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Episode 180: Paul WellerHello and Welcome to Episode 180 of the World's First Paul Weller Fan Podcast... I'm Dan Jennings and ten years ago I gave up my life's dream and career as a radio presenter with one big regret... Never getting to interview my hero... the legendary singer-songwriter and musician - Paul Weller... This podcast exists purely to solve that issue... Welcome to the final episode of Desperately Seeking Paul.... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 179: Claire Moon - Artist Manager - Paul Weller Over the course of the past 3 years, we've discovered so much more about how Paul Weller has built one of the most prolific and influential careers in British music, and in this episode we get to peek behind the curtain. Artist manager Claire Moon opens up about her professional journey, leading up to that first fateful meeting with Paul at V2 Records and how she later became his manager - overseeing the business operations at Black Barn Studios.  With stories about running the calendar, promoting albums, planning tours with Paul and the Wheeler's, and protecting his back catalogue, Claire reveals how she strategically manages Paul Weller's enduring career. Their deep mutual trust allows her to support his constant drive to make music on his own terms. We get a deeper understanding of his relentless creative spirit - how he is often already busy conjuring up new projects as previous albums are still being promoted - for instance, launching a clothing line or even taking an acting role in a movie... What also really comes through for me is that Claire makes clear her role is to support Paul's ambitions, not to control them - a trust that has allowed one of music's true innovators to continue evolving without losing his essence. Get ready for an all-access pass into Paul Weller's world with this illuminating conversation... It's a huge honour to have Claire on the podcast to share her experiences in the music industry and at Black Barn HQ... Music Immersive...I also chatted to Claire about her role working with Stan Kybert at Music Immersive - the UK’s only dedicated immersive music studio. The team pride themselves on meticulously and respectfully enriching artist's music, with the focus on preserving their original vision.  Find out more here... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 178: Charles Rees - Black Barn Studio Manager & Engineer + Composer, Producer And so the countdown begins... with our final 3 podcasts in our Desperately Seeking Paul series... On this episode, I take a trip into Black Barn Studios for an unforgettable conversation with Studio Manager & Engineer, Composer and Producer, Charles Rees.  From assistant engineer on Heavy Soul in 1997 to becoming studio manager at Black Barn, AKA Paul Weller HQ in 1999 - Charles has played a key role on the sound of so many incredible Paul Weller singles, EPs and albums... He even pops up on a heap of songs playing bass, drums, various synthesizers, harmonium, piano, autoharp, electronics, electric organ, guitar and percussion (Check out that Egg Whisk on the song Long Time!) I'm so delighted that Charles agreed to join me on the podcast - this is not really something that he does - but what you're going to hear is his story. We'll dive back to the beginning and take a deep dive into the day to day running of the output of the studio.... It's a real honour and delight to be able to share this with you... ENJOY! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 177: Simon Halfon - Graphic designer and Film Producer on The Style Council, Paul Weller Solo & The Jam On this episode of The Paul Weller Fan Podcast, we hear from graphic designer and film producer, Simon Halfon to discuss his incredible porfolio of work with The Jam, The Style Council and Paul Weller solo... We find out about his love of The Jam - and how he first met Paul Weller in 1979 following a gig in Bridlington when he and his mates stayed up with the band drinking and putting the world to rights until the early hours. On this podcast chat, we hear how he fell into art design by accident via the creation of a fanzine (that provided another early connection to The Jam) to a job in the postroom at Stiff Records, then assisting Neville Brody at The Face magazine. The first sleeve Simon designed was for Department S, whose singer Vaughn Toulouse became part of a gang of friends that included journalist Paolo Hewitt, DJ Gary Crowley and Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama. His first commission as a freelancer in 1982, was by Paul Weller through the design on the sleeve for a book that he was publishing about the Small Faces. When Paul formed The Style Council with Mick Talbot in 1983, it was Simon that he turned to for the record sleeve designs starting with Speak Like a Child, right