Guest presenter Kevin Winser discovers XTC are as good to read about as they are to listen to as he chats to three of the authors who have put the band in print.

This episode features Chris Twomey, author of XTC: Chalkhills and Children, "the definitive biography", Todd Bernhardt, co-author with Andy Partridge of Complicated Game: Inside the Songs of XTC, and Mark Fisher, editor of Limelight, the 1980s fanzine, The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book.

Elsewhere, young XTC fans Esther and Arthur pick some of their favourite songs – with English-language voiceovers by Polly and Hamish, courtesy of Strange Town theatre.

Further reading in The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book available from https://www.xtclimelight.com 

If you've enjoyed the XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

Thanks to the Pink Things, Humble Daisies and Knights in Shining Karma who've done the same.

More than 40 years after its release, Making Plans for Nigel is still haunting the imagination. In this episode, Tom Clarke, formerly of The Enemy, explains why he has brought Colin Moulding's character into the 21st century on The Chronicles of Nigel. He's joined by Laurie Nankivell who talks about the influence of XTC on Squid, whose song Houseplants namechecks Making Plans for Nigel.

This episode also features Alex Parkinson introducing Making Pints for Nigel, a beer by Alphabet Brewing. And we hear from young drummer Lucas making an excellent attempt at the Terry Chambers pattern for Making Plans for Nigel. 

Mark Fisher and Laura Wade ask the questions.

More about Making Pints for Nigel

More about Squid

More about Tom Clarke and The Chronicles of Nigel

Further reading in The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book available from https://www.xtclimelight.com 

If you've enjoyed the XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

Thanks to the Pink Things, Humble Daisies and Knights in Shining Karma who've done the same.

The festive fun continues with the second Yuletide episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast. The conversation continues as Andy Partridge and Chris Butler take us through some of their favourite seasonal songs. 

Amid the sleigh bells and trumpets, you can hear about a Captain Beefheart song that never was, the secret of the Zippy zither and John Leckie's outrageous story about being in the studio with Phil Spector.

Questions from Mark Fisher, Mark Reed and David White.

Listen along to the accompanying Spotify playlist: A Merry XTCmas 

Catch up with Chris Butler

Further reading in The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book available from https://www.xtclimelight.com 

If you've enjoyed the XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

Thanks to the Pink Things, Humble Daisies and Knights in Shining Karma who've done the same.

Prepare for a feast of seasonal excess with the first of two festive episodes of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast. 

First up is Martin Newell talking about Christmas in Suburbia and his fantastic Flowers in December EP. 

Then comes Chris Butler of the Waitresses talking about Christmas Wrapping to Andy Partridge who names the XTC song it influenced.

This episode also features a Christmas song from Robert Lawlor and a visit from Rainer Fielder and his children Arthur and Esther. Questions from Mark Fisher, Mark Reed and David White.

Listen along to the accompanying Spotify playlist: A Merry XTCmas

 Visit Martin Newell's website

Catch up with Chris Butler

Further reading in The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book available from https://www.xtclimelight.com 

If you've enjoyed the XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

Thanks to the Pink Things, Humble Daisies and Knights in Shining Karma who've done the same.

Between 2002 and 2005, X-sTatiC performed 61 XTC songs in the course of eight gigs. Along the way, they picked up famous fans and paved the path for the Fuzzy Warblers and now Fossil Fools. 

Now, for the first time in over ten years, Dan Barrow (guitar), Ed Percival (bass), Adrian Ogden (drums) and Mick Casey (guitar) come together to talk about being unofficial XTC ambassadors as they remember the songs that challenged them and the ones that raised the roof.

More about the band at X-sTatiC and Facebook

This episode also showcases young XTC fans Lucas and Elsie sharing their talents in the Playground.

Further reading in The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book available from https://www.xtclimelight.com 

If you've enjoyed the XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

Thanks to the Pink Things, Humble Daisies and Knights in Shining Karma who've done the same.

All the guests in this episode of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast are in their 20s. None was even born when Nonsuch was released. Yet all talk with passion and insight about XTC's enduring legacy. 

