Best Andy Partridge Podcasts (2025)

1
Brian Protheroe on the eternal life of his 1974 hit “Pinball” 33:13

2h ago33:13

33:13

Paul Weller has just covered it on his new album. Morrissey played it to Noel Gallagher who took the idea and ran with it. What explains the enduring appeal of a record that stalled at number 22 all those years ago? Actor/musician Brian Protheroe doesn’t know but he’s certainly grateful that it’s being reissued once again. His story takes us back t…

1
Terry Reid, the man who really invented Led Zeppelin, & guitar fetishism 46:18

4d ago46:18

46:18

Other, weaker podcasts may take the summer off. Not this one. …the story of Jerry Garcia’s alligator strat, Paul McCartney’s violin bass and the instrument Peter Frampton thought had gone forever …the long story of Terry Reid, who turned down Led Zeppelin, and the golden afternoon when he was the most charismatic figure in roc …the real reason why …

1
Summer Psalms #3 by Rebecca Whittlesea 33:22

6d ago33:22

33:22

Summer Psalms #3 by Rebecca Whittlesea by City Hope LondonBy City Hope London

1
Peter Ames Carlin on the record that made Bruce Springsteen 42:45

8d ago42:45

42:45

word-podcast-798-peter-ames-carlin Friend of the pod and chronicler of the careers of Springsteen, Paul Simon and REM, Peter Ames Carlin has heard all the recordings that went into the album which was Springsteen’s last chance saloon and spoken to the people who were there to put together the story of how it was all done. ….the lucky break that cam…

1
Jah Wobble - 40 hilarious unedited minutes interrupted by a pest control officer 39:58

9d ago39:58

39:58

Jah Wobble - touring in October - is outstanding company and rattles on here like a steam train, sparking off at tangents in a brilliant, barely steerable monologue with a crackling cast of characters. It’s not often a podcast gets a visitor mid-recording who says, “I’ve put more poison in - but the good news is, there’s nothing in your traps!” Her…

1
Elvis, the Colonel & how unseen letters changed Peter Guralnick’s view of their partnership 52:47

12d ago52:47

52:47

There’s a widely accepted view of the relationship between Elvis and his manager Tom Parker, the one sustained by the recent Baz Luhrmann movie, but a new and fascinating archive of unseen letters makes you see it differently: it was warmer, deeper and infinitely more complicated. Peter Guralnick – rock book royalty! - met Parker towards the end of…

1
Are the Nineties the new Classic Rock? And whatever happened to comedy records? 36:36

12d ago36:36

36:36

Lowering the magnet of curiosity into the scrapyard of news and seeing what’s attracted, which includes … … does anyone still write satirical songs? … Four Sides of the Circle, Margaret On The Guillotine, From Here To Infirmary … real or fictitious working album titles? … the rarity of hearing new music without knowing what the musician looks like …

1
The Wedding Present turns 40, memories of John Peel & ‘the only time I ever pogo-ed’ 33:07

13d ago33:07

33:07

The Wedding Present formed 40 years ago – why does that seem astonishing? - and have a new box set and tour to celebrate. David Gedge digs out his old notes about the first gigs he ever saw and played and looks back at what four decades onstage might have taught him. Among the delights … … Rick Wakeman in full cape attire at Manchester Free Trade H…

1
Summer Psalms #2 by Mick Channon 35:05

13d ago35:05

35:05

Summer Psalms #2 by Mick Channon by City Hope LondonBy City Hope London

1
XTC’s Dave Gregory talks to Thomas Walsh 1:37:12

15d ago1:37:12

1:37:12

This episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast features a highly entertaining conversation between XTC guitarist Dave Gregory and fellow musician Thomas Walsh (Pugwash) recorded at the 2025 XTC Fan Festival in Swindon. The interview covers everything from facial hair to inspirational guitarists. The episode also includes a round-up of…

