Best Cocteau Podcasts (2025)

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Peter Capaldi’s life in a teenage Glasgow punk band and a public apology to the Cocteau Twins 49:29

8h ago49:29

49:29

Peter Capaldi – aka Malcolm Tucker, Dr Who, the universal screen delight and an Oscar-winning film director – was the singer in the punk band the Dreamboys in the late ‘70s who put out a single when he was at the art school in Glasgow. And then became an actor. And then - in the grand tradition of actors who’ve made albums, Hugh Laurie, Scarlett Jo…

1
The best songs written in seconds, Lennon’s legs and Springsteen’s chimes of freedom. 36:10

1h ago36:10

36:10

Slapping the beanburger of news on the sizzling grill of scrutiny and served with relish by Alex Gold and Mark Ellen (David’s in Spain with his bucket and spade). This week’s specials include … … Springsteen’s unprecedented speech onstage in Manchester about his nation’s “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration” and the Dixie Chicks’ car…

1
Episode 64: The Cramps's "...Off the Bone" 2:10:32

9h ago2:10:32

2:10:32

God is a woman and she plays the guitar loud … y’all come catch some Holy Ghost in your hips. Hear our hallelujah for the love story of the queen of rock ‘n roll and the mad daddy holy rollin’ on a river—upstream all the way—and boot scootin’ through a fun and freaky heaven and earth of their own design. The Cramps were Dionysian, devilish, dangero…

1
Dennis Greaves, Nine Below Zero – old-school R&B, police and thieves and the agony of white clogs 41:26

34m ago41:26

41:26

Dennis Greaves took a week off from Nine Below Zero in 1980 but otherwise kept his nose firmly applied to the grindstone. They broke up in 1983 when he formed the Truth, who broke up in 1989 when he rebooted the old band. He looks back here at the first gigs he ever saw and played – a world with the attractive scent of spilt beer and tobacco – stop…

1
Spangle Makers Episode 10 1:00:45

1d ago1:00:45

1:00:45

Send us a text In this episode, we chat with Michael Borum, co-founder of CocteauFest and manager of cocteautwins.com. Michael tells us all about this and much more!By Andrew & Markus

1
Alan Parsons – from the rooftop of Savile Row to Pink Floyd, Steve Harley and some singing pigs 34:42

1d ago34:42

34:42

The teenage Alan Parsons was hired as a tape op by EMI and worked with the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Steve Harley, orchestras, comedians, Pinky And Perky and countless others in the control room at Abbey Road, and saw almost 60 years of technical revolution. He’s just finished a 50th anniversary box set of Harley’s the Best Years Of Our Lives and talks …

1
The Others (2001) x Serial Mom (1994) 2:20:03

4d ago2:20:03

2:20:03

Send us a text The only "serial" they know anything about is Rice Krispies! Al & Siena are turning out all the lights and summoning the murder mommies of THE OTHERS (2001) x SERIAL MOM (1994)! Learn what happens on set when a director composes their own score, uncover how reverse psychology led Kathleen Turner to her iconic role, and find out why N…

1
Mom Rock v Dad Rock, the Oasis rumour mill and Kanye West’s devious dentist. 40:10

2d ago40:10

40:10

Perched outside the Vatican Of News awaiting puffs of white smoke, which this week arrive in the following fashion … … Brandi Carlile’s Mothership Weekend and her genius for publicity. … Jim Morrison is alive and living in Syracuse, New York!: barrel-scraping new rock documentary incoming. … Hip Hop Wealth v Rock Wealth: the $57m house Kayne West b…

1
Dennis McNally saw the Summer Of Love in London, New York and California 39:54

5d ago39:54

39:54

Dennis McNally was the Grateful Dead’s publicist in the mid-‘80s, one of many reasons why he’s supremely qualified to write his new book about the birth of the counterculture in America’s West and East Coast and Britain. ‘The Last Great Dream: How Bohemians Became Hippies And Created the Sixties’, a celebration of music, beat poetry, radical thinki…

1
The greatest duet, rock cameos in Miami Vice and the rebirth of Mississippi John Hurt 49:39

8d ago49:39

49:39

Passing the thermometer of conversation over the rock and roll news to see where the mercury rises, which this week includes … … the new Barbra Streisand duets album. Duets are ‘playlets’, small intense dramas that depend on human interaction, but so many are recorded separately (including, tragically, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye a…

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Al Murray and James Holland talk the ending of the war in 1945 and the afterlife of The Beatles 42:51

