Podcasts. They’re bloody everywhere, aren’t they? Everyone (except me) seems to have one or have been on one.
It’s a real minefield trying to find a consistently good one; I’ve lost count of the amount I’ve stumbled across, listened to the one which caught my interest, then got very bored with all of the rest from the same people.
Well, there’s a new(ish) one on the block, which I can heartily recommend: Game Changing. In each episode, a different musician/producer engages in a conversation with producer Chris Sheldon (Biffy Clyro, Foo Fighters) and musician/writer/all round lovely bloke Tim Thornton (Fink) about a moment in their career when things changed for them.
I should, at this point, declare an interest: I know Tim is an all round lovely bloke because he’s a friend of mine, the only publised author I know (of, according to The Guardian “…the indiest book of all time” The Alternative Hero, and Death of an Unsigned Band and Felix Romsey’s Afterparty), and definitely the only writer and musician I actually know with their own Wikipedia page.
Anyway, no harm in giving a mate a totally un-needed plug, especially when the plug in question is for something which I genuinely enjoy and would (probably) listen to even if it wasn’t co-hosted by a buddy.
Sure, it occasionally veers of into technical territory which means nothing to me, but when that happens I figure it’s for a reason: to either make me learn something or, more probably and less intentionally, to remind me why my college band never made it big. And in any event, our charming hosts are always on hand to reel the conversation back in again.
Subjects so far have been interesting and varied: Flood, Field Music and Gil Norton to name but three (the Flood one is especially great). After listening to each of these I have immediately gone and bought some of the records mentioned, which I guess is as high a recommendation I can give. Very little makes me actually spend actual money.
You can listen to Game Changing on all of your usual podcast providers, but, since I’m not posting any music today, broaden your horizons by listening to some blokes entertainingly chatting via these here links to the podcast world’s big hitters:
Like and subscribe, as King of the Podcast Adam Buxton’s closing jingle goes.
Or: More soon.
A History of Dubious Taste 