A Kick Up The Arts with Nicola Meighan

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A few weeks ago, I was delighted to host the press launch of this year's Glasgow Film Festival, with new Head of Programme Paul Gallagher and Programme Manager Chris Kumar, at the GFT. We sat down afterwards to chat about some of the brilliant movies they're screening, and some of the myriad reasons that GFF remains a world-class festival, while also being deeply rooted in Scotland, and in its own city - as you'll hear. 
The festival opens in a matter of hours - on Wednesday February 25th - and it runs until the 8th of March. We touched on global premieres, Glasgow body-snatchers, two very different movies called Hen, and a retrospective of Marilyn Monroe - via Gaelic psalm singing, Caledonia Schemin', Carrie, Everybody To Kenmure Street - and special guests like James McAvoy, Bernard MacLaverty, and Lynne Ramsay who'll receive the festival's prestigious Cinema City Honorary Award.
The Maryhill-born film-maker, whose outstanding work includes Ratcatcher, Die My Love, Morvern Callar and You Were Never Really Here, will lead a special In Conversation event, From Page To Pulse, on March the 6th. 
You can also delve into Moulin Rouge, a feminist film club, and the Scottish premiere of Broken English - Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard’s richly-layered portrait of pop cultural icon Marianne Faithfull, with contributions from, among others, Tilda Swinton, Courtney Love, and their regular collaborator and kindred spirit, Nick Cave. 
I’ll be hosting the Q&A with Iain and Jane after the screening - we go back decades - when Iain and I sat next to each other at Mute records in London - so I’m really looking forward to seeing their latest film, and to chatting with them. That’s this coming Thursday, February 26th.
For now though, to a quiet but excited morning with Paul Gallagher and Chris Kumar, talking all things GFF - at the GFT…

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Well, since the Spring is very nearly upon us, we’re celebrating the forthcoming season of Scottish lunchtime theatre phenomenon - A Play, A Pie, and A Pint.
Founded by the hugely missed David MacLennan in 2004, PPP - as it’s fondly known - is the most prolific producer of new writing in theatre in the UK, bringing us 30-odd brand new plays every single year… 
The premise is therefore wildly creative, wildly thrilling - and wildly simple: a new play, every week, every season, for under an hour, with food and drink included with the price of every ticket. It’s a revelation, a wonder, a risk, a cultural institution, and a total joy.
The new season kicks off later this month at its glorious HQ - Glasgow’s gilded Oran Mor - but many of the plays will also travel to spiritual PPP homes across the country - from Aberdeen to Dumfries; from Pitlochry to Paisley; from Edinburgh to Ayr - and they’re all worth your lunchtime… 
I caught up with A Play, A Pie, and A Pint’s fab Artistic Director, Brian Logan earlier this week - along with Associate Artistic Director Laila Noble, in her last few days in post before she brings all of her vision and dynamism to Ayr’s Gaiety Theatre, where she’ll be at the helm as Creative Director and CEO.
We reflected on the general wonder of A Play, A Pie, and A Pint, and we whirled across the Spring season’s programme - from a comedy-drama inspired by a couple door-stepping a Beatle on the Mull of Kintyre, to a cabaret - and life-changing - swansong, in Funeral to my Boobs, via social uprisings, unsung Scottish football heroes, Hen Nights, dancing shoes, un-planned parenthood, self-discovery, lesbian bikers, and grannies in gay bars. All life is here. And there’s a free pastry, thrown into the bargain. 
Brian and Laila and I chatted in their precious free time between rehearsals, so we’re in a fairly echoey space - but they’re total legends, and their chat is great - and it’s all part of the magic, right?

