First Impressions

In Episode 25 of First Impressions, I welcome back novelist Lancelot Schaubert for the second part of our chat. Now living in Brooklyn but hailing from Southern Illinois, where his excellent debut novel ‘Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt’ is set, Lance has kindly shared some more extracts from the freshly minted audiobook to punctuate our conversation (find them at 00:00, 13:48, 39:34 and 48:15). Along with the novel, we discuss his influences both literary and philosophical, and his thoughts on subjects ranging from Artificial Intelligence to learning Latin; civil discourse to snipe hunting, the latter topic inspiring me to provide a wee musical ditty at 23:39.

We also talk about the follow-up to ‘Bell Hammers’, which began as a collaboration with Lance’s late father, whose untimely death from hairy cell leukaemia and Covid was partly caused by the dangerous and insufficiently regulated work described in his fiction. Finally, we talk about a terrifying situation Lance and his wife faced on their last visit to the UK. As ever, listen through headphones if you have them and please spread the word if you enjoy the pod. Thanks! 

A few links to content connected to our conversation: 

Lance’s website: https://lanceschaubert.org/about-lancelot/ 

Lance’s book ‘Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt’ on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Bell-Hammers-Audiobook/B0BXVS1WKQ

‘Bell Hammers…’ on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/48731251 

Douglas Berman’s short story ‘Ibex Brief’ on Lance’s website: https://lanceschaubert.org/2023/05/03/ibex-brief/

David Bentley Hart’s Substack: https://davidbentleyhart.substack.com

Lance’s ‘All Who Wander’ album on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/1QOE2t9zAKJjz8VySZJvRq?si=jMJNFiwDRAa2QvWmbdjwiA

Jude Edwin-Scott’s new album, ‘Rambling Rose’, available as CD/digital download on Bandcamp:  https://judeedwinscott.bandcamp.com/album/rambling-rose?pk=595&action=buy

Novelist, poet, essayist, singer-storyteller and host of 12-hour marathon Brooklyn brunches Lancelot Schaubert joined me from New York for this episode of First Impressions. Lance also kindly shared some extracts from his widely praised, picaresque debut novel ‘Bell Hammers: The True Folk Tale of Little Egypt’, which while bitingly contemporary in a number of its themes has already been compared to the classic works of fellow southern US authors William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor. 

His literary endeavours having appeared in Tor, The New Haven Review, McSweeney’s and elsewhere, Lance is in a great position to offer advice to other scribes. As well as digging into his novel, we discuss how he has maintained creative control of his projects; his influences and – off the back of the captivatingly performed audiobook of ‘Bell Hammers’ – how writers can best use their skill sets to publicise their output. Audio extracts from the novel, in which we follow the unusual courtship of protagonist Remmy and his beloved Beth, can be found at 00:00, 09:23, 18:14, 37:36 and 47:19 mins.  

We also discuss – in no particular order – the correct way to pronounce ‘Illinois’; the environmental exploitation of small communities; Lance’s recent release of a Leonard Cohen cover; how Neil Gaiman got the Little Egypt mythology wrong in ‘American Gods’; some essential reading when it comes to non-violent resistance through the ages; the surprises Lance uncovered while interviewing his grandfathers for ‘Bell Hammers’; sci-fi, myth and modernism and how we should avoid restricting ourselves when it comes to telling stories, and the narrative thread that runs throughout my guest’s fiction and songwriting. If you enjoy this episode, don’t forget to like/subscribe/review. Cheers!  

A few links to content connected to our conversation: 

Lance’s website 

Lance’s book ‘Bell Hammers’ on Audible 

Lance covers Leonard Cohen’s ‘Democracy’ 

Lance’s ‘All Who Wander’ album

Your Audio Story, run by Jeremiah Jones, Lance’s podcast producer 

More about Southern Illinois 

More about the origins of the Little Egypt name

Antal Szerb’s ‘Journey by Moonlight’ (trans. Peter V. Czipott) 

Jim Dale on narrating the Harry Potter audiobooks 

Sufjan Stevens, ‘Come on Feel the Illinoise’ 

‘Bloody Williamson: A Chapter in American Lawlessness’ by Paul M. Angle 

‘The Hero with a Thousand Faces’ by Joseph Campbell 

Dr Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail

‘Letters to a Birmingham Jail: A Response to the Words and Dreams of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’ by Bryan Loritts, John Perkins, Crawford W. Loritts Jr. and Soong-Chan Rah:  

‘Beautiful Trouble – A Toolbox for Revolution’, assembled by Andrew Boyd 

The Non-violence and Satyagraha of Mahatma Gandhi

‘The Power of Nonviolence’, introduced by Howard Zinn

‘Why Civil Resistance Works’ by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan

‘When War is Unjust: Being Honest in Just-War Thinking’ by John Howard Yoder

‘The Dark Tower’ (book series) by Stephen King

‘American Gods’ by Neil Gaiman

Cōnfingō Publishing – an evening of spoken word in Chorlton, Manchester on 20th May 2023. 

