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Description
Celebrating the art of the mixtape. Ten songs, chosen to fit with nine categories (plus one wildcard). Some curated by me, but also featuring lots of guest mixers.
60 Episodes
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Deb has played with Primal Scream, Tim Burgess and Thurston Moore, but is of course best known for playing bass in the legendary My Bloody Valentine.
My guest mixer this week is James Evans
James is a music blogger from Twickenham, London. He is also a very patient man, as he sent me this some considerable time ago and has waited, uncomplainingly, while I got around to recording it. You can find his blog here: Embrace The Margin
This is one of those where he sent the notes and I did the recording, so it's just my voice this week I'm afraid. I think it's a great mix: I hope you all enjoy it.
My guest mixer this week is Derek Peplau
Derek, who hails from Connecticut but currently lives in Boston, is another one of those people that I've known online for many years, but this was the first time we'd met (albeit via Zoom). We first got to know each other via the Wedding Present online forum, and have always had a decent Venn diagram intersection, musically.
It was a pleasure to finally meet him, and he certainly didn't let me down with an interestingly varied mix...
My guest mixer this week is Chris Rand
Chris is the man behind the definitive Half Man Half Biscuit website: The Half Man Half Biscuit Lyrics Project. He is also a lover of ‘event’ stadium rock, Ipswich Town, cinema and travel. He's pictured on the stevesmixtapes.com page with Nigel Blackwell, who he did try to get on the show; alas, to no avail, as you will hear...
My guest mixer this week is Paul Howarth
Paul, along with Tony Harris (who will also produce a mix at some point, hopefully) presents the Twilight Turntable podcast - a show dedicated to the lost art of listening to whole albums. But he's not averse to the odd mix tape too...
My guest mixer this week is Paul Garratt
Paul contacted me last September to say: "I realise that your podcast guests are becoming more well-known by the week but if you ever wanted a chat with someone you’ve never met who’s not a writer or a musician and has nothing to advertise then can I put my hand up?"
And, of course, I was delighted to have him on, especially as he selected a particularly thoughtful mix.
My guest mixer this week is Jen Ferguson
Jen, who lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, is one of those guests that I was meeting for the very first time when I interviewed her. The connection came about because I (and guest #035 Chris McAvoy) shared a house with her husband James back in our university days.
It was my new year's resolution to get more female guests on the show, and Jen is only the first of several more on the way!
My guest mixer this week is Ian Gelling
Ian is a long-standing member of the Wedding Present forum, with whom I have stood down the front at many a TWP gig over the years.
A native of the Isle of Man, he is also a huge Cardiacs fan, as will soon become apparent when you listen to his selection...
My guest mixer this week is Ethan Miller
Ethan has played in Comets on Fire, Feral Ohms, Heron Oblivion and Howlin’ Rain. Last year, he teamed up with Bill Orcutt and Steve Shelley to record the Orcutt Shelley Miller album - my number 2 album of 2025 (the #1 being this).
And yes, he's yet another that Steve Shelley put me in touch with - so thanks once again to Steve for providing me another great guest!
My guest mixer this week is Susan Pringle
Given that Christmas is a time for family, it seemed fitting that this episode should feature my mum.
She turned 80 this year but you'd never know it. She was a little nervous about doing it - especially as we had to do the interview twice, my laptop having mangled the first attempt! But I think she did a fine job, and it was a great trip down memory lane for me...
My guest mixer this week is William Benton
William is yet another guest that Steve Shelley was kind enough to put me in touch with. He is the historian and tour guide for the infamous Chelsea Hotel, as well being the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with Cat Casual & the Final Word.
My guest mixer this week is Cory Plump
Like Brian Turner last week, Cory is someone that Steve Shelley was kind enough to put me in touch with. He has played in bands such as When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, Spray Paint and Winged Wheel and also owns the live music bar Tubby’s in Kingston NY.
It's becoming clear that Steve clearly has good taste in mixers, as Cory was a great guest and picked an excellent playlist.
My guest mixer this week is Brian Turner
Brian is one of several upcoming guests that Steve Shelley was kind enough to put me in touch with. He is the station manager of East Village Radio, was a regular on WMFU and is a good friend of previous guest Eleni Poulou (with whom he recently put out a show on Cashmere Radio). He's also been in the bands The Mad Scene, Äss, and Jowe Head & The Celestial Choir.
Not only is he a top bloke, he picked a cracking playlist...
My guest mixer this week is Vinny Peculiar
Vinny (aka Alan Wilkes) is a singer-songwriter who has put out fourteen albums of literate autobiographical pop music over a twenty-year career. Uncut described him as ‘an under sung national treasure’ and The Irish Times called him ‘the missing link between Jarvis Cocker and poet Roger McGough’. Tom Robinson of 6Music said that his ‘songs make you laugh and cry and think all at the same time.’
My guest mixer this week is Andy Gillespie
I have known Andy - a fellow Wedding Present fan - for the best part of 20 years, online. But this was the first time we'd ever met face to face (albeit via Zoom).
Originally from Middleton, Manchester, Andy has for many years lived in Simi Valley, California. As well as being on good terms with previous guests David Gedge and Terry de Castro, we also get to hear about the time he played pool with Mark E Smith and Eleni...
My guest mixer this week is Terry de Castro
Terry is a bassist, vocalist and songwriter based in LA who has played in several bands (such as Goya Dress) as well releasing music under her own name. She is also, other than David Gedge, the longest serving member of The Wedding Present, and was the bassist throughout the lifespan of Cinerama.
(Slightly dodgy internet connection in places, apologies!)
My guest mixer this week is Eleni Poulou
Eleni is a musician, composer, radio host and curator of musical events. She has released music as a solo artist and as part of a wide range of groups and collaborations. She is also the 7th ex-member of the Fall to appear on the show - her distinctive keyboard style and vocal sound having been an important feature of the last period of the group.
Eleni likes to do things her own way - an admirable quality - and so this show is different from the norm in several ways. She selected 14 tracks (and wanted add a 15th!), her mix was 2 ¾ hours long (!) and she only sent it to me the morning before our interview (she explains why in our discussion).
My guest mixer this week is Ian McCulloch
No, not that one... Not yet anyway. This Ian (my third Ian in six weeks!) is another fellow Fall enthusiast. And he's been very patient, as we recorded this nearly three months ago - hence the rather dated reference to Donald Trump's golf skills!
My guest mixer this week is Alan Edwards
Alan is both a work colleague and a very good friend, who my wife describes as my 'work husband'. Initially, we talked about him coming on the podcast as a bit of a joke, as musically (and in many other ways) we inhabit very different universes. But when I mentioned in episode #024 his offer to provide a playlist that would 'bring in the girls, gays and theys', the feedback was mostly on the lines of 'bring it on'.
So buckle up and be prepared for a rather different set of songs than you're used to...
Daryl is a music writer whose work has appeared in Mojo, Record Collector, Q, The Guardian and The Independent, and has published several books on subjects as diverse as Chic, Slade, Madonna, Peter Gabriel, Cher and Sparks.
In addition, if you have a few reissue or box set CDs in your collection, it’s fairly likely that at least one of them includes some sleeve notes written by him.
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