Making things better and making better things

Frank Adlington-Stringer is standing for Mayor of the East Midlands. I hope he gets it. He has a suite of great ideas that will boost the economy as well as the ecology.

This is a heart-warming conversation about Frank, his upbringing and his vision. We touch on grandparents, favourite smells, and how we love the Midlands.

Disclaimer: I'm not a member of any political party but I think Frank would be a brilliant Mayor.

2023 was a decent year for music. In our annual ramble about what we did and dint like we pulled out our favourite 11 tracks each (I know, neither of us are sure how that happened).

Have a listen to our re-cap of last year.

If you want to listen to the full playlist it is here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0aJevK011RrY9V8KJ8Znnw?si=50543222e297407e

Recorded at the great All is Joy studios on Dean Street. Post-audio engineering by Josh Brand who did a sterling job with my average mics. Photos from when we were 20 or so, and no I don't think i realised my The The tee had an enormous penis on it.

Helena is an incredibly successful photographer, the co-founder of a drinks company, a business mentor and one of the kindest humans i've ever met. Her child smelled of dirt and hard work. Making the most of what she has is the raspberry ripple that runs through the ice cream of her life.

This is a wonderful conversation, rich with insight around bravery and self-awareness.

I met Kerri in the warm Californian sun and it was an instant connection. We've been friends ever since and we have both grown in that time. This is a joyous and love-filled conversation about her journey, leaving people behind (sometimes when they are taken away) and the need to heal and repair society (and how this starts inside).

A genuinely uplifting conversation. You can feel Kerri's trademark smile throughout. She is a beautiful soul who single-handedly changed my perception of yoga and in so doing, of myself.

Kerri is a yoga teacher, activist, author and a "souldier".

Audio editing my Mark Cotton.

Rusty Egan is one of the most influential DJs ever. He chose the music that went on to shape and define the movement that became the New Romantics. It was music for misfits. Inspired by the German band Kraftwerk, Bowie and American bands like Devo, Rusty chose the soundtrack to the post-punk movement that shaped a generation. His choices influenced the way bands made music and the music that was played in clubs across the world.

Along with co-collaborator Steve Strange, Rusty started the legendary Blitz club, was one of the founding members of Visage and was the drummer in the Rich Kids. He is a total legend in the music industry and is still producing the most amazing tracks. Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/rusty-egan

I was walking through central London one night and bumped into him. He was wearing wonderful loafers and the warmest smile. Fortune favours the brave and a couple of months after asking him I found myself in a soho studio recording this sparkling conversation.

There are laughs, drum beats, stories, and even tears. Dive in.

He is @rustyegan on Instagram and you'll find him on all the music streaming services. His work with Visage was epoch-defining.

Thanks Rusty.

Jess was a much bigger influence on my life than she realised. One of a group of art students that i met when i moved to London for my placement year in 1990.

Jess is an artists that works with geometry and nature. Sustainability runs through her like "Blackpool" through a stick of rock.

This is a rich conversation about the value of art in society, growing up in a slightly bohemian house in a normal street, and a tale of two fish pies.

Utterly wonderful.

Malcom Garrett is a design legend. This is a wonderful and rich conversation about his work for bands including The Buzzcocks and Duran Duran. But more than that it is a conversation about the very nature of design and creativity. There is much in here that made me think but this line "you can't do good work for a client that doesn't want it" really struck me.

It's a wonderful conversation that reflects the nature of the man.

Thanks Malcolm.

A massive shout-out to Mark Cotton for the audio engineering of the podcast.

Chrissy is extraordinary. A firebrand and a passionate campaigner for the power of creativity in solving the world's environmental problems.

To me creativity is simply imagining a world that hasn't arrived yet, and you wouldn't imagine a worse one would you? Chrissy is on a mission to bring the World's creative industries together to and use their collective imaginations for good.

We dig into that and also into why Chrissy started on this journey.

A lovely listen. Recorded in the summer behind Kings Cross station with kids playing in the water features.

A tough audio edit by the remarkable Mark Cotton.

Matt Pritchard is a diamond. One of life's good guys. He's a professional stuntman, skateboarder, one of the founders of Dirty Sanchez, and author of two vegan cookbooks. His story is as beautiful as it is gnarled. We cover running, growing-up, picking-up rubbish on his morning walks, getting up early, veganism, cooking, finding a different meaning in life, avoiding people, and Wales. One of my favourite chats. Thanks Matt.

Another in my occasional chats with my mate Pete Davies about music. In this one we each pulled together a playlist of the songs we think we play the most (not measured at all) and why. It was fascinating. Particularly the reasons why. We agreed on Stone Roses 'Fools Gold', who wouldn't?

I have a PRS licence.