Cattales

My guest today is one of music’s octogenarians. Music icon and MBE, Marty Wilde has just made headlines around the world for being the first person in the entertainment industry to receive the COVID vaccine but he is better known for being the first British artist to achieve the incredibly rare feat of 8-decades of chart success.   He’s never lost the appetite for song-writing and performing, and has just released his first ever Christmas single – a Double-A side with daughters Roxanne and Brit Award winning Kim Wilde, and a sprinkling of festive help from The Shadows’ Brian Bennett.   So get into the festive cheer and listen to some of the secrets behind Marty’s song writing success and enjoy the magic of the season with Christmas Fantasia and Christmas All Over The World. Purchase Double-A single: http://smarturl.it/vuic4k

Winning the hearts of a million teenagers in the 80s as the lead singer of synth-pop group Kajagoogoo, Limahl wowed us with debut smash-hit single Too Shy. Two more Top 20 hits quickly followed but after producing only one enormously successful album, he was unceremoniously sacked by his band mates in one swift phone call.   Embarking on a solo career, Limahl bounced back with an incredible hit and title track to the film Neverending Story and continues to make music to this day, releasing an album earlier this year and re-working his lovely festive track; One Wish For Christmas, to reflect Covid-Britain.

Multi-platinum award winning Right Said Fred are one of the UK’s most enduring pop exports.  Brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass have a list of achievements to their credit including number 1 hits in 70 countries, global sales total 30 million, and over 100 million plays on Spotify. The first band to reach the number one slot in the US with a debut single since The Beatles, they’ve played in front of the Queen, Nelson Mandela and the Bollywood Awards, and their music has been featured in over 100 films, TV shows and commercials.  I’m Deeply Dippy about them but they’re Too Sexy for this Cat.

Badfinger is a band that has had more than its fair share of drama and tragedy over the years, to say the least!  With a history that is more suited to a Tarantino film, Badfinger has been dogged with law suits and suicides but has risen from the ashes with its latest incarnation lead by long-term band member Bob Jackson.  I haven’t met Bob in person but we’ve been friends on social media for many years so I was delighted to finally get hear his tale about how he’s been influenced by The Beatles and David Bowie, how he didn’t expect his musical career to go beyond the age of 26, and how Badfinger managed to ‘break bad’.

I’m Walking On Sunshine today with the musician who’s had a worldwide hit that that catapulted Katrina & The Waves to the forefront of the music industry in 1985 with over 2.5 million plays on US Radio and was the soundtrack of a host of films.   But for many, Grammy nominated Katrina will be the American who won the Eurovision song test for the UK in 1997 with Love Shine a Light and has continued her Eurovision ties since then.    Delightful company, there’s no doubt that we’d be heading to the bar after this interview to continue our conversation about music, the business in lockdown….and who is starring alongside her in her next video.  

Ian Anderson is the cat that walks by himself despite leading one of the most iconic, not to mention successful, bands of all time.   Charismatic frontman, virtuoso flautist and composer, Ian has been steadfast through Jethro Tull’s many musical incarnations which, with its idiosyncratic blend of progressive rock, hard rock and folk music, has clocked up some 30-odd albums and sales totalling more than 50 million.   After more than fifty years at the bottom, at the top and various points in between, Jethro Tull is still performing internationally, restrictions permitting, even if Ian does continue to tread the solitary path whenever he can.

Del Bromham has performance in his blood. He began playing guitar at the tender age of eleven and formed dynamic hard-rock band Stray whilst he was still at school. In a career now spanning an incredible six decades, Del has rubbed shoulders with many of the greats, toured with Iron Maiden, and is still writing, recording and performing fresh and exciting music.    The only original member still with the band, the man of a million riffs lets the music do the talking as we chat about the challenges of putting on Covid-compliant gigs, the ‘gifts’ of songwriting, why his latest album is possibly his best work to date, and all about white feathers. 

