It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

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Phil Blizzard + Russell Mason

13 episodes

1 day ago

A season’s worth of passports, flight cases, and stories converge in a finale that refuses to fade to black. We trace the hidden arteries of live music—from a retired tour pro’s poolside idea to a globe‑spanning set of conversations with production managers, security pros, artists, superfans, and the die‑hards who kept sound and light alive in deserts, ferries, and freezing tarmacs. We start where tours truly begin: backstage. Jake Duncan’s leap from a drum shop to Bay City Rollers and Wham ...

Music Interviews

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Music Interviews

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Episodes (12/13)

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

Pioneers of Gulf Entertainment - Comic Nights, Gulf Lights, Desert Rats Pt 2

We relive how comedy, concerts, and sheer grit brought modern live entertainment to the Gulf, from Billy Connolly and Lenny Henry to Bollywood stadium spectacles and ballet on the beach. Heat, customs, and failing gear tried to stop us; diplomacy, craft, and humour carried the day. • British comedians breaking new ground across the Gulf • Jasper Carrot’s late-career surge and Lenny Henry’s airport pranks • Cancelled shows, customs hiccups, and strict cultural lines • Bootleg tapes, censored ...

1 week ago

39 minutes

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

Desert Rats Of Rock And Roll - Dubai, Abu Dhabi and across the Gulf - Pt 1

In this, the first of two parts, we trace how a small team of promoters and techs hauled second-hand gear, charmed airlines, and built a live music circuit across the Gulf in the 80s. Stories of burning dimmers, poolside plotting, cultural shows in ballrooms, A concert scene doesn’t just appear; someone has to drag it across borders, bolt it together in the heat, and pray the dimmers don’t catch fire. We look back at how a handful of stubborn promoters and techs built a touring circuit ...

2 weeks ago

53 minutes

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

Elvis Presley - Memphis Mansion, his home in Denmark, built by a fan to keep the music alive

We tour Memphis Mansion with Hendrik Knudsen and Stan Urban, tracing the stories behind Elvis’s TCB chain, the Johnny Cash exhibits, and the spirit that keeps rock and roll alive. We balance myth and memory, dig into Colonel Parker, and plan a return when July’s residency hits. From the sparkle of the first TCB chain to the quiet authority of gold records and stage clothes, we follow the artefacts that carry stories—why they exist, what they meant to the artists, and how they still teac...

3 weeks ago

46 minutes

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

Security to the Stars: Ronnie Franklin On Music Security

Fame can feel like a storm. We sit down with veteran security lead Ronnie Franklin to map the invisible work that keeps artists, crews and fans safe when the wind picks up—without turning the night into a fortress. From his baptism at London’s Rainbow Theatre to global tours with Wham and decades at George Michael’s side, Ronnie unpacks how planning and people skills beat brute force every time. We trace the birth of modern concert security: radios that cut out around corners, promoters deba...

4 weeks ago

1 hour 20 minutes

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

Lost In France - Five Friends, One Bus, And A Film About Music, Grit, And Friendship

Phil Blizzard and Russell Mason meet a Scotsman, an Irishman, and a Frenchman for their journey to a tiny Breton, French town and reshape what a music scene can mean. We open the podcast in 90s Glasgow, where Chemical Underground helped a new wave of indie bands find their voice and their values. From cramped stages and borrowed gear to a label identity forged by conviction, the scene thrived on camaraderie, sharp taste, and the kind of local folklore that sticks—like loading out togeth...

1 month ago

1 hour 5 minutes

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

Fans & Memorable Gigs - From First Bands To Legends of Rock

Ever wonder why some gigs tattoo themselves on your memory while others fade as the lights come up? We sit down with two lifelong friends and serial gig-goers to trace a fan’s journey from teenage awe at the Brighton Dome to the organised chaos of modern stadium shows. Their stories move fast: queuing for Led Zeppelin at Earls Court, discovering Rory Gallagher’s fire, and catching Deep Purple tearing up the Half Moon in Putney. Along the way, we weigh what really matters — rooms that sing, mi...

1 month ago

1 hour 17 minutes

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

From Mumbai to Hollywood - Rock Machine To Indus Creed

Send us a text A powerboat race, a broken fax, and a last‑minute visa scramble set the stage for a story about identity, reinvention, and the stubborn joy of playing loud. In this espisode Phil Blizzard and Russell Mason 'sits down' with Uday Benegal—frontman of India’s pioneering rock band Indus Creed—to trace the band’s evolution from Rock Machine, the bold name change that reframed their destiny, and the craft behind blending tabla, sarangi, and bansuri into guitar-driven...

1 month ago

1 hour 6 minutes

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

Back in The USSR - Pink Floyd & flying a rock tour on an army plane

Send us a text Phil Blizzard and Russell Mason joins concert producer Jacek Slotala for a hands‑on journey taking us from Polish postcard singles to Pink Floyd’s sold‑out Moscow shows. This fascinating, incredible story is told by the fixer who cracked Gosconcert and flew tours on army planes. We share how food, language, and nerve turned red tape into roaring crowds without a single lyric censored. A postcard single pressed in 1960s Poland. A phone that never stops ringing. And a plan ...

1 month ago

1 hour 7 minutes

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

Backstage Stories - promo for the series

It's Only Rock and Roll is a Phil Blizzard Radio Production - for your production email philblizzardmedia@gmail.com

2 months ago

1 minute

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

Six Decades of Rock’n’Roll: Stan Urban on Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee, Led Zep, and Life on the Road

The night rock and roll first grabbed Stan Urban wasn’t on a stage; it was in a cinema, watching Little Richard tear through Long Tall Sally. From that moment, a Dundee kid with two fingers on an old family piano set off on a six-decade run that takes us from church halls and converted radios to Chuck Berry’s stage, Led Zeppelin’s cocktail tab, and a viral train-station jam that made thousands miss their trains. We sit with Stan to unpack the craft behind the chaos. He strips pianos to the f...

2 months ago

57 minutes

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

From Bay City Rollers to Bowie: A Backstage Journey Through Rock History

Step backstage with Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason in this the debut episode of It's Only Rock n Roll into the chaotic, exhilarating world of rock and roll touring. Special guests are industry veterans Jake Duncan and Steve Martin and together they pull back the curtain on nearly a century of combined experience managing tours for some of music's biggest legends. From accidental beginnings to career-defining moments, these production wizards recount their journeys with refreshing ho...

2 months ago

1 hour 28 minutes

It's Only Rock n Roll with hosts Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

"It's Only Rock and Roll" preview with Phil Blizzard & Russell Mason

Phil Blizzard & Rusell Mason introduce their new podcast exploring the world of rock and roll touring from the 1980s onwards The two Co-hosts bring complementary perspectives – Russell from his years touring and promoting, Phil from interviewing countless music legends throughout his broadcasting career. Together, they're creating a relaxed, nostalgic journey through an industry populated by unforgettable characters (many known only by their colorful nicknames). "It's Only Rock and ...

2 months ago

11 minutes