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E225: Adele Bertei on New York's No Wave scene Mar 30, 2026

Show notes

In this episode we welcome back the marvellous Adele Bertei — five years after she first guested on our show — to talk about her amazing new book No New York.

Beginning with a definition of the postpunk sub-genre "No Wave", the former Contortion recalls her experience of living in Manhattan's perilous East Village in the late '70s and playing organ behind the unhinged James Chance. She also pays tribute to the many fearless women who "shaped the scene", first and foremost the formidable Lydia Lunch.

Our guest recalls working as a go-fer for Brian Eno and then being a crucial part of the No New York album the former Roxy Musician oversaw in 1978. We hear not just about Chance's Contortions and Lunch's Teenage Jesus & the Jerks but about Mars, DNA, the Bush Tetras and finally Adele's own funky feminist troupe the Bloods.

After collective reflections on No Wave's slow dissolution — and Adele's subsequent '80s adventures with the likes of Thomas Dolby — Barney and Jasper rave about the week's featured artist Robyn and the week's featured audio, in which the late Chip Taylor reminisces about such classic hit songs as 'Wild Thing' and 'Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)'.

Finally, Mark quotes appropriately from a 1978 Talking Heads interview and Jasper enjoys a Caroline Sullivan diss of Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP from 2000.

Many thanks to special Adele Bertei. No New York: A Memoir of No Wave and the Women Who Shaped the Scene is published by Faber and available now.

Pieces discussed: Nobody Waved Goodbye: Bands At Artists Space, Brian Eno's No New York compilation, Sons and Daughters of No New York: DNA, Robyn: Blonde Ambition, Robyn, Röyksopp: "There's This Idea That You're An Oddball, Far Up At The Top Of The World", Robyn: Brixton Academy, London, Chip Taylor audio, The Talking Heads sing more songs about buildings and food⁠, Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP and It's no wonder Dylan didn't take the fight to Beijing — he was never very political.

E224: Jimmy McDonough on Neil Young + Gary Stewart + Al Green audio Mar 16, 2026

Show notes

For this episode we invite the very entertaining Jimmy McDonough to join us — all the way from Portland, Oregon — and discuss his career as "the king of the crazy biographers".

Our guest explains how he moved (back) to New York from Indiana in the '80s and how he got his foot in the door at the Village Voicewith a 1988 profile of country singer Gary Stewart, the subject of his new book. We then hear about the long and painful saga of his extraordinary Neil Young biography Shakey (2002) — and his singular approach to the biographical trade.

Clips from Amy Linden's 1995 audio interview with Al Green give us the opportunity to ask Jimmy about his 2017 biography of the Reverend Green, after which we finally get to the 40-year gestation of I Am from the Honky Tonks and the story of his obsession with his doomed honky-tonk hero. He explains why the book felt like a mission and why Gary Stewart could and should have been a country superstar.

After Mark quotes from featured writer John Morthland's review of the Monterey Pop Festival (with a namecheck for the late Country Joe McDonald) and from a 1975 interview with Tammy Wynette – another of our guest's biographical subjects — Jasper wraps things up with remarks on the Australian Folk Bitch Trio and the man who manages Yungblud (and "eats challenges for breakfast").

Many thanks to special guest Jimmy McDonough. Gary Stewart: I Am from the Honky-Tonks is published by Wolf+Salmon and available for pre-order now.

Pieces discussed: Why did Neil Young try to squelch Shakey?, Gary Stewart: Honky-Tonk Puree, Gary Stewart: Out of Hand, John Morthland articles, Monterey International Pop Music Festival, Three Dog Night: Why Do The Underground Put Us Down?, Tammy Wynette, "I Eat Challenges For Breakfast": Yungblud's Manager Tommas Arnby and Folk Bitch Trio.

E223: AOR Special with Paul Rees + Boston audio interview Mar 02, 2026

Show notes

For this episode we welcome former Q/Kerrang! editor-in-chief Paul Rees to RBP Towers to discuss his riveting new book Raised on Radio: Power Ballads, Cocaine & Payola.

An oral history of AOR (or Album-Oriented Rock), Raised on Radio gives us an eagerly-awaited chance to enthuse about an oft-maligned genre we all happen to adore. The conversation takes in most of AOR's major practitioners, from Kansas and Toto to Journey and Survivor, and incorporates clips from John Tobler's 1979 audio interview with Tom Scholz and Brad Delp of Boston.

