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E185: Andrew Smith on A.I. + Björk + The Notorious B.I.G. Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

For this episode we're joined by the Brooklyn-based Andrew Smith, author of the bestselling Moondust, the "dotcom swindle" saga Totally Wired and the brand-new Devil in the Stack.

We start by asking Andrew about the peripatetic childhood that took him from Greenwich Village to Hastings via San Francisco's summer of love. A riveting account of auditioning to replace Mick Jones in the Clash leads us to our guest's recollections of writing in the '80s and '90s for Melody Makerand The Face — and eventually becoming chief pop critic at London's Sunday Times.

Jumping to Andrew's new book — with its subtitle A Coding Odyssey — we ask him about music's "digital revolution" in the mid-'80s, with particular attention to the ubiquity of Yamaha's DX7 keyboard. From there we revisit his 1995 interview with Björk – an artist who overtly embraced electronic sounds in that decade — and then listen to two audio clips from David Toop's absorbing encounter with the Icelandic maverick six years later.

After a fascinating discussion about A.I. – its upsides and its threat not merely to musicians but to humanity at large — we return to the mid-'90s to celebrate the all-too-short life of the Notorious B.I.G., hip hop's "King of New York" in that all-too-violent decade.

Mark provides quotes from recently-added library pieces about Captain Beefheart (1969), the Sex Pistols (1978) and oddly Francophobe goths Sisters of Mercy (1987), and Jasper wraps up the episode with his thoughts on articles about pop fanzines (2003) and writer, photographer and recent podcast guest Val Wilmer (2024).

Many thanks to special guest Andrew Smith. Devil in the Stack: A Coding Odysseyis published by Grove Press and available now. Visit Andrew's website at andrewsmithauthor.com for more details.

Pieces discussed: Andrew Smith on RBP, Björk: An International Word, Sound and Fury: Radiohead, Björk audio, Notorious B.I.G.: B.I.G. Trouble, Biggie, Tupac et al: Hollywood or Bust-up, Black Metropolis: Notorious R.I.P., Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica, The Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, The Sisters Of Mercy: After The Flood, The Fanzine Editor: Publish And Be Damned and Val Wilmer: Deep Blues 1960–1988 (Café Royal).

E184: Joe Boyd on Global Music + Kate & Anna McGarrigle Sep 02, 2024

Show notes

For this episode we're joined by a living musical legend whose career as an A&R man, manager, producer, label-owner and writer spans over 60 extraordinary years.

On the day his monumental "journey through Global Music" And the Roots of Rhythm Remainis published, the peerless Joe Boyd visits RBP's Hammersmith HQ to talk about the book — and the 17+ years it took to write the follow-up to 2006's acclaimed memoir White Bicycles. After we hear about the 1987 meeting that led to the adoption of the now-discredited term "World Music" as a marketing category, discussion touches on the sound, rhythms and political impact of music from South Africa, Brazil, Bulgaria and — inevitably — Jamaica.

Clips from John Hutchinson's 1982 audio interview with the late great Kate McGarrigle – mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright — lead to our guest's recollections of working with her and sister Anna on their magical eponymous debut in 1975. Joe also reminisces about Junco Partner, the 1976 album he made with New Orleans piano genius James Booker.

Talk of the week's featured RBP writer Robert Shelton — coinciding with the imminent reissue of the latter's epic Bob Dylan biography No Direction Home — prompts memories of the late New York Times critic from Joe, who (lest we forget) worked as stage manager at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival in which Dylan first "went electric".

Many thanks to special guest Joe Boyd. And the Roots of Rhythm Remain is published by Faber in the UK and Ze Books in the US; visit Joe's website joeboyd.co.uk for more details.

Pieces discussed: Joe Boyd: Freaky Galahad, Joe Boyd: An Interview, Joe Boyd on White Bicycles, Kate McGarrigle audio, Bob Dylan at Gerde's Folk City, New York, Pop Singers and Song Writers Racing Down Bob Dylan's Road and Bob Dylan: How does it feel on your own?.

