Word In Your Ear

The teenage Michael Cragg was obsessed with the “glorious shiny ludicrous pop” of the period that began with the Spice Girls, included Hear’Say, Five, Steps, Atomic Kitten, Blue and countless others and ended with the closure of Popworld and Smash Hits ten years later, a tale less about music than the media that covered it and the machinations of the industry. All the key leading players – bands, managers, songwriters, critics – are interviewed in his sparkling and soon-to-be-published account of it all, Reach For the Stars, and our conversation with him includes … ….. why Chris Morris should make a film about it. … why there are no groups anymore. … Russell Brand auditioning for Five. … the secret of the Spice Girls’ success. … which is more cynical, the worlds of TV or music. … why pop stars needed “bullet-proof exteriors”. ... the band that couldn’t go to gigs or football matches without security to protect them. … why Blue would never have survived in the age of social media. … why pop stars were like contract players in 1930s movies. … how TV drained the fun and frivolity. … whether girl groups appeal to 100 per cent of the audience and boybands to only 50? … the extraordinary fall and rise of Whole Again by Atomic Kitten. … and the band mistakenly delivered by private jet to Donatella Versace. @MichaelCragg Reach For The Stars …https://www.waterstones.com/book/reach-for-the-stars/michael-cragg/9781788707244Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive early access to every future Word Podcast!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s crackling logs on the conversational fire include … … the attractively unchanging sound of Joe Henry’s 15 albums (the man PRs still sell as “Madonna’s brother-in-law”). … the 45th anniversary of David and Mark’s first meeting – at an Earth Quake gig at Salford University on February 10 1978. … Neil Tennant’s letter to Janice Long. … the recommended TV tribulations of Kleo, East German intelligence operative. … “Is it a nut? Is it a boy? Is it a wino? No, just Wreckless Eric!” A flick through an old Record Mirror from 1978. … where live music costs £3 a minute. … did the Beatles and Stones ever sound remotely similar even when playing the same song? … the Beatles on Juke Box Jury (and what they said about Elvis).   … Levon Helm’s drum kit. … plus birthday guest David Messer on why everyone should love Bill Wyman. … and birthday guest Adrian Ainsworth recommends three classical albums – Sean Shibe’s ‘Lost & Found’, ‘A Verlaine Songbook’ by Carolyn Simpson and Joseph Middleton, and John Adams’ ‘Shaker Loops’.Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to nordvpn.com/yourear to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + a Bonus Gift! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon to receive early and ad-free access to every future Word Podcast!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Of all the figures who built rock and roll back in the 1950s, Chuck Berry was arguably the most influential and certainly the strangest. In a new biography, which could never have been written when he was alive, R.J. Smith tells a story which is still hard to believe. His conversation with David Hepworth includes:* how the nerd Charles Berry discovered the key to impressing women* How a reckless streak a mile wide saw him put away as a teenager* How a comic turn developed into the greatest act in rock and roll* How he never listened to what his daddy told him about white women* How his record company’s landlord ended up co-writing “Maybelline”* His Mann Act conviction and imprisonment* His rebirth in Britain with the help of the Beatles and Stones* Why he needed a copy of the FT every day* Why he never said thank-you* The part played in his life by Lanchester Poly* His last and most tawdry court case* What was going on in his head all that timeChuck Berry: An American Life by R.J. Smith is out now.https://amzn.to/3IE7K7qSubscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast ad-free and before the rest of the world!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eels are touring the UK in March/April and E talks here about what he’s learnt about live performance from being onstage or in the audience. And this includes … … a valuable lesson from watching Leon Russell’s deserted matinee at a racetrack in Maryland. … his mum’s reaction to him singing Plastic Ono Band songs in the car when he was 10.   … seeing George Harrison (aged 11) with his sister. … the fascination of formerly big bands now quietly on the way back down (like Steppenwolf). … playing drums at his son’s school concert.   … the “crazy and theatrical spectacle” of Neil Young’s Rust Never Sleeps tour. … and what fan footage on YouTube can tell you. Eels tour dates …https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/eelsSubscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon for early access to every future Word Podcast!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Given the once-over this week in vigorous pursuit of edification and amusement … … should a Fawlty Towers sequel be illegal? … over-refreshed audiences wrecking Jukebox Musicals. … our hunt for the elusive album sleeve with the long-haired girl/Afghan hound. … how acts signal their popularity now the charts no longer matter. … critics who attacked people who attacked back. … the Beatles and ‘the genius of personality’. … how the parental credit card fuels the Springsteen ticket price inflation. … U2 about to play the new Las Vegas venue with an LED screen the size of three football pitches. … what’s the best age to be? … when are we in our prime and when are we at our most stupid? Plus birthday guest Nick Foreman and Danny Baker’s rare album hand-out.Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon to receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The dazzling super-trouper of gentle enquiry is trained this week upon:- … Sam Smith’s inflatable suit. … “TV kills everything”. … What do producers actually do? Old pal Kate Mossman joins us to talk about the inscrutable working methods of Rick Rubin, “the golden ratio”, the significance of his beard, the concept of being “Rubinised” and his transformation of Johnny Cash (and how the same thing worked later for Loretta Lynn, Glen Campbell and Willie Nelson). … Lawyers will be the only winners in the Roger Waters v Gilmour/Samson spat – “bands tend to start on a whim in a scout hut with a bunch of 16 year-olds and generally end with someone wearing a wig”. … Burt Bacharach’s magical eight-year run of hits from Three Wheels On My Wagon to Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head. … the mystifying story of the re-recording of The Dark Side Of The Moon. … if the BRITS wants to attract a teenage audience, why put it on terrestrial telly on a Saturday night? We’ve got a better idea. … “wearing the iron hat”.  -------- Cilla and Burt Bacharach recording Alfie …https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glpIgnmKrZcGrab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/yourear to get up a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 4 months for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Midge Ure starts a UK tour in April (with Band Electronica) and talks here about bands that left an impression and what he’s learnt about live performance. This includes … … audiences “wanting their pound of flesh”. … lessons learned from watching Derek Nimmo in panto. … “cheesy” stage effects - eg Bowie’s mirrorball in Space Oddity.   … Stan Webb of Chicken Shack charging offstage at Green’s Playhouse in Glasgow with a 100 foot guitar lead. … being “a human jukebox” at Clouds discos playing Jo Jo Gunne and Sparks covers. … seeing “The Marmalade” at a Radio 1 roadshow when he was 14. … memories of Taj Mahal, Skid Row, Colosseum and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. … 10,000 people blocking Sauchiehall Street to get tickets for Deep Purple. … and headliners who didn’t turn up. Midge’s tours dates here: https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/midge-ure@midgeure1 http://www.midgeure.co.uk/Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon to receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conversational footballs punted about the park this week include … … why George Harrison’s trip to Benton, Illinois, in 1963 would make a great Netflix drama – the $400 Rickenbacker, the local gig billed as “the English Elvis”, the roller-skating waitresses. “I’m in a band called the Beatles back home and we’re doing quite well.” … buskers being allowed to use amplification is a monstrous invasion of our private space: discuss. … is Deliveroo the new generation gap?   … we asked some AI software to write lyrics in the style of certain bands. You need to hear the results. … musicians and the positions they should play on the football pitch. … a deathless picture of McCartney and all-girl crowd at the Cavern. … plus birthday guest Keith Adsley flies the flag for ‘Jaguar Sound’ by Adrian Quesada.Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world, alongside a whole host of extra and exclusive content, benefits and rewards!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ron Sexsmith starts a UK tour at the end of April and talks about what he’s learnt about live performance, which includes:- … “notes from girls” after winning the High School Variety Show. … playing for drunks in his local bar when he was underage and being hidden when the police arrived.  … Elton John at the Rich Stadium in Buffalo (and being a member of the Fan Club). … his first performance, singing ‘Ben’ by Michael Jackson. … the influential low-key stagecraft of Gordon Lightfoot and Leonard Cohen, “people who just stood there”. … the rigours of long tours. … being “on Cloud Nine for a year” after seeing the Who. … and watching Cat Stevens from the best seat in the house.   All details about Ron’s upcoming tour here …https://ronsexsmith.com/tours/ @RonSexsmith https://ronsexsmith.com/Subscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon and receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world, alongside a whole host of extra and exclusive content, benefits and rewards!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel worked for various labels - Mushroom, Atlantic and Sony among them - and was the man who signed the Darkness. Training to become a psychotherapist, he began trading in rare records, travelling all over the country to buy collections and, during Lockdown, starting a special “mystery vinyl” service where he’d send people albums he thought they’d like based on their musical taste.   He talks here in fascinating detail about what an emotionally charged world this is, seeing people’s entire life stories mapped out in records, becoming a “temporary custodian” of their past, learning about whole new areas of music and obscure genres that suddenly come into vogue and every aspect of what makes a record valuable. And the thrill of finding the odd “holy grail” (Vashti Bunyan’s Just Another Diamond Day, rare Bowie first pressings etc), a process that involves “kissing an awful lot of frogs”. He even pulled out an album by a band neither of us knew, the 1970 psych-folk act Justine. Also featured – buying Roger St. Pierre’s record collection, the magic “fallibility” of vinyl (eg personal messages on sleeves) and the Greatest Record Ever Made! Brighter Day Vinyl runs a weekly Flick-Through Thursday - at the same time Top Of The Pops used to be on! - where you can get to see what’s currently on offer and you’ll find all details about Joel’s shop, its collection and what he buys and sells here …   https://linktr.ee/brighterdayvinyl @BrighterdayvnlSubscribe to Word In Your Ear on Patreon to receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world, alongside a whole lot more!: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.