After we've exhausted these guilty-till-proved-innocent pleasures, Mark quotes from newly-added library pieces about Siouxsie & the Banshees (1982) and Chic's Bernard Edwards (1987), then Jasper talks us out with his reflections on archive interviews with George Clinton (1997) and Brutalist composer Daniel Blumberg (2025).

Many thanks to special guest Paul Rees. Raised on Radio is published by Constable and available now from all good bookshops.

Pieces discussed: More Than a Feeling: The 20 Greatest AOR Tracks of All Time!, American revolution: Aerosmith, Boston, Kansas and co., Hard Pop, Suburban Rock, Hall & Oates: Blue-Eyed Philadelphia Soul, The Buzz On Boz Scaggs, Nirvana: Smells like Success, Boston (1979), Heart, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Bernard Edwards, George Clinton: Funkamental and The Brutalist's score.

E222: Jeff Walker & Kim Gottlieb on Tom Waits + Gram Parsons Feb 16, 2026

Show notes

For this episode we're joined — all the way from Laurel Canyon — by the husband-and-wife tag team that is Jeff Walker and Kim Gottlieb(-Walker). Married for 53 years, Jeff and Kim have worked in diverse capacities in the music business and talk about their experiences over those five-plus decades.

We start with the couple's work together on monthly freesheet Music World, focusing on their 1973 encounters with Tom Waits and Gram Parsons (plus a 15-year-old Cameron Crowe tagging along). After audio clips of both Waits and Parsons, we hear a 1987 clip of Gram's great singing partner Emmylou Harris talking to Adam Sweeting about... Gram Parsons.

Interweaving tales of Jeff's life as a publicity director and Kim's career as a photographer, we hear about Island Records, Jamaica and the couple's close relationship with Bob Marley, concluding with Jeff's account of being with Bob after the chief Wailer was shot by gunmen in 1976.

After Jasper offers his thoughts on Bad Bunny's ICE-breaking half-time show at the Super Bowl, Kim channels her late '60s protesting self and eloquently summarises her feelings about staying sane in Trump's dystopian America.

Finally, Mark quotes from newly-added library interviews with Captain Beefheart (1979) and David Thomas (1985), while Jasper hails Joe Muggs' 2021 piece about Joel Culpepper.

Many thanks to special guests Kim Gottlieb-Walker and Jeff Walker. Visit Kim's website at lenswoman.com and read Jeff's writing on Rock's Backpages.

Pieces discussed:Tom Waits: Thursday Afternoon, Sober as a Judge, Jackson Browne, Techno-Rock: Six Teutons And What Do You Get — A Programmed Sequencer And The Doppler Effect, Emmylou Harris audio, Captain Beefheart Pulls A Hat Out of His Rabbit, David Thomas: Unscrambling the egg man and Joel Culpepper: Almost Famous.

E221: Phast Phreddie Patterson on the world's biggest record collection Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, we talk to Fred Patterson, aka Phast Phreddie, about his work at the ARChive of Contemporary Music, plus his own magazine Back Door Man and his band Thee Precisions.

Beginning with his early musical life teaching classes with Don Waller at UCLA's Experimental College, we hear about how he named Back Door Man after a Howlin Wolf song and wanted to cover "hard core rock n roll". Phreddie remembers how different it was working with R. Meltzer compared to Lester Bangs, who both contributed to the mag.

Next, we hear about where Thee Precisions got their name and how they were intended as a garage rhythm 'n' blues combo that might fit into south central L.A.'s rockabilly scene without doing rockabilly.

After telling us about moving across the country to help set up a record shop in Albany, Phreddie then takes us back to the ARChive of Contemporary Music's original mission statement to collect two of every record and explains how they operate.

Three clips from a 1977 Mary Wilson audio interview prompt Barney to wonder whether the Supremes are the greatest girl group of all time. To wrap things up, we pay tribute to Sly Dunbar of Sly & Robbie before Mark and Jasper talk us out with highlights from pieces including interviews with Isaac Hayes and De La Soul.

Many thanks to special guest Phast Phreddie Patterson. Find out more about the ARC at arcmusic.org.

Pieces discussed: Articles, interviews and reviews from Phast Phreddie Patterson, The L.A. Rock Explosion, Gun Club: You Can't Go Home Again, Phast Phreddie Finds His Calling, Building the ARC, Not Fade Away: The ARChive of Contemporary Music, Collecting Gone Mad: The ARChive of Contemporary Music, Mary Wilson audio, Sly & Robbie: The Reggae Heartbeat – Freedom Into Form, Sly and Robbie: Laying Reggae's Bottom Line, Alan Price, Cat Stevens, Isaac Hayes, Ronnie & Clyde and De La Soul.