the way through to the Modernism album cover that was completed for it's ultimate release in the 90s. We also chat about Simon's creations with Paul Weller for singles and albums for 20 years of the solo career - an incredible collective of work from that first single sleeve from Into Tomorrow in 1991 and those wonderful matchday programmes and merch designs, right through to 2010's Fast Car/Slow Traffic... Simon also designed every album sleeve with Paul from that debut solo album through to Wake Up The Nation in 2010... You'll hear about their shared love of The Beatles (which led to Simon designing the cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Milk and Honey album in 1984) and Simon's work with other long standing clients including the late George Michael and Oasis. In the mid noughties Simon had started to take an interest in the film industry, inspired by friendships forged during his time in LA. He produced his first feature film in 2008, the Kenneth Branagh directed Sleuth, which was to become the last screenplay by Harold Pinter and starred Michael Caine & Jude Law. But it wasn't until 2016 that Simon really embraced the film world, when the Gallagher brothers approached him to tell the story of Oasis. As lead producer, he brought together the team to create the award winning feature ‘Supersonic’, a documentary of huge commercial and critical success. We also chat about the incredible Wham documentary for Netflix that he produced - which topped the charts in the summer of 2023... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 176: Joe Connor - Film Director, Screenwriter, Photographer & Musician... On this episode of my Paul Weller Fan Podcast, we cross to Cape Town where we find multi-award-winning Film Director, Musician, Screenwriter and Photographer - Joe Connor on his latest top secret shoot... Our discussion kicks off with the creation of his brilliant Sky Arts Wild Wood Documentary - a 2023 film that features the story behind the 1993 Paul Weller masterpiece as it celebrates it's 30th anniversary. Joe also happened to create the unforgettable kaleidoscope-led music video for Brand New Toy in 2014 - featuring Paul Weller, Ben Gordelier and an actual build of a massive optical toy! 2018 saw Joe's first EVER feature-length project hit cinema screens as he followed Paul Weller on his road to a landmark performance at The Royal Festival Hall. May Love Travel with You is a celebration of Paul's True Meanings album and the concerts that led to the Other Aspects double album release. The film documents a stunning performance of the full album, along with plenty of deepcuts and PW classics, inter-cut with interviews with the man himself, and array of amazing collaborators! In 2008, Joe graduated from London’s illustrious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with First Class Honours in Performance Art, specialising in Directing, Mime and experimental theatre. While at the Central School, he founded the anarchic theatre collective Parrot {In The} Tank, whose cinematic aesthetic and light-hearted visual humour saw them create shows for the Institute of Contemporary Art, The Roundhouse, The Prague Scenofest and The Arts Theatre in Leicester Square in London’s West End. As a filmmaker, Joe has created music videos for some of the biggest artists in music from The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Sam Smith, Harry Styles and Kylie Minogue to Japanese legend Hikaru Utada, Rag’n’Bone Man, Elbow and Placebo. Joe’s multitude of talents and trades, combined with his innate storytelling inclination, allow him to craft narratives that entertain, enlighten, and forge connections. His stories reflect a deep understanding of human nature and offer a lens through which we can explore and appreciate our shared experiences. His work has been recognised with nominations at Cannes Lions, D&AD, British Arrows, 1.4 Awards, Creative Circles, with 5 x UK Music Video Award nominations, Vimeo Staff Picks and a Best Director award at the Indie Music Video Festival. His first album, released under the pseudonym Vincent Sonder, also happened to be recorded at Paul Weller’s Black Barn Studio... Find out more about Joe's amazing work at josephvconnor.