Word In Your Ear

Forty-two years after her meteoric ascent, Rickie Lee Jones has put out a memoir, 'Last Chance Texaco: Chronicles of a Troubadour'. And this we strongly recommend, a candid, salty, high-octane account of her breakthrough and early adventures criss-crossing America, many of which were turned into songs. Among her cast of fellow travellers are her Vaudevillian song-and-dance grandparents, Tom Waits, Dr John, Lowell George, Lenny Waronker and Chuck E Weiss, all of whom feature in this delightful pod. As do tales of her famous Saturday Night Live slot, West Side Story, her Beatles obsession (aged 8), the Damon Runyan world of late '70s L.A., current life in New Orleans and the "firece fire of fans who've stayed with me".  @RickieLeeJones https://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Chance-Texaco-Chronicles-Troubadour/dp/1611856469 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we're joined by old pal Kate Mossman who's had a colourful encounter with Tom Jones, we look at the legal battle for Nirvana's logo and the bands who sell more t-shirts than records, we're convinced we know why the England Squad don't make football singles any more, we dig out some surely bank-busting white labels and play a round of Hip Hop Star or Character From A '60s Comic?Kate's terrific piece about Tom Jones in the New Statesman ...https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/music-theatre/2021/04/tom-jones-interview-i-wanted-be-man-desperatelyWord In Your Ear is back and in the great outdoors, tickets here ... https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699To contribute to WIYE Patron Jeff Rees' time capsule project, email us your suggestions at wiye.london@gmail.comWant to receive every future Word Podcast before the rest of the world - and in full audio-visual glory! - alongside a whole load of additional content and benefits? Of course you do, you're only flesh and blood! Make sure you're subscribed to our fabulous Patreon, deep joy awaits: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we shake down the Bat Out Of Hell saga and Morrissey v the Simpsons, wonder what happened to the Bay City Rollers billions, explore Richard Thompson's theory of folk-rock snobbery, salute pop memoirs that end early and remember how people reacted when Kraftwerk and the Ramones first appeared. And announce our Word in the Park live event in July! ... WORD IN THE PARK TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-word-in-the-park-a-summer-afternoon-of-socially-distanced-storytelling-tickets-152091141699 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A world-put-to-rights-special that tells the story of the man who hid in a crate on a three-day flight with only a book of Beatles song lyrics for entertainment, looks at the stupidity of 19 year-olds, considers Rob Lowe’s belief that "there's no point in being famous today", predicts that CDs will become as treasured and collectable as vinyl, and wonders if musicians could still play if as pissed as they claimed to be. Also includes Shit-faced Shakespeare and a round of Song Title By the World's Most Pretentious Band or Artwork By Damien Hirst?Want exclusive early access to every future Word Podcast - and in full audio-visual glory! - plus LOTS more? Of course you do, you're only human! Make sure you're signed up to our fabulous Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tessa and Bob are lifelong Mark E Smith devotees and have just published 'Excavate: the Wonderful And Frightening World of The Fall', a collection of essays inspired by the band’s unique and eternally beguiling back catalogue and divinely cranky modus operandi - along with artwork, ephemera, lyrics sheets, letters to fans and self-written press releases. It's an atlas that navigates the Fall’s outer reaches rather than an investigation of the man himself "as you can't look directly at the sun". This terrific free-wheeling conversation touches on football, architecture, working men's clubs, self-made mythology, the nature of Fall fans, the powerful impact of Kenny Everett's World's Worst Records Show album and the plastic carrier-bag left onstage that Tessa still has 25 years later. @rocking_bob @tessanorton https://www.amazon.co.uk/Excavate-Wonderful-Frightening-World-Fall-ebook/dp/B0873XZ21B Yeah Yeah Yeah by Bob Stanley …https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yeah-Story-Modern-Pop/dp/0571322409/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&qid=1617954172&refinements=p_27%3ABob+Stanley&s=books&sr=1-4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which David delivers a tremulous rant about the curse of the two-minutes' silence at sport events, we note the Duke of Edinburgh's Beatles connection, rummage through the BBC's 'black box', salute the longest-lasting line-ups (Damned, Golden Earring, ZZ Top, Blind Boys of Alabama?), weep at the worst rock and roll tattoos, remember the Bowie album with three different covers and play 'Oi! band member or friend of the Krays?' and 'no-frills Seventies drummer or cast member of Corrie?'Want exclusive early access to every future Word Podcast - and in full audio-visual glory! - alongside a whole host of additional exciting, enlightening and entertaining content and benefits? Of course you do! Make sure you're signed up to our fabulous Patreon for all this and more: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we applaud Paul Simon's light-fingered songwriting skills, delight in the fake Roxy Music rejection letter, trace the origins of rock's black uniform (which Keith Richards reckons has it roots in cowboy movies), discover powerful new chemical benefits from being in bands, reveal the Spandau Ballet hit based on If I Had A Hammer, hear Philip Roth's advice to an aspiring novelist and play rock band or children's entertainment option (Angry Beavers?).Want exclusive early access to every future Word Podcast - and in full audio-visual glory! - alongside a whole host of additional exciting, enlightening and entertaining content and benefits? Of course you do! Make sure you're signed up to our fabulous Patreon for all this and more: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we play theatrical moments from great live albums - Humble Pie, ELP, the Stones, James Brown, Sinatra & Count Basie, Free, the Who, the Allman Brothers ("Whipping Post!") - relive the wit and wisdom of James Blunt on Twitter, examine the raw agony of having a rock star as a parent (warning: Eve Hewson's Bono story involves public dancing to the Backstreet Boys in a dressing-gown) and reveal whose tour rider includes "oxygen tanks and a doctor available to give mid-set B-12 injections".Want exclusive early access to every future Word Podcast - and in full audio-visual glory! - alongside a whole host of additional exciting, enlightening and entertaining content and benefits? Of course you do! Make sure you're signed up to our fabulous Patreon for all this and more: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we're joined by old pal Trevor Dann who was one of the 200 people sitting on the floor of the Nottingham Boat Club 50 years ago hearing the unreleased Stairway To Heaven ("maximum volume as it was on the river and there were no houses next door"). Plus memories of Nick Drake in 1971 (Trevor wrote the memoir Darker Than The Deepest Sea) - the underwhelming live shows, the mistakes on his album sleeves, the family tensions, why his legend is still expanding and what he might be doing if he was still with us today. And ... the Stack Waddy game: real or fake Half Man Half Biscuit tracks (Eamonn Holmes Under The Hammer?) and Indie Rock Band or lower league football team?  @TrevorDannTrevor's excellent Nick Drake memoir ...https://www.amazon.co.uk/Darker-Than-Deepest-Sea-Search/dp/0749951338Want exclusive early access to every future Word Podcast - and in full audio-visual glory! - alongside a whole host of additional exciting, enlightening and entertaining content and benefits? Of course you do! Make sure you're signed up to our fabulous Patreon for all this and more: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In which we relive the joys of cassette mixtape pop snobbery, discover a rock star's mum who was a WW2 secret agent, name the best songs about mothers, salute Tony "Ian Faith" Hendra RIP and his part in Spinal Tap (and his National Lampoon gags eg 'Yoko Is A Concept By Which We Measure our Pain'), note the coded messages in Dylan's 'Bringing It All Back Home' sleeve and play 'Lee Perry Tune or Item of Jamaican Cuisine?'Want exclusive early access to every future Word Podcast - and in full audio-visual glory! - alongside a whole host of additional exciting, enlightening and entertaining content and benefits? Of course you do! Make sure you're signed up to our fabulous Patreon for all this and more: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.