The Fischer-Z Podcast

Fischer-Z
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As Fischer-Z approach their remarkable 50th Anniversary in 2026, John Watts has handpicked 24 of his favourite tracks—one from every album across five decades—and opened the door to the stories behind them. In 14 brand-new podcast episodes, curated and hosted by Martin Bull, John dives into the meaning of each song, what was happening within the band at the time, and what was going on in his own life as the music was being created. Each episode features the chosen track plus a wealth of anecdotes—some familiar, many never heard before—woven into the wider context of Fischer-Z’s journey. This series is a warm, insightful celebration of 50 years in music, offering fans a rare look at the creative process, the highs and lows, and the moments that shaped Fischer-Z’s unique legacy. And there’s more: a special bonus episode brings together musicians and former members of Fischer-Z, sharing their personal memories of working with John and being part of the band’s story. Trust us—this one you won’t want to miss. New episodes drop every two weeks starting 9 January. Subscribe to The Fischer-Z Podcast today and get every episode automatically. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Aug 20

    Special Guests - Part 2

    In the second part of this special two-part episode, host Martin Bull sits down with some of the musicians and people connected to the band who have shared the stage and studio with John Watts over the past five decades. Through fascinating conversations and untold stories they reveal what it was really like touring the world, recording the albums, dealing with life on the road and why the band is still around today making great music and playing to sold out crowds.  As in the first part you'll hear personal memories from the early years through to more recent line-ups whether you've followed Fischer-Z since the late 1970s or have only recently discovered the music, this special offers a fascinating insight into the their stories In this second episode we speak to Sam Walker, Marian Menge and Graham Bonnet who share how they worked with John and the band and their experiences in recording, touring and more picking up where Part One left off, once again its a voyage of discovery but we hope you enjoy their stories as much as we did speaking to them and sharing with everyone. Look out for the next episodes featuring the new album, a video podcast, more from the band members and those connected to the band and a fans special too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Special Guests - Part 2

  2. Aug 6

    Episode 13 - 'The Hamburg Beat' & 'When Love Goes Wrong'

    In the last episode of this Now and Then season John chats about The Hamburg Beat from Triptych and When Love Goes wrong from Punkt. He shares the stories behind those tracks and how audiences have really responded to the newer material in the more recent gigs. The podcast will be back to explore the new album with John track by track and will also be chatting to those that were a part of making the album and were part of the band for the Spring 2026 tour as well as the upcoming Autumn tour. Keep an eye out also for the video podcast special too. This has been a fascinating insight into Johns favourite tracks over the last 50 years and its fitting to end the episode with When Love Goes wrong which has established itself as a firm live favourite with the fans. We hope you have enjoyed listeneing as much as we have enjoyed making and look forward to the next series of episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 13 - 'The Hamburg Beat' & 'When Love Goes Wrong'

  3. Jul 23

    Special Guests - Part 1

    For fifty years, Fischer-Z has constantly evolved. Behind every album, every tour and every era has been an incredible group of musicians who have been a part of the journey along the way. In the first part of this special two-part episode, host Martin Bull sits down with some of the musicians who have shared the stage and studio with John Watts over the past five decades. Through fascinating conversations and untold stories they reveal what it was really like touring the world, recording the albums, dealing with life on the road and why the band is still around today making great music and playing to sold out crowds.  You'll hear personal memories from the early years through to more recent line-ups, with guests reflecting on unforgettable concerts, the creative process, friendships formed over decades that have showed that there is a Fischer-Z family and some musicians come back in to the fold. This is the first of a 2 part special with part 2 coming up later in August. We won't list who is on the episodes as that is a surprise for everyone ! Whether you've followed Fischer-Z since the late 1970s or have only recently discovered the music, this special offers a fascinating insight into the their stories Subscribe to The Fischer-Z podcast now to get your downloads on release day every two weeks. More exciting episodes on their way with a bonus guest episode to be announced soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Special Guests - Part 1

  4. Jun 25

    Episode 12 - 'No Bohemia' & 'Cuban Rain Falling'

    Season 1 of the official Fischer-Z Podcast will be called 'Now & Then'. John chose this name to celebrate both the 50th anniversary of the band forming in 1976 and to talk about the upcoming new album 'X-Ray Serenade' set for release on the 4th September 2026. In this episode John talks about both No Bohemia from the album Swimming In Thunderstorms in 2020 and Cuban Rain Falling from the Album Til The Oceans Overflow. John tells about his childhood in this episode and how its impacted his songwriting. He talks about his family history and how he has kept sharing the information. John also chats about his time at school and how he can view his situation from the outside and the impact it has had on his songs and how they were perceived and viewed by those closest to him. This episode covers some of the challenges about his political writings and in our view is the most personal that he has shared stories about. Enjoy this one because its definately multi layered as an episode. Subscribe to The Fischer-Z podcast now to get your downloads on release day every two weeks. More exciting episodes on their way with a bonus guest episode to be announced soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 12 - 'No Bohemia' & 'Cuban Rain Falling'

