Legendary duos who met by chance, RIP Mani & ironing to gangsta rap

Legendary duos who met by chance, RIP Mani & ironing to gangsta rap

Author: Mark Ellen, David Hepworth and Alex Gold November 23, 2025 Duration: 59:09

News, rants, theories and curios which this week includes ….

 

… how Mani made the Stone Roses swing

 

… Mick & Keith, Meg & Jack, Hall & Oates, Neil & Chris … ‘Sliding Doors’ encounters that changed the landscape

 

… the glorious sound of profanity on records!

 

… what makes you a legend in county music?

 

… the subtle genius of Nicky Hopkins’ session work

 

.. would Elvis have happened without Marion Keisker?

 

… Willie Nelson – “a face like Mount Rushmore, a voice like the whole hinterland of America”

 

… ever catch yourself listening to something and think ‘how would I explain this to an observer?’

 

… the music you hear when 14 stays with you all your life

 

… the singles charts of 1978 – Terry Wogan next to John Otway! Arthur Mullard and the Stranglers! Nick Lowe and Ally’s Tartan Army!

 

… why Lucinda Williams is an open book

 

… when XTC went pastoral

 

… 42 year-old hears Clear Spot and Raw Power for the first time!

 

... plus the Wrecking Crew, a Libertines Xmas sweater, birthday guest Dean Roderick and the time Emmylou Harris had two puddings.

 

Pig’s Boogie by the Jerry Garcia Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd0357IsE9k


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There’s a particular kind of conversation about music that happens between friends who’ve spent a lifetime immersed in it-not as distant critics, but as participants in the culture. That’s the atmosphere you’ll find in Word In Your Ear, a podcast from Mark Ellen, David Hepworth, and Alex Gold. With a collective eighty years of writing and broadcasting for titles like Smash Hits and Mojo, and shows from "The Old Grey Whistle Test" to VH-1, they don’t just recount history; they unpack the stories behind it with the ease of a shared laugh. This podcast grew naturally from their work on the late, great magazine The Word, where they began recording over thirteen years ago, building a dedicated following who found something genuinely special in the mix. Each episode weaves together music, commentary, history, and interviews, moving seamlessly from deep-dive analysis of a seminal album to a frank chat with a surprising guest, all delivered with the warmth and wit of a late-night chat. It feels less like a formal show and more like you’ve been invited to pull up a chair in a room where the anecdotes are plentiful and the expertise is worn lightly. The result is a consistently engaging listen that treats music not as a museum piece but as a living, breathing part of our lives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Word In Your Ear
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