Music Talks as a Podcast may have finished but my desire to share my Favourite Albums of the Year has not abated and in fact this is the 25th year I have been doing it. It started in 2000 with me, a Dual CD recorder and handmade artwork. Then it was on to a Spotify Playlists and for the last 6 years a Podcast where myself and my dear friend Steven Routledge each choose our favourite 10 albums of the year and talk through why they made the list. Part 1 was released on 19/12/24 and ...

Music Talks as a Podcast may have finished but my desire to share my Favourite Albums of the Year has not abated and in fact this is the 25th year I have been doing it. It started in 2000 with me, a Dual CD recorder and handmade artwork. Then it was on to a Spotify Playlists and for the last 6 years a Podcast where myself and my dear friend Steven Routledge each choose our favourite 10 albums of the year and talk through why they made the list. Part 1 is now out where we both talk...

This is Part 2 of the 100th Episode of Music Talks, which is also the final episode of Music Talks. Five years and 100 episodes felt to me like a good time to bring things to a close. It has been a fantastic, joyful, fulfilling and most importantly FUN experience doing this Podcast, and it is something I will always treasure. To mark this occasion, I thought it was time for me to appear as a guest on my own show and I’m delighted to say that my very first guest, Steve Clayton, agr...

This is Part 1 of the 100th Episode of Music Talks, which is also the final episode of Music Talks. Five years and 100 episodes felt to me like a good time to bring things to a close. It has been a fantastic, joyful, fulfilling and most importantly FUN experience doing this Podcast, and it is something I will always treasure. To mark this occasion, I thought it was time for me to appear as a guest on my own show and I’m delighted to say that my very first guest, Steve Clayton, agr...

September 5th will see the 100th and final episode of Music Talks and I know the guest for that episode pretty well as its ……ME!! Given I will be moving chairs I needed someone to be the host of that episode and who better than Steve Clayton, a dear friend, my very first guest on Music Talks and one of the best communicators I know. Given his role at Microsoft is ‘Chief Storyteller’ that’s no surprise. The original episode I did with Steve went out on June 25th, 2019, but I didn’t...

Welcome to Episode 99 of Music Talks, it’s a significant one with a very special guest. The guest in question is Kevin Clement who amongst other things is the host of the brilliantly named radio show ‘Mysterious Debris’ on Rockin’ the Suburbs Radio. Kevin is special to me because prior to starting Music Talks I did some pilot episodes with my dear friend Jesse Jackson as a co-host under the name ‘Teatime with Terry’ (I thought that was a great name until somebody said they thought it wa...

My guest in this episode is Nicki Cockburn. Nicki now lives in Cardiff but was born in 1978 in Zimbabwe. At 5 months old, after her Mum insisted on a second opinion, she was diagnosed as being blind. For sighted people like me that would feel like a massive burden and challenge but in talking about it Nicki says “I’m really happy with it, you have to adapt’ and “it’s been a problem for a lot of people, but never for me”. Nicki doesn’t shy away from discussing some of the challenge...

My guest today is dear friend and an ex-colleague, Derrick Mc Court. Derrick and I first met in 2001 when he joined Microsoft in Ireland. Our paths crossed many times and in many ways over the years and it has always been a pleasure to spend time with him. Today he is General Manager of the Customer Success Unit in Microsoft UK and sits on the UK Board. A quick look at his LinkedIn Profile will show the considerable skills he has but for me the most significant thing is that...

My guest in this episode is Lynn Asher ( www.lynnasher.com ) who was introduced to Music Talks by a recent guest Paul Webb (Ep 92). Lynn is a native of Portland Maine but she had a childhood dream to move to California. It took some time to fulfil her dream but this year Lynn celebrates 30 years living in California and her musical career spans a similar timescale. Despite being a ‘late bloomer’ Lynn has performed and recorded with many big names in the music business includ...

My guest in this episode is Claire Sanderson who was introduced to the show by an early guest and now a dear friend, Ian Braisby. Claire was born and grew up in Cornwall with her parents and two elder brothers. She describes her childhood as being ‘surrounded by all types of music’ and that breadth is reflected in her song choices and the much longer list she sent to me. Her song choices are: 80’s I Should Be So Lucky  ...