1
Bret McKenzie on Flight of the Conchords, Hollywood and writing songs for frogs and unicorns 47:27

18d ago47:27

47:27

Bret McKenzie now mainly works on movie soundtracks, the Simpsons, Minecraft and the Muppets among them, which brings the pure delight of hearing his songs sung by Lady Gaga, Benedict Cumberbatch, Miss Piggy and Tony Bennett. He talks here about his early life in Wellington (ballet teacher Mum, racehorse trainer Dad), narrative comedy, songwriting …

1
Del Amitri’s Justin Currie has faced every tough crowd imaginable. Lessons were learn 45:54

18d ago45:54

45:54

Justin Currie recorded and toured with Del Amitri and solo for 30 years and his travelogue The Tremolo Diaries perfectly captures the rhythm of life on the road. He talks to us here about combative crowds, the curious bubble you occupy and a recent shock diagnosis that’s forced some adjustments. This includes … … hard-won rules for life on tour: “N…

1
Ozzy Osbourne, Jaws, the lost world of mix tapes & the movies’ most chilling moment 57:48

19d ago57:48

57:48

Just when you thought it was safe to listen to a weekly rock and roll podcast … … how Black Sabbath discovered the dark side … why Elvis went onstage with a pistol in both boots … rock stars out of their comfort zone … five perfect things about Jaws we’d never taken onboard … Ozzy Osbourne, the bungled burglary and the fingerless gloves … Tony Iomm…

1
Baptism service, Andy McCullough 24:03

20d ago24:03

24:03

Baptism service, Andy McCullough by City Hope LondonBy City Hope London

1
The late Nick Drake’s manager on the nine-year project “The Making Of Five Leaves Left” 30:13

21d ago30:13

30:13

Cally Colomon looks after the legacy of Nick Drake, who died in 1974 but attracts new teenage admirers all the time. Here he talks to David Hepworth about just some of what that involves, including: …chancers getting in touch with a bogus live recording when they’ve got a tax bill to pay … film producers wishing to superimpose their image of Nick D…

1
Suzi Quatro - how Dad, Elvis and Mickie Most transformed my life 23:24

25d ago23:24

23:24

Suzi Quatro’s been onstage from the age of 14 as the bassist in the all-girl showband the Pleasure Seekers and the rock act Cradle. And then moved to England in 1971 when signed by Mickie Most. This podcast is a testament to the power of self-belief – she’s got more front than Woolworths! - and the two things her father told her. She’s just started…

1
New Nick Drake tapes, Bob Marley’s masterpiece and the Coldplay ‘kiss-cam’. 1:01:12

26d ago1:01:12

1:01:12

A rain-splashed, dub-filled, cash-scattering foray into this week’s news and events which happily lands upon … … meeting Maddy Prior – a Prior engagement? – and the time Steeleye Span showered their audience with £8,000. … hearing Nick Drake’s demos on a narrowboat in the pitch dark a few hundred feet below London. … Steve Miller’s cancelled tour, …

1
Summer Psalms #1 by John Greenway 38:18

28d ago38:18

38:18

Summer Psalms #1 by John Greenway by City Hope LondonBy City Hope London

1
The story of David Ackles, who never recovered from putting out “the best album ever made”. 27:59

30d ago27:59

27:59

Picked up in the great singer-songwriter sweep of the late 60s and signed to Elektra Records, David Ackles made four albums which went over the heads of the record-buying public, attracted over-the-top reviews and earned the undying devotion of fans like Elvis Costello and Elton John. Now Mark Brend’s book brings together an appreciation of his wor…

1
Kevin Rowland, Oasis, Velvet Sundown – and do we want the truth or just a good story? 46:00

1M ago46:00

46:00

Our patent fact-from-fiction separator goes into overdrive this week though sometimes, as Robert Wyatt observed, Ruth is stranger than Richard. High in the mix … … FOMO (Fear Of Missing Oasis), Gen Z’s love of queuing and has there ever been a greater outpouring of joy at a band reunion? …what’s the greatest musical city? … Kevin Rowland – cheat, b…

