Best Tim Hannon Podcasts (2025)

1
Oasis in 2026, the Troggs and what Morrissey’s only gone and done now! 52:37

22h ago52:37

52:37

All the leaves are brown and the sky’s a bit unruly but mellow fruitfulness abounds in this week’s pick of the rock and roll news. Add to basket … … is Morrissey hacked off, broke or just desperate for attention? … are stadium gigs the new tourism? … bucket hats, Man City, lads culture … how did America finally ‘get’ Oasis? … singles that weren’t o…

1
‘Hey Joe’, its miracle birth & why violent songs are like True Crime - by Jason Schneider 36:53

5d ago36:53

36:53

Immortalised by Hendrix, ‘Hey Joe’ had its roots in 18th century murder ballads, ‘60s folk and rock clubs before the world got to hear it. Jason Schneider unravels its twisted genesis in ‘That Gun In Your Hand’, and talks to us here about the miracles that allowed it to happen and the sad fate of Billy Roberts, the man who claimed he wrote it. Alon…

1
Maddy Prior of Steeleye Span drove Rev Gary Davis round Britain in a Triumph Herald 37:17

6d ago37:17

37:17

Maddy Prior – folk royalty, an absolute hero of ours – is touring with Steeleye Span again this autumn 66 years after they started, a life someone should make into a movie. She talks to us here about her undimmed love of live performance and … … when the height of your ambition is a £3 ticket to Blackpool Pleasure Beach … “Rod Argent, the first boy…

1
Why reviews lost their sting - and what matters more, the song or the record? 41:17

8d ago41:17

41:17

Our pencil-chewing, critical assessment of this week’s news gets mainly * and *** reviews, among them … …. Sting v Summers & Copeland over Every Breath You Take, the goose that laid the golden egg … what John Lennon would have thought about the ‘cancelled’ track on Some Time In New York City … when did “critically acclaimed” come to mean unpopular?…

1
Debsey Wykes of Dolly Mixture wants you to read her teenage diary 37:33

12d ago37:33

37:33

Debsey Wykes was in Dolly Mixture, one of the very few all-girl groups in post-punk London, a time when bands with charisma won the battle for attention and you promoted singles on the back of a truck. Her memoir Teenage Daydream perfectly captures a slice of late ‘70s life, the thrill of playing the pub circuit and trying to storm Radio One. Along…

1
Singers’ vast egos explained and what’s the real definition of ‘a fan’? 36:35

16d ago36:35

36:35

A tub-thumping, snare-cracking, cymbal-simmering, two-way backbeat to this week’s rock and roll news, the on-beats including … … “Trauma-bonding?” Why being ‘a fan’ is like a love affair … Ian Brown, Morrissey, Siouxsie, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison … why singers who don’t play an instrument are a different species … the stadium-rock drummer transfer…

1
Neil Hannon - the Divine Comedy, the Father Ted saga & nights at the Indie Disco 29:11

18d ago29:11

29:11

How can you not love the Divine Comedy whose inspirations include Tom Lehrer and “Landfill Indie”? And Neil Hannon wrote music for Wonka, Father Ted and the IT Crowd. There’s a new album, Rainy Sunday Afternoon, and a tour in October and all bases are covered in this conversation from Kildare, these among them … … seeing U2 at Croke Park “and feeli…

1
Tanita Tikaram - from ‘girl with guitar in bedroom’ to Hammersmith Odeon in six months 33:31

19d ago33:31

33:31

Tanita Tikaram’s second gig had an audience of three – one paying customer and two concert promoters. When one of them wanted to talk to her afterwards she said, “sorry, I’ve got to get the train home.” She was 17. In this podcast she tells us the story of the one of the fastest career ascents on record which stops off at … … an open-mic night with…

1
Bob Mould remembers Hüsker Dü, Sugar & that guy with the hipster moustache 33:03

20d ago33:03

33:03

Bob Mould, whose records with Hüsker Dü had such impact on Nirvana and Pixies, is back on tour again, both solo and with a band. “I’ve built this tiny soap box - and if you don’t like it, it’s been nice knowing you!” He talks to us from San Francisco about … … March 30 1979: “the day that changed my life” … over-refreshment on the bus to see Rush a…

1
Comedy records, TV gold & have Oasis and Coldplay hoovered up all the cash? 1:01:54

23d ago1:01:54

1:01:54

Damping down the wildfires of rock and roll news this week we focus on the following … … Oasis, Taylor Swift and Coldplay and the new age of Winner Takes All … did Bob Dylan write a song with Gene Simmons, advertise lingerie or appear on a telethon with Harry Dean Stanton? … movies that need making eg the Molly Drake Story, the Rock And Roll Mitfor…

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

24d 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

29d 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
STABcast Episode 167: GenCon Fun! 1:44:21

1M ago1:44:21

1:44:21

Come join Ryan and Ben discuss Ryan's adventures at GenCon. Man, we love that convention. You can hear Ben's jealousy throughout the whole thing. Lots of Battle Reports, talk of MegaGames and some small travelogue-ing, as you would expect from the STABcast. Come for the Legion talk, but stay for the gamer camaraderie!…

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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

1M 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

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

1M 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

1M 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

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

1M 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
STABcast Episode 166: A Marketably Short Episode 59:59

2M ago59:59

59:59

This week on the STABcast! Will, Tim, and Ryan talk about the recent update and how it affect list building with the typical amount of STABcast research... None!By Ryan Sliwoski, Ben Fowler, Tim Hannon, Will Hime

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

2M 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

2M 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
The story of David Ackles, who never recovered from putting out “the best album ever made”. 27:59

2M 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

2M 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
John Otway – Micro-stardom, 5,000 gigs and how to capture a crowd in 20 seconds 34:12

2M 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

2M 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

2M 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
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
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
STABcast Episode 165: Cha-cha-changes 1:59:28

2M ago1:59:28

1:59:28

Come listen to Will, Tim, and Ben explore the new changes to the Legion landscape. Ryan pulled a Rip Van Winkle and slept through the recording. Overall, we are pleased until we are not, and shocked when we probably shouldn't have been. Stay for the conversation after the episode about the great sci fi epic Dune! Editor Ben here: I tried for hours …

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

3M 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

3M 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
When Peter Hooton, the Farm & Eric Cantona played Clash songs in an amphitheatre 40:44

3M 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

3M 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

3M 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
Why Oasis were God’s gift to the rock press and the story of two missing teeth 41:58

3M 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
STABcast Episode 164: Get in my Unmarked Victory Van 2:05:59

3M ago2:05:59

2:05:59

This week on the STABcast! Ben and Will provide their prompt and timely coverage of their quarterly games of legion at Rocky Top Game Con! And a new enemy of the podcast is declared??By Ryan Sliwoski, Ben Fowler, Tim Hannon, Will Hime

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

3M 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

3M 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
Stuart Maconie – every character in the Beatles’ story has a story of their own 46:49

3M 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

3M 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
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
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

4M 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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