11d ago42:51

42:51

In which comedian Al Murray and historian James Holland talk about their new book Victory ’45 and our twin national obsessions, the Second World War and The Beatles. Includes: ….how being emotionally shut down enabled Montgomery to collect the surrender at Luneburg Heath ….how a profound sense of duty helped Harry Truman make the most dreadful deci…

1
Derek Shulman – when Simon Dupree and Gentle Giant were “the darlings of the English Mafia” 42:21

13d ago42:21

42:21

Derek Shulman was at the heart of two great transformations – Simon Dupree & the Big Sound switching to psychedelia, and then sensing the prog-rock trade winds and becoming Gentle Giant. One minute he was singing Kites, the next Pantagruel’s Nativity (Gentle Giant’s rebooted ‘Playing The Fool: The Complete Live Experience’ is just out). After which…

1
The entertaining fictions of Max Romeo and Robert Smith and tech that actually works! 36:27

14d ago36:27

36:27

While Mark Ellen is hanging out with the other old ruins in Athens, David Hepworth and Alex Gold compare and contrast the organisation of the London Marathon with the Travellodge in Frimley and wonder… …Rolling Stone cover stars or members of Trump’s clown cabinet? …if you were interviewed as often as a rock star would you too make stuff up? …was M…

1
Jawbreaker (1999) x Carrie (1976) 2:18:03

15d ago2:18:03

2:18:03

Send us a text Everything is peachy effing keen, and you're a shoo-in for prom queen! Al & Siena can see your dirty pillows in this coronation-ready combo episode on JAWBREAKER (1999) x CARRIE (1976)! Learn how Vaseline helped Sissy Spacek get the part, uncover the ways JAWBREAKER incorporated candy into its iconic costumes and production design, a…

1
Moon Zappa remembers life with her father Frank. ‘Pagan absurdists’ aren’t great parents 49:54

20d ago49:54

49:54

Moon Zappa grew up in what appeared, on the outside, to be an enviably free-wheeling and creative household in Laurel Canyon. On the inside, not so much. Her extremely funny, soul-baring and colourful account of dysfunctional family life in her memoir Earth To Moon is as gripping as it’s unsettling. A typical day: “Your mother’s on the rampage, I n…

1
Daryl Hall - ‘60s soul session work, the right shoes and a barge trip with Bob Dylan 29:14

22d ago29:14

29:14

We like to think of Daryl Hall as a kindred spirit, his home-recorded Live At Daryl’s House series with its magnificent roster of guests now racking up 90 episodes. He’s about to tour in May and talks to us here from his house in the Bahamas – straw hat, roosters crowing! – looking back at the first gigs he ever saw and played and other delights su…

1
Rock star pilots, sacking Zak Starkey and bold pioneers of the psychedelic moustache 52:19

23d ago52:19

52:19

The chocolate Easter bunny of rock and roll news in highly nutritious and digestible fragments, such as … … the Who’s very public sacking of Zak Starkey. … why no band ever wants to play quietly. … how a magazine in a shop window sparked the Neil Tennant/Mark Springer album. … Katy Perry’s space ‘mission’ and the trenchant observations by her and t…

1
Dave Pegg, Fairport’s “longest-serving member” (fnarr!) looks back at hippie chaos and old heroes 42:53

26d ago42:53

42:53

Dave Pegg joined Fairport Convention 56 years ago and fully deserves some sort of medal. They’re playing their 49th Cropredy in August and touring the UK later in the year. He talks to us here about the first gigs he ever saw and played which, delightfully, involves … … the night Hank Marvin took him to see Bjork. … an all-nighter in Birmingham wit…

1
Withering reviews of famous albums, Jaws versus Jeeves and the genius of Blondie’s Clem Burke 52:55

28d ago52:55

52:55

Boldly pursuing tariff-free trade in rock and roll news, nostalgia, gossip and old hokum since 2007 and, this week, featuring … … the romantic allure of life as a critic. … Sting’s part in the success of ‘Adolescence’. … Mick Jagger’s long engagement to Melanie Hamrick (born when Steel Wheels came out!) … "Contained within these grooves are twelve …

1
The Invisible Man (1933) x Bride of Frankenstein (1935) 2:22:37

29d ago2:22:37

2:22:37

Send us a text To a new world of gods and monsters! Al & Siena are conjuring creatures and slipping into something a little less visible in this episode on Universal horror staples THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) x BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)! Hear how black velvet helped Claude Rains vanish, learn what a studio psychiatrist contributed to the screenwrit…

