The John Robb Tapes

Episode 17 | JON RONSON

John Robb meets up with long time friend, journalist and author, Jon Ronson, where they talk about music, his brand new book, and mental health.

Originally filmed at Lush Studio Soho, you can check out the interview in full here.

Swears.

Episode 16 | STEWART LEE

Back in 2017, John met with stand-up comedian and writer, Stewart Lee, at the Lowry Theatre in Salford while touring his ongoing ‘Content Provider’ show. 

They talk about the roots of comedy and its relationship with politics, identity, place and social history, as well as Lee’s own beginnings.

Watch the interview in full on Lush Player: http://player.lush.com/tv/conversation-john-robb-and-stewart-lee

Swears.

Episode 15 | LAURIE VINCENT (SLAVES)

Slaves have been at the forefront of exciting, adrenaline-filled guitar music in the past few years.

The duo’s thrilling gigs drive their sparse, smart and powerful off-kilter albums into the top 10.

 

In this interview, the band’s Laurie Vincent explains to John how art and punk rock and making music on your own terms drives him and band buddy, Isaac Holman.

Swears.

Episode 14 | STEVE ALBINI

The best recording engineer in the world, Steve Albini allows the artist's true vision to be laid to tape without the usual smoke and mirrors of showbiz.

With his own powerful vision, particularly underlined in his own brilliant band, Shellac, he first burst onto the music scene in the 1980s with the explosive band, Big Black, and was a vociferous and acidic presence on a moribund music scene, but in this interview, a far more reflective Steve Albini looks back on his career.

Swears.

Episode 13 | BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH

Poet, writer and musician, Benjamin Zephaniah, talks to John about his politically charged ‘toasting’, Dub Ranting, and life in Birmingham and London through the 70s and 80s.

He talks about friendships with the likes of Peter Tosh and performing on the alternative cabaret and comedy circuit, as well as his love of reggae and the vegan lifestyle.

Originally filmed at the Tower of London during the Lush Summit. Watch the full interview here: http://player.lush.com/tv/conversation-john-robb-and-benjamin-zephaniah

Swears.

Episode 12 | DON LETTS

‘Of the people. By the people. For the people’

Filmmaker, DJ and musician, Don Letts, takes us back to the ‘f*cked up’ social political climate of the late 70s where the white, working class youth of London were beginning to create their own soundtrack. 

As Don introduced his mates to the rebel sound of reggae, its basslines and messaging fed into the genre and subculture that would eventually become known as punk.

Swears.

Episode 11 | VIV ALBERTINE

Musician and author, Viv Albertine, sits down with John in Soho for an intimate chat about her second book, To Throw Away Unopened.

She explores her family’s turbulent history and dynamic, and discusses what it was in the 70s that made her pick up a guitar and found iconic punk band, The Slits. Was it her friendship with the likes of Sid Vicious and Mick Jones? No. It was her mother. A force which drove her to ferociously question the world around her.

Swears.

Episode Ten | LEE RANALDO

Lee Ranaldo is the mystic groove in Sonic Youth; the George Harrison of the groundbreaking New York band whose creativity has found a spotlight and a focus with the breakup of the 'alpha' group.

In this interview, the Sonic Youth guitarist tells John Robb how the broken and hellish streets of New York in the early Eighties helped create the band’s groundbreaking sound.

Swears.

Episode Nine | THE BLINDERS

Following the release of their debut album, Columbia, John Robb catches up with The Blinders over the phone.

The band’s vision of a better future - as told through their dynamic and intelligent music - gives him hope.

Read more from John on The Blinders here.

Swears.

Episode Eight | JORDAN

Recorded in front of a live audience at Rough Trade, Nottingham.

With its great gallery of characters, punk rock is one of those fabled eras of British pop culture full of a cast of mavericks that are deeply embedded into our cultural psyche.

Central to the story of Punk is Jordan. With her hair teased into spikes before anyone else, Mondrian face paint and wild clothes she was a wild and thrilling precursor who virtually invented punk rock as she served behind the counter of the Sex shop - the dominatrix rubber queen of the new London scene.

In this entrancing interview she tells the stories - both ribald and hilarious - of that fabled era which she shares in her book, Defying Gravity.

Swears.