E183: Darrell M. McNeill on the Isley Brothers + Isaac Hayes Aug 19, 2024

Show notes

Joining us all the way from Santa Barbara for this episode is Darrell M. McNeill, director of operations at the Black Rock Coalition and author of a new 33 1/3 study of the Isley Brothers' mighty 1973 album 3 + 3.

We start by asking our guest about his '90s contributions to the Village Voice and his involvement with the B.R.C.. Crediting his dad for his own childhood love of the Isleys, Darrell tells us how he came to write about the band. We discuss their unique history across six-plus decades, arriving at the dramatic game-changer that was 3 + 3.

Inevitably referencing Jimi Hendrix — an Isleys sideman in the mid-'60s — we ask Darrell about the group's pioneering hybrid of R&B and rock and their covers of classic songs by Carole King, James Taylor et al. A special nod, of course, to Jimi's incalculable influence on kid brother and budding guitar genius Ernie.

From the Isleys to Isaac Hayes: following two clips from Ira Robbins' 1995 audio interview with the sometime Stax superstar, we discuss such radical milestones as 'Theme from Shaft' and Hot Buttered Soul's version of Bacharach & David's 'Walk On By'.

After a brief digression to salute the 50th anniversary of long-time RBP contributor John Broven's seminal 1974 book Walking to New Orleans, Mark talks us out with quotes from newly-added interviews with Janis Joplin (1969) and Beatles session guitarist David Spinozza (1971). Jasper then wraps up the episode with remarks on Destiny's Child (2003) and The Comet is Coming (2019).

Many thanks to special guest Darrell M. McNeill. His book on the Isley Brother's 3 + 3 is published by Bloomsbury and available now.

Pieces discussed: The Isleys: first time winners again!, The Isley Brothers: 3 + 3, The Isley Brothers: 3 + 3 = Super Success, Ernie Isley: Pride of the Isleys, Isaac Hayes audio, Fats Domino & His Orchestra: Saville Theatre, Behind The Sun: New Orleans, 'See You Later Alligator': Bobby Charles, Janis Joplin: Janis Superhypermost!, Paul McCartney: Working with Paul — A Session Musician Speaks, Kelly Rowland: Real Girl Talk, Michie Mee is the First Lady of Toronto Hip-Hop and The Comet is Coming: Interstellar Apocalypse.

E182: Joe "Mr. C" McEwen on soul music + alt.country + Joe Tex audio Aug 05, 2024

Show notes

In this episode we're joined by the esteemed Joe "Mr. C" McEwen, who Zooms in from L.A. to reminisce about his storied career as a writer, DJ and A&R man.

We begin in our guest's native Philadelphia, where his teenage mind was blown by a James Brown show in 1966, and follow him up to his adopted Boston. He recalls his early reviews for The Boston Phoenix and revisits his 1975 homage to Sam Cooke for The Real Paper. His 1977 encounter with a 19-year-old Michael Jackson prompts discussion of a comparatively low point in the future superstar's career.

From the same year, Joe's profile of Joe Tex leads into clips from the late Cliff White's glorious audio interview with the country-soul legend who'd just scored a hit with the discofied 'Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)'. We discuss Tex's place in the southern soul pantheon before moving on to the marvellous Lost Soul compilations "Mr. C" assembled in 1982.

We hear about Joe's A&R years at Columbia and then Sire/Reprise, taking in reminiscences of British bands Ride, Primal Scream and My Bloody Valentine. He also revisits his working friendships with Sire founder Seymour Stein and with previous RBP podcast guests Geoff Travis, Alan McGee and Rob Dickins. We hear about his role in the '90s "alt.country" phenomenon via the signing of Uncle Tupelo and his subsequent association with spinoff bands Wilco and Son Volt. We conclude with the Sire signing of Muscle Shoals legend Dan Penn for 1994's Do Right Man album.

Mark talks us out with quotes from newly-added library pieces about sometime Ikette P.P. Arnold (1967), the Stones' Keith Richard(s) (1969), doomed dub poet Mikey Smith (1983) and the deeply druggy Alice in Chains (1993)... after which Jasper wraps up the episode with his thoughts on pieces about laptop pop (2001) and Kendrick Lamar (2012).

Many thanks to special guest Joe McEwen.

