The Corona Diaries

I know that we talk often, almost every week in fact, but as a rule we don't find ourselves in close proximity all that find. Which means that I am pretty sure that there is quite a difference with what greets me in the mirror after I have thrown a leg out from under the duvet, and the picture you see of me trying to look more than a little "rock-star". And that difference has a name, and her name...

By now you probably know that when we played Pompeii earlier in the year, we were joined onstage by an astonishing choir called Flowing Chords. They helped the band work on new arrangements for a number of songs, and were a big part of creating something really magical on the night(s). You may also know that they are making a return appearance for the last couple of UK dates at the Hammersmith Apo...

Ant wanted me to mention three things pivotal to this week's chapter of TCD. SET-LIST SPOILERS about half way through the pod we have a discussion about the set-list for the UK tour, we did include a warning in the recording, but for the purpose of prepping you here it is a second (or first) time! The hotel chain that we mentioned used to be branded as the Jurys Inn Apparently you need between 30-...

’ve played a great many gigs since joining the band in ‘89 and quite a few new ones have been added to our “circuit” along the way. Something we haven’t really reflected on much, is how the tour venue choices have evolved. So today we fell into a conversation about the venues on the upcoming UK tour, and how they compare to days gone by. Where do I miss playing, where do I like going back to, and...

Lord, it seems like an age since we recorded this and tbh I am not quite sure what we talked about. I can tell you it was the balance of the post-Pompeii chat (and that it happened on #plumday) but life has moved on since then, and recall is rarely linear for me these days. It tends to wash over me in waves. In other news the ICG reissues have finally arrived, and they look bloody lovely. Today, c...

Plum Day comes but once a year, and as it turned out this year it was on Tuesday 4th. "But what is Plum Day" I hear you cry, well that is the day that Ant and I settle ourselves in the garden at Hogarth Towers, pick the ripened plums off the tree, and generally talk bollocks. It started a couple of years ago, post a Cropredy performance with Trevor, and has now become a bit of a thing. And this ye...

It's been a bit of a week... We weren't even sure if TCD was going to be a thing this week, what with me being on my holibobs and Ant out and about with his proper job. But we managed to find a bit of time late on Wednesday evening, which meant I was able to elaborate on the quirks and wrinkles that have come my way since I arrived in Italy, what with the car parking, the back streets and the fact...

Cast your mind back a couple of weeks to the last chapter of TCD (...sorry Lucy). You know the one I am talking about, where I was set the challenge of coming up with a single CD of material that spoke to my musical output across all the various projects I have been involved. So by the end of #263 I managed to put together a sort of working list, narrowing it down to thirty-odd tracks I thought we...

It might seem like there is a somewhat cavalier approach to TCD (...sorry Lucy) this week, what with the big reveals, and the joining-of-the-dots with the last piece of purple bonus content. So if you are feeling a little confused, here are the three things we are juggling: The announcement, which I haven't been able to talk about for nearly three months, can now be made public...and it marks a bi...

So, here’s how it went down this week… 1.⁠ ⁠Our normal in-depth production schedule exchange took place over WhatsApp on Monday 2.⁠ ⁠Recording commenced bang on 10:37am on Tuesday morning, conditions were normal with a gentle pace and favourable headwinds. 3.⁠ ⁠Approximately 20 minutes a largely throwaway comment, somewhat metaphysical in nature, threw Ant off course. 4.⁠ ⁠We took that concept on...

The first question that most people ask when I reveal I have recorded nearly 500 episodes of this podcast is "surely you must have run out of things to talk about by now?" Well this week's TCD (...sorry Lucy) is a perfect example of how we have got to 261 chapters and a similar number of bonus episodes. Firstly we can get half a podcast out of literally anything, the example for today is me making...

Now you might be wondering why this chapter of TCD (...sorry Lucy) has turned up a little bit early, because let's be honest we don't have a reputation for being this on the ball. It kind of revolves around my birthday (today), the fact it is a significant one (three score and ten) and the upcoming special edition releases of Ice Cream Genius. And that is all I am going to say at this point in pro...

