The Mild Mannered Army

Ahoy.  Something a little different...before going ahead and setting up a dedicated podcast for this mad idea I have decided to give a taster on this channel.  I am joined by two Twitter chums to discuss and debate "Inside No.9"; episode by episode.  I hadn't ever seen a single minute of it and they were, at best, casual observers.  Here we are then, three strangers discussing a television show they don't really know anything about for reasons that none of us can really explain.  

I am joined by author Graeme Armstrong to discuss his debut novel "The Young Team".  Inspired by his own experiences of gang culture in North Lanarkshire Graeme has produced a debut novel that has generated real excitement and that looks set to be viewed as a classic in time.  With themes of family, identity, love, loss and belonging running throughout the tales of life as part of the Young Team this is a book that captures you, excites you, disturbs you and challenges you.  With explicit content and discussion of some potentially triggering content.

A treat as I am joined, in the Filmhouse bar, by Rick McMurray from Ash to discuss 25 years of...teenage wildlife.  This is a real delight with Rick and I talking Top Trumps, Iron Maiden, the perfect set-list and almost everything else along the way.  Teenage Wildlife is available right now on CD, vinyl and a few limited edition formats of both are still available too.  You know what to do.

Former Britpop star James Cook follows up his fantastic memoir "Memory Songs" with a new book that deals with his experience of being the father of a child with non-verbal autism and how music helped him to connect with her.  James is open and honest about his experiences and the things he has learned on his journey.  The book is available from Blink and, right now, we would encourage you to order a copy from your nearest independent book shop.

In this episode I am joined by the legendary music producer Stephen Street.  Over his career Stephen has worked with some of the best known, best loved and iconic bands and artists in popular music; The Smiths, The Triffids, Blur, The Cranberries and Sleeper are just a few of those.  Here we discuss all of those bands and Stephen's memories of working with them.  This is a real treat...enjoy it!

What a treat.  An interview with Gene drummer and all 'round good egg Mr Matt "The Hat" James.  Matt and I met to talk about the debut album from Gene, "Olympian", and along the way we discover the history of the band, Martin Rossiters love of Queen, what working with Phil Vinall was like and so much more besides.  A treat I tells ya.

Ahoy, welcome to the first episode of the Mild Mannered Army Podcast of the roaring twenties.  Exciting isn't it?  In this episode I am joined by James and Jude Cook of The Flamingoes to discuss their album "Plastic Jewels" which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month.  2020 will see the same celebrations for a lot of the "big" albums of the Britpop era but few of those contain as much of the spirit of the nineties UK  music scene as this one.  Full of verve, vim and vigour, great pop songs and tender, moving, deeply personal songs about the loss of life, love and the human condition this is an album that has things to say and says them wonderfully.

In this episode I am joined by the artist known as The Vessel from art-pop, pop-art, conceptual art, performance art, indie pop, rock 'n' roll and heart and soul band David Devant and His Spirit Wife.  With a conversation that ranges from Carl Jung to the nature of reality this is a really wonderful insight into the mind of one of the most creative artists of the Britpop era.  Enjoy!

In this very special episode I am joined by Dr Jill Adam, creator and curator of the Louder Than Words Music Literature Festival along with the iconic figure of John Robb.  Together, and with their team, they have fashioned an utterly unique music literature festival which gives fans the chance to engage with writers, performers and other creatives in an intimate setting.  This years festival takes place from the 8th-10th of November at the Principal Hotel in Manchester.  Jill and I discuss the line-up and reveal some of the special treats that await those who will be attending...not to be missed!

A conversation with author and cultural commentator Daniel Rachel about his new book "Don't Look Back in Anger: The Rise and Fall of Cool Britannia, Told by Those Who Were There".  Along the way Daniel and I talk about the music of the nineties, multiculturalism, Morrissey flying the flag and flirting with disaster, the new lad, sexism and some other things too.  Daniel's book is an astonishing piece of work and it wasn't possible to cover everything it deals with...so you should really go and order a copy.