Music Talks

In this episode my guest is Mark Croft who I describe as a ‘musical scholar’. All my guests have a love and passion for music, but Mark takes that to a different level and to every aspect of music. In a wide-ranging conversation, we explore (amongst other things) the magic of live performance, the importance of shared experience, the joy of playing live, the art of song writing, and the fact that...

My guest today is Roy Sharples, the Founder and CEO of Unknown Origins whose mission is to build a better future by “saving the world from unoriginality by unleashing the power of creativity”.  When you start a company with as bold and inspiring a mission as that you must have strong views and a real belief in them. Roy shares a lot of those views and thoughts during our conversation and whilst I...

My guest in this episode is Elisa Doucette a writer, editor, and entrepreneur who currently travels the world looking for great stories to live and interesting tales to share. Elisa was born and grew up in rural Maine, with a strong Scottish and Irish cultural heritage. That was undoubtedly a key influence in words, language and music becoming a lifelong passion and in latter years (after a succes...

This time of year isn’t just the season of goodwill it’s also the season of “Best Of” lists and it’s part of the musical year that I love.  It’s always good to know that things you like are also enjoyed by others but the real joy for me is gaining new insight into albums I’ve enjoyed or discovering albums that I have missed.  My hope is that this episode will do some of that for you.  As in previo...

This time of year isn’t just the season of goodwill it’s also the season of “Best Of” lists and it’s part of the musical year that I love.  It’s always good to know that things you like are also enjoyed by others but the real joy for me is gaining new insight into albums I’ve enjoyed or discovering albums that I have missed.  My hope is that this episode will do some of that for you.  As in previo...

My guest in this episode is friend and colleague Stephen Boyle.  Stephen was born and grew up in a small fishing town in the Northeast of England called North Shields with the city metropolis of Newcastle only eight miles away.  After University in Sheffield and then a time living and working in London, he took the big step in 1995 to move to the US which is where he has lived for almost all of th...

My guest in this episode is writer, editor, and educator Yi Shun Lai.  Born in Taiwan, she moved with her parents to the U.S. at the age of four. She grew up in California before moving to New York in her twenties, where she spent a total of 12 years. In her own words she has now “fulfilled her filial duty” by moving back to California where she now lives, and her parents are a mile up the road. ...

My guest in this episode is friend and colleague Phil Atkinson . Like many of my guests he has had a long and successful career in the I.T industry, but as you will hear his route  into that career is far from typical.     In this episode we discuss:   ·        Being born in Barking, East London into very humble beginnings.  ·        At age 7, the family move  to Basingstoke  to try and better the...

My guest in this episode is Mark Harrison.  A friend of a previous guest Dan French, Mark listened to episode 52 and liked it so much he decided he wanted to come on the show, which is a process that always pleases me.  In amongst the music we talk about:  ·        His Grandfather’s houseboat, Calisto, on the Grand Union Canal  ·        Born in West London in 1962 then moving to South Africa as a...

This is Part 2. of my fascinating conversation with Mark Spickett and takes us from the 90’s through to the present day.  Mark entitled the 90’s “The Roller Coaster Years” and that should tell you that his life continued to be exciting, challenging,  full of change and filled with fantastic stories.  Mark also makes a great set of musical choices a three of which were new to me. His choices are : ...

My guest in this episode is Mark Spickett who I have known for over 25 years as both a colleague and friend. in 2019 I had the pleasure of his company for 4 days at the Austin City Limits (ACL) Festival and given the 2021 ACL festival starts today it felt like a good time to have Mark on the show  I have known for many years that Mark’s story is an interesting one but as if often the case with Mus...

David Breeze has been friends with Steve Beswick (my guest on Episode 45) since they were at Lancaster University together in the early 80’s. David heard Steve’s episode and got in touch to say he would like to be on the show, and I love it when that happens  David was born and grew up near Chesterfield in Derbyshire and had an idyllic and very stable childhood. That geographical stability changed...

Nick was born the year AC/DC were formed (1973)) in the historically significant town of Hastings, which by then was more than a little tired. His parents John and Chrissie later moved the family up the coast to Bexhill-on- Sea, which Nick brilliantly sums up as a place where the main industry is care homes, London is the North and ambition is modest.     At University something clicked for Nick a...

