The Hustle

Fans know that Enuff Z'nuff are one of the most mishandled, mismarketed and misunderstood rock bands ever. The boys from Chicago had way more in common with logical legends Cheap Trick and the Beatles than with the Poisons and Warrants they were getting lumped in with (nothing against those bands). This cost EZ the chance to truly take off like they should have. Sadly, the aftermath was drugs, bankruptcy, sex, lawsuits, you name it. Donnie left years ago for an excellent solo career, while Chip Znuff has kept the name alive. In this brutally honest conversation, Donnie details all these setbacks, how it impacted him and how he's managed to bounce back. He also talks about the new solo material he's working on. If you don't know much about Donnie or Enuff Z'nuff, you owe it to yourself to get into it. Enjoy! 

In the late 80s the Godfathers were on to something. College radio hits like "Birth, School, Work, Death" was a swift punch in the face at a time just before that sound would become more commonplace. Covid prevented the band from celebrating their 35th anniversary to the fullest, but that will hopefully be changing soon. Frontman Peter Coyne gives us the full band history lesson, shares some killer newer tunes, tells touring stories, and even offers his tips for keeping those immaculate suits clean on the road. Next time you're ready to listen to some true, full-bodied rock and roll, put The Godfathers at the top of that list! 

When Shakespeare's Sister struck gold with their #1 hit "Stay" in 1992, what listeners may not have known is that singer Marcella Detroit had already put in 20 years of professional singing by then. Marcy Levy starts out in the early 70s singing with Bob Seger, then moves on to Leon Russell, and then Eric Clapton where she even co-wrote several of his songs including "Lay Down Sally". She eventually joins up with Bananarama's Siobhan Fahey for SS, but that's really a short chapter of her long career which includes several solo albums, session singing (Hall & Oates, Aretha Franklin, Alice Cooper) and songwriting (Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Philip Bailey). To celebrate her birthday, Marcella just released a new single, "Vicious Bitch" that is available on her website (www.marcelladetroit.rocks/music) . We get into all of this and hear the stories behind everything including Live Aid. Enjoy! 

Dunfermline Scotland's Skids were local legends in the late 70s. Led by lead singer Richard Jobson and guitarist Stuart Adamson (later of Big Country, of course), the band kept their punk bona fides while also writing classic anthems like "Into the Valley" and "The Saints are Coming", songs that have only gotten bigger over the years. After three albums, Stuart left for bigger things, while Richard did a little of everything - the Armoury Show with John McGeoch, spoken word, acting, TV presenting, film critic, etc. The remaining Skids are back with a killer new album, Songs From a Haunted Ballroom, which is a collection of covers of songs from those early days that truly made an impact (it was also produced by Big Country's Bruce Watson). Richard discusses his years as a punk, working with tragic geniuses like Stuart and John, his acting career and everything else under the sun. Don't miss this one! 

Del Amitri's Justin Currie doesn't get enough credit for being one of the best songwriters around. The fantastic Scottish band have been at it since the mid-80s, but didn't really find their voice until the early 90s and their commercial peak soon followed when "Roll To Me" became a top 10 hit. Justin has bounced between Del Amitri and solo albums for decades now, but the band is back together for their first album in many years, Fatal Mistakes. Justin and I get deep into the process of songwriting, the many ups and downs the band has experienced, his solo albums, and the behind the scenes story of that famous BBC Songwriters Circle where he made Chris Difford cry. He's also a big muso, so we discuss the Beatles, Simple Minds, Nick Cave, Trashcan Sinatras, Orange Juice and many others. Enjoy! 

When james are at their best hardly anyone can rival their mixture of ecstasy, passion, groove, and spirit. In this discussion with frontman Tim Booth you'll learn that isn't an accident. In fact, you may question whether "Pop Group" is too limiting a title for what james sets out to accomplish. And they've done it again with the release of their new album, All The Colours of You, this weekend. Once again they've tapped into the global sense of frustration and dismay to record a hopeful set of excellent tunes that may be their best set in a couple decades. Tim and I cover all the major bases - Politics, Drugs, God, and Music and Tim shows some sides of himself that may surprise you. When it's over you may ask yourself if Tim Booth is a pop singer or some kind of deity, a question us fans have been asking for a long time. Enjoy! 

Noted rock doc director John Scheinfeld joins us this week to discuss his new outstanding documentary on the great Sergio Mendes, In The Key of Joy. John talks about what got him excited about making this particular film, why Sergio is an important figure, and what the music of Brazil means to him. We also discuss some of John's other documentaries on artists like John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, John Coltrane and Herb Alpert. Sergio Mendes: In The Key of Joy will have a full theatrical release later this year, but a shortened version will air on PBS in June, so check your local listings for that. You won't want to miss it! 

Any list of synth pioneers would include the great Martyn Ware. He's basically devoted his life to seeing what that machine is capable of. He starts out in Sheffield forming the Human League with pals Ian Craig Marsh and Phil Oakey, but after two ambitious albums, the band splits. Phil stays put, but Martyn and Ian get with Glenn Gregory and form Heaven 17, birthing classics like "Let Me Go", "Temptation" and many others. Martyn's career as a producer is also taking off as he works with Terence Trent D'Arby, Erasure, and Tina Turner who jump-started her major comeback when she sang on his B.E.F. project. These days, Martyn has one of the best podcasts out there, Electronically Yours, where he talks to all kinds of legends and peers. We get our hands dirty discussing all of this and much much more. Enjoy! 

Throughout most of the world, Spandau Ballet were stadium fillers there for a while. They famously came out of the same club scene as friendly rivals Duran Duran and Ultravox, the lads were immediate trendsetters both in music and fashion. It all comes together in 1983 with the release of their third album, True, and the global title track smash. Success would continue to grow (though not so much in the States) for the rest of the 80s, including unforgettable appearances at both Live Aid and Band Aid, before drama would settle in and never completely go away. Lead singer Tony Hadley has been out of the band officially for four years, but his solo career is ongoing. In fact he recently released a new single, "Obvious" and has another solo album coming out soon. We get to hear stories about all of it and then some. Enjoy! 

Graham Parker has been a master at his craft for so long, you probably think you have him figured out. You'd be wrong. Is he a cult artist? A punk? An angry young man? He says no. What he is, and this is indisputable, is one of the finest songwriters of all time. He even hilariously played up the image many have of him in Judd Apatow's film The Is 40 (he tells us the whole story on that one). This year he released another fine live album called Five Old Souls, which shows perfectly where GP is as an artist today. In this candid and impassioned chat, Graham debunks some "rumors", sets some records straight, and, best of all, tells us what he really thinks about all kinds of issues. He's one of the bes there's ever been, we're lucky to have him.