Lip Service

Simon Harper
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Lip Service is a podcast that celebrates the music, history, and legacy of The Rolling Stones. Each episode features conversations with band members, friends, and collaborators, sharing untold stories and rare perspectives from the Stones’ inner circle. From Dartford days to 'Hackney Diamonds' and beyond, these are the voices that bring the greatest rock ’n’ roll band’s vivid journey to life.

  1. MAR 9

    Episode 12: Chris Kimsey

    Today’s guest is Chris Kimsey, the studio engineer and producer behind many of The Rolling Stones’ most celebrated recordings. Kimsey began his career as a teenage tape operator at London’s Olympic Studios in the late 1960s, learning the craft of recording from the ground up inside one of the most important studios of the era. By the 1970s he had become one of the most in-demand engineers on the London scene, working with artists including Led Zeppelin and Peter Frampton, and would go on to collaborate with a wide range of major acts including Peter Tosh, Duran Duran, and INXS. In this episode he reflects on those formative studio years and the lessons that shaped his approach to making records. The conversation explores his long association with the Stones, beginning with his work as an engineer on sessions for their landmark album ‘Sticky Fingers’, before moving into his later role as producer on ‘Some Girls’ and ‘Emotional Rescue’, when the band were pushing beyond their late-’70s rock revival into more experimental territory. He discusses the band’s creative resurgence around ‘Tattoo You’, and the process of shaping songs from earlier recordings and bringing them together into one of the Stones’ most successful albums, then expounds on the strained dynamic during the making of ‘Undercover’, before recalling the renewed focus that fuelled the band’s late-’80s comeback with ‘Steel Wheels’. Kimsey shares detailed memories of life inside the studio with the band: the recording techniques, the creative atmosphere, and the personalities that shaped some of rock’s most enduring music. It’s a fascinating look behind the scenes at how classic Rolling Stones records were made, and the craft of capturing lightning in a bottle with one of the greatest and most unpredictable bands in rock ‘n’ roll history. This episode was recorded live in Olympic Studios. For more on Chris Kimsey, visit his website. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: Instagram X TikTok Threads Bluesky

    1h 27m

  2. FEB 23

    Episode 11: Karl Denson

    Today’s guest is Karl Denson, saxophonist with The Rolling Stones since 2014, when he stepped into the role made legendary by the late, great Bobby Keys. Rooted in jazz improvisation and deep funk traditions, Karl earned a reputation as an esteemed double threat: a highly gifted musician equally confident leading from the front as elevating from within a group as an indispensable sideman. From the late 1980s he toured extensively with Lenny Kravitz, before helping establish The G*****y Allstars and later fronting Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, projects that helped re-energise groove-based music for a new generation. In this episode, Karl charts the path from early professional breaks to sharing stadium stages around the world. He discusses adapting to different musical environments, balancing leadership with support roles, and the discipline required to sustain decades on the road. He reflects on the experience of joining an established institution, interpreting parts that audiences know by heart, and developing trust within a group operating at the highest level. He shares memories of Charlie Watts and their shared appreciation of jazz, and discusses how watching Mick Jagger night after night has subtly informed his own approach as a frontman. Karl offers an insight into life inside one of rock’s most enduring live acts, and what it really takes to hold down the horn chair in the biggest band in the world. Follow Karl on Instagram. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: Instagram X TikTok Threads Bluesky

    1h 2m

  3. FEB 9

    Episode 10: Stephen Kijak

    Today’s guest is Stephen Kijak, filmmaker and director of Stones In Exile, the beloved fan-favourite documentary that explores The Rolling Stones’ self-imposed exile in the south of France and the making of their classic 1972 album, ‘Exile On Main St.’ A director whose work sits at the intersection of music, journalism and cinema, Stephen first emerged with his 1996 feature Never Met Picasso before turning his focus to documentary filmmaking. His subsequent films - including Cinemania, an affectionate portrait of obsessive New York cinephiles, and Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, a study of one of pop music’s most enigmatic figures - established him as a filmmaker drawn to stories shaped by obsession and cultural identity. It was 30 Century Man that brought Stephen to the attention of The Rolling Stones and led to him being invited to direct Stones In Exile. Tasked with documenting one of the most mythologised chapters in rock history, Stephen approached the project as an immersive experience, drawing on exclusive photography and footage from the time - including that from Robert Frank’s infamous C*cksucker Blues film - to create new scenes that blur the line between present-day interviews and historical footage, and keeps the audience absorbed in that sweaty ’70s basement vibe. In this episode, Stephen reflects on his first meetings with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, earning their trust, and being granted access to the Stones’ vast private archives. He discusses speaking with everyone connected to the Exile story, the challenge of shaping decades of memory into a single film, and the realities of working under the constraints of a TV-feature runtime. He recalls almost missing the film’s premiere at Cannes with Mick Jagger, and what it was like watching that period of the band’s history return to the public consciousness. Stephen also considers how the experience of making Stones In Exile went on to inform his later films, including projects on Jaco Pastorius, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Backstreet Boys and Rock Hudson, shaping his approach to access, archive and storytelling around cultural icons. Follow Stephen on Instagram. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: Instagram X TikTok Threads Bluesky

