When we finished our last music podcast series that took us almost 18 months! (101 Greatest Albums), we had no plans to do another.

However, after some pub some chat with friends we concluded that, although there has been plenty of discussion on great Scottish albums, there has been very little on what a great Scottish songs list might look like.

So…..we asked our Twitter/X friends for song suggestions. And,5000 nominations later, we are now having a go at working through a quorum of them.

Episode 1 reflects all of the above, where we are joined by some of our resident podcast panel. It also covers off the online discussion we had about how you would define a ‘Scottish’ artist. On the basis that none of Big Country were born in Scotland, it’s not as easy as you think.

This series will take us a while to get through, however we can categorically assure you it WONT take us 18 months!

Number 1 priority at the moment – we give this new series a title it deserves….

Enjoy & stay safe.

Our guest on this episode of Live Music & Me is the songwriter, musician & singer David McCluskey. When your guests first gig is The Clash/Specials/Suicide - you know its going to be a good un... And it was. From a first winch pogoing at a punk gig, to being the only punks at a Captain Beefheart gig ( no, really) , to walking out on a Johnny Cash gig, David's gig memories were highly entertaining We also found out that, as well as being the backbeat of The Bluebells for over 40 years, David also played drums for another legendary Scottish indie band. Oh, and David threw in a Bunnymen Mac impersonation for good measure. It took us over 6 months to arrange this one, but you know what they say.... Big thanks to David - an absolute gentleman Enjoy & stay safe.

We ask a question about bucket gigs to all of our Live Music & Me guests when they join us. We also have a bucket list of guests we would like to get onto our podcast, and Martyn Ware ( Heaven 17, BEF) was on that list. As a musician, composer, arranger, record producer, and music programmer, Martyn has been in the music industry for over 40 years, and we were convinced he would be good company. He was. From his first gig anecdote that involved Marc Bolan and his satin pants, to visiting Neil Young’s beach home and checking out his fridge, to giving Clive Davis from Arista the cold shoulder, the stories just kept coming. We also had some wonderful gig recollections too, both those he was at and those he wasn’t ( including Live Aid). And to finish, live album recommendations that couldn’t be any more eclectic if they tried, and are right up there with the best. Every guest we get takes us back through their life using gigs as reference points, and we are very grateful to Martyn for being so open, honest and entertaining. Enjoy, and stay safe

After a few false starts – for this episode, we finally managed to get on as our guest the singer, songwriter, musician Grahame Skinner.

Grahame’s gig memories started on the 16th October 1978 ( Glasgow Apollo). We then weaved through numerous stories with a Stranglers connection, trying ( and failing) to become pals with the Bunnymen, and why Grahame, in his own words, was a ‘fanny’.

We also got recollections on walking back post gig from Balhama to Drumchapel ( about 6 hours) , Lou Reed getting an electric shock on stage in Belgium, and the reveal that Ian Curtis & Michael Stipe both took all their dance moves from Grahame. Oh, and 2 recommendations for a live album we should all own ( and they couldn’t be more different)

It took a while, however it was totally worth the wait. Big thanks to Grahame and check out the latest The Cowboy Mouth album when its lands. It will be a belter.

Enjoy, and stay safe. PS. Apols for the minor gremlins on the recording – it’s still well worth a watch/listen

Just when we were beginning to think that we might never give this series the send off it deserved......here is the 22nd ( and final) edition of our 100 Greatest Albums series. Episode 1 was actually in November 2022, at a time when we had just changed Prime Minister - and we end at a time when we have just saw another one off - which feels pretty good. Over the last few weeks we have been voting to create our final Top 10, in order, from the 101 Albums we previously selected. And we reveal on this episode what Lisa, John, George and some of our guests/friends have come up with. We are sure you won't be disappointed. We have has so much fun doing these podcasts - and MAYBE, we will do another podcast series later in the year. For now, sit back, enjoy the chat, and when you have the time, get the greatest Top 10 albums EVER on your turntable/streaming platform. It's the very least your ears deserve. Big thanks to out podcast guests for propping us up, and for our Twitter/X friends for the banter... See you on the other side Brian, Lisa, George & John x PS. And of course, thanks to Metallica for being so bad that they gave us our podcast name :-)

When we are trying to get some of our favourite people on as guests, it’s always a challenge to get diaries to align! However, when the guest is the legend that is Fay Fife ( Rezillos, Revillos, The Countess Of Fife) and she tells us she has a spare 30 minutes – we were up for making that happen.

And it goes without saying that Fay didn’t disappoint. From her first gigs as a cinema attendant watching the Sensational Alex Harvey Band in Dunfermline, to watching the Cramps at CBGBs in the late 1970s, to travelling to Manchester to see James Brown, Fay used our time together to good effect.

We also nearly namechecked Cheryl Cole ( but didn’t), discussed the genius of Prince, and talked about some of the fantastic performers that Fay is still hoping to see on her extended bucket list.

Oh, and Fay also mentioned the time she walked over 40 miles back from a gig from Glasgow to Edinburgh. No, really…

Lastly, we also got a couple of killer live album recommendations to get our ears around.

We covered all the bases, and a few more, and still came in under our 30 minutes diary window.

Many thanks for Fay for taking the time to join us – and if you haven’t already, do check out The Countess Of Fife. They are very special indeed.

Enjoy & stay safe

Our latest Live Music & Me guest was the journalist, DJ and radio presenter Jim Gellatly, who was kind enough to give us an hour from his busy schedule. Jim could remember what his first 2 gigs were ( but not in which order). Tbf, they were both belters. He also regaled us with the time he patched a Bon Jovi gig to go and see Take That ( good decision!) , having a ticket to see Nirvana but not seeing them, and also being offered £800 for his U2 ticket ( and Jason Donavan was in that chat somewhere too). Oh, and also the small matter of moshing at The Sex Pistols gig for all of one song - AND being the first guest to mention the Anti Nowhere League. We guessed Jim would be good company - and we weren't wrong. Thanks Jim - top man. PS Shout out to Stephen Cameron from Into Creative for the super cool backdrop screen image.

We have now recorded around 20 episodes of Live Music & Me, and every one of them has been very enjoyable. However, we were extra excited for this one, as our guest was the musician and singer/songwriter Robert Howard ( we have been Blow Monkeys fans for a long time) It was also the first time we had attempted a pan European podcast with a time difference ( Robert lives in Spain now) ,and thankfully the technology passed the test ( and the time difference) We never know where the guests will take us with their musical memories. Robert took us from Kings Lynn, Norfolk to Sydney, Australia with his first answer! ( If you want a good trivia question, ask a friend what Jethro Tull & Marc Bolan have in common) We also found out that Robert actually wanted The Blow Monkeys to be like The Birthday Party, that you are never too old to say no to a guest gig pass from a good friend ( Mr Weller), and that Robert thinks there is more than one live album we should all own a copy of.... And, if you stick to your beliefs and values by making a political statement on the stage at Wembley Stadium you will upset a lot of Rod Stewart fans ( and Paula Yates too !) We are really pleased with this one - our 30 minute chat flew in. Big thanks to Robert, both for the podcast chat and for The Blow Monkeys giving us 40 years of great music.