Peter Hammill, Van Der Graaf Generator and what makes them unique

Peter Hammill, Van Der Graaf Generator and what makes them unique

Author: Mark Ellen, David Hepworth and Alex Gold December 29, 2025 Duration: 33:45

Peter Hammill has spent nearly six decades building the most devoted following imaginable – Bowie, Peter Gabriel and Mark E Smith among them. ‘Rock And Role’ tells his invigorating story, beautifully illustrated with photos, cuttings, artwork and memorabilia. Author Joe Banks looks back at his life, impact and captivating way with words, and stops off at …

 

 … the value of looks and charisma in the days when labels hadn’t the faintest idea of the future

 

… how Hammill “created a world to live inside and broadcast from”

 

… psychedelic cabaret with wolf masks and blood capsules

 

… meeting Hammill’s muse and former girlfriend Alice: “50 years later, each still think the other one left them”

 

… “songs that ask the big questions about life”

 

… discovering VDGG in 1984 (via Marillion) and piecing together their story in the days before the internet

 

… public school, Gilbert & Sullivan and the Hallelujah Chorus

 

… the influence of A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers on Genesis’ Supper’s Ready

 

… his plans with Mark E Smith and how Bowie had every new album delivered to him all his life

 

… Charisma, Tony Stratton-Smith and the freedom to experiment


 … the intensity of his following in Japan and Italy: “there’s no such thing as a casual Hammill fan”.

 

Order ‘Rock And Role’ here: https://burningshed.com/store/kingmaker


Help us to keep The Longest Conversation In Rock going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear

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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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