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 175 : Chris Pope from The Chords On this episode of The Paul Weller Fan Podcast, I am joined by Chris Pope - Songwriter, Musician and one of the founding members of The Chords. We take a journey through the bands formation at the tail end of 1978, after original singer/guitarist Billy Hassett and his bass playing cousin, Martin Mason, advertised for musicians in NME. Chris got the job and the band were soon into live gigs and studio recordings. Their style was a combination of punk and the 1960s influenced sound of the time. At the end of March 1979, the band played the Wellington in Waterloo to packed crowds with Paul Weller in the audience. This helps the band secure more gigs and an important support slot to The Jam. With the Mod Revival in full swing, what follows are two John Peel sessions, a few singles, Top of the Pops, and an album (So Far Away).... The band also played Loch Lomond Festival in June 1980 with Bad Manners, Stiff Little Fingers, The Tourists and The Jam… Paul Weller was a big supporter of the band and Chris in the press - once calling him “the best songwriter of his generation”... The Chords UK Chris Pope formed The Chords UK in 2013 to continue playing ‘classic’ Chords tunes such as Maybe Tomorrow, The British Way Of Life and So Far Away - whilst also pushing forward with new music too... The band is made up of Chris, Kenny Cooper, Sandy Michie, and Dave Murrell, with a live setlist featuring all of the original hits along with tracks from the three LP’s that they have released so far. They have been cited live as “an incendiary rock n roll outfit” by Louder Than War. You can buy the music on Bandcamp, watch videos on YouTube , listen on Spotify and follow for news and live show info on Facebook Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 174: Ben Gordelier - Musician, Producer, Drums/Samples/Percussion for the Paul Weller band... What a delight it is to have Paul Weller band member - Ben Gordelier - join me on my podcast. Ben chats about his discovery of music, love of The Beatles and Laurel & Hardy, being "brought up in a music rehearsal studio" and working as a drummer and producer since his early teens... even going on his first European tour at the age of 16!... Since 2012, Ben has been playing drums, percussion and performing samples with Paul Weller - from the Sonik KIcks gigs at The Roundhouse to gigs across the UK, Europe, Japan, USA, Australia... that stunning Other Aspects gig at the Royal Festival Hall through to the latest tours, festivals and TV performances... He has played a key role on many of Paul's albums too - starting with The Attic on Sonik Kicks, with more input on Saturns Pattern, A Kind Revolution, On Sunset and Fat Pop.... We've had plenty of singles and b-sides in that time too - including the cover of Birthday for Paul McCartney's 70th with Brand New Toy and Flame Out as other great examples... Together with Andy Crofts and others, Ben is also part of the band The Moons - releasing 4 studio albums including 2020's fabulous Pocket Melodies - recorded at Studio 2 Abbey Road. Any spare time he has is spent in his home studio recording drums for various artists and mixing bands from all over the globe... including previous podcast guests - P.P. Arnold, Declan O'Rourke, Steve Ellis and Steve Brookes... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 173: Simon O’Brien - from The Style Council fan to Weller Tour Crew… On this episode of The Paul Weller Fan Podcast, we meet Simon O'Brien and hear his a journey from The Style Council fan in his teens to joining Paul Weller tour security in 2000. We talk Red Wedge, the Paul Weller Movement, and being In the right place at the right time for the Heliocentric tour with a band on fire... You'll hear stories on Paul, John Weller, Kenny Wheeler, and unforgettable gigs across the UK - including V2000, Glasgow's Gig on the Green and the final night at Earl's Court... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 172: Dylan White - Legendary Record Plugger On this episode of The Paul Weller Fan Podcast, I am joined by legendary record plugger, Dylan White. Dylan has worked in the music business for over 30 years now... UK Radio & TV Music Promotion, Consultant and Artist Management.  A multi-award-winning record plugger since the early 90s, he has promoted the music of Oasis, U2, Fatboy Slim, Travis, Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, Suede, Primal Scream, The Libertines, Portishead, Billy Bragg, Manic Street Preachers, and more... And of course - Paul Weller... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 171: All Mod Cons - The World's First Tribute to The Jam... Barry Pugatch and Andy Cook share their story... On this episode of the podcast, we hear the story of Barry Pugatch and Andy Cook - two fans of The Jam who ended up bringing one of the original tribute bands from the US to the UK for sell out performances in the 1990s. All Mod Cons were created in Boston, New England, USA in 1989 with Barry as Paul Weller on lead vocals and guitar with his pals - Glenn Matto (Bruce Foxton) on bass and vocals and AJ Beaulieu (Rick Buckler) on drums. What follows is a remarkable story of connections via a Paul Weller fanzine that saw Andy Cook take on management of the band to bring them to the UK for tours in the 1990s and 2000's. This was pre-From The Jam, pre-The Gift - it was really pre-tribute bands bar the odd couple like Bjorn Again and Australian Pink Floyd. At the time, All Mod Cons were also really the only way to hear a full set of those classic songs by The Jam live in concert. In our podcast chat, you'll how they both got to meet and interact with Paul, Bruce and Rick on various occasions.. and even how Barry got to jam with Paul in a unique location!... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 170: Robert Howard / Dr. Robert - The Blow Monkeys On this episode of the Paul Weller Fan Podcast, I am joined by Singer, Songwriter, Multi-instrumentalist and Producer, Robert Howard, aka Dr. Robert of The Blow Monkeys. We take a journey through his youth and his discovery of punk, politics and The Jam whilst living in Australia in the 1970s... He returned home in 1981 and formed the band, leading to so many fabulous albums and singles - their debut Limping for a Generation, that breakthrough LP Animal Magic and their hit singles Digging Your Scene, It Doesn't Have To Be This Way, Choice - right up to their brilliant 2021 album release Journey To You... On the podcast, we hear so many personal stories , never told before, about his friendship and collaborations with Paul Weller - whether it's recording at Solid Bond, being part of Red Wedge, an Honorary Councillor for the final The Style Council live shows, co-producing Dee C. Lee's Slam Slam project and playing on each others early solo albums. We also chat about Rise Up Singing - the Monks Road Social collaboration that saw Paul and Robert come together for a new song together in 2022...  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 169: Carleen Anderson - Singer, Songwriter, Composer, Producer, Arranger, Writer... My latest podcast guest Carleen Anderson really needs no introduction. A genuine world class artist... She's such a huge talent in her own right and another to enter Paul Weller's orbit during the solo years - providing us with some very special moments on record and live. Throughout her solo career, she’s been featured alongside a multitude of established artists from a wide array of musical genres - Nigel Kennedy, Dr. John, Omar, Chrissie Hynde, Jocelyn Brown, Meshell Ndgeocello, Paul McCartney, Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Ramsay Lewis and more... The Huffington Post called her "Without doubt one of the all-time great female vocalists... Carleen must be seen to be believed..." Amy Winehouse once said "Carleen Anderson - She's someone who I would sit around the venue all day, just to hear her soundcheck..." On this exclusive podcast chat, we hear about her upbringing in Houston, Texas where she was raised by her paternal grandparents during the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Reared up on the sounds rooted in Gospel music inherited from the Pentecostal church where the pastor, David Anderson, Sr. her paternal Grandfather, and her Grandmother Alberta, raised her from an infant. We'll hear stories of her musical family. She is the daughter of soul singer Vicki Anderson, step-daughter of singer, songwriter, Bobby Byrd... and god-daughter of James Brown!. Her birth Father, Dr. Reuben P. Anderson, Sr., is the pastor of his own church in Compton, California, further extending the connection Carleen still retains in gospel music. We'll hear about her relocation with her son to England in 1990 and the just-by-chance beginning of her professional career as the vocalist, composer, arranger and recording artist for Young Disciples. The band were shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize in 1992. Carleen released her debut solo album in 1994, and was nominated for a Independent Artist Brit Award in 1995. Our connections with Paul Weller begin with Young Disciples as their album was recorded at Solid Bond Studio, and take us through Paul's debut solo album through standout highlights on Stanley Road -especially their spine-tingling shared vocals on Wings of Speed, a co-produced Carleen Anderson album called Blessed Burden in 1998, and performances on record and on stage around Illumination and Studio 150 - complete with two DVD releases of those Weller gigs... Carleen was named Jazz FM’s UK Vocalist of 2013 and four years later, musicologist Gilles Peterson presented her with a Worldwide FM Lifetime Achievement Award. These days, Carleen is focused on establishing a platform to expand the stylings of music storytelling theatre. Her most recent album - Cage Street Memorial - was nominated in 2018 for Jazz FM’s Innovation of the Year. The project was more than just an album of original music, it was also a theatre production written and performed by Carleen, and an autobiographical book of the same name. Since 2020, she has been working on what she describes as "a blended-roots Opera called MELIOR Opus Griot" with a regional premiere in Devon and a worldwide double album release scheduled for 2024. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.