Pieces discussed: Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson, Joe Tex: The Soul Of An Underdog, Joe Tex audio, Lost Soul, Vols. 1-3, Uncle Tupelo live, Uncle Tupelo: Are you ready for the alt. country?, Wilco: Last Twang in Town, Dan Penn: Once More With Feeling, P.P. Arnold, Keith Richard(s), Mikey Smith: Poet and His Roots, Alice in Chains: Misery loves company, Laptop punk and the powerbook pop and Kendrick Lamar: Inside the Year's Best Album.

E181: Mark Williams on Knebworth '74 + the underground press + Joan Jett Jul 22, 2024

Show notes

In this episode the marvellous Mark Williams Zooms in from mid-Wales to regale us with tales from the heyday of the UK's underground press and his later involvement with the L.A. punk scene.

We start in mid-'60s Newcastle – where our guest drummed with beat combo the Jailbirds – and move on to his days at the Birmingham Arts Lab via a flat above London's hallowed 2i's coffee bar. A return to the capital in late '68 brings Mark to the offices of leading underground paper International Times (a.k.a. it) and his irregularly-recompensed stint as the editor of its "Plug & Socket" music section. A weekend in the arms of Janis Joplin is among the highlights of his it tenure before he departs to launch the short-lived Strange Days – for which he was due to interview Jimi Hendrix on the day after the guitarist died.

It being 50 years since the first Knebworth festival, we revisit that Allmans-headlined "Bucolic Frolic" and discuss the phenomenon of such gatherings. Jumping forward five years, we hear about our guest's years in Los Angeles and his work with Slash (the publication and the label) – the Germs connection leading into clips from a 1983 John Tobler audio interview with Joan Jett. Finally we hear about the 1981 launch of Felix Dennis' splendidly opportunistic New Music News and Mark's memories of editing his hilarious pal Tom Hibbert.

Mark talks us out with quotes from newly-added library pieces about teen heartthrob Bobby Vinton (1962), the broken-through Doors (1967), infamous Stone/Beatles lawyer/manager Allen Klein (1969) and southern-soul Mecca Muscle Shoals (1970)... after which Jasper wraps up the episode with his thoughts on militant (and prescient) rappers Dead Prez (2003) and the enduring influence of Chic (2021).

Many thanks to special guest Mark Williams.

Pieces discussed: Janis Joplin: Janis, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones: Free Concerts,When the Allman Brothers Band Headlined the First Knebworth, Cancel the inquest: the festival she lives, Knebworth: Great music but a non-event, Letter from Britain, L.A. Punk: Pogo-ing On The Fault Line, Joan Jett audio, It's Tom Hibbert's World, Bobby Vinton, The Doors, Allen Klein, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Dead Prez and The Chic Effect.

E180: David Toop on Dr. John + Collusion + Scott Walker audio Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

In this episode we welcome the esteemed David Toop to Hammersmith – on the UK's General Election day – to discuss his extraordinary new book about (and around) Dr. John's 1968 album Gris-Gris.

First we revisit the short-lived but splendidly eclectic Collusion magazine our guest co-founded in 1981: we hear about its inception and mission, as manifest in groundbreaking pieces about rap, surf, salsa, exotica and "paranoid sex in '60s soul". We touch on key points along the journey of David's journalistic career before arriving at The Wire in the '90s. A 2012 Pitchfork piece about Wire icon Scott Walker leads us to David's audio interview for that article: two clips from the conversation prompt discussion of Walker's remarkable career from the Walker Brothers to his new album Bish Bosch.

Finally we reach the debut album by Malcolm Rebennack, a.k.a. "Dr. John the Night Tripper", and learn of the long gestation of David's book during lockdown. David discusses the complex themes and issues explored in Two-Headed Doctor, including voodoo, racism, minstrelsy, New Orleans, unreliable mythography, and the unsung brilliance of the album's co-creator Harold Battiste. A gravelly clip from the late Charlie Gillett's 1971 audio interview with the Night Tripper himself provides a capsule backstory to the album's germination.

Mark talks us out with quotes from newly-added library pieces about Stan Getz (1973), Fred Wesley (1974), Primal Scream (1997) and Robbie Williams (1999).

