Mark Ellen and David Hepworth have been talking about and writing about music together and individually for a collective eighty years in magazines like Smash Hits, Mojo and The Word and on radio and TV programmes like "Rock On", "Whistle Test" and VH-1.Over thirteen years ago, when working on the late magazine The Word, they began producing podcasts. Some listeners have been kind enough to say these have been very special to them. When the magazine folded in 2012 they kept the spirit of those podcasts alive in regular Word In Your Ear evenings in which they spoke to musicians an...
The genius of George Harrison and why heâs still underrated
39 mins; November 09, 2024
Ian Broudie of the Lightning Seeds - his Year Zero moment, Imposter Syndrome and seeing the Beatles (aged 7)
31 mins; November 04, 2024
Kraftwerk, Cream, Nirvana, savage reviews, fantasy girlfriends and a naked Nick Cave âplush dollâ
47 mins; November 03, 2024
Life with the Lennons, fame, friendship, the FBI and the Lost Weekend â by Elliot Mintz.
43 mins; October 30, 2024
How Goth took over, farewell Phil Lesh and the curse of teenage stardom
51 mins; October 28, 2024
When Mark King of Level 42 was the 11 year-old singing drummer in a novelty act
46 mins; October 25, 2024
King Crimson, red hair dye and a singing Jack Russell: the boisterous memoir of Jakko Jakszyk
39 mins; October 22, 2024
Obsessive fans, Dylanâs reading list and how Taylor Swift tickets are the new codeword for wealth
51 mins; October 21, 2024
Britpop, its peaks and its spiritual godfather: a Golden Age rebooted by Miranda Sawyer
41 mins; October 17, 2024
Zappa and Elvis as fathers (!), Billy Joelâs house sale and the curse of too much choice
44 mins; October 14, 2024
Hugh Cornwell on how the drummer has the best seat in the house
24 mins; October 10, 2024
Kris Kristofferson, a lost Tom Petty film and rock stars and the curse of the selfie
45 mins; October 07, 2024
How Christine McVie saw Fleetwood Mac and the real reason she left them â by Lesley-Ann Jones
37 mins; October 04, 2024
Nick Heyward dressed like Cary Grant â then the Jam, XTC and Talking Heads. âItâs all about clothes, hair and shoes.â
33 mins; October 03, 2024
In the studio with Nick Drake, Fairport, John Martyn & the String Band: John Wood remembers a golden age
48 mins; October 02, 2024
Ian Hunter â joining Mott The Hoople, Bowie, Hamburg and being âenthused into crazinessâ.
31 mins; October 01, 2024
Bryan Ferry, Maggie Smith and why Ian Hunter is a movie in waiting
46 mins; September 30, 2024
When Cocteau Twins followed the Ramones onstage and why 1979 was the Golden Age - by Simon Raymonde
45 mins; September 27, 2024
The deep secret of Abbaâs âmusic without nostalgiaâ and the time they met the Pistols
46 mins; September 25, 2024
Fond memories of lost â80s London, Morrissey v Marr and the film they should make about Toyah
55 mins; September 23, 2024
Swinging London & the Wombles seen from an electric-blue Rolls-Royce. Mike Batt looks back
30 mins; September 20, 2024
Joe Boyd â Little Richard, Nick Drake, Tight Fit and why everything sounds the way it does
48 mins; September 18, 2024
Screaming Jay Hawkins 75, Dave Grohl 1
46 mins; September 16, 2024
One Day author David Nicholls â prog rock, Live Aid and making tapes for girls
35 mins; September 13, 2024
Nick Lowe â war stories, wise decisions and the event in 1970 that made him think again
32 mins; September 12, 2024
The Buskersâ Hall of Fame â from Moondog and Billy Bragg to Don Partridge and âthe skating Sikhâ.
39 mins; September 10, 2024
Who should follow John Lydon with a Spoken Word spectacular?
