Music Maps - The Rock n Roll Book Club Podcast

Join us & legendary promoter and agent John Giddings to discuss the Isle of Wight Festival, its history, and the challenges of managing such a significant event and the evolving dynamics between the festival and the local community. We hear about some of John's most memorable experiences at the festival over the years from biblical rain in 2012 to David Bowie's final UK performance in 2004. From the festival's inception in 1968 to its revival in 2002, we cover some of the iconic performances from Bob Dylan & Jimi Hendrix in the 60s to David Bowie & the Paul McCartney in more recent times. Prior to taking over the Isle of Wight festival in 2002 John had worked with a who's who of the music world & we hear about seeing the Sex Pistols at the Nashville in Kensington in 1976, his early days promoting at Exeter University, and touring with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Genesis & more. John tells us about some of the relationships with legendary artists he has maintained over the years including Iggy Pop, Celine Dion & The Corrs.The Isle of Wight Festival takes place on June 19th to 22nd 2025 & is headlined by Sting, Stereophonics & Justin Timberlake. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/Instagram: @rocknrollbookclube17Blue Sky: @musicmaps.bsky.socialX: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted by Mark Hart & Simon CardwellWritten & Produced by Simon CardwellEdited, mixed & spruced up by Andy Maxwell 

This week we welcome David Browne, a senior writer at Rolling Stone, to talk about his book Talkin' Greenwich Village & to explore the musical history of Greenwich Village from its heyday in the 50s & early 1960s through to it's decline in the 80s. Many of the areas venues were originally jazz venues hosting the likes of Billie Holiday, John Coltrane & Charles Mingus & many legendary venues appear in Greenwich Village at the dawn of the 60s including the Village Vanguard, Gerde's Folk City, The Folklore Centre, We touch on the likes of Peter, Paul & Mary, Woody Guthrie, Fred Neil, Phil Ochs & Dave Van Ronk all of whom passed through the area. Joan Baez arrived in Greenwich Village already signed to Vanguard having built a following in Cambridge, MA. Not long after Bob Dylan also appears in the area & is signed to Columbia within a year, in early 1962. Bob achieves a quantum leap on his second album Freewheelin' which follows in May of 1963 & we discuss how this material is received in the coffeehouses & clubs of the village when Dylan first starts bringing it in. At this point Dylan's songs are more well known than he is, Peter, Paul & Mary having scored a huge hit with 'Blowin' In The Wind' selling over 300,000 copies in the first week. A little later Simon & Garfunkel are briefly in the area playing the coffeehouses but they soon move on once signed to Columbia. The arrival of the The Beatles in the US in early 1964 changed things & many left the folk scene as the it started to dissipate - although the village had several brief periods of renaissance - one when the New York Dolls breakthrough while playing regularly in the area & Bruce Springsteen also played a series of legendary shows at The Bottom Line in the 1970s. In the early 80s Gerde's Folk City hosts the likes of Sonic Youth, The Minutemen, The Replacements, Violent Femmes & Husker Du for a brief but fondly remembered period. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/Instagram: @rocknrollbookclube17Blue Sky: @musicmaps.bsky.socialX: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted by Mark Hart & Simon CardwellWritten & Produced by Simon CardwellEdited, mixed & spruced up by Andy Maxwell 

In this episode of Music Maps we finally talk about The Beatles as we welcome writer Ian Leslie to discuss his new book on Faber: 'John & Paul: A Love Story In Songs'. We focus on their early years from meeting at Woolton Village Fete in July 1957, with Paul McCartney joining the Quarrymen shortly after. The dynamic in the Quarrymen changed after Paul joined with John Lennon no longer the total leader as before - the pair bonded over their shared love of imported rock & roll from America. Before long they were writing songs as a duo. John & Paul both lost their mothers as teenagers & became an unspoken bond between the two & their friendship deepens as their songwriting blossoms. George Harrison joins the band but rather than coming between John & Paul, his presence actually reinforces their bond. Stuart Sutcliffe & Pete Best also join before The Beatles head to Hamburg for the first time in August 1960. They come of age in Hamburg both in terms of stagecraft and musicianship - playing 6 hours a night on the Reeperbahn. Upon returning to Liverpool, the Beatles soon turn from unknowns into the leaders of the beat scene in the city & they make their debut at The Cavern in February of 1961. Paul McCartney moves to bass following the departure of Stuart Sutcliffe & Brian Epstein comes in to manage the band at the end of 1961. Following a failed audition at Decca Records, the band come to the attention of George Martin at EMI & their debut release Love Me Do follows in October 1962. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/Instagram: @rocknrollbookclube17Blue Sky: @musicmaps.bsky.socialX: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted by Mark Hart & Simon CardwellWritten & Produced by Simon CardwellEdited, mixed & spruced up by Andy Maxwell 