Many thanks to special guest David Toop. Listening for Ghosts in Dr John's Gris-Gris will be published on August 20th by Strange Attractor.

Pieces discussed: ¿Te Gusta La Musica Latina?, Alone in the Dark: Björk on Vespertine, Incredibly Strange and Highly Exotic, Scott Walker audio, Mystic vapour: 'Jump Sturdy' (book excerpt), Dr. John: Shadowy Singer Rises From Bayou, Dr. John In Babylon, Dr. John audio, Harold Battiste, Stan Getz, Fred Wesley, Primal Scream and Robbie Williams.

E179: Luke Turner & John Doran on The Quietus + Yoko Ono + James Chance Jun 24, 2024

Show notes

In this episode we welcome John Doran and Luke Turner to downtown Hammersmith and invite them to talk about their much-loved and newly-revamped Quietus "webzine". (That's Noughties-speak, for all you kids out there.)

The intrepid duo look back on the 2008 birth of their baby and reflect on its survival and evolution over the subsequent 16 years. Quotes from pieces they wrote about Kanye West (2008) and Britpop "fakestalgia" (2014) prompt thoughts on such much-missed Quietus writers – and RBP contributors – as S(teven)Wells, Dele Fadele and Neil Kulkarni.

Mention of a recent Quietus piece about Yoko Ono leads us to clips from Mark Kemp's 1992 audio interview with the pioneering avant-gardist whose life and work are celebrated in an exhibition at London's Tate Modern (15 February to 1 September, 2024). Ardent fans of Ono's woefully-overlooked solo albums, John and Luke talk about the relentless racist/misogynist abuse she's suffered as "the woman who broke up the Beatles" [sic].

Staying in the demi-monde of downtown New York transgression, we pay tribute to departed jazz-punk No Waver James Chance, another Quietus anti-icon, before Mark winds up the episode with quotes from newly-added library pieces about the Beatles (1963), the Temptations (1970), Kurtis Blow (1981), Jerry Dammers (1990) and Glen Campbell (1999). Finally, Jasper rounds things off with remarks on Atlanta's overshadowed rappers Goodie Mob...

Many thanks to special guests John Doran and Luke Turner. Read the Quietus at thequietus.com, and find their books, including Jolly Lad and Men at War in all good bookshops.

Pieces discussed: Kanye West: Sensitive Soul, Modern Life Isn't Rubbish: The Trouble With Britpop Nostalgia, Yoko Ono audio, Q: Why Interview James Chance? A: Because He's There, Bow To The Devilish Prince: James Chance Interviewed, Downtown icon James Chance cuts loose, It's the Beatles! Part 5: How To Avoid The Stage Door Crowds... Enter Through The Roof, Temptations: no trouble pleasing their audience, Kurtis Blow: Rap-sody in Blow, Mandela's Day — The Journey To Freedom, Glen Campbell: "I could have gone the same way as Elvis" and Goodie Mob: World Party

E178: Ann Powers on Joni Mitchell + Tori Amos + Women in Pop Jun 12, 2024

Show notes

In this episode we're joined from Nashville by acclaimed critic, author and broadcaster Ann Powers for a discussion of her new Joni Mitchell book.

Starting in Ann's native Seattle, we hear about her early '80s pieces for The Rocket before moving on to her stints at the San Francisco Weekly and the New York Times. Mention of Piece by Piece, the 2005 book she wrote with Tori Amos, leads us to clips from Steven Daly's 1998 audio interview with Amos and a broader conversation about the wave of female singer-songwriters that engulfed pop music in the '90s.

Ann's noughties move to California and the L.A. Times prompts discussion of the "dreamlike" night she spent chez Prince on New Year's Eve, 2008. From there we jump to the life and music of an artist Prince admired more than most: Joni Mitchell, subject of Ann's remarkable new book Travelling. With particular focus of 50-year-old jazz-rock masterpiece Court and Spark, we explore the richness and complexity of Joni's '70s work, her deep engagement with the Black American experience, and the worship she's experiencing in the wake of the recent "Joni Jams".

