Best Around The World In Eighty Days Podcasts (2024)

1
Swinging London & the Wombles seen from an electric-blue Rolls-Royce. Mike Batt looks back 30:10

2h ago30:10

30:10

Mike Batt still wrestles with the emotional legacy of the Wombles, the act that simultaneously made him and cast a shadow over the rest of his career, not least his early days as a songwriter at Liberty Records, discussed here, hired after he’d answered the same ad as Elton John and Bernie Taupin, a time when A&R men wore kipper ties and had Picass…

1
Joe Boyd – Little Richard, Nick Drake, Tight Fit and why everything sounds the way it does 48:18

1h ago48:18

48:18

Joe Boyd produced Fairport Convention, Nick Drake and many others, released acts from all over the globe on his Hannibal label and has just written a mighty and definitive account of the history of popular music, And The Roots Of Rhythm Remain, tracing the way different sounds from different countries became interwoven. Nobody is better qualified t…

1
The Reinvention of Linkin Park 1:04:58

3d ago1:04:58

1:04:58

By Keith McNally

1
Screaming Jay Hawkins 75, Dave Grohl 1 46:11

38m ago46:11

46:11

With Mark Ellen rambling in the West Country it’s left to David Hepworth to talk Alex Gold down from the ledge in the light of the Dave Grohl news and discuss: •⁠ ⁠just how many offers come the way of rich and famous rock stars •⁠ ⁠whether his recent admission will in any way detract from the most winning smile in rock •⁠ ⁠is this an opportunity fo…

1
Gravlox of Vitruvius 10:44

9h ago10:44

10:44

Today we are privileged to have Gravlox of Vitruvius joining us in-studio for our first-ever interview! Much thanks to him for his time. Visit us at www.trewcast.com Theme song: "Bouncy", by Shaun McMullenBy Mike Marsh

1
One Day author David Nicholls – prog rock, Live Aid and making tapes for girls 35:11

18m ago35:11

35:11

The Netflix series of David Nicholls’ worldwide hit novel One Day was Top Ten in 89 countries and he’s been heavily involved in its soundtrack album, a process as enjoyable, he says, as devising the compilation tape the fictional Emma made for Dexter in 1989 featuring the Smiths, Prefab Sprout and Public Enemy. We talk to him here about the gloriou…

1
Nick Lowe – war stories, wise decisions and the event in 1970 that made him think again 32:27

13h ago32:27

32:27

Old friend of the podcast, Nick Lowe has just released his 15th solo album, Indoor Safari, and he’s about to tour with Los Straitjackets. This absorbing conversation looks back at 60 years onstage and takes in the following … … the secret of a long career. … why he resolved “not to get that famous again”. … touring Germany aged 15 in Brinsley Schwa…

1
Tokyo Vice 24:52

9d ago24:52

24:52

By Keith McNally

1
The Buskers’ Hall of Fame – from Moondog and Billy Bragg to Don Partridge and “the skating Sikh”. 39:03

3d ago39:03

39:03

Louis Armstrong, Wild Man Fischer, Irving Berlin and Lucinda Williams all started out as buskers and Cary Baker’s ‘Down On The Corner’ traces the romance and influence of street players from Ancient Rome via Chicago’s Maxwell Street to Elvis Costello outside the CBS conference and beyond. Cary, David and Mark chuck coins in the conversational hat, …

1
Who should follow John Lydon with a Spoken Word spectacular? 38:09

4d ago38:09

38:09

We applied dynamic pricing to this week’s news and various stories trebled in value, among them … … further adventures in the Oasis ticket fiasco. … the greatest band name ever. … the only rock star born under Adolf Hitler. … Marianne Faithfull? Ian Anderson? Elvis Costello? Musicians you’d rather hear talk than play. … rock stars telling jokes. … …

1
David Hepworth on the glory, comedy and tragedy of rock stars who can't retire 53:13

9d ago53:13

53:13

David’s seventh book in his ‘orange series’ is just out and you’re guaranteed to love it. He and Mark discussed ‘Hope I Get Old Before I Die’ at a sold-out launch event at Waterstones in Piccadilly on the evening of September 3, recorded here. Among the highlights you’ll find … … the rock career as a three-act play. … the tour that started the Age …

1
Around the World in 80 Days (1956) 25:16

16d ago25:16

25:16

By Keith McNally

1
The Oasis reunion – feuds, cash, symbolism and the desire to repair our imperfect lives 33:36

13d ago33:36

33:36

David, Mark and our token bucket-hatted parka monkey Alex tackle the return of Oasis, its grip on the public imagination and why they’re the biggest band of the last 30 years, which includes … … the Gallaghers’ mixed fortunes since 2009. … who won the battle of the underdogs. … “Noel has a thousand buttons, Liam has a thousand fingers”. … why the ‘…

