John Lydon is among us in 2025 - with Public Image in May and on his Spoken Word tour in September. Entertainment is guaranteed, as it is in this podcast with Mark where he considers … Norman Wisdom, Frankie Howerd, Tommy Cooper and the “sadness in all comedians”, stage fright, the day his dad threw him out of the house, why PiL is like opera, Ray Davies, Bryan Ferry, the “crippled emotions” of youth, why people open their hearts to him, the ghost of Johnny Rotten in Gladiator 11, the lost world of conversation in pubs, and missing his wife, best friend Rambo and Sid Vicious.

Order tickets for his spoken word tour here:

https://www.johnlydon.com/tour-dates/

PiL tickets here:

https://www.ticketmaster.com/public-image-limited-tickets/artist/241

Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear

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In which we feed the week’s events through our heat-seeking Fun-Filter®️ to see what makes the bell ring. Which includes …

… Richard Ashcroft in the new John Lewis Christmas ad.

… U2 v Coldplay, the Beatles v Pink Floyd – rock bands and the “diploma divide”.

… why can we still recite entire song lyrics we learnt when teenagers but can’t remember the shopping list we wrote this morning?

… “they couldn’t find their backside with the flashlight”.

… the new form of tribute group: the Fall, Thin Lizzy and Talk Talk and the bands made up of ex-members who are recording their ‘new music’.

… Elvis, Noel Coward, Churchill, Dylan, Jack Nicholson, Michael Caine, Bowie, the Stones, Frank Sinatra … who should Craig Brown write about next?

… the very few people more famous than Paul McCartney.

… our search for the poshest pop star.

… Beatles fans v the National Anthem.

… is this the only podcast on God’s green earth to mention the Wars Of Spanish Succession?

… and birthday guest Giles Fraser on Phil Manzanera, Neil Tennant, Clare Grogan, Midge Ure and other musicians with fabulous speaking voices.

Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

He’s written some of the darkest entries in the American songbook but became world famous with a sunny celebration of friendship on the soundtrack of “Toy Story”. Inbetween can be found a staggering range of songs dealing with everything from short people to Vladimir Putin, from performing bears to the Louisiana Flood., from ELO to the Great Nations Of Europe, all of which show up in this authoritative new biography from Robert Hilburn, for years the rock writer of the Los Angeles Times. Topics touched on in his chat with David Hepworth:

… when you called your book “A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country”, did you know it was coming out in Election week?

… why Robert’s review of Elton John at the Troubadour in 1970 transformed the life of one piano player from Pinner while his review of Randy in the same same venue in the same year didn’t have the same effect on this local hero.

… how Randy finds his inspiration by sitting in front of the TV with a big stack of hardback books.

… what his famous uncles taught him and how he has spent a lifetime trying to follow their lead.

… how he got his first break from Cilla Black, Alan Price and the British chart,

… what he said when he finally got as Oscar after years of nominations.

… why he can write quickly when commissioned but moves agonisingly slowly when relying on inspiration.

… why he’s the only biographical subject to insist his children are interviewed.

… what he thinks of Donald Trump.

Order Robert’s book here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Few-Words-Defense-Our-Country/dp/1408720361

Find out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.