In Episode 23 of First Impressions I resume my conversation with musician/songwriter, adventurer, woodworker, sustainable architect and organic farmer Mike Teague. In this, the second of two episodes to feature him, Mike reflects on being part of the Liverpool music scene in the early 2000s where he played with Guy and Karim as Pig’s Breakfast (rehearsing below a chippy), lent his guitar to The Coral when they set off on tour and played 5-a-side with The Zutons before wanderlust came calling again and he moved first to the ‘Dickensian’ Isle of Sark (being welcomed into the fold by folk band Big Sheep), then later New Zealand (twice) and London (first squatting near Canary Wharf, later living in digs beside Brixton prison) before applying the brakes on the Hungarian riviera where he and Aniko began the Acorn Village Project a few years ago.

As the 2000s sped by, Mike also found time for a road trip through Southern Africa, recording sessions in Ireland with great friends Ro Tierney and Robbie Mulvany, and an epic journey to Guy’s wedding in Alberta, Canada, with James, where high jinks awaited us before the happy day. Wherever he’s gone, Mike has made enduring friendships through music and this episode is jam-packed with excellent tunes (listed below). While discussing life’s twists and turns, we talk about the bonds that form through jamming, writing and performing with others before signing off with a Decaying Leather update and (possibly) the origins of the Humph family band’s name. A quick reminder to listen to First Impressions through headphones to fully enjoy the mix of music and chat guaranteed in every episode. 

Track listing: 
(00:00) ‘Paradise Shiddy: Live at Brixton Prison’ by the Maybenots

(06:21) ‘Science of the Air’ by Pig’s Breakfast*

(10:15) ‘Oyez Piglets!’ by Pig’s Breakfast

(19:28) ‘The Boatman’ performed by Big Sheep 

(23:13) ‘Nelson Flipflop’ performed by Tinkletrio

(29:02) ‘A Case of You’ performed by Big Sheep 

(32:48) ‘The Voice’ performed by Ro Tierney (with Robbie, Mike & band)

(39:01) ‘I’ve Just Seen a Face’ performed by the Carrick Trio

(40:41) ‘Improv 1 (While it’s Over)’ performed by the Maybenots 

(44:04) ‘Surf Rock’ performed by Mike’s Supergroup in Hungary

(45:00) ‘Raglin Demo’ performed by the Pilis Projekt

(46:08) ‘Ukrainian Waltz’ performed by the Strathcarnage Folk Trio**

(50:18) ‘Darker Tomato’ performed by Decaying Leather

(56:35) ‘You are my Sunshine’ performed by the Carrick Trio

(*source of band name linked to Viz’s lampooning of Victoria Beckham

**source of band name linked to The Day Today football results) 

A few links to content connected to our conversation:

Mike on SoundCloud = https://soundcloud.com/mikeymandolin

Guy on SoundCloud = https://soundcloud.com/guyzeek

Ro Tierney and Robbie Mulvany perform ‘The Voice’ = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25fnNP-nIbU

Jude Edwin-Scott = https://judeedwinscott.com

The Coral = https://thecoral.co.uk

The Zutons = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zutons

Episode 22 of First Impressions features musician, adventurer, woodworker, long-distance cyclist and organic farmer Mike Teague. Growing up on the Wirral with classical musician parents, it wasn’t until he met a Slash lookalike at school and started listening to Guns n’ Roses and Nirvana that Mike discovered his love of guitar music and began performing in a succession of bands – entering the Liverpool music scene alongside The Coral and The Zutons.