In this episode we welcome back Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner & pick things up with the formation of Mudhoney - first Mark Arm joins Steve’s band The Thrown Ups & they meet drummer Dan Peters soon after. Matt Lukin joins soon after to complete the lineup & Mudhoney come into being on New Years Day of 1988. Their first gig follows in April 1988 & SubPop Records forms soon after. Touch Me I’m Sick comes out in August of 1988 & a split single with Sonic Youth follows & then the now iconic Superfuzz Bigmuff EP follows on SubPop in October. Various tours follow - first on the West Coast of the US & a show in January of 1989 at the Satyricon Nightclub in Portland (notable for the appearance of Nirvana as the opening act). We discuss the bands interactions with Nirvana & Kurt Cobain. Mudhoney become the first Seattle band to come to the UK, opening the tour in Newcastle & also the first Seattle band to record a John Peel session. Another notable gig takes place in May of 1989 at the School For Oriental & African Studies in London with Soundgarden as opening act - the show ends in a stage invasion with part of the stage collapsing. Back in Seattle, Mudhoney join Nirvana & Tad at the Sub Pop Showcase at the Moore Theatre in Seattle on June 9th 1989, the coming out party for the whole Seattle scene in the US. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/Instagram: @rocknrollbookclube17Blue Sky: @musicmaps.bsky.socialX: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted by Mark Hart & Simon CardwellWritten & Produced by Simon CardwellEdited, mixed & spruced up by Andy Maxwell 

This week we welcome Ali Smith, a New York photographer, musician, and writer of the memoir 'The Ballad of Speedball Baby.' The conversation explores Ali's formative musical influences growing up in New York, her experiences in the punk scene, particularly at the iconic CBGBs, and the evolution of her band Speedball Baby. We discuss the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated music industry, the impact of signing with a major label (the band end up on MCA) & what happens when that doesn’t necessarily go to plan. Punk has often been portrayed through a very male-dominated lens, especially in music - we discuss the importance of female voices in music, back then & today, and how the experience of being in a band differed for a woman. Ali tells us how the Lower East Side of New York has changed from back then - in the 80s & 90s it was a cheap place to live which created art & culture, today it is a very different place. Ali is also an accomplished photographer, we touch upon her photographic career from her early photos at CBGBs & other New York venues to more recent book projects & newspaper assignments. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/Instagram: @rocknrollbookclube17Blue Sky: @musicmaps.bsky.socialX: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted by Mark Hart & Simon CardwellWritten & Produced by Simon CardwellEdited, mixed & spruced up by Andy Maxwell 

In this episode of Music Maps, we welcome back Simon Wolstencroft, the former drummer of The Fall. His book You Can Drum But You Can't Hide is out now on Route Publishing.Funky Si joined The Fall in 1986 after his previous band The Weeds had opened for them. Following a meeting at Mark E. Smith's house in Prestwich it became official.'Hey Luciani' becomes the first Fall track he works on with producer Ian Broudie in Amazon Studios in Liverpool & his first gig follows at Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall in June 1986.Sessions for the Bend Sinister album follow with John Leckie at Abbey Road, followed by Simon's first US tour. A one off gig with U2 at Elland Road in Leeds follows & non-album single There’s a Ghost In My House becomes the highest charting Fall single to date shortly after.Hit The North follows close behind in October of 1987 & the next album is The Frenz Experiment in 1988, with I Am Kurious Oranj & Shift Work albums following.With their commercial peak in the view mirror, Simon's final gigs with The Fall take place in 1997 & he leaves the band shortly after. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/Instagram: @rocknrollbookclube17Blue Sky: @musicmaps.bsky.socialX: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted by Mark Hart & Simon CardwellWritten & Produced by Simon CardwellEdited, mixed & spruced up by Andy Maxwell 