E220: Bob Stanley on Saint Etienne + Connie Francis + Bob Weir R.I.P. Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of rape (40:37–42:20).

In this episode we ask Bob Stanley about his career as a writer and member of the beloved Saint Etienne, whose swansong year this is.

We start with Caff, the '80s fanzine which set out the eclectic pop aesthetic that underpinned Saint Etienne, proceeding from there to Bob's memories of life on Melody Makerin the late '80s and early '90s.

A clip of our guest's erstwhile MM colleague Simon Reynolds talking about Saint Etienne in 2021 is the cue for a general discussion of the trio's evolution over the last 35 years – and for an explanation of their (very amicable) decision to call it a day after a tour this September.

Revisiting the epic "story of pop" that was Bob's 2013 tome Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! leads to clips from Hank Bordowitz's 1997 audio interview with the late Connie Francis, the Jersey girl who in the late '50s and early '60s was arguably the biggest female pop artist in America.

After Mark pays a lifelong Deadhead's tribute to the late Bob Weir, he quotes from newly-added library pieces about the Nice (1967), Tom Wolfe (1969) and Paul McCartney (1979). Finally, Jasper sees us out with his thoughts on interviews with Ini Kamoze (1995) and D'Angelo (1998).

Many thanks to special guest Bob Stanley. Visit his website at bobstanley.co.uk and findYeah Yeah Yeah in all good bookshops.

Pieces discussed: Saint Etienne, St. Etienne: Holier Than Thou, Saint Etienne: Cats Eyes and Legless, Bill Haley, Bob Stanley: Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! – The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyoncé, Connie Francis was a trailblazing pop star haunted by tragedy, Connie Francis audio, The World According to Cliff, Alone again gratefully: Bob Weir proves he's more than Dead, The Nice, Tom Wolfe, Paul McCartney, Ini Kamoze, Voodoo Chile: D'Angelo and Yungblud.

E219: Thurston Moore on free jazz + Sonic Youth + Derek Bailey Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

For this episode we're joined by Sonic Youth legend Thurston Moore to discuss his new book Now Jazz Now: 100 Essential Free Jazz and Improvisation Recordings, 1960-80.

We start by recapping on the story our guest told in his acclaimed 2023 memoir Sonic Life. In the course of the conversation about his early musical life in Florida and Connecticut we hear a clip from Steve Roeser's 1994 audio interview with him. Discussion of early influences such as the Stooges takes us back to Thurston's stint in the late J.D. King's New York band the Coachmen – and then on to Sonic Youth itself.

Our guest's friendship with neo-gonzoid scribe Byron Coley – a brilliant guest on our podcast last summer – takes us up to the present and the publication of Now Jazz Now. A general conversation on the subjects of "free jazz" and "improv" ensues, taking in clips from Thurston's pal David Toop's 1995 audio interview with the late Derek Bailey.

After Mark has quoted from newly-added library pieces about Bill Evans (1972) and OMD (1984), Jasper talks us out with his thoughts on James Brown's 1994 loaded encounter with the Beastie Boys.

Many thanks to special guest Thurston Moore. Now Jazz Now is published by Ecstatic Peace Library and available from ecstaticpeace.net/now-jazz-now.

Pieces discussed: Sonic Youth, Sonic Youth And the Blast First Axis, Derek Bailey audio, Cecil Taylor: Ladies and gentlemen, please adjust your re-entry goggles, David Toop: Gorilla Noises & Mains Hum, Bill Evans: Living Time With Evans, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark: OMD and The Beastie Boys: Still Ill.

E218: James Brown on Sounds + NME + Loaded + the KLF Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

For this episode we're joined in our Hammersmith HQ by James ("The Hardest Working Man In Show Business") Brown.

The former NME star and founder of "lads' mag" progenitor loaded takes us back to his Yorkshire boyhood in Headingley. He recalls his parents' record collection, the first gigs he attended as the class "smart-arse" at Lawnswood School... and his acclaimed '80s fanzine Attack On Bzag!

Our guest's account of how he came to contribute to Sounds leads to clips from the late Andy Gill's 1991 audio interview with the KLF, the maverick duo of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty whom James championed in the paper's pages in 1987.