1
Walking with the Holy Spirit #1 by Matt Partridge 38:39

1M ago38:39

38:39

Walking with the Holy Spirit #1 by Matt Partridge by City Hope LondonBy City Hope London

1
John Otway – Micro-stardom, 5,000 gigs and how to capture a crowd in 20 seconds 34:12

1M ago34:12

34:12

John Otway – self-billed as “Rock And Roll’s Greatest Failure” - has played 5,260 gigs in 53 years, a record possibly only beaten by BB King. There are more this autumn of course. He simply can’t stop. “People buying me drinks and telling me what a good bloke I am? Why would you stop?” We talk to him here about the art of shambling stagecraft and a…

1
Peter Hook looks back at Joy Division, New Order and how not to be a DJ 31:01

1M ago31:01

31:01

Peter Hook, bold pioneer of the high, clambering, tune-filled bassline, is touring this autumn with Peter Hook & the Light. We talk to him in Prestatyn - about to deejay at mate’s birthday - about the first gigs he ever saw and played, heavy-handed club owners, tough crowds on dance floors, the world audience for his two old bands and few key momen…

1
Live Aid remembered – from inside and out – on its 40th birthday 54:10

1M ago54:10

54:10

A 40th anniversary special with two of its presenters (Hepworth and Ellen) and old pal and TV critic Boyd Hilton who watched on the day aged 18 (“young, pretentious, idiotic”) and reviews the new BBC documentary. We look back at … … the ways Live Aid changed television – “not about music but spectacle and scale”. … would the idea of staging it have…

1
Digital Discipleship #2 by Chris Nicholson 43:23

1M ago43:23

43:23

Digital Discipleship #2 by Chris Nicholson by City Hope LondonBy City Hope London

1
XTC’s Skylarking with Alfredo Marziano 54:37

1M ago54:37

54:37

In this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, we join Alfredo Marziano, the author of the newly published XTC: Skylarking – A Life in A Day, the Making of a Pop Classic. This 152-page book draws on archive material and original interviews to go on a deep dive into the record that many XTC fans regard as the band’s finest. As well…

1
Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull and 58 years of one-legged live performance 26:41

2M ago26:41

26:41

Ian Anderson is touring again in 2026 and talks to us here about tweed stage-wear, an audience of four, his teenage heroes and the first shows he ever saw and played. There’s all sorts within, including … … playing his first gig to Catholic schoolgirls at the Holy Family Youth Club in Blackpool – “we emptied the room”. … queues round the block at t…

1
Album sleeves the modern world would ban & the best song titles and opening lines 54:55

2M ago54:55

54:55

It’s Happy Hour in the Rock and Roll Lounge of News and we’re working our way through anything over 40 per cent proof. Which means ice, a slice and …. … how the F-Bomb lost its impact. … Mick Ralphs and Lalo Schifrin RIP – and chapeau to "There's A Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On’. … the Blush-o-meter! Album sleeves that’d get you lynched in the 21st …

1
Digital Discipleship #1 By Mick Channon.wav 36:05

2M ago36:05

36:05

Digital Discipleship #1 By Mick Channon.wav by City Hope LondonBy City Hope London

1
Bobby Bluebell’s thriving third act, ‘80s Glasgow and the gift that keeps on giving 23:45

2M ago23:45

23:45

Bobby Bluebell remembers the “cuddly duffle-coat friendship” of Glasgow bands in the early ‘80s and the Bluebells’ second act rebooted by the Volkswagen ad. The band are touring again and an even bigger part of the city’s thriving musical community, and he looks back here at the first gigs he ever saw and played, along with … … singing “When I’m De…

