In My Life. Artists On The Record.

Kanye West goes on the record about:His parents — and, interestingly, it’s his father who he speaks mostly aboutJay-ZBarack ObamaMental healthHis contradictions.But mostly we’re going to explore what goes on in that head of his.

Bob Dylan goes on the record about:Why he felt a phony in the 60s.His recording processWriting songs vs writing booksHis Born Again phase — both when he’s in it and out of itGun controlAbortionHis peers, including John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Bob Dylan goes on the record about:His childhood and parentsWhy he changed his nameHis influencesHis disdain for the press, Time magazine in particularSongwriting, andA couple of his most iconic songs.

Neil Young goes on the record about:His father, and the nickname he had as a childThe many tangents he’s taken in his careerBuffalo SpringfieldCrosby, Stills, Nash & YoungCrazy HorseThe infamous Geffen yearsHis songwriting processPlus:He has some excellent advice for budding artists The now-iconic line “it’s better to burn out than it is to fade away”Where he got the phrase “rust never sleeps” from

Yusuf goes on the record about:Growing upWanting to be a cartoonistHow he got the name Cat StevensGetting TBHis spiritual journeySongwritingQuitting musicHis comebackThe difference between Yusuf and Cat Stevens

Van Morrison goes on the record about:PerformingRecordingSongwritingPlus he speaks about some of his most iconic songs and there’s also a fascinating insight into the real Van Morrison from fellow Irish musician Glen Hansard, who spent an eventful and enlightening night with him back in the day.

Van Morrison goes on the record about the period leading up to and including Astral Weeks. He talks about:His childhoodHis musical influences, Ray Charles in particularHis early bandsHis window cleaning businessPaying his dues in GermanyThemTurning soloBrown Eyed GirlAstral Weeks

Angus Young goes on the record about:Learning to play the guitarHis influencesHis brother MalcolmThe musicPlus, Brian Johnson goes on the record about:Bon ScottAuditioning for the band

Elton John goes on the record about:His childhoodHis problematic relationship with his fatherDrugsJohn LennonHis first marriageHis sexualityHis gift — and his gift is his song, of courseSongwritingHis favourite songPlus he has a theory at to what killed Elvis and Michael Jackson — it wasn’t just the drugs.

Roger Waters, Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason go on the record about:Syd BarrettDark Side Of The MoonWish You Were HereThe WallThe Final CutFeudsLive 8

Leonard Cohen goes on the record about:How he saw himself as a writerWomenLoveHis time on Mt Baldy, living as a monkHis comeback, andAgeing — or "The Third Act" as he referred to it

Paul McCartney goes on the record about:How The Beatles formedWhy Pete Best was replacedThe moment he knew they’d made itWhat set them apart from other English bandsHow close did they ever get to re-formingPlaying The Ed Sullivan Show, andThe "Paul is dead" farcePlus:He’ll tell you how to write a songHow he would teach music to kidsHe’s asked if it gets harder to write songs as you get olderAnd he also lifts the lid on some Beatles classics.

Paul McCartney goes on the record about:His childhoodThe first song he wroteHis influencesMeeting ElvisLinda.He also goes into great detail about John Lennon. You’ll hear him recount the time they first met — and it’s before that fateful day at the Woolton Fete.Why they started writing songs togetherHow they wrote songs togetherWhy they were so prolificTheir feud, andWhere he was when he heard Lennon had died.And speaking of writing songs, you’ll hear him talk about some of his best post-Beat...

Keith Richards goes on the record about:Getting his first guitarGetting beaten up at schoolMeeting Mick JaggerThe Stones DrugsSongwritingHis favourite obscure Stones songOne song he’d love to call his own.Plus he also gets very personal and speaks about his son dying of cot death.

Jeff Buckley goes on the record about:His childhoodHis voiceGrace the conceptGrace the albumRap.Plus:His mother talks about when Jeff met his father, TimOne of his major influences speaks about Buckley the singer.

John Lennon goes on the record about:Double FantasyDid the songs come easily to him?What was it like being back in a recording studio?SongwritingBeing a house-husbandPlus something about himself you never knew.

John Lennon goes on the record about:When he first wanted out of The Beatles SongwritingThoughts of returning to EnglandMeeting and working with Elton John and David BowieSigning off in 1975What he did for the next five yearsWhat made him return to recordingAnd, heartbreakingly, what the future held in his eyes.

Nick Cave goes on the record about:His childhoodHow he got into musicForming his first band and the story from The Birthday Party to The Bad SeedsDrugsReligionInfluences,Fatherhood SongwritingHis music

Bruce Springsteen goes on the record about:The artist who has had the single biggest influence on his careerAuditioning for legendary Columbia producer John HammondBeing dubbed “The New Dylan”Why he plays three-hour-plus concertsWhy Born In The USA, the song, wasn’t on NebraskaBroadwayHis first band His first gigThe only song he’s ever recorded that came to him in a dream.

David Bowie goes on the record about:AndrogynyBeing pigeon-holedWorking with John LennonDrugsBerlin1980sSongwritingHis songsHis legacy