Welcome to episode 154 with Mark Richardson, who is the drummer in Skunk Anansie and has previously played drums in Little Angels and Feeder.
As a child Mark found that playing drums was the only that kept him from bouncing off the walls and he eventually moved to London to join Little Angels before joining Skunk Anansie after he met the band at the Kerrang! awards.
Mark struggled with addiction for many years before getting sober in 2003 and in this episode, I chat to him about the role that drink and drugs have played in his life, the events that led him to get help and the 3 years it took him to finally stop.
We chat about identity, wearing masks, going to AA and the realities of the so-called rock and roll lifestyle.
Mark is one of the co-founders of the Music Support charity that is a non-profit collective of volunteers and professionals providing help and support for individuals in any area of the music industry and we chat about how they got started and the incredible work that they do.
Mark has also been involved in to lots of research about the positive impact of playing drums on wellbeing. Neurodiversity and dementia and that’s a fascinating part of this conversation.
Here is everything you need to connect with Mark and learn more about Music Support:
@markrichdrums
@musicsupport_uk
@officialskunkannansie
You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.
A great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.
If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk
Thanks for listening!