1
Dubmaster Dennis Bovell has had 50 fun-filled years making magical records 24:15

2M ago24:15

24:15

Dennis Bovell has worked his dub magic on everyone from Janet Kaye to the Slits, the Pop Group, Jarvis Cocker and Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood – and his own band Matumbi. He talks here about the thrill and freedom of making dub records, his new album Wise Music In Dub – which reworks ‘Pass The Dutchie’, Minnie Riperton and the Stylistics – and how …

1
Rick Wakeman once signed a contract guaranteeing he’d wear “at least one cape onstage” 32:02

2M ago32:02

32:02

Rick Wakeman was onstage from the age of five and looks back with us here on a life of live performance – jazz and blues bands, the Strawbs, Yes – and ahead to this autumn’s tour performing King Arthur and the Six Wives of Henry the Eighth. “I wake up every morning, throw off the duvet and – if nothing else has fallen off – have a great day!” There…

1
10cc’s I’m Not In Love is still weird & wonderful! - plus Kneecap & Carol Kaye 54:05

2M ago54:05

54:05

Chasing the shade and applying Factor 50 in the wilting heat of this week’s rock and roll news turns the conversation to … … Kneecap v the Prime Minister. … will any openly anti-Trump musician find it hard to tour the States? … the girl who’s listening to all 10,000 of her late father’s albums, one 60-second Instagram reel at a time. … a bottle of …

1
Faithful in Babylon #9 By Chris Nicholson 49:38

2M ago49:38

49:38

Faithful in Babylon #9 By Chris Nicholson by City Hope LondonBy City Hope London

1
When Peter Hooton, the Farm & Eric Cantona played Clash songs in an amphitheatre 40:44

2M ago40:44

40:44

The Farm are touring again this summer and have just made their first album for 31 years (with the same-line-up). This sparky and wide-ranging conversation with Peter Hooton stops off at the following … … the advice Mark E Smith gave him when they were interviewed by Select magazine. … “Suedeheads v Trogs and Greebos”: early ‘70s tribal warfare in …

1
Carol Decker of T’Pau and the ocean-going world of the 80s package tour 35:23

2M ago35:23

35:23

Carol Decker - another Smash Hits cover star on the podcast! T’Pau are playing dates this summer and autumn and she talks here – hilariously - about life on the ‘80s package tour circuit and the first shows she ever saw and played, which stops off at …. … does any audience beat a Butlin’s Mid-Weeker on their third pint? … from Black Mirror to PG Ti…

1
The magnificent Sly Stone & Brian Wilson and the curse of our expectations 35:32

2M ago35:32

35:32

As the great Warren Zevon said, ‘Enjoy every sandwich’. The two-man canoe navigates this week’s rock and roll rivulet which sadly entails reflections on a pair of towering musical giants ‘whose legend occupied the space where activity should have been’. Things considered include … …are you born with genius or does a set of circumstances allow it to…

1
Faithful in Babylon #7 by Rebecca Whittlesea 31:03

2M ago31:03

31:03

Faithful in Babylon #7 by Rebecca Whittlesea by City Hope LondonBy City Hope London

1
Why Oasis were God’s gift to the rock press and the story of two missing teeth 41:58

2M ago41:58

41:58

Liam Gallagher calls Ted Kessler and Hamish MacBain “the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore of music journalism”. Both worked at the NME (and Ted at Q), both interviewed the band many times and have just published ‘A Sound So Very Loud’ which, in the grand tradition of Revolution In The Head, tells the story of every Oasis song ever recorded. They talk to…

1
Elkie Brooks once opened for the Beatles. A lot happened in the next 65 years … 25:03

2M ago25:03

25:03

Elkie Brooks was on a package tour aged 15, supported the Beatles and the Animals, made a single when she was 19, joined the jazz-rock Dada, then Vinegar Joe (with Robert Palmer) and has since made 20 albums. She’s now out on her ‘Long Farewell Tour’ and looks back with us here from her home in Devon at … … supporting the Beatles in ’64 and an audi…