1
Are comedians more competitive than rock stars? 44:15

16d ago44:15

44:15

In a concerted effort to put the world to rights, David and Mark ruminate upon the following … … Kylie and the Wiggles? Canned Heat and the Chipmunks? Real or invented pop star/childrens’ entertainer collaborations. .. the charmed life of Greg Kihn. … will the BBC have any archive left if it keeps cancelling presenters? … why Inside Llewyn Davis wo…

1
Around the World in 80 Days (2021) 25:44

25d ago25:44

25:44

By Keith McNally

1
Johnny Beatle’, early Blondie, Led Zeppelin’s plane and seven fabulous years at the Melody Maker. 45:55

22d ago45:55

45:55

Rock journalism as an occupation is rapidly heading in the direction of the watch-mender or lamplighter so Chris Charlesworth’s account of life at the Melody Maker in the ‘70s is already starting to feel like an historic document. ‘Just Backdated’ covers a time when the rock press set the agenda, sold over half a million copies a week and was court…

1
One-word rock star mimicry, bands who shouldn’t reform & the best thing about Taylor Swift 42:01

25d ago42:01

42:01

With David asleep on a French sun-lounger beneath a copy of Summer Lightning, Alex and Mark pour themselves a cold drink and consider … … the great ska floor-fillers. … taking kids to rock concerts. … the fate of all bands: “as musicianship improves, vocals decline”. … left-field Beatles songs reworked as nursery rhymes. … why 2-Tone had pop’s “tri…

1
The extraordinary story of Arthur Lee, Love and the 1966 flop which became a hit for the ages 34:04

29d ago34:04

34:04

Love’s official biographer John Einarson tells David Hepworth the star-crossed tale of the band who made the least psychedelic album of the psychedelic era. Their conversation takes in: ….Lee’s growing up between Memphis and L.A., dealing with the problems of looking more like Johnny Mathis than Otis Redding. ….how being indulged as a youngster by …

1
Around the World in Eighty Days, Chapters 2 and 3 23:10

1M ago23:10

23:10

Tales Read Extremely Well, by Mike Marsh (an occasional feature of TREW) Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne Chapters 2 and 3 Read the book at https://gutenberg.org/cache/epub/103/pg103-images.html Visit us at www.trewcast.com Theme song: "Bouncy", by Shaun McMullenBy Mike Marsh

1
Buddy Holly airlines and the inimitable Bob Dylan 38:59

1M ago38:59

38:59

As Mark Ellen goes shrimping at Frinton David Hepworth and Alex Gold links hands across the Atlantic to discuss: ….why a quick turn around Mount Hood in a Cessna should never be confused with pleasure ….why all the highly-rated albums are actually over-rated. ….why Timothee Chalamet has no hope of being able to capture more than one facet of Bob Dy…

1
Around the World in Eighty Days (1972) 19:59

1M ago19:59

19:59

By Keith McNally

1
“Pop music is 80 per cent about hair”, remaking classic albums and why CDs are so hard to love 50:25

1M ago50:25

50:25

A small Pastis, a game of boules and a conversation putting the rock and roll world to rights, which this week includes … … why Debbie Harry and Mick Jagger worked so well on the small screen. … Elvin Pelvin on the Bilko Show and how Elvis was modelled on Tony Curtis. … An American Werewolf In London, The Birds, Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, Don’t…

1
Queen, Bowie and other residents of Rockfield Studios remembered by the cook’s daughter 31:59

1M ago31:59

31:59

Rockfield is a converted farmhouse in the Welsh countryside where, for over 50 years, bands have lived while recording. In the ‘70s Tiffany Murray’s mum was the in-house cook, filling Motorhead to the brim with boeuf bourguignon and Black Sabbath with salmon en croute. Her touching memoir My Family And Other Rock Stars – hailed as “a rock and roll …

1
57 years of Fleetwood Mac: author Mark Blake's fond encounters and fresh revelations 45:56

1M ago45:56

45:56

Mark Blake calls Dreams: the Many Lives of Fleetwood Mac a “mosaic biography”, their almost six-decade saga presented as a series of enthralling short stories with titles like ‘Mick Fleetwood’s Great Epiphany’ and ‘Rumours: A Doomed Romance in Six Acts’. It opens in fact with a “cast of characters”, the 18 one-time members, as if dramatis personae …