1
Why Sparks’ Russell Mael preferred British acts to the ‘faux honesty’ of Laurel Canyon 24:56

1M ago24:56

24:56

Sparks are touring – playing dates in the UK and Ireland in June and July – and with a new (and 28th) album, Mad!. Russell Mael looks back at the first shows he ever saw and played which entails … … sitting on the floors of LA clubs watching Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Move, the Faces, the Who and Tyrannosaurus Rex. … his Mum taking him to see th…

1
Seven ‘lost’ Springsteen albums, romance in sitcoms and the age of spectacle 38:09

1M ago38:09

38:09

The runners and riders in the rock and roll steeplechase first past the post this week include … … how Ed Sheeran protects himself against song theft claims. … ‘lost’ Hendrix, Beach Boys, Amy Winehouse and Jeff Buckley records: is anything unfinished ever any good? … “The Unauthorised Breakfast Item”: can YOU tell a Bob Newhart sketch title from a …

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Episode 63: Black Moth Super Rainbow's "Dandelion Gum" 1:53:41

1M ago1:53:41

1:53:41

Life’s a bit heavy to chew on these days, so we reached into the pocket of our mid-2000s jeans and found an old piece of Dandelion Gum to chew on instead. As soon as its neon syrup hits your tongue, you’ll wonder why you hadn't let this "future pop for now people, today" melt you, melt you, melt you yet. Follow us on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky, o…

1
Ed Tudor Pole – singer, actor, serial showman – saw the pop and punk wars as ‘pure theatre’. 39:03

1M ago39:03

39:03

Ed Tudor Pole entered punk rock from stage school and always felt he was playing a part. After being hired to act in the Great Rock’N’Roll Swindle, he formed Tenpole Tudor and had a brief and dramatic moment in the sun, all recorded in his rollicking memoir ‘The Pen Is Mightier.’ He talks here about … … his “quite posh” ancestry and a great-grandfa…

1
Barbarian (2022) x Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) 2:13:34

1M ago2:13:34

2:13:34

Send us a text Fire walk with me, b-b-ba-baby! Al & Siena are spilling Mother's milk and grabbing Garmonbozia in this family trauma-filled episode on BARBARIAN (2022) x TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (1992)! Hear how that hairy baby bottle came to be, learn about the real-life Halloween murder that paralleled the filming of TWIN PEAKS, and discover …

1
AI’s Word In Your Ear theme tune (!!), the four stages of showbiz & taking kids to concerts 39:22

1M ago39:22

39:22

Scanning the rock and roll ether with our patent heat-seeking Ripple-Detector®️ to see what rings the bell. Which this week includes … … how reformed ‘90s pop groups all look like Paul Whitehouse characters from the Fast Show. … the mutual agony of parents taking kids to concerts. … “Tap! Tap! Tap!”, the “gacked up” sound of the Heartbreakers’ at w…

1
Hearing 45 year-old records you’d never played & the least likely-looking person to become a rock star 42:06

2M ago42:06

42:06

The super-trouper of scrutiny scans this week’s events and lands upon … … the man who’s played on 21,000 records. … how Joni Mitchell is still stirring it up aged 81 and why we love her for it. ... the impact of the stadium circuit on rock festivals. … the longest-surviving group in the world – bowing out at Glastonbury after 66 years! … “fake indi…

1
What Kate Mossman discovered about rock’s elder statesmen 42:56

2M ago42:56

42:56

Kate’s an old pal from our days at Word magazine. She was on the staff for six years before heading off to the New Statesman and has just put out a collection of the sizzling and revelatory profiles she wrote for us, them and the Observer about a particular sector of the musical landscape for whom she’s always carried a torch. As she wonders in ‘Me…

1
How John Harris and his son found a life-changing connection through music 51:31

2M ago51:31

51:31

John Harris is an old pal from our days in the music press. You might remember him from Sounds, the NME and Select (which he edited) and he’s been one of the mainstays of the Guardian ever since, writing mostly about pop culture and politics. When his son James was diagnosed with autism and, looking for ways to connect with him and help his develop…

1
Mike Rutherford looks back at 60 years onstage and the art of cheap rock theatre 26:00

2M ago26:00

26:00

This one starts with memories of Genesis at Farnborough Tech in 1972 – Batwings? Fox heads? - looks back at school bands and the early ‘70s and ends with the current Mike & the Mechanics tour. But it mostly centres on the first live shows Mike Rutherford ever saw and played which features … … his mum making him wash the Brylcreem from his hair befo…