My guest in this episode is Dan French.  As is often the case with my guests there is a work connection however in this case Dan worked with my brother Jim in the 90’s, not with myself. His name has come up regularly since that time and I am delighted he came on the show.  To say Dan is an avid consumer of music is an understatement. This episode is a veritable Cook’s tour of the last six decades...

My guest today is a dear friend I met whilst living in Seattle. Ben is a likeable, larger than life character with a strong social conscience and we bonded over beer, bars, sport and most importantly music.  Born and raised in Utrecht Ben’s working life started with four  years in the Dutch Navy followed by a long career in I.T with Cap Gemini and then Microsoft. He is now happily retired and livi...

Getting to Episode 50 is an important milestone for me and one that I wanted to celebrate in some way.     I didn't want to get into choosing my "favourite " clips as that would be a harder task even than choosing a song from each decade of my life :-) It also didn't feel the right thing to do as I have genuinely enjoyed every one of the 49 episodes.     In recent months I have...

In listening back to this episode with my guest Mike Lloyd I was reminded of John Miles 1976 hit “Music”. It’s not a track I particularly like musically but I have always loved the sentiment in the lyrics:  “Music was my first love, and it will be my last, music of the future, music of the past”.   It’s very clear that those lyrics apply to Mike, and in this episode, he takes us on his journey sin...

My guest in this episode is Richard Tooth, a colleague and friend who I have always known to have a long and deep love of music.     An extended Playlist, curated by Richard,  containing almost 100 different artists is testament to the fact that Richard's tastes are wide and varied. But anyone who knows him is aware that there is one band that sits above all others for him, and they have for...

Today's guest is Brian Hawkins.     In painting his pen portrait at the start of the episode Brian recounts a story of being described recently as "disruptive" and the fact that this pleased him because "there cannot be change without disruption and my life has been about change”.     As we go through his choices and stories it’s clear that he has a point! As well as being a hu...

My guest in this episode is actor and musician Levi Petree, who I met through our mutual friend Jesse Jackson, the man behind the Set Lusting Bruce Podcast.  Born in 1982, Levi grew up in the Southern US near Lafayette in what he describes as the “Cajun Hub” Since 2008 he has lived in LA having moved there via Chicago (sorry Wilco fans I couldn’t resist!)  Levi is clearly proud and grateful for hi...

My guest in this episode is Steve Beswick who was the first person from Microsoft I ever met. We became firm friends and he is now a 27-year-old veteran of the company (and counting) .  Steve is married to Naomi and is the proud father of Hattie and Billy and is  grandfather to 3-year-old Leon.  As well as exploring Steve’s career journey we also talk about:  ·        The importance of family, fri...

Andrew Reid is, in his own words, a - "Husband, father, technologist, musician, tri-athlete, part French, part Kiwi and heavily Scottish "    A long-time resident in Switzerland with his wife Celine his musical passions centre around a certain Paul John Weller and The Cure. He claims he can’t decide between them although in our discussion I think the former clearly won out. That was one...

My guest in this episode is Simon Poile who I first met in 2018 on my annual sojourn to the Austin City Limits Music Festival.    Simon was born in Hounslow and grew up in Maidenhead but for almost all of the past 25 years he has lived in Seattle, with his wife Lex and their two children.   In amongst some great song choices (and accompanying film score choices ) we talked about a host of things i...

I am honoured that my guest in this episode is peace activist Jo Berry.  Jo is an inspiring speaker, mentor and consultant who works to resolve conflict around the world. Her father Sir Anthony Berry was killed by the IRA in the 1984 IRA Brighton Bombing. Sixteen years later Jo first met with the man responsible, Pat Magee.     This initial three-hour meeting led to them speaking on over three hun...

My guest in this episode is Andy Smith.     In between some great song choices we talk about, amongst other things :  ·        Growing up in Grimsby "The Garden City"  ·        Surviving Trinity College Cambridge as a working-class boy  ·        The delights of flangers!  ·        How The Smiths generated a love for poetry ·        Taking part in the downfall of the Soviet Union  ·     ...