So what does XTC mean to a young generation of music lovers?

From England, Scotland, Wales and the US, Margaret Brown, Myles Parsons, Huw Thomas, Rachel Treffry and Laura Wade come together to talk about music, art, creativity and the biggest question of all: how to pronounce the word Nihilon.

Listen here to their playlist of music they are enjoying right now: Spotify 

Further reading in The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book available from https://www.xtclimelight.com 

If you've enjoyed the XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

Thanks to the Pink Things, Humble Daisies and Knights in Shining Karma who've done the same.

What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast brings together fans and musicians alike to celebrate the enduring music of XTC. Every month, we take a fresh look at the band, from the singles to the albums, from the visuals to the personalities. It is witty, surprising and fun.

In this podcast trailer, host Mark Fisher gives a flavour of the episodes as well as introducing The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book, both available at https://www.xtclimelight.com 

If you've enjoyed the XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

In this special edition of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast, recorded live as part of the online XTC Convention on 19 September 2020, author Mark Fisher talks to leading stand-up comedians about their love of XTC. He also gets them to join in some games and make up some nonsense – or do they?

On the panel are: 

·      Joanna Neary, who once performed a pastiche XTC song called Human Farm

·      Stewart Lee, who once met Andy Partridge before a gig in Swindon 

·      Paul Putner, who befriended XTC after compiling a tape of their TV appearances

·      Kevin Eldon, whose love of XTC rivals his quiz-winning obsession with the Beatles

·      Andy Miller, a writer, editor and long-time Limelight reader whose books include 33 1/3: The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society

Thanks to Mike, Steve, Julie, Darryl, Rachel and Joe and DJ Ivan for making the XTC Convention go with such a swing. Look out for more convention plans on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2657989814274246/

The comedians also make an appearance in The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls, which you can buy along with What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book at https://www.xtclimelight.com 

If you've enjoyed the XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

"I still think XTC are one of the best bands ever," says Hugh Padgham – and he should know: he's worked with everyone from David Bowie to Brian Wilson, Kate Bush and The Police. Having enjoyed his earliest successes as sound engineer on Drums and Wires and Black Sea, and co-producer on English Settlement, he says XTC continue to hold a special place in his heart.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Black Sea on 12 September 2020, Padgham joins guitarist Dave Gregory for a special 90-minute edition of What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast. They talk about the clanking anvils of Towers of London, the one-note solo of Love at First Sight and the slow-build tension of No Language in Our Lungs. "We were always thinking progressively and pushing ourselves," says Gregory.

Questions about this landmark album come from Mark Fisher, David White and Mark Reed, with additional commentary from David Yazbek. 

Further reading in The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book available from https://www.xtclimelight.com 

If you've enjoyed the XTC Podcast, please show your support at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

Illustrator and graphic designer Andrew Swainson has been collaborating with Andy Partridge for over 20 years. As well as working on XTC and Dukes of Stratosphear re-releases, such as Skylarking and The Complete and Utter Dukes, he helped create the distinctive look of records including:

• Powers, Partridge's tribute to abstract electronic artist Richard M Power, made to look like an early 60s paperback book
• Warm Robot by Jen Olive, with its sci-fi fold-out sleeve
• Gonwards, by Peter Blegvad and Andy Partridge, complete with Mexican-style loteria card game
• Orpheus: The Lowdown, another Blegvad/Partridge collaboration, with its haunting X-ray imagery
• Fuzzy Warbles, the gorgeous compendium of unreleased XTC rarities 

In this episode, Swainson joins XTC fans Mark Fisher, Sarah Crookall, Laura Wade, David White and Peter Mills – not to mention a brief visit by Andy Partridge – to talk about his mesmerising designs.

More about Andrew Swainson at https://www.andrewswainson.com/

Remember to subscribe to What Do You Call That Noise? The XTC Podcast on your favourite podcast app – and please support future episodes by donating at https://www.patreon.com/markfisher

Treat yourself to The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book, both available at https://www.xtclimelight.com