Sending Signals

Matt Royal
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  • MUSIC INTERVIEWS
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Sending Signals

A show about music and creativity.

  1. 13 NOV

    Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music)

    Phil Manzanera has had a remarkable life. Best known as the lead guitarist in Roxy Music, he’s also worked as a writer, producer and/or performer with the likes of David Gilmour, Steve Winwood, Nico, Brian Eno and many more. He’s just released a mammoth box set of his solo work which dates back to 1975’s “Diamond Head” album. The box, entitled “50 Years Of Music”, comes at a time of reflection for Manzanera. He recently released a memoir, in which he detailed his childhood in Cuba at the time of Batista’s overthrow in 1959, and his suspicion that his Dad, who ostensibly worked for BOAC airlines, was actually a spy. Manzanera lived in different parts of the Americas as a child and later went to boarding school at Dulwich College in London. Phil went on to explore his Latin American roots in his music, and another bizarre twist occurred in 2011 when Kanye West and Jay-Z sampled a guitar part from his 1978 “K-Scope” album for their track “No Church In The Wild”. Manzanera has claimed this one sample earned him more money than his entire time in Roxy Music. Anyway, I was sure Phil would have great stories to share and I hope you enjoy our conversation.

    39 min

  2. 5 NOV

    Jeff Wayne on “The War of the Worlds”

    Released on the 9th June 1978, “Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds” went on to sell an estimated 15 million copies. As you likely know, the album features an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ classic sci-fi story, narrated by actor Richard Burton set to music, with vocal performances from the likes of David Essex, Justin Hayward, Phil Lynott, Chris Thompson, and Julie Covington. A single, “Forever Autumn”, reached number 5 on the UK singles chart, and has become an enduring classic. In 2006, the album was brought to life as a touring stage show. It’s has had several revival tours since, including a London West End run in 2016. Jeff Wayne is picking up the baton again for the 2025 arena tour featuring Max George and Maisie Smith. Jeff Wayne was born in 1943 and wrote around 3000 advertising jingles which appeared on TV in the 1970s, as well as various television themes. He’s also been a professional tennis player. He joined me from his home studio in Hertfordshire for our chat.

    38 min

  3. 2 OCT

    Tony Banks (Genesis)

    The last time Genesis keyboard player extraordinaire Tony Banks came on the show was a few years ago, and we discussed a box set of his solo albums. Since then there has been a final Genesis tour, “The Last Domino?”, which I got to see the opening and closing nights of, and Tony now has a new boxset compiling his three classical albums “7”, “6”, and “5”. The first half of the interview we take a deep dive into that process which I hope you’ll find interesting. Creating classical music isn’t something we’ve really explored on the podcast before. In the second half of the interview Tony shares details of an upcoming boxset of “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”, and he also confirms details of a reissue of their 60’s debut album “From Genesis To Revelation”, which in the past has been ignored from official Genesis reissue campaigns. We talk about how he feels he is perceived by Genesis fans, and whether he’s tempted to emulate the very successful touring approach of former Genesis bandmate Steve Hackett, who incidentally he also clarifies his feeling about during our chat. I think this conversation is quite something. Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think.

    47 min

  4. 18 SEPT

    Gemma Hayes

    Gemma Hayes is a singer-songwriter from Ireland, and after a 10 year gap she is about to release her 7th album “Blind Faith” and, spoiler alert, it’s really, really good. We discuss the album’s long gestation, balancing motherhood and creativity, and I was also keen to dig into her debut album, the Dave Friedman produced “Night On My Side” from 2002, which made such a deep impression on me as a teenager. It was such a lovely, unhurried conversation, and I hope you enjoy it.

    53 min

  5. 4 SEPT

    Steve Howe (Yes/Asia)

    Steve Howe is a guitarist best known for his work with Yes, who of course are a cornerstone of progressive rock. The albums “Close To The Edge”, “Fragile”, and “The Yes Album” are essential listening, as far as I’m concerned. Steve had a period of time out of Yes in the 80s and early 90s but had success with another band, Asia, before rejoining Yes and sticking with them up to the present day. Last year they released their 23rd album “Mirror To The Sky”. They’ve been out on tour this year too. But Steve is about to release a new solo instrumental album called “Guitarscape”, and he joined me on to tell me about the process of making it, why Yes shelved their advertised “Relayer” tour, and whether the massive success of Yes without him in the mid-80s was difficult for him. Hope you enjoy.

