Of all the figures who built rock and roll back in the 1950s, Chuck Berry was arguably the most influential and certainly the strangest. In a new biography, which could never have been written when he was alive, R.J. Smith tells a story which is still har

Word Down Your Way

Given the once-over this week in vigorous pursuit of edification and amusement   should a Fawlty Towers sequel be illegal?  over-refreshed audiences wrecking Jukebox Musicals.  our hunt for the elusive album sleeve with the long-haired

The dazzling super-trouper of gentle enquiry is trained this week upon:-  Sam Smiths inflatable suit.  TV kills everything.  What do producers actually do? Old pal Kate Mossman joins us to talk about the inscrutable working methods of

Word Down Your Way

Conversational footballs punted about the park this week include   why George Harrisons trip to Benton, Illinois, in 1963 would make a great Netflix drama the $400 Rickenbacker, the local gig billed as the English Elvis, the roller-skating wai

Word Down Your Way

Word In Your Record Shop

Peter Asher started out as a child actor in films with John Mills, Alastair Sim and Boris Karloff. He was in the Adventures of Robin Hood with his sister Jane but they were eventually demoted to peasant children. He then formed Peter & Gordon, had a

Things featured this week in hot pursuit of entertainment and enlightenment   seeing Television in 1975 for 1.50 - support act, Blondie.  Kaleidoscope, Country Joe & the Fish, Fairport Convention and other origins of the Tom Verlaine gui