Many thanks to special guest Ann Powers. Travelling: on the Path of Joni Mitchell is published by Harper Collins and available now from all good bookshops.

Pieces discussed: Ride the Unicorn: Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Tanita Tikaram, Tori Amos (1998), My Night with Prince, Joni's Jazz-rock and Fusion's Big Bang, A New Canon: In Pop Music, Women Belong at the Center of the Story, Louise: Sheepish in wolverine's clothing, Millie Jackson: The Poor People's Queen and Chvrches: "It only takes two seconds to say: I don't agree with white supremacy."

E177: Val Wilmer on free jazz + photography + Lesley Gore audio May 28, 2024

Show notes

In this episode — our first-ever "field recording" — we travel up to North London to interview the legendary writer-photographer Val Wilmer.

Val takes us back to her earliest musical memories in Streatham, South London, and her immersion in the capital's '60s jazz and blues scenes. We hear about her first pieces for Jazz Journal and her experiences of interviewing (and photographing) the likes of blues singer Jesse Fuller. We also hear about her remarkable DownBeat interview with Jimi Hendrix from early 1968.

Val's classic 1977 book As Serious As Your Life — reissued in 2018 — provides the pretext for asking about her passionate championing of the "free jazz" of John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and others. We focus on her 1966 Melody Maker encounter with the extraordinary Albert Ayler and the unsolved mystery of his death in 1970.

A discussion of Val's deep involvement in the women's movement leads us to clips from Ira Robbins 1994 audio interview with the late Lesley ('It's My Party') Gore — and in particular her startling photo-feminist classic 'You Don't Own Me', six decades young this year. Jasper talks us out with his thoughts on Alan Light's 1991 Rolling Stone interview with Queen Latifah.

Many thanks to special guest Val Wilmer. As Serious As Your Life is published by Serpent's Tail and available from all good bookshops.

Pieces discussed: Jimi Hendrix: An experience, Once Upon A Time In Williamsburg, Ayler: Mystic tenor with a direct hot line to heaven?, Memories of Hoppy: An interview with Val Wilmer, The New Jazz Gets With It (That Means With Contemporary Art), Tempo: Coltrane, Shankar and All That Rock & Roll, Coltrane, Davis, Monk, Mingus, Lesley Gore audio and Queen Latifah's New Gambit.

E176: Simon Day on the Fast Show + Brian Pern + Steely Dan audio May 13, 2024

Show notes

In this episode we welcome Fast Show legend Simon Day to downtown Hammersmith and ask him about his musical passions and the immortal Life Of Rock With Brian Pern.

We start with our guest's misspent youth in south-east London, where he frequently saw bands such as Dr. Feelgood and local lads Squeeze and even fronted his own punk combo Simon & the Virgins. We hear about his early days on the standup circuit and his close associations with Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer and the gang that coalesced around The Fast Show. From there we discuss the genesis of his "prog'n'roll" alter ego Brian Pern and his affectionate lampooning of Peter Gabriel.

Clips from a 2003 audio interview with Steely Dan prompt an in-depth conversation about Donald Fagen and the late Walter Becker. During this, Simon tells us how he first fell for the arch duo and we collectively compare notes on some of the group's greatest songs and albums.

After a brief mention of featured writer Dorian Lynskey and his new book Everything Must Go, Mark quotes from newly-added library pieces about Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx and Beatles hairdresser Leslie Cavendish before Jasper talks us out with his thoughts on M. People's Heather Small and a particularly cantankerous Van Morrison.

Many thanks to special guest Simon Day.

Pieces discussed: Genesis Doing The Foxtrot, Genesis: No "Pale" Imitation, Seventies prog rockers Genesis are back, but are they welcomed?, All Apologies: Brian Pern, Steely Dan audio, Wayne Robins on the RBP podcast, Pete Seeger, Kendrick Lamar, Why do pop stars fall for conspiracy theories?, Dorian Lynskey on the RBP podcast, Mötley Crüe, Beatles hairdresser Leslie Cavendish, Elvis, The King Remembered — An oral history, Heather Small: Proud, Los Campesinos!, and A duel with Van Morrison.

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