1
Why they MUST make the Cat Stevens movie + rock feuds, the best video & Beyoncé in a Stetson 45:43

2M ago45:43

45:43

Facing down the leg spinners of rock and roll news while trying to wallop the odd shot across the pavilion roof. On the scoreboard this week … … has there ever been a rock feud as bitter as Trump v Musk? … what Ray Charles, Taylor Swift and Dave Clark have in common. … the 30-year golden age music video. … things Van Morrison can’t forget. … how so…

1
Faithful in Babylon #6 by Daniel Poulson 44:21

2M ago44:21

44:21

Faithful in Babylon #6 by Daniel Poulson by City Hope LondonBy City Hope London

1
Stuart Maconie – every character in the Beatles’ story has a story of their own 46:49

2M ago46:49

46:49

Stuart Maconie – broadcaster, prolific author – has a brilliant and original new perspective on the Beatles. His latest book With A Little Help From Their Friends identifies the 100 people who had the greatest impact on their story, from the inner circle to bit-part players – schoolfriends, girlfriends, managers, muses, support acts, advisors and e…

1
Inside the world of reissues with producer Rob Caiger 46:50

2M ago46:50

46:50

Rob Caiger is one of those special people who turned their teenage obsession with music into a job … from being the only one in ELO’s office who knew where the old tapes were … to learning that what it says on the outside of the box isn’t always what’s on the tape … through embarking on a ten-year project to put out the last Small Faces album from …

1
Genuinely ‘iconic’ rock pictures, words we should ban and how Freddie Mercury still makes headlines 48:57

3M ago48:57

48:57

Hoary old tales retold – ideally in an Irish accent - and new ones prized from the giddy carousel of rock and roll news which, this week, features … … was there a better stage name than Rick Derringer? … Linda Ronstadt, Ronnie Spector, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and other new biopics under construction. … genuinely ‘iconic’ rock images – the Ziggy light…

1
Faithful in Babylon #5 by Chris Nicholson 44:24

3M ago44:24

44:24

Faithful in Babylon #5 by Chris Nicholson by City Hope LondonBy City Hope London

1
Martha Wainwright - ‘never nervous, always ballsy’ and onstage from the age of eight 24:27

3M ago24:27

24:27

Martha Wainwright is a key member of the Wainwright/McGarrigle clan, all of them big favourites of ours. She’s currently on her 20th anniversary tour and looks back here at the first shows she ever saw and played which involves … … growing up in a folk dynasty in Montreal. … the sight of Perla Batalla and Julie Christensen, backing singers on Leona…

1
Covering XTC with Dan Barrow and Innocents Abroad 1:19:37

3M ago1:19:37

1:19:37

It’s fan festival time again. Coming up on 20–22 June at the Mecca in Swindon, the sold-out 2025 XTC Fan Festival is a chance for friends old and new to come together and share in their love of all things XTC. On the line-up, as well as a trip to the Uffington White Horse, and interviews with Dave Gregory and Hugh Padgham, are performances from sev…

1
Budgie of Siouxsie And The Banshees started out in nightclub cabaret acts, aged 13 41:27

3M ago41:27

41:27

Small boy begins breeding budgerigars in Liverpool, makes enough to buy a drum kit and becomes the power behind Big In Japan, the Slits, the Creatures and Siouxsie and the Banshees. And one half of punk rock’s most famous couples. The immensely engaging Budgie has finally written his memoir, ‘The Absence’, and talks to us from Berlin about … … are …

1
Books rock stars want you to read, sacked drummers and how Dylan spent his birthday 38:14

3M ago38:14

38:14

The two-man pedalo of enquiry sets out on the Bank Holiday boating lake of news pausing to consider … … Florence Welch, Dua Lipa and the rise of the rock and roll book club. … the 92 year-old that Bob Dylan supported at the Cascades Amphitheatre, Ridgefield. … the Beatles had 18 drummers! … the sad end to Billy Joel’s tour schedule. … is Hollywood …

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Andy Partridge Podcasts

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