    1h 12m

  4. JAN 26

    Episode 9: Robert Greenfield

    Today’s guest is Robert Greenfield, author of STP: A Journey Through America With The Rolling Stones, one of the most vivid accounts of The Rolling Stones at their magnificent, hedonistic peak, and the first book ever written from inside a major rock tour. As the UK’s Associate Editor for Rolling Stone in the early 1970s, the New Yorker earned rare access to the band at a pivotal moment in their history. He joined them on their 1971 ‘Goodbye Britain’ tour, before travelling to the south of France later that year, where he conducted what became Keith Richards’ first truly in-depth interview at his villa, Nellcôte, during the recording of ‘Exile On Main Street’. That trust culminated in Robert travelling with the Stones on their infamous 1972 US tour, which he documented in his cult classic, STP. Rather than mythologising the excess, the book captured the day-to-day reality of the tour from its core: the songs, cities, excess, humour, and human fallout of life on the road at its most extreme. In our conversation, Robert reflects on his formative years as a writer, the stark contrast between the Stones’ final days in Britain and their explosive return to America, and the extraordinary cast of characters that surrounded the band. He shares personal insights into Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts, and Mick Taylor, the realities behind the infamous C*cksucker Blues documentary, and how a lifetime spent inside other people’s stories has shaped his own. This is the sensational Stones of the ’70s up close and unfiltered, told by someone who was there, paying attention, and writing it all down. STP: A Journey Through America With The Rolling Stones is available to buy here. Robert’s piece on the 1971 tour is available to read on The Guardian, while his Rolling Stone interview with Keith is available here. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠X⁠ ⁠TikTok⁠ ⁠Threads⁠ ⁠Bluesky

    1h 28m

  5. JAN 12

    Episode 8: Ray Winkler

    Today’s guest is Ray Winkler: architect, designer, and CEO at STUFISH Entertainment Architects, who has helped conceive and shape The Rolling Stones’ live stages for over 30 years. Mentored by the late Mark Fisher, Ray began working with him in the mid-1990s at the company that would later evolve into STUFISH, before joining the Stones’ touring family for the first time on the ‘Bridges To Babylon’ tour. From that point on, he became central to translating the band’s identity into vast, immersive stage environments. In this episode, Ray talks about the trust required to design for a band like the Stones, and the collaborative process behind some of their most ambitious stages. He reflects on how ideas move from sketch to steel, and the lessons learned from Mark Fisher about clarity, discipline, and knowing when to simplify. Ray also shares what it’s like responding to the band’s instincts, adapting designs as tours evolve, and how keeping up with technology, sustainability, and audience expectations is future-proofing the company. Having also worked with Adele, Elton John, U2, ABBA, and Beyoncé, it’s a fascinating insight into the man in demand behind the spectacle. Follow STUFISH on Instagram. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: Instagram X TikTok Threads Bluesky