This week we are joined by legendary photographer Gered Mankowitz to discuss his time with the Rolling Stones, focusing on 1965 to 1967. Gered shares how he entered the world of music photography via a meeting with Peter Sellers, later opening his own studio in Central London, aged 17. A photograph of Marianne Faithfull led to a meeting with Andrew Loog Oldham which in turn led to meeting the Rolling Stones. Gered’s first session with the Rolling Stones takes place in Masons Yard close to his London studio, a picture from this session becomes the front cover for the Out Of Our Heads album. He then became the bands photographer for the next 2 years - joining them on US tours, recording sessions, Ready Steady Go appearances & an infamous performance at the London Palladium. While on this US Tour, Gered spends a few days in Arizona riding horses with Keith Richards & in 1966 took photographs of each member of the band at home. Many of these photos went unpublished until Gered’s new book - The Stones - Rare & Unseen. We touch on the change in Brian Jones over the time Gered spent with the band leading to the classic cover photo for 1967’s Between The Buttons album taken on Primrose Hill - one of the iconic photos of 1960s London. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/Instagram: @rocknrollbookclube17Blue Sky: @musicmaps.bsky.socialX: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted by Mark Hart & Simon CardwellWritten & Produced by Simon CardwellEdited, mixed & spruced up by Andy Maxwell 

In this episode of Music Maps we are joined by Penderyn Prize winning writer Michael Cragg to dig into the history and impact of the Spice Girls.We explore their formation in 1994 via an audition process & their early days sharing a house in Maidenhead. Originally they are known as Touch & original member Michelle Stephenson leaves after 3 months & Emma Bunton completes the lineup. They part company with original handlers Chris & Bob Herbert (also known for Bros, 5ive, Bewitched & Hearsay) & bring in Simon Fuller. The Spice Girls sign to Virgin Records in 1996 'Wannabe' becomes their debut single. The subsequent debut album quickly breaks 20 million in sales. We also touch on the concept of 'Girl Power', who came up with 'zig-a-zig-ah', the BRIT Awards appearance, the huge tours, their significant success in America, the Spice World movie, Geri Halliwell's departure, the struggles surrounding their final album 'Forever' & more. It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/Instagram: @rocknrollbookclube17Blue Sky: @musicmaps.bsky.socialX: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted by Mark Hart & Simon CardwellWritten & Produced by Simon CardwellEdited, mixed & spruced up by Andy Maxwell 

In this episode of Music Maps, hosts Mark Hart and Simon Cardwell welcome back Lesley-Ann Jones to discuss her latest book on Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac.The conversation explores McVie's early life, her musical influences, and her journey through the music industry, including her early career with Chicken Shack and her later success with Fleetwood Mac. The hosts delve into the dynamics within the band, the making of the iconic Rumours album, and the personal struggles faced by McVie and her bandmates.We touch on her early time with Fleetwood Mac when they were a very different band to what they would become, how Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks come to join, the excess the band become known for, the later success of the Tango in the Night album, her decision to leave Fleetwood Mac, her later appearances with the band including the 1993 appearance at Bill Clinton's inauguration, the bands induction into the rock & roll hall of fame & her colossal success with Songbird, Everywhere, Little Lies & more.It takes anything from 5 to 40 hours to prepare each episode of Music Maps - if you’d like to make a contribution to help us cover the costs & time of producing these episodes for you, you can do so at this link: ko-fi.com/musicmapsIt is hugely important for us to get positive reviews & star ratings - if you have enjoyed Music Maps & can spare the time to do either we would hugely appreciate it. You can see our upcoming live events here: https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/Instagram: @rocknrollbookclube17Blue Sky: @musicmaps.bsky.socialX: @simonmusicmapsFacebook: E17rockbookclubHosted by Mark Hart & Simon CardwellWritten & Produced by Simon CardwellEdited, mixed & spruced up by Andy Maxwell