1
Have Gun - Will Travel 12:56

2M ago12:56

12:56

By Keith McNally

1
Ron Sexsmith doesn’t need a teleprompter. He can do 40 Dylan songs at the drop of a hat 35:14

1M ago35:14

35:14

Beloved Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith, old pal of the pod, is touring the UK in November, two of the nights at the Palladium, and looks back here at the first shows he saw and played himself. Which delights include … … what you learn playing Canadian bars aged 16. … seeing Elton John in a 75,000-seater stadium when he was 12. … early memo…

1
Without John Mayall … no Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Status Quo or Led Zeppelin? 52:36

2M ago52:36

52:36

Passing the baton of discourse on the rock and roll racetrack, our Olympian hosts sprint in the following direction … … watching Toumani Diabaté play in the pitch-black Malian night. … Laurel Canyon, the Brain Damage Club and the great fire of ‘79. … the Kinks in Fortis Green Road, the Beatles in Chiswick House and other alternative London rock lan…

1
Best album sleeves, what’s ruined singing and pop as ‘empowerment porn’ 42:19

2M ago42:19

42:19

Once again the ping-pong ball of conversation is batted across the rock and roll net and these are the scores on the doors … … how to wreck the national anthem. … cover versions that are better than the original. … the genius of Bob Newhart - "nutty Walt", Abraham Lincoln and that gag about country music. … virtue signalling in rock magazines. … wh…

1
Who is Lawrence and why did Will Hodgkinson write a whole book about him? 38:42

2M ago38:42

38:42

There’s something romantic about glorious failure and Will nails it perfectly in ‘Street Level Superstar: A Year With Lawrence’. Over 40 years plagued by bad luck and self-sabotage with Felt, Denim and Mozart Estate, Lawrence has pursued fame and success while refusing to do what’s required to achieve them. Will spent 12 months wandering the street…

1
Star Trek: The Animated Series 19:07

2M ago19:07

19:07

By Keith McNally

1
How the Sausage is Made 9:25

2M ago9:25

9:25

Join us as we explore the history of sausage, from its origins to today. Visit us at www.trewcast.com Theme song: "Bouncy", by Shaun McMullen This episode's references: Alescio, Letizia. The Greatest Meat. 2004. Banger, Harold and Kofta, Aarti. "What is Best in Life? Sausage". Journal of World Life Sciences 38(3), pp. 85-108, 2022. Blackman, Agnes.…

1
Backstage at Live Aid, the first Knebworth and bands that don’t get on 52:54

2M ago52:54

52:54

Employing controversial VAR technology, we re-examine various events on the rock and roll pitch and suggest a new perspective. Those key moments include … … the “bucolic frolic” at Knebworth 50 years ago as seen from 100 yards away just past the burger van and featuring Tim Buckley, Alex Harvey, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Van Morrison, the Doobie Br…

1
How Joni Mitchell joined the boys’ club and why we don’t need a comeback – by Ann Powers 46:21

2M ago46:21

46:21

Broadcaster and music writer Ann Powers lives in Nashville and grew up listening to Kate Bush and Blondie. The siren call of Blue sparked a life-long and deep-rooted devotion and her new book Travelling: On The Path Of Joni Mitchell takes a different tack from the standard biographies, mapping the context of the songs, the forces that drove her, th…

1
The New Adventures of Gilligan 22:08

2M ago22:08

22:08

By Keith McNally

1
Twist And Shout? Spiral Scratch? Corey duBrowa celebrates the best and rarest EPs ever made 38:51

2M ago38:51

38:51

The first EPs appeared in the late ‘40s and ‘50s (Frank Sinatra, Elvis) hitting a magical sweet spot between the album and the single and they’ve cast a spell ever since, an exotic reminder that record labels are part of the packaged goods business. Music writer Corey duBrowa stumbled across one by Oingo Boingo in the original Licorice Pizza store …

1
What songs should be longer or shorter? 45:26

2M ago45:26

45:26

The rock and roll ballot-box is stuffed with votes and the exit polls suggest how this week’s debate might play out. Along these lines … … is there still such a thing as British music? … John Lennon as a lavatory attendant. … Pink Floyd’s miming lessons. .. how Neil Finn cheered up the All Blacks. … the staggering difference in the UK album charts …

1
Dusty's Trail 22:29

3M ago22:29

22:29

By Keith McNally

1
Dylan Jones – Clegg’s women, Hague’s pints and “the wiring behind celebrity culture” 37:34

2M ago37:34

37:34

We’ve known Dylan since the days he was editing i-D, Arena and GQ and he’s been a regular on our podcasts talking about his books on Live Aid, the ‘80s, David Bowie and Wichita Lineman. And he’s finally written his memoir, These Foolish Things, full of insights and stories about glam rock, punk, the Blitz, four decades of the magazine world and the…

