Making things better and making better things

How do you know when to clap? Rob Ryan is an artist, a poet, a Northern Soul aficionado, and a totally human being. He's also one of my best mates. I loved this conversation that lists and lurches from why punk was dead before it was dead, getting late night buses to Wigan for soul all-nighters, why scarcity isn't a good thing, why the thing that keeps him going is the thought that there is something else out there that he hasn't seen or heard yet. This appetite and drive is about curiosity. It runs through Rob like "BLACKPOOL" through a stick of rock. He embraces "never quite knowing what he is doing" in terms of the media he is using, as do I. He says he has "kind of made it work". I think that's an understatement. One of the most humble and nicest people I know.

Recording this podcast was an absolute joy. James is one of my mentors, a great friend and a massive inspiration to me. I utterly loved this conversation. James is an artist, a teacher, an author, a fighter, a lover. He teaches you how to think for yourselves and how to find who you are. This conversation starts in Wales, rushes through the 70s, praises solitude and loneliness, reflects on the use of the word "creative" as a criticism, and ultimately what sets us apart from other. A rich and beautiful conversation. James has a new book out and it is a belter. It is called Feck Perfuction and you can get it at the all the usual places.

A lovely and funny conversation about so many things. From the challenges of running a company single-handedly, designing sex toys, growing up a hippy, measuring up to herself, how dyslexia has shaped her and how we can create a better world. Sam is a joy to be with and this was a fab conversation. My boots squeak a bit - sorry.

Duncan runs Dalston Sodas. They make great soft drinks, they make great soft drinks with no and low added sugar. They make the best cherryade I have ever had. They are on a mission. Duncan set the business up in a nightclub in 2012 and they have gone from strength to strength. They use the best natural ingredients and this focus on provenance comes from Duncan's time working as a chef. He is utterly charming and driven to do things better. It's a great listen.

Andrew Paynter is an incredible photographer. One of the best. He sees inside the subject. There are ancient peoples who fear having their photograph "taken" as they feel it steals their soul. I don't know about that but I do know that the best photographers see inside the soul. Andrew is one of those. He describes the camera as giving him the chance to meet people and talk about their lives. He grew up looking West to California (for skateboarding), and East to the UK for music. I grew up looking the other way. He sat on the edge of everything, never quite fitting in. This is a skill. This living on the edge is magic. Change happens at the edge and Andrew is adept at capturing it unnoticed. One of the nicest people I have spent time with. The podcast is beautiful and imperfect. We lose the audio through skype for a minute or so but like a great photograph it is important to capture the imperfections. I hope you like listening to this one half as much as i liked recording it.

Devita is one of the most powerful people i have ever met. Her parents were part of the Great Migration, the mass movement of the black population in the USA from the south to the industrial north looking for a future. The Great Migration built Detroit and Detroit built cars and music. Then Detroit collapsed. Devita is at the heart of its rebirth. She is leading a food and health revolution. She is quite simply extraordinary. We cover everything from the civil rights rebellion, to plant-based eating, to New Edition, to building businesses that sustain a body, a community and a city.

Steve Chapman is an artist. He's also many more things. This is a beautiful conversation about the value of the outsider, about art and why it matters, about how school sometimes isn't good for you. About hope. One of my favourites. So good that i'm planning a second with him soon.

Ande Gregson is a pioneer in the way we produce food. He runs Greenlab which incubates, grows, educates, and stimulates new food organisations. Ande's journey is not linear. He got here via 3D printing and the Marathon des Sables.

Sandra Schembri is the big cheese at the House of St Barnabus in Soho, this is a Member's Club with a big old difference. Every bit of profit goes to fight homelessness, goes to help people back into work. The club is amazing. The people are more amazing. Sandra is an inspiration. She runs a great team who in teurn run a great employment academy.

I'm a member and it has become sanctuary for me in the heart of Soho but it also provides sanctuary for others in a different way. I talk to Sandra about this and so much more.

Anna Jones places vegetables at the heart of every meal. She also places cooking at her own heart. We talk about how cooking helped define her as a kid and then redefine her as an adult. We talk about vegetables. And i bravely give her advice on how to poach an egg.