After waxing nostalgic about his days at the NME, James gives us the origin story of the hugely successful loaded ("for men who should know better") and talks us through the publishing phenomenon it triggered. A discussion follows of '90s sexism and its connection to the misogyny of today's "Manosphere".

Many thanks to special guest James Brown. Animal House: Music, Magazines, Mayhem is published by Quercus and available now from all good bookshops. Zine Age Kicks is available through James' Instagram, @jamesjamesbrown.

Pieces discussed: The Beastie Boys: Keep Taking The Tabloids, Mark E Smith, Nick Cave & Shane MacGowan: The Three Horsemen Of The Apocalypse, The KLF audio ⁠ and The decline of lads' mags: Unloaded, and now the party is over.

E217: Susan Compo & Derek Ridgers on punks, goths and new romantics Dec 02, 2025

Show notes

In this episode we welcome not one but two wonderful guests to RBP Towers. Susan Compo and Derek Ridgers have been trans-Atlantic pals for decades and first met on a FourFourTwo assignment to interview and photograph the L.A.-expats "soccer" team Hollywood United.

Starting with Susan's punk years in Southern California, we hear about her memories of seeing the Sex Pistols live in Dallas and Tulsa in January 1978. She also talks about her trip to London the year before, prompting Derek's recall of the punk scene he began photographing at clubs such as Vortex and the Roxy. Derek then rewinds his story to his late '60s days at Ealing School of Art when fellow student Freddie Mercury nicked his girlfriend in a local pub.

The conversation oscillates between Susan's reflections on her career move – from music journalism to short stories about star-crossed Goths – and Derek's memories of the New Romantic "movement" he documented so brilliantly in early '80s London. In between clips from John Tobler's 1984 audio interview with Spandau Ballet singer Tony Hadley, Derek talks about his approach to his chosen medium.

After touching on Derek's years at Loaded magazine and Susan's terrific books about Warren Oates and David Bowie, we discuss our shared passion for football/"soccer" before paying tribute to Derek's former NME colleague Jack Barron. Jasper then talks us out with quotes from newly-added library pieces about Grandmaster Flash (2000) and Boy George (2024).

Many thanks to special guests Susan Compo and Derek Ridgers. Susan's books, include Malingering andDavid Bowie and The Man Who Fell To Earth are available from all good bookshops. You can visit Derek's website at derekridgers.com and his latest book, Hello, I Love You, is published by IDEA.

Pieces discussed: The Sex Pistols Shoot To The Top, The Cure: Happily Ever After, White Noise/White Sands: The Bowie Who Fell to Earth, Gary Kemp on the RBP podcast, New Romantics, Electro-Disco: Night Moves, Spandau Ballet's Tony Hadley audio, Jack Barron, Nick Cave: The Needle And The Damage Done, The Stone Roses: Bliss This House, Gregory Isaacs: Gregorian Rants, Gong: The Gong Remains The Same, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash in the Game of Life⁠ and ⁠Boy George⁠.

E216: Pete Paphides on ABBA + Stevie Wonder + Broken Greek Nov 17, 2025

Show notes

In this episode we're joined by Pete Paphides, former rock critic for the London Times and author of 2020's acclaimed memoir Broken Greek.

We start with our guest's unique "'Starman' moment" – seeing the Brotherhood of Man lip-sync to the ghastly 'Save Your Kisses for Me' on Top of the Pops in 1976 – and then plunge straight into a celebration of his favourite pop group ABBA. We hear about his love of the Swedes' countless classic songs; his interviews with Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson; and how the quartet was indirectly responsible for his marriage to fellow scribe Caitlin Moran.

Pete talks us through his journalistic odyssey from ill-fated pubescent fanzine Pop Scene via the longer-lasting Perturbedto Jim Arundel's mentoring of him at Melody Maker. Talk of his tenures at Time Out and The Times leads to his memory of "falling back in love with music" after years of being glutted with free records.

The 60th anniversary of the release of 'Uptight' takes us into clips from Amy Linden's 1995 audio interview with the musical colossus that is Stevie Wonder – and a broad discussion of the Motown legend's creative evolution from 'Uptight' to Songs in the Key of Life.

After Mark quotes from a 1963 review of the Beatles' first album Please Please Me, Jasper talks us out with his thoughts on Jaan Uhelszki's 2015 interview with the extraordinary Joanna Newsom.

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