Apparently, taking a break doesn't mean doing nothing…
I made the fairly sensible decision to take the summer holidays off from editing and releasing Punk Rock Creatives Podcast.
Editing a podcast while juggling work, music, children and everything else that seems to happen in my slightly chaotic existence isn’t always the easiest thing in the world, so for once I decided to give myself permission to stop.
Well… sort of! Because while there haven’t been new episodes dropping over the summer, Punk Rock Creatives Podcast hasn’t exactly been quiet behind the scenes.
Recording new episodes…
I’ve still been recording and chatting to some brilliant people, including Molly Tie, author of ‘Rebel Grrrls: The Real Story of Women and Punk’. Molly and I got into some of the more uncomfortable questions about the way women have been treated, represented and remembered within Punk and alternative music. We talked about sexism within the scene, and some of the narratives that have grown up around women, including Courtney Love, Brody Dalle and Nancy Spungen – and what happens when women’s stories are repeatedly told through somebody else’s lens.
It was exactly the sort of conversation I wanted Punk Rock Creatives to create space for: not simply celebrating punk’s history but being prepared to question some of it too.
I also sat down with musician, author and Rock Radio UK presenter Griff Griffiths, whose life story took us in several wonderfully unexpected directions. We talked about the extraordinary story behind his book ‘I Was the King of Spain’, the mental health crisis that led to a stay at The Priory, and finding humour and creativity during some of life’s darkest and strangest moments.
From there we somehow travelled through Rock Radio UK, broadcasting, Rick Astley, the Gypsy Pistoleros, what happened to Punk during the 1990s, and how the scene has continued to evolve. Having recently been interviewed by Griff for his own radio show, there was also a slight occupational hazard: at one point we genuinely lost track of who was interviewing whom… We did eventually reel it back in – mostly… ha ha!
Back in the studio – with The Pukes and Marie & the Meltdownz
One of the stranger and more unexpected things to happen this summer has been finding myself recording with The Pukes again. That is something I genuinely never thought would happen, for various reasons.
The Pukes were an important part of my own musical journey, and life has travelled a very long way since then. If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d find myself back recording with them, I’m not sure I’d have believed you. But apparently Punk enjoys throwing the occasional plot twist at you!
At the same time, I’ve also been recording with my own project, Marie & the Meltdownz, which has been developing into something I’m incredibly excited about. We’re creating music on our own terms, with baritone ukulele, bass and drums, the songs rooted in lived experience and social issues. We played the Hot Flushes/High Voltage all-dayer recently to raise money for The Menopause Charity… The JustGiving page is still live, so there is still a chance to donate.
So, while the podcast editing stopped for a few weeks, the creative part of my brain clearly didn’t get the memo!
And Punk Rock Creatives is getting a new theme tune!
There’s another change coming when the podcast returns; Punk Rock Creatives is getting a brand-new theme tune, and I’ve been working on it with the wonderful Pete Bentham, from Pete Bentham & The Dinner Ladies. If you haven’t seen The Dinner Ladies live yet, put them on your list!
Actually, I’m not sure you’re even officially a Punk until you’ve been dusted down by a Dinnerette or nearly done your knee in trying to get down to Hip Potater. Their gigs are funny, theatrical and completely DIY – but underneath all of that is Pete’s very genuine belief in what Punk can be when you stop worrying about the rules and just make something.
Which makes him a pretty perfect person to be involved in creating the new sound of Punk Rock Creatives. And yes, Pete will also be appearing on the podcast.
So… what have people actually been listening to?
Taking a break also gave me the chance to look back at Season Two and see which episodes people have been listening to the most. These figures combine the podcast downloads recorded through RSS.com with views on YouTube. The YouTube numbers might be considerably smaller, but if somebody has taken the time to listen or watch there, I’m counting them!
So, based on my most recent figures, here are the:
PUNK ROCK CREATIVES – SEASON TWO – TOP 10
10 – Rita Lynch
9 – Joanne Majauskis (Domestic Abuse Services)
8 – Sid Truelove – Rubella Ballet
7 – Franck Amendola – Corpus Delicti / Curl
6 – Trystan O’Connell – Bullitz 23 / Active Slaughter / Inferno Class Recording Studios
5 – Wasp – Rites of Hadda
4 – Peter Jones – Paranoid Visions / Molly Vulpyne Band / Rotator Records
3 – Active Slaughter – Lara & Trev
2 – Roman Jugg – The Damned/Roman Jugg Band
And the most-downloaded/listened-to episode of Season Two so far, drum roll please,..
1 – Rich Cross – Hippies Now Wear Black author
What I love about that list is that it represents exactly what I wanted Punk Rock Creatives to be. There are musicians, writers, activists, producers and people who have been part of Punk in some way for decades, alongside people creating things right now. Some are names people immediately recognise; others have stories that deserve to be heard far more widely.
For me, that’s still the point of the podcast.
It isn’t about chasing the biggest name I can get. It’s about sitting down with interesting people and asking why they create, what shaped them, what pisses them off, what keeps them going and what Punk means to them now.
And sometimes, just seeing where the conversation takes us…
What happens next?
After giving myself the summer holidays away from the relentless edit-upload-promote-repeat cycle, I’m actually looking forward to getting back to it! There are already some brilliant conversations recorded, more guests coming, a new theme tune on the way and plenty of ideas developing in the background.
I’ve also been reminded this summer that sometimes, taking a break from one creative thing gives you room to reconnect with another. But Punk Rock Creatives is now back!!! Molly Tie and Griff Griffiths are starting off season 3.
And judging by what’s already sitting in my recordings folder, things aren’t getting any quieter!
Catch the old and new episodes of Punk Rock Creatives Podcast on RSS HERE and on YouTube HERE
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Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
