Scots Whay Hae!

For the latest SWH! podcast Ali caught up with writer John Gerard Fagan to talk about his memoir 'Fish Town' (published by Guts Publishing) which is all about his time living and working in Japan. The two discuss why John decided to write it, the reasons for the format of free-verse poetry, and some of the influences he drew on. They also talk about why John decided to head east in the first place...

The latest SWH! podcast is a rather special one. It's a collaboration with the Edinburgh International Book Festival and Publishing Scotland as part of the Scottish Publisher Showcase at this year's book festival. There are interviews with eight representatives from a variety of publishers who tell us all about who they are, what they do, the challenges they face, and the books they are excited ab...

For the latest podcast Ali caught up with musician Xan Tyler to talk about her collaboration with reggae legend Mad Professor on the album 'Clarion Call' (out now!), the first time they have worked together in 20 years. Xan also discusses her recent work with another music legend, Kramer, on the album 'Songs We Sang In Our Dreams', her life in music from her beginnings as a teenage backing singer...

For the latest podcast Ali catches up with musician and producer Joe Kane who invited SWH! to his home studio. It was great to do another podcast face to face, and the two discuss Joe's latest project The Poppermost and the accompanying album 'Hits To Spare'. They also discuss Joe's life in music and all his previous bands and projects, the highs and lows of working through Lockdown, dealing with...

For the latest SWH! podcast Ali caught up with an old friend of the podcast, writer and musician Doug Johnstone - the fourth time he's been a guest, but the first time since 2015. A lot has happened in the meantime and Doug talks about his new solo album 'Crow Hill' and the third in the Skelf series, 'The Great Silence'. The two also discuss the stroke Doug had at the beginning of Lockdown, his re...

The latest podcast is all about this year's Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival, and Ali caught up with the festival's strategic and creative director Melanie Purdie, and Neil Gore from Townsend Theatre Productions, to discuss it. After having to postpone last year the festival is back with a fantastic and varied programme, and Melanie takes us through what to expect, where to find it, and how e...

For the latest podcast Ali spoke to musician Man of the Minch (AKA Pedro Cameron) and poet Peter Mackay about Sradagan Na Sràide / Street Sparks, the EP they have collaborated on marrying the latter's lyrics with the former's magical music. The result is a collection of songs which celebrate and reflect on the lives of contemporary Gaels in the urban environment. They discuss why they came to work...

For the latest podcast - it's all about HANG, Scotland's first ever Hip Hop & Grime Music Conference, presented by the Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA) in partnership with Creative Scotland. Ali talks to producer of the SAMAs Richy Muirhead who talks about the HANG programme and how you can join in and get involved. He then catches up with one of the guest speakers, Jill Brown, who tal...

For our first video podcast (or vodcast, as no one is calling it) in some time, SWH! made a welcome trip Doon the Watter to Dunoon Burgh Hall to talk to previous podcast guest Kirsty Law about 'Exposure' - an exhibition which is a result of a collaboration between Gilles Perring and Andy Metcalf. Focusing on the two artists' relationship with the Isle of Jura, 'Exposure' is a multi-media productio...

For the latest podcast Ali spoke to musician Roberto Cassani about his sensational album 'Ansema We Stand', his incredible life in music, and how he came to settle in rural Perthshire. The two also discuss how the young Roberto discovered the double bass was 'his instrument', how he became the darling of Italy's musical royalty, the importance of his Lombardy childhood to this album, the importanc...

For the latest SWH! podcast Ali talks to Guy Peploe, director at The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh, about their forthcoming exhibition 'Joan Eardley | Centenary'. Since her untimely death in 1963 Joan Eardley has gone on to become one of Scotland's artistic national treasure's and Guy talks about her life and work, as well as her special relationship with The Scottish Gallery. The two also discuss...

For what we now realise is the 200th SWH! Podcast, Ali spoke to musician, filmmaker, photographer, and broadcaster Adam Stafford about his forthcoming album 'Trophic Asynchrony', the current single 'Threnody for February Swallows', and the themes and inspirations behind both. The two also discuss the importance of film and photography in the project, his previous album 'Diamonds Of A Horse Famine'...

For the latest podcast Ali spoke to rapper, poet, and songwriter Conscious Route. The two talk about his life in music, and the music of his life, including his recent collaboration with producer Tzusan on 'Father & Son'. They also discuss the differences between being part of a band and going solo, the hip-hop and dance scene in Scotland, constantly learning and changing through music, and a...

