EELS frontman Mark Oliver Everett (aka ‘E’) drops in to talk about about the writing of the band’s new album Earth To Dora and his creative process. During the chat, Mark highlights the power of resilience, how he collaborates with his bandmates, and his love for John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band.
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Happy new year to you all! A few recent appearances to tell you about.
A couple of months ago we guested on episode 337 of Jeremy Dylan’s My Favourite Album podcast to discuss Paul Simon’s classic 1975 LP, Still Crazy After All These Years. This was a blast, and we hope you’ll listen in.
We also had fun reminiscing about our formative years in music with Steve and Ben on episode 18 of the Songs From a Padded Envelope podcast. That one even contains an old demo of a song we wrote called ‘Sweet Tea’.
Print-wise, if you live in the North West of England there’s now a nice multi-page spread about the show in the January 2021 edition of Lake District and Lancashire Life magazine, thanks to Jeremy Blackmore for putting that together.
In November of 2021, the podcast will turn 10 years old, so we have some exciting stuff planned this year. Hopefully you’ll celebrate that anniversary with us when the time comes.
The formidable Lucinda Williams chats with Simon and Brian about the writing of her latest album Good Souls Better Angels. Talking through her expansive catalogue, the veteran artist uncovers a range of themes that have informed her songwriting and her outlook on the music industries including politics, domestic abuse, depression, experiences with record labels and reviews on social media.
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Songwriter, comedian and actor Tim Minchin talks about the writing of his debut studio album Apart Together. During this in-depth chat about the creative process, Tim also reveals how he approaches writing songs for musicals like Matilda and Groundhog Day, and why his comedy influences are The Beatles, The Kinks, and Queen.
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Decorated singer-songwriter Gary Barlow joins Simon and Brian to chat about his new album Music Played By Humans, his ongoing passion for writing and recording, and his work with Take That. In this wide-ranging conversation, Frodsham’s favourite son talks through his glittering catalogue of hits, explains what it was like waiting for cues from Ken Dodd, and reveals how he once got Prince talking about his favourite studio gear.
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The great Midge Ure drops in to discuss the 40th anniversary reissue of Ultravox’s seminal album Vienna. The legendary songwriter talks about his writing process throughout his extraordinary career from his work with Rich Kids, Visage and Phil Lynott, to the collaborative miracle that was Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’
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For this episode, Simon and Brian are joined by singer-songwriter Andrew Roachford to chat about the writing of his new record Twice In A Lifetime. The veteran musician talks about working with Beverley Knight, why he likes singing in his living room, and what it was like to see Alan Partridge miming his classic hit ‘Cuddly Toy’.
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Singer-songwriter Katie Melua talks with Simon and Brian about the writing of her absorbing new record Album No. 8. During the conversation, Katie also reflects on her collaborations with the likes of Mike Batt, Guy Chambers, Don Black and Sam Dixon, and explains why she has been on a mission to research lyric writing.
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Matt Berninger of The National joins us to talk about the writing of his excellent solo album Serpentine Prison. During the conversation, Matt describes his partnership with the album’s producer Booker T. Jones, and explains why he’s striving to resist cultures of fear, and structure his life around positive forms of creativity.
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Singer-songwriter Dan Croll talks about his staggeringly good third album Grand Plan which covers his first year living as an artist in LA. Dan also remembers the time he had a one-on-one masterclass with Paul McCartney while studying at LIPA and takes a moment to reflect on the tragic loss of the band Her’s, which he captures beautifully in his song ‘Together’.
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Taylor Goldsmith talks about his songwriting process across the impressive Dawes catalogue, collaborating with the likes of Elvis Costello on The New Basement Tapes project, and why it’s important not to go into the studio with a hundred songs. Taylor also reflects on his work with talented friends like Brandon Flowers, Mike Viola, and his wife Mandy Moore.
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To celebrate National Album Day, the great Billy Ocean discusses his new album One World, and his classic hits including ‘Love Really Hurts Without You’, ‘Caribbean Queen’, ‘When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going’ and ‘Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car’. Billy also explains his approach to melody and vocal performance, and remembers his time collaborating with super-producer Mutt Lange.
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Episode 290 – Pete DohertyJune 4, 2025
Episode 289 – Scissor SistersMay 13, 2025
Episode 288 – Bonnie “Prince” BillyMay 2, 2025
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