By resolutely refusing to plan his next move, a life of travel and adventure has followed. In this episode Mike, now qualified in environmental architecture, explains how he and his partner Aniko wound up building their own home on the Hungarian riviera before we travel back to his formative years and then on to Preston via a stint in a dysfunctional Commitments cover band and later Melbourne, where the mandolin became Mike’s instrument of choice. Next time, we talk about Mike, Guy and Karim’s musical hurrah in Liverpool, his time on the royal fiefdom of Sark, travels in Australasia and Africa, squatting in London, and going into the studio in Ireland. Special thanks to Jim/James Pollard, Mike’s unofficial music archivist (and an excellent musician in his own right) for helping source some of the tunes used in this episode. Here they are: 
(00:00) ‘Petofi Pompe’ performed by Mike Teague
(32:35) ‘You really got me’ performed by the Cave Junkeez
(35:30) ‘Reggae Youth Club Anthem’ performed by Funky Didgerama
(36:45) ‘Afrobeatz’ performed by Funky Didgerama 
(39:12) ‘Barryfish’ performed by The Weaverfish
(45:00) ‘Holdsworth Road Theme’ performed by Pool of Thought
(51:34) ‘Greek Song’ performed by the Maybenots

A few links connected to our conversation:
Mike on SoundCloud = @mikeymandolin 
Guy on SoundCloud = @guyzeek 
Steve Hall on SoundCloud = @steve-hall 
The Coral = thecoral.co.uk 
The Zutons = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Zutons 
Patrick Fermor (travel writer) = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Leigh_Fermor 
Bruce Chatwin (travel writer) = en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Chatwin 
Rowland Keeble (on building with rammed earth) = www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcI1OiW4nDQ 
The History of Rock Music in 500 songs = 500songs.com

Mary F*cking Poppins is a poet, performer, zine creator/publisher and musician based in Liverpool. In Episode 21 of First Impressions we talk about how she switched from writing lyrics as a member of fast hardcore/anarcho punk band Falaun to creating poetry during lockdown and the journey that followed, which now sees her producing the seminal Word Vomit zine – a regular collection of themed ‘therapeutic writing’ from local, national and international contributors that pushes back against societal norms and injustices, managing to be both personal and political.

Here’s a 20-minute mini-pod to celebrate the launch of the audiobook of Hong Kong Rocks (Proverse, 2023). Google Play seems to be the best place to buy all 9hrs 48 mins of it (currently at a bargain £7.99) In Episode 20 of First Impressions you’ll find a few choice extracts from the audiobook plus an extended, remixed version of my intro/outro music for the book (‘Nick’s Theme’) that I put together from my usual toyshop of beats, samples and FX. Ears itching for more? You can get your mitts on the full audiobook via these outlets:

Tell most people that devoted ‘zaddy’ and football fan Graham Howe is also renowned wit and retired raver Chin Howe, and they will probably say ‘Oh yeah? Jimmy Hill’ or ‘Chinny reck-on’, which (coincidentally or not) are both possible sources of my guest’s infamous nickname. In this Christmas-ish episode of First Impressions (shout out to Adam & Joe, Paul & Bob, and our other imitators) Chin/Graham and I also discuss meeting for the first time (possibly while each still in the womb), being the shyest n’ er do wells at school, growing up by the sea, our love of ‘90s comedy and clubbing and much else beside.

Episode 18 of First Impressions mixes the usual beats and tunes with some reflections on the passing of the years and outtakes from my previous podcast conversation with the much-missed Richard Pye, in which we discuss our school days and transition from the Wirral peninsula to the big city. My oldest friend, Graham (aka Chin) Howe, joins me in the summerhouse for the latter part of the episode where we read and reflect on a letter we received from Rich in Weißwasser, Germany, way back in 1996, when Rich was teaching over there and we were living in Salford, England. If you haven’t yet listened to The Monkey Scribbling podcast featuring Rich and me reading letters from our student days in the ‘90s why not give that a whirl? As ever, First Impressions is best enjoyed through headphones with your drink of choice. The photo chosen to publicise this episode shows Karl, Rich and Chin on a trip we took to Berlin in 2004. The intro to the pod features a singalong during an OMD concert in Manchester in 2019 (with my uncle on lead vocals).

For Episode 17 of First Impressions we go off-script as the usual Q&A format is replaced by experimental tunes, found sounds, field recordings, and an introduction to the music of Disco Tree from band members Jude Edwin-Scott and George Beasley (who’ve kindly allowed me to include their wonderfully uplifting folk/triphop track ‘Waves’ in this episode).

How can a few words on a page or read aloud affect us so profoundly? What compels poets to share their inner worlds? Time to renew your poetic license ready to enjoy the second of two special poetry-themed episodes of the First Impressions podcast, available on Spotify, SoundCloud, iTunes et al.