"We all take music for granted, really. But it's kind of with us through every memorable part of our lives. And to just have it as such a meaningful occupation, but to not properly support the people that make it seems absolutely crazy" - Amy MacDonald
Joining Chris for this episode is singer-songwriter Amy MacDonald, who's fate was sealed when she saw fellow Scots Travis live for the first time - she quickly realised that this was what she wanted to do with her life! The start to her career was remarkable: she was signed off the back of a demo she sent out, aged just 18 and then when she released her debut album, 'This Is The Life', it quickly sold 3 million copies.
Since then she's toured with Paul Weller, worked with Ray Davies of The Kinks and performed alongside Rod Stewart. And she's soon to release her 6th album, 'Is This What You've Been Waiting For?'.
--------
36:32
--------
36:32
S5 Ep8: INTIWH - Victoria Canal
"The thing that he said that struck me most was, you don't get people's attention more by being louder... you make them want to lean in when you pull back. The moments that resonate the most are when I pull back" - Victoria Canal
In this episode of Chris' podcast, he's joined by singer-songwriter Victoria Canal. A globe-trotting childhood, with all of its upheavals and changes, led Victoria to finding in music solace and purpose. She started writing music as a pre-teen, recorded her first demo at 13 and soon after gained a scholarship to study at the Berklee College Of Music.
Having released her first single in 2015, she's put out a considerable number of standalone tracks in her own name, as well as collaborations, however it was only this year that Victoria finally released her debut album, 'Slowly, It Dawns'. She's also the winner of not one, but two Ivor Novello awards.
--------
37:04
--------
37:04
S5 Ep7: INTIWH - Theodore Shapiro
"I have a very vivid memory of seeing 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark' when I was nine and that was a very profound experience for me, because I loved the movie. I was very aware of what that music was doing to my experience..." - Theodore Shapiro
In this episode Chris explores a whole new world of music making in the company of composer Theodore Shapiro. Theodore has written music for a whole host of film and TV productions, but his incredible work on the mind-bending Apple TV series 'Severance' has brought him huge acclaim, attention and an Emmy Award.
Theodore gained his Master Of Fine Arts in music composition at the world famous Juilliard School, and began his career in the early Nineties with the MTV comedy series 'The State'. He's since composed the music for many films including 'The Devil Wears Prada' and 'Along Came Polly' and regularly collaborates with Ben Stiller, with their latest work together being 'Severance'.
--------
36:10
--------
36:10
S5 Ep6: INTIWH - ALT BLK ERA
“Because we write in so many genres, it’s always exciting to song write. Because today it’s like, we can write a D+B song and tomorrow we can write an Emo song. So it doesn’t get boring, because there’s always a new genre that you haven’t written in” - ALT BLK ERA
In this episode Chris is joined by not one, but two guests - sisters Nyrobi and Chaya who front ALT BLK ERA, one of the most eclectic and electric acts you'll hear; a band so diverse that they've won a MOBO and are also signed to the legendary Metal label Earache, who are based in the band's hometown of Nottingham.
The band came together during the downtime that COVID brought, and when restrictions were lifted their mum suggested they forget school and concentrate on their music instead. And in a few short years they've supported Tom Morello, released their thrilling debut album 'Rave Immortal' and played both Glastonbury and Download.
Find out more about ALT BLK ERA here:
https://www.altblkera.com/
Discover more about the amazing work of Help Musicians here:
https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/
'I Never Thought It Would Happen' is produced by Ian Callaghan and Ben Jones for Gimme Sugar Productions.
www.gimmesugar.co.uk
--------
38:34
--------
38:34
S5 Ep5: INTIWH - Gary Kemp
"Back when I was a kid, I didn't want to know what Bryan Ferry's kitchen looked like, you know? I couldn't even imagine him having one... People don't want that now. Why don't they want mystique?" - Gary Kemp
In conversation with Chris for this episode is Gary Kemp, now a solo artist and a member of Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets. It was Gary's sharp songwriting that brought him to prominence and fame in the Eighties with his band Spandau Ballet, and such huge hits as 'True' and 'Gold'.
In this wonderful chat, you can hear about why bands aren't necessarily a bunch of best friends, the pleasure of acting on stage, how the long-lost guitar Gary played at Live Aid was finally returned to him and how and why he wrote the songs that became his latest album 'This Destination'.
Find out more about Gary Kemp here:
https://www.garykemp.com/
Discover more about the amazing work of Help Musicians here:
https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/
'I Never Thought It Would Happen' is produced by Ian Callaghan and Ben Jones for Gimme Sugar Productions.
www.gimmesugar.co.uk
Singer-songwriter Chris Difford (Squeeze) is joined by musical guests to talk about the highs and lows of their career in this new podcast from Help Musicians. Series 4 returns on Tuesday March 19th with James Blunt. Listen to our previous episodes now and find out more at www.HelpMusicians.org.uk
UK