    59 min

  6. 2025-12-15

    Episode 7: Paul Sexton

    Today’s guest is Paul Sexton: journalist, author, and one of the most trusted chroniclers of The Rolling Stones’ world. For more than three decades, Paul has enjoyed rare access to the band, interviewing every member, spending time on the road, and being invited into the heart of their story for articles, features, liner notes, and documentaries that each demonstrate not only the respect in which Paul is held by the band, but the authority his work ultimately commands. In 2022, Paul published Charlie’s Good Tonight, the only official biography of Charlie Watts, created with the full support of the band and Charlie’s family. In this episode, he reflects on the emotional weight of telling Charlie’s story after his passing, the responsibility of writing about someone who can no longer speak for themselves, and the quiet moments that revealed the true character of one of rock’s most enigmatic figures. We talk about Paul’s early encounters with the Stones, his memories of Charlie as a musician, collector, and friend, and the central role jazz played in shaping both his artistry and his inner life. Paul also opens up about Charlie’s struggles in the 1980s, his recovery, and the dignity with which he carried himself through fame. It’s a reflective conversation that celebrates and honours Charlie, not just as an icon but as a husband, father, and friend, pulling back the curtain on an intensely private man who was loved by millions, and whose story continues to resonate. Follow Paul on Instagram. Buy his book, Charlie’s Good Tonight, here. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: Instagram X TikTok Threads Bluesky

    1h 23m

  7. 2025-12-01

    Episode 6: Gered Mankowitz

    Today’s guest is Gered Mankowitz: the brilliant photographer whose images of The Rolling Stones helped define the visual identity of the band’s earliest and most explosive years. Impressed by Gered’s work, Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham brought him into the band’s inner circle when he was just 18, making him their official photographer from 1965 to 1967. In that short but seismic period, he created some of the most enduring photographs in rock ’n’ roll. He shot them in his Mason’s Yard studio for the covers of ‘Out Of Our Heads’ and ‘December’s Children’, on Primrose Hill for ‘Between The Buttons’, and on stage in America for ‘Got Live If You Want It!’ All wonderfully gritty and intimate portraits that truly shaped the band’s rebellious identity. In this episode, Gered takes us inside those years to reveal the extraordinary stories behind his now infamous shoots. He recalls how he earned the band’s trust by capturing them as they truly were, and how their group aesthetic evolved alongside his growing confidence as a photographer. He remembers shooting the Stones on their chaotic tours, at work in the studio, in the privacy of their own homes, and even on horseback while cowboying in Arizona. Delving into one of the defining chapters of his career, Gered offers a front-row account of the Stones’ wild rise - an incredible living history, told by the man who captured it frame by frame. Gered’s prints, posters, and books are available to buy from his website. You can also follow him on Instagram. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: Instagram X TikTok Threads Bluesky

    1h 24m

  8. 2025-11-18

    Episode 5: Tony King

    Today’s guest is Tony King: legendary music industry executive, promoter, creative consultant, fixer, éminence grise, and close friend of The Rolling Stones. From his beginnings as a teenage office boy at Decca Records in London, Tony rose through the ranks to become not only a distinguished expert in promotions, but one of the most trusted insiders in music. His career took him from the birth of rock and roll to working with many of the most influential artists of all time, including The Beatles, Elton John, and the Stones. Tony’s 2023 memoir, The Tastemaker, offers a full and affecting insight into his colourful life at the beating heart of some of the most iconic moments in history, pulling back the curtain on his six decades in the business, revealing the deep bonds and special moments he shared with John Lennon, Charlie Watts, Freddie Mercury, Elton, and many more. In this episode, Tony takes us back to the beginning of his association with the Stones, becoming part of their world within Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate Records at the height of the Swinging Sixties, where he endeared himself to Charlie by saving the life of his cat, and found Keith Richards to be resistant to drugs! He then picks up the story in the mid-1980s, when he returned to the Stones’ fold, reflecting on the stormy waters between Keith and Mick Jagger at the time, and the ultimatum that brought them back together. He recalls the monumental ‘Steel Wheels’ tour, plus memories from the five subsequent global treks he worked on, including a brush with a petulant future President! A living link to the golden age of British rock, Tony’s stories are full of charm, warmth, and affection - a true testament to a character so beloved by legends. Follow Tony on Instagram. Buy his book, The Tastemaker, here. Lip Service is produced and presented by Simon Harper. FOLLOW LIP SERVICE: Instagram X TikTok Threads Bluesky

    1h 12m
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Trailer

About

Lip Service is a podcast that celebrates the music, history, and legacy of The Rolling Stones. Each episode features conversations with band members, friends, and collaborators, sharing untold stories and rare perspectives from the Stones’ inner circle. From Dartford days to 'Hackney Diamonds' and beyond, these are the voices that bring the greatest rock ’n’ roll band’s vivid journey to life.

Information

  • Creator
    Simon Harper
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Simon Harper
  • Show Website
    Lip Service

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