Im really looking forward to this book, but you also run a radio show, tell us about it?Retropopic was establishing by myself as a brand in 2017 as a radio show that went out from 2RRR in Sydney. Essentially I was looking to broadcast and overviewing the schedule of that station I could see there was nothing there at all directed towards ‘retro’ and ‘pop’. It’s a bit like the Beatles in that the thrust of what they created was Beat music whereas the thrust of what I create is broadcasts and podcasts directed towards Retro Pop so it was just a case of putting those two words together and adding the ic to make it ‘descriptive’. The reason for the ‘Radio’ part is like the ‘Music’ part in that people needed to know it was a radio show as well as a podcast brand. The unique selling point of RETROPOPIC RADIO is each edition focuses on an artist interview. It is after all the global home of the great artist interview, which fits as people from over 150 countries listen in. I now broadcast from 4 stations, 2 in the UK, 1 in Mexico and 1 in the US.
Did you discover any new stories that you think will now become legendary thanks to your book? With the book I had done so many interviews I wanted to take things to the next level. Many of my greatest interviews were with punk icons so that’s really where the idea for Spitting & Screaming came from as there is content from over 50 interviews with the main participants of UK punk (hich really only existed in that 76-77 bubble). I suppose it was great hearing from Kenny Morris why he walked out on The Banshees and how Damien O Neill came up with the lead guitar on Teenage Kicks. This punk label that was placed on, first of all, an essentially London based music scene has uncertain provenance but the explanation of the word punk being put on a musical genre is all there at the start of the book and evidenced, not least as I spoke with Legs McNeil who founded the NY magazine called Punk but in true punk fashion mate
FUCKING READ THE BOOK: Spitting & Screaming (book link)
Which are some of your fav punk recordings? I mean that is punk isn’t it (and ‘we don’t care’). I spose Pretty Vacant is a favourite 45 particularly as Glenn Matlock ripped the guitar idea from Abba song SOS. Never Mind The Bollocks is too well produced to be punk! May be with the genres covered today London Calling is more of a punk album.
What was it about punk that inspired you so much? Punk’s not a movement to inspire though Fabio, you need to inspire yourself! It’s a genre long gone, I mean Green Day ‘give me a break’ though of course the attitude lives on. Punk is still alive if you like as a descriptive word. With 71,000 + listens the podcasts are going great and will continue.
What do you have in mind for your next book?My next book is available on pre order. It’s on The New Seeers and is available here: Book