Late Night Tales: On The Record

Dublin-born radio presenter Deb Grant caught the DJ bug in her early teens before moving to the UK to further her ambitions. Before she broke into the world of music, she spent four years doing a “proper job”, including a stint in HR. Her break came singing on a cover version of Trouble on the Mountain for Wah Wah 45s, which brought her into direct contact with the industry. She’s had a tour of duty on Hoxton FM, Resonance FM and Jazz FM before finally snagging a show on 6 Music, where she presents New Music Fix, a specialist evening show. We chatted about her early years in Dublin, her alternative career as a singer, and the record stores of Memphis and Baton Rouge.

Shop worker, film director, DJ and songwriter are just some of the hats Don Letts likes to wear. And boy, does Don love a good hat. He made his name as the King's Road's coolest shop worker at Acme Attractions. He was resident DJ at the short-lived but influential Roxy on Neal Street, and he made the seminal The Punk Rock Movie. Later in his career, his Clash documentary Westway to the World won him a Grammy. He was a member of Mick Jones's 80s band B.A.D, and since 2009 he's hosted a show on BBC 6 Music, where his eclectic taste is on display every week. More recently he released Version Excursion for Late Night Tales, an album full of reimagined dub. In a wide-ranging conversation, we talked to Don about selling weed to Bob Marley, being endlessly followed by the police, directing music videos, his long relationship with The Clash and his jaundiced view of streaming platforms.

On our first episode of Late Night Tales: On The Record, we chat to Zakia Sewell, writer, BBC presenter and DJ. Earlier this year, her first book Finding Albion was published, and it was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction. Our discussion took in the complicated life of folk godfather Cecil Sharp, hanging out with druids at Stonehenge, the roots of Morris dancing and whether grime qualifies as folk music.

To celebrate our 25th anniversary, we've selected a cluster of musical enthusiasts to interview in a brand new podcast series, Late Night Tales: On The Record. These interviewees range from radio DJs, composers, comedians, influencers and ex-pop stars, all with the same things in common: a passion for great music and a knack for vivid conversation.