My guest today is the hugely talented and critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Boo Hewerdine. The musician’s musician, Boo is widely regarded as one of the UK’s best singer songwriters and his cult band, The Bible, still excites passion amongst music lovers, despite being disbanded in the early nineties.   Boo has consistently made his mark on the music scene with his solo performances and songs that have been covered by over 50 other artists, including Eddi Reader, kd lang, Natalie Imbruglia, Marti Pellow, and Suggs.   His song Patience of Angels was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award, he’s produced records for The Corrs, scored the films Fever Pitch and Twenty Four Seven and has even had one of his songs featured on Emmerdale. We chat about song-writing, leaving a legacy and dropping a volauvent down Jools Holland's piano!

The UK Sub's Charlie Harper is a creative guy and just can't stop the flow. When he's not touring the world with one of the most iconic punk rock bands in history he's raising money for charity by...well...painting...errr...cats!    Now, many people may not think of cats as very punk but, let's be honest, anyone who has owned or come into contact with a cat will know that nothing has more 'attitude' than those little feline creatures. And here, at CATtales, we love them...how could we not?   So, when Charlie put his artistic talents into producing a cat painting especially for us, we were holding onto our tails with anticipation! And the result was a stunning, fun, piece of art that truly captures the spirit of CATtales and is as unique as the show itself.   Now, you can WIN your very own unframed A4, fine art print of Charlie’s cat! The print will be produced using a professional Giclée process within a rigorously colour-managed environment on Hahnemühle Photo Matte paper, which has an archival figure of ove

Charlie Harper is an absolute one-off. Back in the seventies this former hairdresser took the UK Subs from London’s punk clubs to Top of the Pops and whilst other punk veterans have become idols, Charlie has become an icon.   Now over seventy, he’s still performing with the band, still throwing himself around the stage and still entertaining audiences who refuse to grow old. But when he’s not on the road touring, he’s writing his autobiography and has a penchant for painting cats.  

For 25 years, Alan Lancaster was bassist with one of the most successful rock bands of all time. A band he founded with school friend Francis Rossi and one which enjoyed multi-platinum album sales and stadium gigs.   But an acrimonious split after Status Quo opened the stage at Live Aid in 1985 left Alan alone in the wilderness, trying to navigate his way through the music business jungle. Alan tells me about how he survived rejection, playing with the Bombers and the Party Boys, and what it was like to be part of the biggest musical event the world has ever witnessed. Track: Is This The Way To Say Goodbye (Bombers)

As a young boy growing up listening to The Sex Pistols and The Damned, Steve Straughan could only dream of being a member of his favourite band the UK Subs, but fast forward a few decades and Steve found that dreams really do come true.   Now the newest addition to one of the most respected bands on the punk scene, as well as being a member of Hi-Fi Spitfires and Loaded 44, Steve tells me about his challenges of learning the UK Subs songs on-stage, his solo project The Last Gang, and why he doesn’t like to make his lyrics too obvious. #UKSubs #Hi-fiSpitfire #Loaded44 # TheLastGang #Punk #Interview  

July 2020: In this second tale of a two-part series, I chat more to founding member of Motörhead and current Pink Fairy, Lucas Fox.  We chat about how Lucas cheated death and why he has no fear of the afterlife, how Warsaw Pakt paved the way for Jack White and ended up in the Guinness Book of Records, and how Lucas worked with Ray Charles.    We also talk the early years of Motörhead, what it was like to leave the band and what it was really like to work with Lemmy. There’s no doubt that, after hearing Lucas’ tales, you will be queueing up to read his autobiography! #LucasFox #Motorhead #WarsawPakt #PinkFairies 

When Enuff Z’Nuff finally did say enough’s enough to lead singer Donnie Vie, it looked like it was all over for the man who had spent 25 years crafting melodic power pop and rock songs for the band that had been the darlings of the critics with their debut release.    The band’s history has been punctuated by drug-induced self-sabotage, inglorious failure, premature death and bankruptcy, so the acrimonious dissolution of the brotherhood between Donnie and Chip Z’Nuff should have marked the end.   But Enuff Z’Nuff have continued on their way without Donnie who, like the proverbial phoenix, has risen from the ashes to release Beautiful Things, arguably, the best album of his career to date. We chat about life after the band, why he’s had more downs than ups, and the day he woke up in a morgue. Track featured: I Could Save The World, Donnie Vie Donnie's website: www.donnievie.com  