In a change to the normal way of working it is Ant here, providing you with the episode notes for the latest chapter of TCD (...sorry Lucy). What that does mean is I can take this opportunity to put the podcast title into some form of context, and offer up a grovelling apology to my co-host. Through the course of the pod you are going to get an explanation as to the specifics, but the fact is I wa...

You don't have to have been following TCD (...sorry Lucy) that intently to know that the beat combo is in the middle of writing and recording a new album. Now I have been around this world for a very long time, and I am here to tell you that I don't think it really matters who the artist or band is, there isn't a particular definition of normal for this process. That said, the Marillion way is pro...

It’s all about personal growth this week as Ant and yours truly open ourselves up to the process of re-evaluation. It all started a few weeks ago when we happened to mention, quite casually as it transpired, that neither of us were moved by the music of Rush. As it turned out a goodly number of the purple community were a little vexed by this admission. So we decided that maybe we should take some...

So…outside through the open sliding door is the calm azure Caribbean and above, a wide open blue sky, as the tap tap on my cabin door - exactly on time - summons me to welcome in a genius, a legend and someone fast-becoming a “goofball-brother”. It takes one to know one (a goofball I mean…). Now I could bang on for hours about what he has achieved, his extraordinary playing, or the records he spri...

Before we start I need to draw your attention to something. If you have been listening for a while you know that TCD has never shied away from the odd expletive or two. However today's chapter is a little more littered than usual, and I wanted to give you ample warning, and beg forgiveness from Christine. There are a couple of reasons for this, but the most obvious is that drink had been (and was...

Now, even by our standards this is a little confusing. Last week we sat down to record a patron-only Q&A, and we weren't 100% successful. We did manage to record, and we did end-up with a piece of purple content, but we didn't get around to actually answering any of your questions. This week we should have been recording a non-patron episode, and one that did include a guest contributor. We di...

I seemed to recall that we said at some point that we would try and get a few more guests on TCD (...sorry Lucy), it could have been as a result of passing the 250 mark or it might even have been a sort of NY resolution. Now clearly anything that either of us states as an intention (or even a hard-and-fast truth) should be taken under advisement, but in this case it is playing out as described. Sa...

Buses. You wait 251 episodes to get one of my boys on the pod, and just like that you get the other one. Actually it was all a bit odd this week, Ant is away in California so we have been juggling and crowbarring, just to find a suitable moment to sync the time zones and press record. And yes before you ask, crowbarring is a word. Anyway not wanting to be the odd brother out, Nial was able to join...

I don't know if it is because we are in a new year (Happy 2026 btw) or because it feels a while since the 250th, but this episode feels like a new start, maybe a do-over, or even a hard reset. (of course all of that is merely a figure of speech, and for those of you that worry about these things I am not currently trying to press a little button on the base with an unfolded paper clip). Anyway Ant...

It's not every week that you get all five members of the beat-combo on the same episode of a podcast (in fact it is possible that we were popping the 'ol podcast cherry, collectively speaking). But then it isn't every week that we record the 250th episode of TCD!! It made for an eventful recording process, and indeed a game of two halves, as we huddled around a single microphone in my hotel room i...

I had a rare old time in Poland last week, in fact it may well be the best h natural show I have played there. Despite a little apprehension on my part, it all went swimmingly, as you are about to hear as we discuss the gig and the set-list in some detail. Of course the next few weeks are going to blur a bit, what with the upcoming Marillion Weekend in Utrecht, and then the run of solo shows that...

There are so many reasons why we don't do a video version of TCD (...sorry Lucy) but we got the sense that many of you didn't believe us. So as Ant was round at ours anyway, and as Vibes was on hand to assist with production duties, we decided to tiptoe out 'till our feet only just reached the floor. What that means is that you get a few mins of audio-only, before we will redirect you to the YT li...

It’s a full on chapter of TCD this week (….sorry Lucy) with all the bells and whistles that are now synonymous with our artform. Firstly we have a guest. The inimitable Lucy J. joins us, bringing with her that wonderful frisson, that you only get when a special personality has rocked up in your own backyard. And of course when Lucy J. is in the house, we get some insider goss, and this time it's a...