My guest in this episode is Mark Dempsey who comes to Music Talks via my dear friend Jesse Jackson at the great Podcast ‘SetLustingBruce’. Like all Springsteen fans Mark is passionate about Bruce’s music but the joy of this episode is how much passion Mark has for all his song choices. If any of them are new to you I’m certain you will be seeking them out after having heard Mark talk about them and they are great choices: 70’s - Three Steps To Heaven &nb...

This time of year isn’t just the season of goodwill it’s also the season of “Best Of” lists and it’s part of the musical year that I love. It’s always good to know that things you like are also enjoyed by others but the real joy for me is gaining new insight into albums I’ve enjoyed or discovering albums that I have missed. My hope is that this episode will do some of that for you. As in previous years I am joined by my Podcast pal Steven Routledge and w...

This time of year isn’t just the season of goodwill it’s also the season of “Best Of” lists and it’s part of the musical year that I love. It’s always good to know that things you like are also enjoyed by others but the real joy for me is gaining new insight into albums I’ve enjoyed or discovering albums that I have missed. My hope is that this episode will do some of that for you. As in previous years I am joined by my Podcast pal Steven Routledge and we both talk through our Top 10 album...

My guest in this episode is award winning author and playwright Gabriel Bergmoser. Gabriel is one of my youngest guests at 32 but, as you will hear, he has packed a lot into those years and he describes himself as ‘crime author, playwright, podcaster, actor, dog lover and massive Springsteen fan’. He was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia when he was a few months old and that has been home over since. He now lives in Melbourne but does a great job of painting a picture o...

My guest in this episode is Paul Webb who comes to the show via an introduction from a previous guest Nick Sheppard (Ep.53) – Many thanks Nick. Paul is a self-confessed ‘Music Talks Junkie’ and I love the fact that he listens to the episodes on his journey to and from Fly Fishing. Originally from the UK he’s lived in the U.S for over 30 years and now has the joy of living in Bend, Oregon which I am very jealous of having had a couple of delightful holidays there and at one point we se...

My guest in this episode is Giorgos Gavriil who generously allowed me to use his English name of ‘George’ through our chat. Born in 1975 in the port city of Piraeus in Greater Athens, George continues to live in Greece but has moved to the mountains from the sea where he lives with wife and his two young children. He was a late bloomer in terms of music but when things clicked in his late teens there was no looking back. He describes himself as ‘compulsive’ and ‘obsessive’ and this ...

My guest in this episode is Craig Colby, a master storyteller with a successful 30-year award winning career in television working for The Sports Network and the Discovery Channel amongst others. In 2017, the opportunity of losing his job presented itself and he set up his own story telling company Colbyvision. He now spends his time helping production companies broadcasters and business owners make top-notch programs & tell their stories. He also has one of my favourit...

My guest in this episode is Marian Jago, Senior Lecturer in Popular Music and Jazz Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Marian comes to Music Talks through the miracle and wonder of social media and a shared love of the music of Bruce Springsteen. I saw a post in a fan group on Facebook that said, ‘my course on Bruce Springsteen’ and that was Marian. We got into a dialogue and to my amazement she was teaching her course ‘Three Minute Records’ at my local university in Edinburgh. &nbs...

My guest in this episode is Brian MacKay who was introduced to Music Talks by Roy Sharples my guest in Episode 61. (Thanks Roy!) Bryan is just 50 and works in a third sector charity. He lives in Peterhead, a large fishing port in Aberdeenshire, with his wife, 4 children and a Cockapoo acquired during Covid. Like me Bryan is the youngest in his family but in his case, he had three older sisters and on his own admittance was spoilt rotten as a child. Since 2015 he has been...

My guest in this episode is Henrik Johnson, who is my first guest from Sweden. Henrik was born and grew up in a small town called Karlskoga which is between Stockholm and Oslo. Whilst not ‘desperate to get out ‘he left Karlskoga at the first opportunity and has subsequently lived & worked on three continents including stints in Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Greece. For the past 20 years home has been Southern California where he lives today in Newport Beach with his wife Lisa and their ...