38 mins; September 09, 2024
David Hepworth on the glory, comedy and tragedy of rock stars who can't retire
53 mins; September 04, 2024
The Oasis reunion â feuds, cash, symbolism and the desire to repair our imperfect lives
33 mins; August 31, 2024
Are comedians more competitive than rock stars?
44 mins; August 28, 2024
Johnny Beatleâ, early Blondie, Led Zeppelinâs plane and seven fabulous years at the Melody Maker.
45 mins; August 22, 2024
One-word rock star mimicry, bands who shouldnât reform & the best thing about Taylor Swift
42 mins; August 19, 2024
The extraordinary story of Arthur Lee, Love and the 1966 flop which became a hit for the ages
34 mins; August 15, 2024
Buddy Holly airlines and the inimitable Bob Dylan
38 mins; August 11, 2024
âPop music is 80 per cent about hairâ, remaking classic albums and why CDs are so hard to love
50 mins; August 04, 2024
Queen, Bowie and other residents of Rockfield Studios remembered by the cookâs daughter
31 mins; August 02, 2024
57 years of Fleetwood Mac: author Mark Blake's fond encounters and fresh revelations
45 mins; July 31, 2024
Ron Sexsmith doesnât need a teleprompter. He can do 40 Dylan songs at the drop of a hat
35 mins; July 30, 2024
Without John Mayall ⊠no Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Status Quo or Led Zeppelin?
52 mins; July 29, 2024
Best album sleeves, whatâs ruined singing and pop as âempowerment pornâ
42 mins; July 21, 2024
Who is Lawrence and why did Will Hodgkinson write a whole book about him?
38 mins; July 18, 2024
Backstage at Live Aid, the first Knebworth and bands that donât get on
52 mins; July 15, 2024
How Joni Mitchell joined the boysâ club and why we donât need a comeback â by Ann Powers
46 mins; July 12, 2024
Twist And Shout? Spiral Scratch? Corey duBrowa celebrates the best and rarest EPs ever made
38 mins; July 08, 2024
What songs should be longer or shorter?
45 mins; July 07, 2024
Dylan Jones â Cleggâs women, Hagueâs pints and âthe wiring behind celebrity cultureâ
37 mins; July 03, 2024
Happy accidents, whooping at gigs and why the album review star system doesnât work anymore
49 mins; June 30, 2024
Pop football chants, Reg âRegâ Snipton sings Joni Mitchell & the tale of John Lennonâs watch
51 mins; June 24, 2024
Only Clare Grogan knows how it feels to burst onstage from a giant birthday cake
38 mins; June 21, 2024
The wit and charisma of Kate Bush by Graeme Thomson: going too far makes you what you are
43 mins; June 18, 2024
For the love of Françoise Hardy, Ben Sidran and the TV comedy Twenty Twelve
41 mins; June 17, 2024
Stewart Lee knows the rigours of âanimal costume workâ and why great comedy is about shock
48 mins; June 15, 2024
How Springsteen went âsix deepâ, fictional rock hacks and whoâs more conservative than Liam Gallagher?
46 mins; June 11, 2024
Jon Savage - Dustyâs wig, Bowieâs bombshell and how gay pop culture changed music
34 mins; June 09, 2024
âAbbaâs success is more about us than themâ: Giles Smith looks back at a 50-year love affair
37 mins; June 08, 2024
the Architect of Mod: how Peter Meaden restyled and launched the Who - by Steve Turner
39 mins; June 06, 2024
Great album trilogies, suing Madonna and "the pantheon of psychedelic heaviosity"
47 mins; June 03, 2024
The spectacular Dead & Co, songs performed backwards & happy birthday Diamond Dogs!
43 mins; May 26, 2024
Why They Might Be Giants now perform an entire song backwards
27 mins; May 22, 2024
Guy Chambers - writing with Robbie, a tangle with Bowie & half a bagel with Paul McCartney
36 mins; May 21, 2024
Alan Edwards, pop PR â âBowie was like King Arthur and the Spice Girls like the Pistolsâ
42 mins; May 20, 2024
Rockâs image-makers, men on dancefloors and why bands canât act like bands anymore
55 mins; May 19, 2024
Paul Carrack has seen it all â beat, soul, prog, pub rock, pop & the perfect âslow burnâ career.
