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Rock’s Backpages — Music
Rock’s Backpages

Tales from the world’s largest archive of music journalism: entertaining interviews with luminaries such as Neil Tennant, Billy Bragg, Pamela Des Barres, Gary Kemp, Vashti Bunyan, Midge Ure, Nick Hornby and Robyn Hitchcock. Thoughtful and informative conversations about all aspects of popular music history, interspersed with clips from exclusive audio interviews that date back to the mid-’60s.

The RBP podcast is hosted by Barney Hoskyns and William Pike and co-hosted & produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie. We’re a proud part of Pantheon — the podcast network for music lovers.

Copyright: © 2022 Backpages Limited

Latest Episodes:

E15: Radiohead, Gladys Knight and Daft Punk Feb 15, 2019

Show notes

Barney Hoskyns is joined by Mark Pringle and Jasper Murison-Bowie to discuss the week's free feature, which coincides with the publication of RBP's new Radiohead anthology Present Tense. While Mark can't abide Thom Yorke's "middle class pain", Barney deems the 'head to be The Greatest British Band of the past 25 years. Jasper meanwhile describes his "pivotal" role in the Radiohead story: clapping along as a 10-year-old to In Rainbows' '15 Step'.

Los tres hombres hear an excerpt from Cliff White's 1976 audio interview with Gladys Knight & the Pips and enthuse wildly about the lady before considering three free pieces by Jon Young – about Soft Cell/Yaz(oo), LL Cool J and Mariah Carey. Talk then turns to highlights among the new additions to the RBP library, including articles on Cassius Clay the soul singer, Nick Cave and the Birthday Party and Daft Punk's 2013 revival of disco...

Hosted by Barney Hoskyns, Mark Pringle and Jasper Murison-Bowie

Produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie

Pieces discussed: Present Tense introduction, Thom Yorke on 'Creep', the creation of OK Computer, Johnny Greenwood on scoring Paul Thomas Andersen films, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Soft Cell and Yaz(oo), LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, Cassius Clay, The Electric Prunes, Aretha @ the Apollo, Nick Cave and the Birthday Party, Etta James, Prefab Sprout, Latitude festival 2009 (including Grace Jones and Thom Yorke), Daft Punk and Disco and Childish Gambino's Because the Internet

E14: KRS-One + Avril Lavigne + Alex Harvey with Michele Kirsch Feb 08, 2019

Show notes

Joined by very special guest Michele Kirsch, regular host Mark Pringle and irregular host Jasper Murison-Bowie start with classic Kirsch pieces on the Replacements, KRS-One and New York Dolls Syl Sylvain and Jerry Nolan. Michele then tells the story of how she was mistaken for an intern at New York’s Soho Weekly News, which started her on the path to NME and City Limits in '80s London. Talk then turns to her life after music journalism, including coming off prescription drugs and working as a cleaner — experiences that formed the basis of her forthcoming memoir, Clean. The week’s free feature Avril Lavigne sparks some discussion of Sk8er boys and the merits or otherwise of manufactured pop, while the sensational Alex Harvey tells tales of the early British rock’n’roll in a clip from a 1975 audio interview by Ira Robbins. Mark presents the highlights from the week’s library load, including John Mendelssohn's fabulous dismissal of the MC5, Larry Graham’s departure from Sly and the Family Stone and Quincy Jones’ pigeonhole-defying career in music.

Michele Kirsch's book Clean can be pre-ordered via Amazon.

Produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie

Pieces discussed: The Replacements, KRS-One, Jerry Nolan and Syl Sylvain, the MC5, Bovril Latrine, Av-Lav, Avril Lavigne, Larry Graham, John Lydon/Public Image Ltd., Arthur Russell @ The Kitchen, Björk’s Big Night Out, Lil Peep interview

E13: Sid Vicious does it his way + Bobbie Gentry's Delta Sweete Feb 01, 2019

Show notes

This week, Sid Vicious talks about the Sex Pistols splitting up and his inimitable cover of 'My Way' in clips from a previously unheard audio interview by John Tobler. RBP podcast host Mark Pringle is joined in Barney Hoskyns' absence by Jasper Murison-Bowie to listen to it and, predictably, talk about it. They contemplate Sid's sadness at the band coming to an end, as well as his endorsement of Nancy Spungen as his manager, who he thinks will take the music industry by storm. Moving on to the week's free feature, Bobbie Gentry, ahead of an upcoming reimagining of her album The Delta Sweete, they consider the meaning of 'Ode to Billy Joe' and Gentry's retirement from music after only three albums, with Mark wondering what else might have been if she hadn't. Next up are pieces by featured writer Andrew Bailey of Rolling Stone on British bluesman Alexis Korner, T. Rex's Marc Bolan and Guy Peellaert's Rock Dreams, before Mark and Jasper pick some of their highlights from the week's library load. Topics range from Cliff Bennett meeting Jerry Lee Lewis to Caroline Sullivan on the disappointing boybands of the 90s, via Cannonball Adderley on the intellectualisation of jazz, John Mendelssohn slagging off Led Zeppelin I and Van Morrison's Astral Weeks in one fell swoop, and much else besides. Finally, Mark and Jasper discuss Loyle Carner's approach to grime and London hip-hop, producer Mura Masa's difficulty at being a convincing performer and the despicable Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines.

Produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie

Pieces discussed: Sid Vicious, Bobbie Gentry, Ode to Billy Joe, Mercury Rev, Alexis Korner, Marc Bolan, Guy Peellaert's Rock Dreams, Cliff Bennett/Jerry Lee Lewis, Chet Helms and psychedelia, Peter Frampton, Mendo hates Led Zeppelin I, Mike Bloomfield, Caroline Sullivan on Bubblegum Pop, Cannonball Adderley, James Blunt, Loyle Carner, Mura Masa and Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines

E12: Big Star + Prefab Sprout with special guest Jennifer Otter Bickerdike Jan 25, 2019

Show notes

Welcoming special guest, featured writer and hilarious raconteur Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, hosts Mark Pringle and Barney Hoskyns hear stories of Jennifer's days in the record business, including the time her car broke down with Kurt Cobain in it... as well as her subsequent decision to give it all up to write a PhD on Joy Division. Having moved to a rat-infested flat in London's New Cross, Jennifer's initial thought was: "My god, what have I done?" She has since gone from strength to strength as the queen of rockademia and global music ambassador for BIMM. Her books Joy Devotion and Why Vinyl Matters serve as the springboard for discussion before talk turns to her biography-in-progress of the doomed Nico. Mark, Barney and Dr. Bickerdike then listen to 1986 audio of Alex Chilton talking about cult Memphis band Big Star and about his decline into alcoholism in the mid-'70s. Barney's attempts to sing the praises of Prefab Sprout are met with unbridled disdain by both Mark and Jennifer, who shut him down in order to move on to the subjects of P. J. Proby's ripped trousers, Van Halen's David Lee Roth and much, much more...

Visit Jennifer's website at https://www.jenniferotterbickerdike.com and buy Why Vinyl Matters and Joy Devotion on Amazon.

Produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie

Pieces discussed: Why Vinyl Matters with Henry Rollins, Lars Ulrich and Fat Mike, Alex Chilton, Prefab Sprout, Andromeda Heights, Paddy McAloon audio, P. J. Proby, David Bowie, Van Halen, Madonna @ Wembley, Kylie Minogue, EMF and Paul Oakenfold

E11: The Specials + Dave Laing + Juliana Hatfield Jan 18, 2019

Show notes

Hailing 'Ghost Town' as "one of the great British records", RBP podcast hosts Mark Pringle and Barney Hoskyns consider The Specials and their politically conscious combination of punk and ska. They then pay tribute to Dave Laing and reflect on his role in the influential Let It Rock magazine, presenting pieces of Dave's on John Martyn, a Bill Monroe live show in a Scottish monastery and singer-songwriters from Jim Croce to John Denver. The week’s audio interview sees Juliana Hatfield in conversation with Ira Robbins about not wanting to get pigeonholed as the Lemonheads' bassist and her subsequent solo album Hey Babe. Beyond all of that, Mark and Barney somehow find time to discuss an early Beatles piece, get confused about Dawn James interviewing her sister Twinkle and berate Robert Fripp for his lack of self-awareness...

Produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie

Pieces discussed: The Specials, The Specialer, The Specialest, John Martyn, Bill Monroe, the evolution of the singer-songwriter, The Beatles, Twinkle, Hot Chocolate's Errol Brown, Morrissey on the New York Dolls, Robert Fripp, Mark Eitzel, Oasis' fan letters, Nik Cohn's Triksta, Van Dyke Parks, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Page

E10: Earth, Wind & Fire + 1960s–80s music press with special guest Mark Sinker Jan 11, 2019

Show notes

Joined by special guest Mark Sinker, RBP's Barney Hoskyns and Mark Pringle discuss A Hidden Landscape Once A Week, an anthology on the "unruly curiosity" of the UK's music press from the late '60s to the '80s. Moving on to the week's free feature, goth-punks the Flesh Eaters and their contemporaries the Gun Club spark a discussion of the L.A. scene in the early '80s. The tres hombres then talk about Earth, Wind & Fire's metaphysical funk and the philosophical ramblings of mainman Maurice White (as heard in clips from a 1979 interview by Cliff – no relation – White). Further topics include Liverpool's legendary Cavern club, the Temptations dissing Motown, "pop's public intellectual" Brian Eno and Millie Jackson's self-proclaimed status as "one of the rudest b****** around".

Produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie

Pieces discussed: UK Music Press in the '70s, the Flesh Eaters, the Gun Club, Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White, the Beatles @ the Cavern, Scott Walker, Sonny Sharrock, Lou Reed, the Temptations, Brian Eno, Millie Jackson, Noel Harrison and Queen

E9: The Absurdities of Bros + Kenny Rogers audio + Oz Rock Jan 04, 2019

Show notes

Chatting about Bros and how appallingly they come out of the After the Screaming Stops doc, RBP podcast hosts Mark & Barney agree that Matt Goss is a "grotesque parody of overweening ego". Moving seamlessly on to Kenny Rogers, the duo hear a clip from John Tobler's 1989 audio interview with the man and discuss his uneasy status as a country icon and his true roots in rhythm & blues. Your hosts then pay tribute to RAM founder/editor Anthony O'Grady, who died in December, and discuss his writing on Australian rock from AC/DC to Radio Birdman. They also consider Paul McCartney & Wings, legendary jazz drummer Elvin Jones and Ecstasy's role in the Second Summer of Love.

Produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie

Pieces discussed: Bros, Brosser, Brossest, Kenny Rogers, Anthony O'Grady, AC/DC, Radio Birdman, Paul McCartney & Wings, Elvin Jones, Dolly Parton, Electro, Ecstasy, Blur, Arcade Fire, Mickey Newbury and Whitney Houston.

E8: Keith Richards on drug busts + Mick Jagger in Performance Dec 21, 2018

Show notes

Featuring exclusive clips of an increasingly intoxicated Keith Richards during a 2002 interview by Adam Sweeting, this week's RBP podcast could be described as a Rolling Stones special if there weren't so many other things being discussed. Lauding Keef as the band's heart and soul and asking "how has this man made it to 75", Mark Pringle and Barney Hoskyns wax lyrical about the brilliant Performance. Directed by the late Nicolas Roeg and Donald Cammell – with a Jack Nitzsche soundtrack Barney describes as one of the "creepiest, weirdest, but most mesmerising" he's ever heard, Performance sums up the transition from '60s flower power to something altogether darker and spookier, with the Stones themselves at "the centre of a vortex of social change". Other topics under consideration include Elvis Presley, the Beastie Boys, Paul Weller, Fleetwood Mac, Ice Cube and Gary Barlow's envy of of Robbie Williams...

Produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie

Pieces discussed: Keef gets drunk, Nic Roeg's Performance, Performance reviewed, Jack Nitzsche on Performance's soundtrack, 2018's best music journalism, Beastie Boys, the self-professed 'Dean of Rock Critics', Brenda Lee, Elvis Presley, The Jam, Fleetwood Mac, Ice Cube and Gary Barlow.

E7: Be-Bop Deluxe + Wu-Tang Clan + David Bowie Dec 14, 2018

Show notes

In this week's podcast, hear Be-Bop Deluxe's Bill Nelson reminiscing (in February 1978) with Ian Ravendale about starting bands in school and working on the Futurama album with Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker... followed by your hosts Mark Pringle and Barney Hoskyns discussing Staten Island hip hop collective the Wu-Tang Clan. Attention then turns to featured writer Tim Cooper and his Heathen-era interview with David Bowie. New library pieces under the spotlight include a 1962 letter to Record Mirror from Frank Sinatra fan Fred Dellar; Paul Morley's 1977 NME live review of Little Feat; the return of jazz giant Dexter Gordon; and an unsavoury encounter with the Prodigy.

Produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie

Pieces discussed:

Be-Bop Deluxe audio, Wu-Tang Clan, Phantoms of the Hip-hopera, Ol' Dirty Bastard, David Bowie, Beach House, The Who's Quadrophenia, Frank Sinatra, Hank Ballard, The Who, Diana Ross, Little Feat, Dexter Gordon, Rickie Lee James, the Prodigy, Old and New Prog and the influence of Bobby "Blue" Bland on Americana.

E6: Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry + the birth of Americana + NYC in the 70s Dec 07, 2018

Show notes

Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music talks about interpreting the music of others, resents being called a country gent and loves vinyl. Your hosts Barney Hoskyns and Mark Pringle debate whether For Your Pleasure or Stranded is the better album, contemplate country and Americana and explore featured writer's Susin Shapiro's New York escapades, which include an interview with Patti Smith about Horses. Next, Barney and Mark consider Aretha Franklin's I Never Loved a Man, recorded at Muscle Shoals, and Joe Zawinul of Weather Report, probably their favourite 'fusion' band. Returning to New York, they reflect on New Wave in response to Robert Duncan's piece describing Television as being 'possessed of all the manners of an oyster', before rounding off with discussions of punk vs. prog, the rise of female sexuality in pop music, and the infamous Kim Fowley.

Produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie

Pieces discussed: Bryan Ferry, Uncle Tupelo, Alt Country, Wilco, Patti Smith, The Ramones, Lou Reed, Marianne Faithfull, Aretha Franklin, Grand Funk Railroad, Weather Report, Robert Duncan hates New Wave, Rock Returns to Holy Rolling, Boy Toy Rock and Kim Fowley

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