Our guest for this episode of Live Music & Me was the very wonderful musician, arranger & author Helen O Hara - and 25 episodes in we are still pulling rabbits out the proverbial gig hat. For example, we're pretty sure Helen was the first guest to get Ozzy Osbourne, James Brown & a Commonwealth Games closing ceremony into her gig answers. And it was definitely the first time that we could tell our guest that they were the answer to one of the hosts gig questions ( first date with a partner). And, on top of all that, we also managed to forget to chat about the legend that is Nicky Hopkin ( who Helen recorded with) until AFTER the cameras stopped rolling!

Thankfully there was more than enough content to keep the conversation flowing - and of course it was lovely to get a couple of Dexys Midnight Runners anecdotes thrown in too from Helen ( loads more in her memoir What's She Like which is highly recommended). Helen was a delight to chat to, and we hope that comes across when you get the opportunity to watch/listen. Until next time. Enjoy, and stay safe.

For our first Live Music & Me podcast of 2025, we were joined by our good friend the Scottish singer, songwriter & musician JJ ‘Jinky” Gilmour. You go into the New Year full of plans to make the podcast lean and mean, focus on the music etc. However, before we even got to the first gig question, we had discussed the ageing process, the relative merits of the Old Firm and hot water bottles. No, really.As a long-standing member of The Silencers, we were sure that JJ would have a few stories to tell – and he did. From a first gig at the Glasgow Apollo that JJ remembered more for what was happening in the crowd (it wasn’t moshing), paying tribute to the legend that is Phil Lynott, and playing Blenheim Palace even although the promoter didn’t know who he was – JJ was on very good form. JJ also clarified how many Coatbridge tramps were in The Silencers (clue- it wasn’t 100%) – and mentioned U2 & Simple Minds a couple of times during the chat. And for the last question, one of them got the ‘one live album we should all own’ nomination from him (and it’s a belter). We tried for thick end of 6 months to make this one happen, and we hope you agree it was worth the effort. Enjoy and stay safe PS. JJ mentioned that he has had a couple of personal challenges during his career and has always been a big supporter of those organisations that offer Mental Health support. For anyone interested in this area, check out Music Minds Matter Charity https://www.musicmindsmatter.org.uk

We have reached the 1990s! For this episode on our quest to create a list of the 30 Greatest Scottish Songs ever- as well as our resident Bay City Poller Caroline Binnie, we were joined by our friends, the actor Colin McCredie & Station Manager for Cumbernauld FM Gerry Duffy. In addition to the panel re-stating how great the 1980s nominated songs are ( all 42 of them!) we had a proper discussion on both the songs that have been voted into from the 1990s list, and more important those that weren't! Thankfully, all 4 panelist used their jokers wisely, adding a quality song each back onto the list. We also got Gerry & Colin to give us their ' die on a hill' Top 10 Scottish song nomination, and ended the chat by sharing some Wham trivia that aged us all in real time... A mighty fine time was had by all, hope that comes across when you have a look/listen. As ever, enjoy & stay safe

When we finished our last music podcast series that took us almost 18 months! (101 Greatest Albums), we had no plans to do another.

However, after some pub some chat with friends we concluded that, although there has been plenty of discussion on great Scottish albums, there has been very little on what a great Scottish songs list might look like.

So…..we asked our Twitter/X friends for song suggestions. And,5000 nominations later, we are now having a go at working through a quorum of them.

Episode 1 reflects all of the above, where we are joined by some of our resident podcast panel. It also covers off the online discussion we had about how you would define a ‘Scottish’ artist. On the basis that none of Big Country were born in Scotland, it’s not as easy as you think.

This series will take us a while to get through, however we can categorically assure you it WONT take us 18 months!

Number 1 priority at the moment – we give this new series a title it deserves….

Enjoy & stay safe.

Our guest on this episode of Live Music & Me is the songwriter, musician & singer David McCluskey. When your guests first gig is The Clash/Specials/Suicide - you know its going to be a good un... And it was. From a first winch pogoing at a punk gig, to being the only punks at a Captain Beefheart gig ( no, really) , to walking out on a Johnny Cash gig, David's gig memories were highly entertaining We also found out that, as well as being the backbeat of The Bluebells for over 40 years, David also played drums for another legendary Scottish indie band. Oh, and David threw in a Bunnymen Mac impersonation for good measure. It took us over 6 months to arrange this one, but you know what they say.... Big thanks to David - an absolute gentleman Enjoy & stay safe.

We ask a question about bucket gigs to all of our Live Music & Me guests when they join us. We also have a bucket list of guests we would like to get onto our podcast, and Martyn Ware ( Heaven 17, BEF) was on that list. As a musician, composer, arranger, record producer, and music programmer, Martyn has been in the music industry for over 40 years, and we were convinced he would be good company. He was. From his first gig anecdote that involved Marc Bolan and his satin pants, to visiting Neil Young’s beach home and checking out his fridge, to giving Clive Davis from Arista the cold shoulder, the stories just kept coming. We also had some wonderful gig recollections too, both those he was at and those he wasn’t ( including Live Aid). And to finish, live album recommendations that couldn’t be any more eclectic if they tried, and are right up there with the best. Every guest we get takes us back through their life using gigs as reference points, and we are very grateful to Martyn for being so open, honest and entertaining. Enjoy, and stay safe

After a few false starts – for this episode, we finally managed to get on as our guest the singer, songwriter, musician Grahame Skinner.

Grahame’s gig memories started on the 16th October 1978 ( Glasgow Apollo). We then weaved through numerous stories with a Stranglers connection, trying ( and failing) to become pals with the Bunnymen, and why Grahame, in his own words, was a ‘fanny’.

We also got recollections on walking back post gig from Balhama to Drumchapel ( about 6 hours) , Lou Reed getting an electric shock on stage in Belgium, and the reveal that Ian Curtis & Michael Stipe both took all their dance moves from Grahame. Oh, and 2 recommendations for a live album we should all own ( and they couldn’t be more different)

It took a while, however it was totally worth the wait. Big thanks to Grahame and check out the latest The Cowboy Mouth album when its lands. It will be a belter.

Enjoy, and stay safe. PS. Apols for the minor gremlins on the recording – it’s still well worth a watch/listen