1
Mike Scott of the Waterboys remembers the shows that inspired him 16:08

2M ago16:08

16:08

The Waterboys’ new album comes with the magnificent title ‘Life, Death & Dennis Hopper’ and the band start touring in May. Mike Scott looks back here at the first gigs he ever saw and played and the performers he watched closely, which involves … the Stones “when they were still dangerous” and the connective genius of Mick Jagger, Dennis Hopper’s l…

1
Hausu (1977) x House on Haunted Hill (1959) 2:21:12

2M ago2:21:12

2:21:12

Send us a text Bananas! Bananas! Bananas! Al & Siena have prepared a few party favors for this visit to the wild and watermelon-filled haunted houses of HAUSU (1977) x HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959). Hear the bizarre story of how Spielberg's JAWS inspired Obayashi's comedic horror, learn what Alfred Hitchcock stole from William Castle's marketing cam…

1
The lost world of teenage love songs – and the best pop song ever written! 47:16

2M ago47:16

47:16

In eager pursuit of dance and merriment, we dust down the current events. Which this week involves …. … are teenagers no longer in love? And what does this mean for pop music? … are people better musicians now than 40 years ago? And is that because you can get online tutorials explaining how to play everything? … Paul McCartney taking two buses acr…

1
Nik Kershaw remembers Live Aid, snoods, fingerless gloves & a sudden male-female audience shift 27:04

2M ago27:04

27:04

Someone else we put on the cover of Smash Hits 40 years ago who’s touring in 2025! He’s playing European festivals, ‘80s packages, dates with his band and a string of solo shows billed as ‘Musings & Lyrics With Nik Kershaw’, and talks to us here about the first gigs he ever saw and played, which involves … … a bad case of Imposter Syndrome. … how t…

1
Gang Of Four’s Jon King now sees the comedy in their endless self-sabotage 52:24

2M ago52:24

52:24

Gang Of Four’s moment was dramatic but brief. It was littered with times when the future seemed impossibly bright before disaster crept up with a cosh in their relentless “refusal to do the obvious”. Being a musician, he points out, is a ridiculous life best not taken seriously. His memoir ‘To Hell With Poverty!’ rightly describes itself as “rich w…

1
Has politics eaten entertainment? What’s ‘perfect sound’? Plus Brian James & how to make a speech 55:34

2M ago55:34

55:34

Tyres pumped, engine cranked, chromework winking in the Springtime sun, the two-man conversational jalopy sets off on its weekly spin and visits … … the day America broke the news and showed its dark side. … Brian James RIP and Stiff’s brilliant ad campaign for the first Damned album: “Play it at your sister!” … has entertainment been dwarfed by wo…

1
Film-maker Denny Tedesco on dad’s old band The Wrecking Crew and new doc “Immediate Family” 24:06

2M ago24:06

24:06

We’re long-time admirers of Denny Tedesco’s “Wrecking Crew” doc which celebrated the studio musicians of 60s Hollywood, the unseen hands who can be heard on all those Beach Boys and Spector hits. Now he’s done something similar with the musicians who were so much part of the success of James Taylor, Carole King and Warren Zevon in the next decade i…

1
Episode 62: Project Pat's "Mista Don't Play: Everythangs Workin" 1:32:45

2M ago1:32:45

1:32:45

This life we're livin' is oh so beautiful. Take it from Patrick Houston, who has spread the gospel of the real for three decades, followed by a discipleship that has shaped 21st century culture in his image. For those still alive in 2025 by the grace of God, let us give flowers to the man from the North North. Follow us on Instagram, Threads, Blue …

1
Lennon & McCartney seen in a fresh, stirring and original new light by Ian Leslie 44:21

2M ago44:21

44:21

Ian Leslie posted his ‘64 Reasons To Celebrate Paul McCartney’ in 2020 and the viral reaction to its piercing and original points encouraged him to write ‘John & Paul: A Love Story In Songs’. Do we need another Beatles book? We do if it’s this one! It’s exceptionally good and highly recommended. The conventional wisdom for decades was that John was…

1
Re-Animator (1985) x Hellraiser (1987) 2:38:15

2M ago2:38:15

2:38:15

Send us a text They have such sights to show you! Al & Siena are reaching for reagent and summoning cenobites in this necromantic and nutty episode on RE-ANIMATOR (1985) x HELLRAISER (1987)! Hear which colorful '80s classic was originally intended to be shot in black-and-white, learn how condoms and lube contributed to the prop creation, and uncove…

