Let Christy Take It

Damon Minchella is a base player who was a member of the band Ocean Colour Scene for 14 years. The band were one of the biggest of the Brit Pop era and sold millions of records scoring five top ten albums and 15 top 20 singles. When Damon left the band he would go on to play in Paul Weller’s band, racking up equally impressive chart stats and playing live across the world. Damon's reputation as one of the UK’s most talented bassists saw him in much in demand playing live or in the studio with greats as Paul McCartney, The Who, Jimmy Page, Doctor John, Paolo Nutini, Amy Winehouse, Richard Ashcroft and Oasis. Not happy with being a top musician Damon was course leader of the BA Popular Music degree at the University of South Wales.

John Parr is a Grammy-nominated English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who hit it big in the mid-'80s with a pair of chart-topping singles, Naughty Naughty and the iconic St. Elmo's Fire from the 1985 classic movie of the same name. We discuss the inspiration behind the writing of St. Elmo's Fire and how it generated millions for charity. Parr also contributed songs to other films, including Three Men and a Baby, Near Dark, and the Running Man. John has just released a new drama, documentary "Unconquered" which tells the story of two solders who were severely injured. It follows their incredible journey out of the darkness through the love of family, the bond of brotherhood and their shared passion….Sport. John is still performing concerts and at the release of this episode was preparing for his appearance at the Forever Young festival in Ireland.

Let Christy Take It bring you John Parr.

Thanks to our sponsor Irish Woodcraft, check them out at ⁠https://irishwoodcraft.ie

Billy Steinberg is an American songwriter who was inducted into the songwriters hall of fame in 2011. Billy has had Number 1 hits in the USA with "Like A Virgin" (Madonna), "True Colors" (Cyndi Lauper), "So Emotional" (Whitney Houston), "Eternal Flame" (The Bangles) and “Alone” (Heart).

Billy co-wrote other well-known Top 10 hits, including "I'll Stand By You" (Pretenders, Carrie Underwood), "I Touch Myself" (the Divinyls), "How Do I Make You" (Linda Ronstadt), "I Drove All Night" (Roy Orbison, Cyndi Lauper, Celine Dion), "In Your Room" (The Bangles) and “Too Little Too Late” (JoJo).

We discuss the creative process in writing the hits and find out if Quentin Tarantino was correct with his metaphor for "Like A Virgin" in Reservoir Dogs.

Let Christy Take It are proud to bring you Billy Steinberg.

Thanks to our sponsor Irish Woodcraft, check them out at ⁠https://irishwoodcraft.ie

On this week’s episode we are joined by Colin Blunstone, Colin is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He started his career in 1962 while still in school as a singer and founding member of The Zombies where he remained until the band split in 1968. The group had British and American hits with "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No". Shortly before the band split, they released their masterpiece, Odessey and Oracle, featuring the mega-hit “Time of the Season” and the beautiful "This Will Be Our Year”, with the album being credited by many musicians as the best of that decade. In 1971 Colin released his debut solo album "One Year” which was co-produced and partly co-written by The Zombies co-founder Rod Argent. Hits such as "Say You Don't Mind", "Caroline Goodbye" and the haunting "Old and Wise" recorded with Alan Parsons Project, would follow. By the start of the new Millennium, Blunstone and Argent were inspired to resurrect The Zombies, which has led to several critically acclaimed new albums including the 2023 release "Different Game" which has been met with very positive reviews. 

A special thanks to Sacha at Hush PR for arranging the interview.

Let Christy Take It are proud to bring you Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Colin Blunstone.

Thanks to our sponsor Irish Woodcraft, check them out at https://irishwoodcraft.ie

Peter Dillon is an Irish stunt coordinator, stunt performer and actor. Having spent several years working as a secondary school teacher in Ireland, Peter took a career break in 1998, which saw him trek the Himalayas to an altitude of 18,000 feet, teach scuba diving in the South China Sea, and further his study of Chinese Martial Arts in Malaysia and China. Arriving in New Zealand it wasn't long before he made the transition into stunt acting in 2001, on "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy. He has since worked on lots of projects and his credits include "The Chronicles of Narnia", "Underworld", "Vikings", "Penny Dreadful" James Cameron's "Avatar" and the recent box office hit "Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves".

Sananda Maitreya started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, he is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, Introducing The Hardline According To Terrence Trent D'Arby. The album was released in 1987 and included the singles "If You Let Me Stay⁠", "Sign Your Name", "Dance Little Sister", and the number one smash hit "Wishing Well". The Release of his second album in 1989, Neither Fish Nor Flesh, was very different from his debut, and music critics seemed eager for Sananda to release music in the tone and style of his successful debut. Although not a commercial success the album has grown in recognition over the years. Sananda continues to preform and record music with the release of his 12th studio album, "Pandora's Playhouse" and the documentary "Welcome To The MadHouse: The Costa Rica Sessions" which is available to stream on YouTube.

Thanks to our sponsor Irish Woodcraft, check them out at https://irishwoodcraft.ie