales manager and elected director. He worked in international licensing for PIAS in Brussels before joining the Beastie Boys/Grand Royal Records. On the advice of Mike D he founded Trust Management in 2003 who were based at RAK Recording Studios and worked with Johnny Marr, Ash, We Are Scientists, Dexys, Gang of Four, Splashh, Howler, Air Traffic, Baxter Dury and many others. During his management career, he has worked with artists who received Ivor Novello Awards, Oscar nominations and the NME Godlike Genius Award. He also coined the phrase "Indefinite Hiatus" most recently used by Little Mix at the 2022 Brit Awards. In a great example of ‘giving back' Dave was also a Senior Lecturer at the Academy of Contemporary Music for 5 years and graduated as a member of the FHEA in August 2020.Given his career and wealth of experience it's no surprise that Dave's song choices are an interesting and eclectic mix and the stories that accompany them are fascinating, funny and moving. The song choices are: 60's –  The Velvet Underground      -           Venus in Furs 70's -   The Selector                                  -           The Selector80's -   Julian Cope                                    -           Kolly Kibber's Birthday90's -   This Mortal Coil                          -           You And Your Sister00's -   Doves                                                -           Sea Song 10's -   Flat Worms                                    -           Red Hot Sand 20's -   Wesley Gonzalez                        -           ChangeEnjoy :-) 

In this episode my guest is Mark Croft who I describe as a ‘musical scholar'. All my guests have a love and passion for music, but Mark takes that to a different level and to every aspect of music.In a wide-ranging conversation, we explore (amongst other things) the magic of live performance, the importance of shared experience, the joy of playing live, the art of song writing, and the fact that music was around 40.000 years ago in Europe with the bone flute! It's fair to say that we both believe music really matters and Mark finishes the episode with Nietzsche's quote:“Without music, life would be a mistake”. In typical style Mark tweaked the format and chose all live performances for his song choices and each day for the next two weeks I will be posting those clips (and some of Mark's shortlist) on  https://www.facebook.com/musictalkspodHis choices were: 60's       The Clancy Brothers       The Parting Glass 70's       Rory Gallagher                    As The Crow Flies 80's       Talk Talk                                   Living In Another World 90's       Massive Attack                   Karmacoma00's       Brandi Carlile                      The Story 10's       Gillian Welch                       Revelator 20's       Bob Dylan                             I Contain Multitudes We also talk about the benefits and dangers of streaming technology, and I know Mark has some deep concerns particularly around Spotify and its CEO Daniel Ek. I respect those views and therefore there is no Spotify playlist of songs from this episode. Mark also performs live himself, with Farmer's Markets being a speciality. You can find some of his recordings at: https://soundcloud.com/markacroft/speed-trap-town?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing .  https://soundcloud.com/markacroft