37 mins; May 16, 2024
Nige Tassell was so obsessed with Dexys heâs tracked down all 24 ex-members
35 mins; May 15, 2024
Why Nick Masonâs âcottage industryâ band plays just early Pink Floyd
27 mins; May 14, 2024
Let It Be revisited, the wisdom of Steve Albini and a woeful tale about Steve Marriott
53 mins; May 12, 2024
The genius of Little Feat, the Man with the Twang & popâs greatest scandal in the making
46 mins; May 05, 2024
Steve Diggle of the Buzzcocks remembers the day âa terrible beauty was bornâ
30 mins; May 03, 2024
Rock snobbery, the seven wives of Gregg Allman & the greatest solo on a pop record
63 hours 52 mins; April 29, 2024
Harold Bronson of Rhino Records kept a 40-year rock and roll diaryâŠ
39 mins; April 28, 2024
The âamniotic throbâ of modern pop, the eternal life of the Top Gear theme and the Blue Nileâs lucky break
47 mins; April 21, 2024
Hollywood Babylon, the inspired gimmickry of Catch A Fire and the luck of Ron Wood
58 mins; April 15, 2024
Neil Tennant remembers life âwith dyed red Bowie hair and clattering platformsâ
43 mins; April 11, 2024
Richard Thompson â âyou know itâs time to go when the audience starts throwing chairsâ
24 mins; April 10, 2024
Neil Tennant remembers the pop press and âthe last great era of forward-looking songs"
36 mins; April 09, 2024
The Stonesâ clothes, our love affair with Abba & rockâs most appalling spectacle
47 mins; April 08, 2024
Big Characters we have loved and why the Clash wouldnât last ten minutes in 2024
46 mins; March 31, 2024
How Paul Cook broke into Hammersmith Odeon to see the Who, Slade, Queen & Alex Harvey
18 mins; March 28, 2024
Sharleen Spiteri saw Joe Strummer onstage and thought âthatâs what I want to beâ
35 mins; March 26, 2024
Album sleeves as lifestyle statements and 5 seconds that made Phil Manzanera a fortune
36 mins; March 25, 2024
Phil Manzanera Part 2: an insiderâs guide to Roxy Music (and a great Bob Dylan story)
43 mins; March 24, 2024
Phil Manzaneraâs enviable life in Roxy Music and beyond
38 mins; March 22, 2024
Fish is bowing out to become a Hebridean shepherd. Whatâs he learnt in 45 years onstage?
46 mins; March 20, 2024
The extraordinary story of Steve Harleyâs greatest hit
6 mins; March 18, 2024
Great divorce albums, Powerpop snobs and dark tales of 1999
61 hours 10 mins; March 17, 2024
Stephen Fallâs reviewed 3,333 of his albums. Buy the book!
22 mins; March 14, 2024
Itâs Arthur Brown, the god of hellfire ⊠paging Health & Safety!
20 mins; March 12, 2024
Suzi Ronson - Bowieâs stylist - knows why rock and roll is all about hair
37 mins; March 11, 2024
How the Beatles invented pop video and acts we love who always sound the same
33 mins; March 10, 2024
Is social media killing pop music? And where have all the bands gone?
43 mins; March 04, 2024
For Henry Normal comedy is like âsugar and saltâ
28 mins; March 03, 2024
Steve Howe of Yes tells a few tales from topographic oceans
32 mins; February 29, 2024
The evergreen record thatâs 50 years old & Jeremy Thorpe at a hippie commune
59 mins; February 25, 2024
Richard Coles has faced every audience imaginable, one armed with pea-shooters
30 mins; February 23, 2024
For Jah Wobble driving tube trains was even more thrilling than playing Glastonbury
35 mins; February 20, 2024
Steve Wright and other great radioheads, McCartneyâs bass & the non-profits of Python