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We’re celebrating the wonder of writer, artist, Glasgow icon and cultural polymath Alasdair Gray - not for the first time, I grant you…
The annual Gray Day takes place at Glasgow’s Oran Mor on February 25th, and - among other things - it’ll be revelling in Alasdair’s masterpiece, Lanark, on the 45th anniversary of its publication…
Alan Bissett will perform another excerpt of his outstanding theatre work inspired by a photograph of Alasdair with Billy Connolly at the launch of Lanark back in the ‘80s - and there’ll be video contributions from Alan Cumming, who’s narrating the first full version of the Lanark audiobook.
It’s curated, as ever, by the Alasdair Gray Archive’s incredible custodian, Sorcha Dallas - honestly, she is a legend - and this year’s Gray Day is hosted by comedian, writer and broadcaster Josie Long, who’s always worth seeing live, and whose recent short story collection, Because I Don’t Know What You Mean And What You Don’t, is wonderful…
I sat down with Sorcha and Josie at the archive this morning, along with the brilliant writer Rachelle Atalla, whose unforgettable novels include The Pharmacist and The Salt Flats. 
Rachelle’s the recipient of this year’s Creative Commission, so she’ll read from a brand new short story, inspired by the work of Alasdair Gray - following on from the likes of Chitra Ramaswamy, Ali Smith, Denise Mina, Sara Sheridan and Michael Pedersen… 
Pour a coffee, pull up a chair, have a listen - and hopefully see you at Oran Mor on February 25th…

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My guest in this episode is an award-winning, best-selling writer and style icon - look, I’m just stating the facts here - whose terrific work includes crime fiction, comic books, theatre shows, and historical novels…
Following titles like The Garnethill Trilogy, the Paddy Meehan and Alex Morrow series, Rizzio, Three Fires, Hellblazer and Conviction - the latter of which was celebrated as part of Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon’s book club - Denise Mina's latest novel is The Good Liar, and it’s as brilliant as it is thrilling… 
It’s out in paperback this month, and we chatted about The Good Liar, as well as Denise’s choice of a favourite Scottish album, film and book, in a conversation recorded live at The Stand in Glasgow - if you were in our fab audience, thanks so much for joining us… 
If you fancy hearing more from Denise, she’s in conversation with former podcast guest Val McDermid at Aberdeen’s Granite Noir on February 20th - I’ll be up there with Vera and Shetland creator Ann Cleeves on February 21st - and then Denise is at Greenock’s Beacon Book Book Festival with Louise Welsh and Kirsty Logan on February 22nd. 
Denise has also just been announced as this year’s Bloody Scotland guest programmer here in my home town of Stirling, following on from another previous podcast guest, Ian Rankin, who had the honours last year… 
For now though, to a chilly afternoon in Glasgow, and Denise’s talk about music, books, films, caravans, reading, writing - and the holiday that changed her life…

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I’m delighted to be joined by one of our best-loved, and most successful writers, who’s sold over 30 million copies of his best-selling Rebus novels - not to mention theatre, TV and radio spin-offs, all based in Edinburgh. 
He’s also a broadcaster, a sometime rock ‘n’ roll star, and a Fifer with a fab taste in music - and a Knighthood to boot…
He is of course Sir Ian Rankin, and this conversation was recorded at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline, as part of last year’s wonderful Outwith Festival… 
Ian recalled visiting the historic venue as a wee boy growing up in nearby Cardenden, and he reflected on some key cultural touchstones for him through the years - from the punk spirit of The Skids and the riotous language of A Clockwork Orange, to Muriel Spark’s darkest humour, and Alison Watt’s sublime visual art.
We also discussed Ian’s latest Rebus best-seller, the thrilling Midnight and Blue, which sees his legendary detective banged up in an Edinburgh prison… 
There were various technical gremlins on the night, so this audio recording’s not the best quality - but rest assured it settles down after the first 30 seconds or so, so bear with us while there are a few doors banging and people getting settled down… 
And it’s well worth staying around, to hear Ian’s tales of rocking some bleach-spattered “sexy blue overalls” that he nicked from a local chicken factory - and selling one of his own paintings to Jack Vettriano… 
Renaissance man or what…