1
Happy accidents, whooping at gigs and why the album review star system doesn’t work anymore 49:32

3M ago49:32

49:32

In which we hoof a few balls round the rock and roll pitch and try to stick some in the net. Extracts from the live match commentary include …. … “Whipping Post!” “Paint it black, you devil!”: when did the audience become part of the show? … the special, unrepeatable thing about Bill Evans At The Village Vanguard. … GambleGate and the most we’ve ev…

1
The Career of the Red Hot Chili Peppers 1:20:25

3M ago1:20:25

1:20:25

By Keith McNally

1
Pop football chants, Reg ‘Reg’ Snipton sings Joni Mitchell & the tale of John Lennon’s watch 51:39

3M ago51:39

51:39

The two-man tandem of curiosity wobbles its way down the rock and roll cyclepath pausing here to admire the view … … “We’re captive on the carousel of TIME-AH!!”: tuneless Northern club singer Reg “Reg” Snipton performs Ver Greats. … is going to gigs alone becoming a thing? ... why Phil Oakey was a better musician than any of ELP. … Seven Nation Ar…

1
Only Clare Grogan knows how it feels to burst onstage from a giant birthday cake 38:36

3M ago38:36

38:36

Clare Grogan, a regular on our podcasts and rarely off the cover when we were at Smash Hits, is on tour again with Altered Images and playing festivals in the summer – indeed her fabulous description of the bus ferrying her, Midge Ure, Nik Kershaw, Kim Wilde and Living in A Box to the stage at Rewind sounds like an old Smash Hits cartoon come to li…

1
It Shouldn't Happen To A Vet (1967) 20:42

3M ago20:42

20:42

By Keith McNally

1
Around the World in Eighty Days, Chapter 1 10:44

3M ago10:44

10:44

Tales Read Extremely Well, by Mike Marsh (an occasional feature of TREW) Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne Chapter 1 Read the book at https://gutenberg.org/cache/epub/103/pg103-images.html Visit us at www.trewcast.com Theme song: "Bouncy", by Shaun McMullenBy Mike Marsh

1
The wit and charisma of Kate Bush by Graeme Thomson: going too far makes you what you are 43:46

3M ago43:46

43:46

Graeme is an old friend of the podcast. We’ve talked to him in the past about his books on Phil Lynott and John Martyn. ‘Under The Ivy: the Life And Music of Kate Bush’ first appeared in 2010, and was revised in 2015 after her Before the Dawn concerts and it’s now been updated again as, despite no new music or public appearances, her worldwide repu…

1
For the love of Françoise Hardy, Ben Sidran and the TV comedy Twenty Twelve 41:18

3M ago41:18

41:18

Among the logs tossed on the conversational bonfire this week to combat mid-June’s British winter you’ll find … … ‘I Managed Van Morrison’ and other films screaming to be made. … how it feels to watch someone play from the best seat in the house. … Françoise Hardy, her unsmiling photos and legions of besotted male admirers (ie us and everyone else)…

1
Stewart Lee knows the rigours of ‘animal costume work’ and why great comedy is about shock 48:50

3M ago48:50

48:50

Stewart Lee – beloved writer, columnist and stand-up - was on the podcast in 2022 talking about the first records he bought, immensely funny and fascinating, and we’ve been praying for an excuse to get him back since. And it’s here! - he’s on tour again and his ‘Basic Lee’ show is on Sky/Now TV on July 20. This covers his first memories of live ent…

1
How Springsteen went “six deep”, fictional rock hacks and who’s more conservative than Liam Gallagher? 46:24

3M ago46:24

46:24

You’ll always find us in the kitchen at parties, near the hoppy summer ale and sausage rolls and, and this week discussing … … he hasn't changed his look or sound for 30 years: is there a more conservative concept than Liam Gallagher? And how he became the one-man Oasis. … the eye-watering sum Kevin Hart made from Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. … …

1
Dementia 13 (1963) 44:13

3M ago44:13

44:13

By Keith McNally

1
Jon Savage - Dusty’s wig, Bowie’s bombshell and how gay pop culture changed music 34:04

3M ago34:04

34:04

“I thought Dave Davies of the Kinks was a girl. When I discovered he was a boy, that’s when I got interested.” Jon’s an old friend of the podcast and the author of some highly regarded and influential books about pop and its repercussions, ‘England’s Dreaming’ and ‘1966: the Year The Decade Exploded’ among them. His latest is ‘The Secret Public: Ho…

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Around The World In Eighty Days Podcasts

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