This week, Barney Hoskyns and Mark Pringle welcome special guest Tony Stewart to revisit the glory days of the NME – and Tony's notoriously tricky interviews with Van Morrison and Freddie Mercury. They then hear about the time Tony saw the first-ever performance of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, brought to a standstill by technical difficulties within half an hour of starting.

The trio then tune into clips from a 1996 audio interview with Steve Earle, following his recovery from heroin and crack addiction. They also discuss his six (yes, six) marriages and his enduring influence as a country rebel.

After Barney comments on Lana Del Rey – the featured artist in the week's Free On RBP section – Mark rounds up highlights from the new pieces in the archive, starting with an interview with Ken Brown, member of the pre-Beatles Quarrymen, followed by articles on Lulu & the Luvvers, L.A. mogul Lou Adler, Orange Juice's Edwyn Collins, Sinead O'Connor's prescient comments on Catholicism... and the '90s hip hop wars between the East and West coasts.

Hosted by Mark Pringle and Barney Hoskyns

Produced by Jasper Murison-Bowie

Pieces discussed: Van Morrison, Freddie Mercury, Pink Floyd, Steve Earle audio interview, Lana Del Rey's 'Video Games', Lana live in L.A., Lana's Lust for Life, The Beatle who lost out, Lulu & the Luvvers, Lou Adler, Sinead O'Connor, Biggie, Tupac and east coast vs. west coast and NME's C96 tape.