Sir Ian Rankin: live from Dunfermline Carnegie Hall
I’m delighted to be joined by one of our best-loved, and most successful writers, who’s sold over 30 million copies of his best-selling Rebus novels - not to mention theatre, TV and radio spin-offs, all based in Edinburgh.
He’s also a broadcaster, a sometime rock ‘n’ roll star, and a Fifer with a fab taste in music - and a Knighthood to boot…
He is of course Sir Ian Rankin, and this conversation was recorded at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline, as part of last year’s wonderful Outwith Festival…
Horse: 35 years of The Same Sky
My special guest on this episode is a woman - an icon - whose brilliant debut album sounded like nothing else when it hurtled into our musical landscape 35 years ago - and there really is still nothing like it…
The record’s The Same Sky, the artist is the mighty Horse, and since that record’s release in 1990, she’s raised the roof, and fired up our hearts, with records like God’s Home Movie, and The Road Less Travelled…
Recorded live at The Stand in Edinburgh
Sanjeev Kohli: All Back To Mine
I'm joined by fab actor, writer, comedian and TV star Sanjeev Kohli, whose credits Look Around You; Fags, Mags & Bags; Dept Q; I Swear; the new Irn Bru advert - and of course, Still Game...
He's also a synthesizer and keytar maverick who’s played on-stage with Wilco - but we'll come to that… Recorded live at The Stand in Glasgow
All Back to Mine with Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub)
In this episode - recorded live at the wonderful Stand in Glasgow - I’m joined by Norman Blake, whose musical adventures include The Pretty Flowers - with BMX Bandits’ Duglas T Stewart, The Soup Dragons’ Sean Dickson, and The Vaselines’ Frances McKee - not to mention The Boy Hairdressers, The Clouds, The New Mendicants, Jonny, Jad Fair, De La Soul, Butler Blake and Grant - and Teenage Fanclub…
He played us some songs, he chatted about Bellshill, boiler suits, touring with Nirvana, the meaning of home - and rock ‘n’ roll bungalows….
SMHAF x A Kick Up The Arts with Emma Pollock, Jo Mango & Amy Duncan
This episode was recorded live at Glasgow’s Civic House a few weeks back, as part of the brilliant Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival…
I was joined by three of Scotland’s most vital songwriters and musicians, for an evening of live music and conversation that reflected on the ways in which music and creativity can have an impact on mental health - for better, and worse - both on a personal level, and with regard to bringing about wider social change, and kindness, and understanding…
A Kick Up The Hearts with Jenny Colgan & Andrew Meehan
If you’re after cosy, feel-good reading this festive season: here you go! Jenny Colgan’s The Secret Christmas Library follows accidental book detective Mirren, and Jamie, who's desperately trying to do his best on a crumbling family estate in the Highlands…
Andrew Meehan’s Best Friends sees 70-somethings Ray and June falling into ways of life, and love, they never thought possible - via bikes and honey bees, and the wonder of hedges, knees, and surprises…
Gavin Mitchell: All Back To Mine (recorded live at Edinburgh Fringe)
I’m delighted to be joined by actor, artist, comedian and Still Game favourite Gavin Mitchell who - among other things - is known and loved as Boabby the Barman…
Our chat ranges from Simple Minds’ wonder and Sigourney Weaver’s hairpiece to Alex Harvey, Robin Williams and Peter Pan. Of course it does…
Hollie McNish: All Back To Mine
The brilliant poet Hollie McNish chats about her terrific new book, Virgin - along with some Scottish albums, films and books she loves - ahead of a sold-out gig at Glasgow’s Oran Mor. She’s on tour in Scotland across this week.
Delighted to be London bound! Here’s what the programme has to say: “Join Irvine Welsh and John Niven in conversation with Nicola Meighan for a live podcast recording of A Kick Up the Arts. Celebrating their latest novels, Welsh’s Men in Love and Niven’s The Fathers, this promises an unfiltered, provocative, and darkly funny dive into masculinity, family, and the messy truth of modern life. Expect laughs, sharp takes, literary fireworks and adult language.”
London! Let’s party. Come and join us. Tickets and more info here.
Teenage Fanclub’s wonderful, and totally lovely, Norman Blake will join me for an afternoon of chat and live music.
Norman will reflect on his life, and work, in Teenage Fanclub - and as a solo artist, and with Butler, Blake and Grant, and the rest - and he’ll also discuss some of his favourite Scottish albums, books and films. AND! He’ll play us some live tunes into the bargain. What’s not to love? Take a long lunch, take the afternoon off, whatever it takes - it’d be fab to see you there.
Earlybird tickets for the price of a coffee - I am not joking - are here, with the promo code AKUTA. Ridiculous.
The annual Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival programme is terrific, as ever, and I’m really looking forward to an evening of music and conversation with three brilliant artists whose work has explored various aspects of mental health. We’ll be chatting, there’ll be live performances - it’ll be a really special night, and it’d be lovely to see you there…
The brilliant writer, actor and Still Game favourite Sanjeev Kohli will be with me at The Stand in Glasgow (opposite Kelvinbridge subway) on November 13th, for a chat about some of his favourite Scottish albums, films and books - along with his myriad hugely-loved roles including Dept Q, River City, Fags, Mags & Bags - and that ace new Irn Bru TV ad.
We’ll chat loads, there’ll be hand-picked tunes, who can say whether synthesizers will feature. Early bird tickets for FOUR QUID with the promo code AKUTA are right here!