  5. Jun 4

    Episode 11 - 'World Go Round' & 'Damascus Disco'

    Season 1 of the official Fischer-Z Podcast will be called 'Now & Then'. John chose this name to celebrate both the 50th anniversary of the band forming in 1976 and to talk about the upcoming new album 'X-Ray Serenade' set for release on the 4th September 2026. In this episode (#11) we chat to John about the track World Go Round from This is My Universe and the track Damascus Disco from Building Bridges. John talks about collaborating and writing many songs and that he did a number of very different concerts eg Living Room concerts. John talks about what his memories are alongside his recollections of the other tracks on This Is My Universe. John also talks about different arrangements and his role as musical director in the bands and that each show is unique. Another episode which has some great insights into John, the band, his music and of course the stories behind the music. Subscribe to The Fischer-Z podcast now to get your downloads on release day every two weeks. More exciting episodes on their way with a bonus guest episode to be announced soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 11 - 'World Go Round' & 'Damascus Disco'

  6. May 14

    Episode 10 - 'Heart of New York' & 'Perfect Timing'

    Season 1 of the official Fischer-Z Podcast will be called 'Now & Then'. John chose this name to celebrate both the 50th anniversary of the band forming in 1976 and to talk about the upcoming new album 'X-Ray Serenade' set for release on the 4th September 2026. This episode 10 explores the standalone single 'Heart of New York' and the track 'Perfect timing' from the album Morethanmusic. John chats about the single and its origins as well as how the single was made and the production of the single and how different it was to much of John's other work. John also talks about the video for the single too and the reasons for choosing it. John also talks about the origins of the lyrics too. Not an easy one to find this one so this is a real background story to the song. For Perfect Timing John covers the meaning of song and what was happening with him and the album Morethanmusic and its artistic elements alongside the multimedia promotion of the album. Subscribe to The Fischer-Z podcast now to get your downloads on release day every two weeks. More exciting episodes on their way with a bonus guest episode to be announced soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 10 - 'Heart of New York' & 'Perfect Timing'

  7. Apr 30

    Episode 9 - 'Zydeco' & 'Brothers'

    Season 1 of the official Fischer-Z Podcast will be called 'Now & Then'. John chose this name to celebrate both the 50th anniversary of the band forming in 1976 and to talk about the upcoming new album 'X-Ray Serenade' set for release on the 4th September 2026. Episode 9 of the Podcast covers the track Zydeco from the album Real Life is Good Enough in 2005 and Brothers from the album It Has To Be in 2007. We hear about both albums creation and the story around how the tracks were written, what they are about and how John looks back at them now. we also hear about what was heppening in john's life and the band at this time too. john covers why these songs are important to him. Subscribe to The Fischer-Z podcast now to get your downloads on release day every two weeks. More exciting episodes on their way with a bonus guest episode to be announced soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 9 - 'Zydeco' & 'Brothers'

  8. Apr 29

    Episode 8 - 'BigBeatPoetry' & 'Promenaders'

    Season 1 of the official Fischer-Z Podcast will be called 'Now & Then'. John chose this name to celebrate both the 50th anniversary of the band forming in 1976 and to talk about the upcoming new album in September. Episode 8 of the Podcast covers BigBeatPoetry from the 1999 album BigBeatPoetry and Promenaders from The 2002 album Ether. We cover what these songs are about, what they mean to John and how working with the German DJ Ingo Wörner created a unique sound. We also hear about the branding of the albums and once again the change in sound towards Ether and looking ahead to Episode 9 which covers the story of Real Life is Good Enough from 2005 and It Has To Be in 2007. Subscribe to The Fischer-Z podcast now to get your downloads on release day every two weeks. More exciting episodes on their way with a bonus guest episode to be announced soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Episode 8 - 'BigBeatPoetry' & 'Promenaders'
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About

As Fischer-Z approach their remarkable 50th Anniversary in 2026, John Watts has handpicked 24 of his favourite tracks—one from every album across five decades—and opened the door to the stories behind them. In 14 brand-new podcast episodes, curated and hosted by Martin Bull, John dives into the meaning of each song, what was happening within the band at the time, and what was going on in his own life as the music was being created. Each episode features the chosen track plus a wealth of anecdotes—some familiar, many never heard before—woven into the wider context of Fischer-Z’s journey. This series is a warm, insightful celebration of 50 years in music, offering fans a rare look at the creative process, the highs and lows, and the moments that shaped Fischer-Z’s unique legacy. And there’s more: a special bonus episode brings together musicians and former members of Fischer-Z, sharing their personal memories of working with John and being part of the band’s story. Trust us—this one you won’t want to miss. New episodes drop every two weeks starting 9 January. Subscribe to The Fischer-Z Podcast today and get every episode automatically. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Fischer-Z
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Fischer-Z
  • Show Website
    The Fischer-Z Podcast

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