    30 min

  6. 20 AUG

    Mike Mills (R.E.M.)

    What to say about REM? It might actually be hard for teenagers today, or even 20-somethings, to appreciate how big R.E.M. were in the 90s. For a while, even when they were reinventing themselves, or tackling themes not especially conducive to pop hits, they just seemed to keep getting bigger. They signed the most expensive record deal in history in 1996. They are one of the biggest selling bands of all time, having shifted something like 90 million albums. Formed in 1980 in Athens, Georgia, they released 15 studio albums (only one of which I don’t like), before retiring with dignity in 2011. I respect them for their decision, but as a fan, would I love them to tour again? Yeah, of course I would. They have been, and still are, adamant it won’t happen, but they recently reunited to perform one song for the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, which they were inducted into earlier this year. I of course ask Mike about that decision and whether they may have talked themselves into a corner over the band’s future prospects. I also wanted to ask about the status of the band’s reissue campaign. They’ve gradually been reissuing their back-catalogue with additional material. 1997’s “Up” was the latest to get the anniversary treatment, and I was curious if 2001’s “Reveal” was going to be next up. Anyway, R.E.M. are one of my favourite bands and I’m so glad this happened. In addition to R.E.M. stuff we touch on Mike’s recent tour with The Baseball Project, a band in which he plays alongside last episode’s guest, Steve Wynn of The Dream Syndicate. Mike also tours with Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, another previous guest, and so we talk about their plans to perform Big Star’s incredible second album “Radio City”. Let me know what you think.

    28 min

  7. 6 AUG

    Steve Wynn (The Dream Syndicate)

    Steve Wynn is a founding member of The Dream Syndicate, a key band in the so-called Paisley Underground scene of the early 1980’s. Their debut album “The Days Of Wine And Roses” was recorded in three overnight sessions and released in 1982. It’s one of the great indie-rock touchstones and a phenomenal debut. The band had high-profile support slots with the likes of U2 and REM, but the rest of the 1980’s saw them struggling to capitalise on their potential, and by the end of the decade they had disbanded. Steve continued to have a prolific solo career, as well as side-projects such as The Baseball Project, a supergroup featuring Mike Mills and Peter Buck of REM, who only write and perform songs about baseball. The Dream Syndicate reformed and released the first of several comeback albums in 2017. They remain an ongoing concern, but for now Steve is about to release an autobiography, charting his fascinating childhood in California, and the rise and fall of The Dream Syndicate. It’s a story of record stores, college radio, tour buses, major label shenanigans, told with warmth, humour and honesty. It’s also accompanied by a new solo album entitled “Make It Right”, released on the same day as, and intrinsically linked to, the book. I’ve probably said this a lot, but this was genuinely one of my favourite conversations I’ve had for the podcast. I really hope you enjoy it.

    52 min

  8. 17 JUL

    Paul Carrack (Mike + The Mechanics, Squeeze, Ace)

    Paul Carrack is a singer, songwriter, and musician, and he’s heading out on tour in celebration of the 50th anniversary of classic song “How Long”, a hit he had with his band Ace. Paul has had an incredibly varied career since then. He was a member of Squeeze replacing Jools Holland on keyboards, and playing on their much-loved album “East Side Story”, even providing lead vocals for one of the bands most enduring songs, “Tempted”. He was a songwriter and vocalist in Mike Rutherford’s band Mike + The Mechanics from 1985 to 2004, and has been a session player for Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, and The Smiths amongst others, as well as building up a considerable solo back catalogue. I hope you enjoy our wide-ranging chat!

    37 min
See All (79)

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About

A show about music and creativity.

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Royal
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2024
  • Episodes
    79
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2019 Future Nostalgia (Matt Royal)
  • Show Website
    Sending Signals

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