For the latest podcast Ali spoke to Carla J. Easton about ' Since Yesterday: Unsung Pioneers of Scottish Pop' , the feature-length documentary which she is working on and which you can support by going to the Kickstarter page - www.kickstarter.com/projects/sinceyesterday/since-yesterday-music-documentary   The two talk about the inspiration behind the film, the bands featured, the importance...

The latest SWH! podcast is about all things Rymour Books as Ali talks to founder Ian Spring, and two of their authors Kirsti Wishart and, previous podcast guest, Graham Lironi. Rymour are a new(ish) small independent publisher and Ian tells us all about how it came to be, the ideas being Rymour, and their publications to date. Kirsti and Graham then give us the story from a writer's point of view,...

For the latest SWH! podcast Ali spoke to writer Alan Gillespie whose novel debut 'The Mash House' is out now, published with Unbound. The two talk about Alan's life as a writer from the early days through to the writing and publication of 'The Mash House', his inspirations and influences, the interaction between people and place in the novel, working with Unbound, what he's planning next, and a lo...

The latest SWH! podcast is an interview with director & theatre-maker Beth Morton and playwright Morna Young who tell us all about Braw Tales - five short animated stories by some of Scotland’s most exciting writers and animators, presented by An Tobar & Mull Theatre. They talk about the process of collaborating with animators, musicians, performers, and the move to theatre online. Morna's...

For the latest SWH! podcast Ali spoke to singer/songwriter, composer, and arranger Debra Salem about 'In A Sma Room', the musical project inspired by the life and poetry of William Soutar. The two talk about what drew Debra to Soutar's work, how the project began, its theatrical roots, the involvement of writer Ajay Close, the incredible musicians Debra brought on board, adapting poetry to music,...

For the latest SWH! podcast Ali spoke to writer Linda Cracknell about her latest novel, 'The Other Side of Stone' (or is it a novella, or a short story collection?). As well as the format, the two discuss the importance of place in Linda's work, her fascination with derelict buildings, how and why she picked these stories to tell, the unusual starting point for 'The Other Side of Stone', the physi...

For the latest SWH! podcast Ali caught up with poet, spoken word artist, and scriptwriter Cat Hepburn to talk about her latest published collection 'Dating & Other Hobbies'. Cat is someone we've wanted on the podcast for a while, and it's fascinating to hear about the new poetry, her first published short stories, the way she approaches different forms of writing, using the personal to examine...

For the latest SWH! Podcast Ali spoke to rapper. poet, songwriter, and producer, Dave Hook (better known to many as Solareye). The two discuss the history of Stanley Odd and the band's new album 'STAY ODD: The Magic of Everyday Things', why they decided to publish a book of lyrics to go with it, some of the individual tracks and themes, the collaborative, supportive, and enduring nature of the Sco...

For the latest SWH! podcast Ali spoke to writer Aidan Martin about 'Euphoric Recall', a memoir which deals with his recovery from extreme trauma and addiction. The two discuss why he wrote the book - and why he chose memoir over fiction, how it felt to return to these traumatic events, how writing helped his recovery, the inspiration for the book's structure, the reaction from friends and family,...

For the latest podcast Ali spoke folksinger Iona Fyfe about her exceptional musical career, as well as her work in support of Scots language. They talk about her unconventional time at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the inspirational lecturers she encountered, her deep roots in traditional music, the recent changes she has seen in Folk, as well as her work with 'Oor Vyce - the campaign for t...

For the latest SWH! podcast we welcome back writer John D. Burns to talk about his latest book, 'Wild Winter - In Search of Nature in Scotland's Mountain Landscape'. Originally proposed as an account of Winter in the wilds of Scotland, the arrival of the COVID 19 pandemic threw those plans into disarray and the result is a very different book to the one John intended, but it's one which captures t...

For the latest podcast Ali spoke to Martin Metcalfe who has been in a variety of bands over the years, but who is best known to many as the frontman of Goodbye Mr Mackenzie - one of Scotland's finest bands. Martin talks about the early days of the band, the music scene in Edinburgh in the '80s, the bands who influenced them and those they admired, their reformation and sell-out tour of 2019, the n...