1
The threat of AI, the appeal of Gene Hackman & the filthy glamour of Exile On Main St 54:01

2M ago54:01

54:01

In which we pedal the conversational tandem uphill and down dale, like a rabbit through the pea-vine or a turkey through the corn, stopping for moments of reflection which include … … “If someone wants to steal your music, it means your music’s worth stealing.” … cats, birdsong: spot the ‘silent track’ by Kate Bush. … when Gene Hackman smiles, be v…

1
Spangle Makers Episode 9 55:00

3M ago55:00

55:00

Send us a text EXCLUSIVE! In this episode, we chat with guitarist/bassist Debbie Smith from bands such as Curve, Echobelly, Blindness and Where We Sleep! Debbie talks about her varied CT experiences and makes us laugh and reminisce.By Andrew & Markus

1
Graham Fellows, “the comedy of the underdog” and inventing John Shuttleworth and Jilted John 26:09

2M ago26:09

26:09

We first saw Graham Fellows as Jilted John on Top of the Pops in 1978 and we’ve followed his characters ever since, especially drawn to the keyboard-prodding, car-coated John Shuttleworth and his deathless pop anthems ‘Pigeons In Flight’, ‘Up And Down Like A Bride’s Nightie’ and ‘I Can’t Go Back To Savoury Now’. Graham talks here about how and why …

1
Eternally cool rock stars, the Bond takeover and remembering Rick Buckler 57:36

3M ago57:36

57:36

As sinister autocrats stroke Persian cats in shark-pooled underground bunkers, their bony fingers reaching for the nuclear button, we shake another Vodka Martini and reflect on the week’s events, among them … … Amazon buys Bond: but isn’t the essence of 007 its droll and unimpressible Britishness? … and haven’t the lunatics taken over the asylum? C…

1
Episode 61: Grace Jones's "Nightclubbing" 1:49:58

3M ago1:49:58

1:49:58

Not a woman. Not a man. A revolution. Music’s long history is littered with larger-than-life characters whose mythology shapes reality for the masses — and few loom larger than the mighty Grace Jones. “Nightclubbing” without context is a tremendous body of songs worth anyone’s time, but after a deep dive into Grace’s time at Compass Point, you’ll a…

1
Justin Hayward – ‘60s package tours, lost profits & the highpoint of the Moody Blues 28:32

3M ago28:32

28:32

Nights In White Satin - 260 million streams on Spotify - is still the central plank in the set Justin Hayward’s touring in October. He talks to us here about the first shows he ever saw and played, the ballroom circuit of the mid-’60s remembered in particularly vivid detail and involving the odd burst of song - “My kind of town, Great Yarmouth is ……

1
Your guided tour of David Bowie’s London with Paul Gorman’s stories about its key locations 55:16

3M ago55:16

55:16

No musician is more closely associated with London or left more footprints than Bowie, and you can trace its influence on his life and work (and vice versa) through a series of landmarks from the suburbs to the centre. Author and curator Paul Gorman has just published an annotated street-map – David Bowie’s London - listing the places that played a…

1
Eddi Reader - busking, singing radio jingles and “men you put on the shoulder-pads for” 40:27

3M ago40:27

40:27

We first saw Eddi Reader singing with the Gang Of Four on Whistle Test in 1982. This eventful pod traces her story from seven kids in a two-bedroom council flat (“me in the toilet with a guitar singing Your Cheating Heart”), to the Scottish folk clubs, busking with circus acrobats on the Left Bank, to radio jingles, life as a backing singer and the…

1
The Love Witch (2016) x Elvira: Mistress of The Dark (1988) 2:06:27

3M ago2:06:27

2:06:27

Send us a text It'll be a guaranteed standing ovulation! Al & Siena are purveyors of pulchritude in this seductively sorceress-filled episode on THE LOVE WITCH (2016) x ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK (1988)! Hear why old-school 35mm rear projection looks better now than it did in the '60s, learn what A-list celebrity was deemed too cute to cast, and …

1
Why all great pop stars are cartoons, Bowie doing mime and people whose voices we’ve never heard 46:29

3M ago46:29

46:29

Passing the Dutchie 'pon the left-hand side, we sift through this week’s events, rants and theories which absorbingly include … … that Drake v Kendrick Lamar beef in full! … was Bowie only as good as his collaborators? … Kingmaker, Toploader, Feeder, Slayer, Longdancer, Widowmaker …. has there ever been a good band with a name ending ‘-er’? …… seei…

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