July 2020: I call Paris and spend a very entertaining evening in the delightful company of Lucas Fox, co-founder of Motörhead, drummer with Warsaw Pakt and now member of Pink Fairies. He recounts lots of fascinating stories, divulges a few secrets and reveals all about some risky, as well as risqué, moments in his life.   In this first tale in a two-part series, Lucas tells me about his early days, his big break into the music industry, a chance encounter with Keith Moon, Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts, and how his band, the WH Pierce band, were recorded by Roger Waters.   And, of course, we chat about his first meeting with Lemmy and how Motörhead was born, but also about his obsession with ladies lingerie and why he is spilling the beans of all the sex and drugs in his forthcoming autobiography. #LucasFox #Motorhead #WarsawPakt #PinkFairies 

July 2020: In this show, I call France to chat with one of punk’s true originals. He’s the bassist who toured with Iggy Pop, played in Cheap & Nasty, has been a member of UK Subs on and off for over forty years and has recently released his first solo album, Your Disobedient Servant, with a who’s who of punk royalty guesting on it.   Alvin Gibbs chats with me about the highs and lows of being in the UK Subs, what he got up to in between, all about his new autobiography, Diminished Responsibility, and gives me the scoop on who would like to be one of his Disobedient Servants on his second album.

In this series of revealing interviews, journalist Cat tells tales about influential musicians who have been at the heart of the industry for many years and have moulded and inspired others to follow in their footsteps. Taking a friendly and informal approach, these fresh and relaxed conversations are the sort of chat overheard in the backstage bar about life and music...and occasionally even an expose of a few secrets. Sit back, enjoy, and subscribe.

June 2020: Two-time World Superbike Champion and former MotoGP rider, James Toseland, admits that it’s a long was to the top if you want to rock ‘n’ roll but is enjoying every moment of his second career as a successful musician and songwriter.   Collaborating with Little Angels legend Toby Jepson he has written two albums packed with classic rock and power ballads, toured with Deep Purple and Status Quo, and had Toseland’s We’ll Stop At Nothing adopted as the Special Olympics anthem in 2017.   Now, he gives us the inside scoop on the music industry and tells how going on stage is just as much of an adrenaline rush as motorcycle racing. #JamesToseland #Rock #Toseland #WorldSuperbike #Champion #MotoGP #Interview 

June 2020: Ricky Warwick is the ‘lad’ from Northern Ireland who got to walk in his hero’s shoes, even though he refuses to admit he wears them.   The now lead singer with Thin Lizzy, Ricky plays songs written by Phil Lynott and performs with Scott Gorham to bring them to life again. But, more than that, he is also the frontman of Black Star Riders, who have made four of the finest hard rock albums of modern times, and was also the frontman for the hard rock band The Almighty, who achieved chart success in the UK throughout the 90s.    It’s a while since Ricky and I last saw each other but he is every bit as humble as he was  then and we chat about stepping into those famous shoes, Ricky’s solo albums, performing virtually and shaking your bahookie. #RickyWarwick #ThinLizzy #BlackStarRiders #The Almighty #TheFightingHearts #Rock 

June 2020: In 1977 when singer-songwriter Judie Tzuke signed to Elton John’s Rocket label, she couldn’t imagine that over 40 years later she would still be performing. Her biggest success came a couple of years later with album Welcome to the Cruise with her single Stay With Me Till Dawn reaching number 16 in the UK Singles Chart.    Since then, she has released a series of quality albums, and lent her talents to albums by artists such as Tom Baxter and Morcheeba. Judie’s music has also been sampled by the likes of Mylo, and her cover of Lives in the Balance was featured in a popular TV series by order of the Peaky Blinders. We chat about Judie surviving #cancer and #COVID19, how being ill has affected her outlook on life and how her fans have helped her conquer her nerves onstage. #JudieTzuke #Pop #Music #Interview #Covid #MentalHealth