Cherry Red Interviews

Edward Barton is a musician and artist who gained attention with his song It's A Fine Day, recorded with Jane Lancaster for Cherry Red in 1983. The song was successfully covered by Opus III and the tune has been used by Kylie Minogue (for her 1994 hit Confide In Me), Orbital and more. Edward’s career began in poetry, with appearances on TV show The Tube, and his work in the arts led him to direct the video for James’ smash hit Sit Down, as well as contribute lyrics to albums by 808 State and Lost Witness, who he also wrote a trio of hit singles for. Edward is full of stories about his truly eccentric career - from hanging out (unknowingly) with Nico to his love of Egyptian pop music and being asked to mime at his school Christmas carol service, and much more. In this in-depth interview Edward talks about his work, but also gives us an insight into his life and how his creative spark manifests through his music and poetry. You can watch the full interview with video through Cherry Red on YouTube.

Attila The Stockbroker was one of the first Punk Poets to break though in the late 70s and is still as active as ever today. In this in-depth interview he talks about his life and work starting with his first band who only ever played one gig. In 1980 he signed to Cherry Red Records where his debut album ‘Ranting at the Nation’ was very well received. He tells many stories including supporting The Jam, John Cooper Clark and John Cale (who got him thrown out of the venue). Attila has always been very political and campaigned with Rock against racism and Red Wedge. He talks about working in East Germany, replacing Donny Osmond at a gig at the Marquee Club and his battle to save his beloved Brighton and Hove Albion FC. You won’t be bored for a second! You can watch the full interview with video through Cherry Red on YouTube.

Rick Brown was the singer in the innovative American psychedelic rock band The Misunderstood formed in the mid-1960s. They were discovered by John Ravenscoft (soon to be Peel) and with his help moved to London where they signed to Fontana. They were admired by many including The Move and the Pink Floyd and were considered highly influential in the then-emerging genre. They only recorded a handful of songs before being forced to disband. Rick was then conscripted into the US Army to fight in Vietnam but deserted and fled to India via the UK with a false passport. He moved into a Hindu ashram, became a monk, and stayed for over 6 years before being forced to move to Nepal when the US Army were onto him. While there he learned to speak Bengali and Hindi and read Sanskrit and Hindi. In 1979, after 12 years in exile, he returned to the US where he was granted amnesty as a conscientious objector and discharged from the Army. He now lives in Thailand where he deals in gemstones. His story is fascinating and has many phases; from potential rock star to fugitive to Hindi monk to rediscovering active life from a different vantage. It is quite a tale… You can watch the full interview with video though Cherry Red on YouTube

Jayne was originally Wayne; when she was a young boy she always felt like a girl. In her late teens, she moved to New York after being shot at by red necks. She was soon involved with the Andy Warhol circle which included Patti Smith and Lou Reed, and her first band Queen Elizabeth led to a deal with the management company Mainman who looked after several artists including David Bowie. Her first recordings were included on the Max’s Kansas City album before she signed to Safari Records. She became rock music's first openly transgender singer and continued gigging and recording. She is still recording new music and is also now also a highly regarded artist. In this interview, she talks us through her life with all the ups and downs.

Toyah talks about her music, her acting career, her relationships, her marriage, and her ups and downs in a very personal way. This is an in-depth interview which looks deeply at who the real Toyah is, what motivates and drives her and how she became so successful. She also shares many fascinating stories.

In this episode, Matt Bristow sits down with Jah Wobble, a key member of John Lydon's post Sex Pistols band, Public Image Limited, Invaders Of The Heart, and more. Jah Wobble has been one of the most unique and diverse artists in modern music. In this interview he discusses the P.I.L. days, as well as his solo years and philosophies on life.

In this episode, former members of Laurel's band Mark Wyeth, Roy Ellis, Stan Samuel, Drew Stansall and Steve Harris sat down together to walk memory lane and tell stories about Laurel Aitken, Ska music and how it all came to be.

In this episode, Cherry Red Records’ founder and chairman Iain McNay sits down with Dana Gillespie to hear the eventful story of her life; meeting a very young Davy Jones (who became David Bowie) at London’s Marquee club who she established a long friendship with; being produced by Jimmy Page, working with Donovan, John Paul Jones, Bob Dylan; being managed by Mainman’s Tony Defries; playing Mary in Jesus Christ Superstar; and discovering the Eastern Mystic Sai Baba which led to her changing her life.

In this episode, Esoteric Recordings’ label manager Mark Powell sits down with Genesis co-founder and now solo artist Anthony Phillips to talk through his long and brilliant career.

In this episode, Esoteric Recording’s Label Manager Mark Powell sits down with Be-Bop Deluxe’s songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Bill Nelson to discuss the entire career of Bill starting from the recording of his first album, 'Northern Dream;' in 1971 right through to his 8 CD retrospective box set 'The Practice Of Everyday Life' released in 2012.

In this episode, Esoteric Recordings’ label manager Mark Powell sits down with the singer and principle songwriter of Procol Harum, Gary Brooker, to talk about his career, the formation of Procol Harum and the many adventures the band had over the years.

In this episode, Cherry Red Records’ Founder and Chairman Iain McNay sits down with producer Laurence Myers to talk about about his life, challenges and successes. You can also watch this podcast on Cherry Red’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4WTNbETTx0&t

In this episode, Cherry Red Records’ Founder and Chairman Iain McNay sits down with musician and producer Mike Hurst to talk us through his life, the ups and downs, and the lessons he learned. You can also watch this podcast on Cherry Red’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG43sPz9Xxk&t

In this episode, Cherry Red Records' Director of Catalogue John Reed sat down with Steve Diggle to talk about the history and times of Buzzcocks, leading up to their latest new release in the wake of the departure of the beloved Pete Shelley, covering everything from their touring times with Nirvana, the writing process with Shelley, and Diggle's philosophy on life.

In this episode, Cherry Red Records’ Founder and Chairman Iain McNay sits down with Hazel O’Connor to talk through her career, from the film Breaking Glass to her 15 studio albums, and more.

Cherry Red Interviews: David Thomas (Pere Ubu) by Cherry Red Interviews

In this episode, Cherry Red Records’ founder and chairman Iain McNay sits down with musician, bass and Chapman Stick player Nick Beggs to discuss his fascinating story and life and how it is to work with the people involved with the many projects he is a part of.

In this episode, Cherry Red Records’ Matt Bristow sits down with musician and author Luke Haines to talk about his life: from being in his first band, The Servants, through to Top 30 success with The Auteurs through to his later work ‘Rock N Roll Animals’.

In this episode, we sit down with Howard Jones to discuss his incredible and varied career: from starting out as a solo artist in the early 1980's, all the way to his present-day successes. Our expanded and remastered reissues of Howard's third LP 'One to One' are out on 31st January and available to order direct via the Cherry Red Records website.

In this episode, Cherry Red Records’ Founder and Chairman Iain McNay sits down with Mercury Rev co-founder, vocalist and songwriter Jonathan Donahue to talk through the band’s history with their highs and lows and many interesting stories.