A Kick Up The Arts with Nicola Meighan

Send us Fan MailIf you're a fan of Dundee burger impresario Bob Servant, Leith-set sibling thriller Guilt, and true-life Brinks-Mat heist drama The Gold - you are in for a treat...My guest on this episode is screenwriter and author Neil Forsyth, who created all of those titles and so much more... The Broughty Ferry native has just launched a brilliant new series, Legends, which stars Steve Coogan and Tom Burke, and is based on an early 90s operation where a gang of civil servants went deep undercover in a bid to win - the war on drugs...We talked about Legends, and truth, and fiction, and Brian Cox's role as Bob Servant, and Neil also gave us an imaginary evening of entertainment round at his place - Midori in hand, I have no doubt - and discussed his choice of a favourite Scottish album, film and book...Spoiler alert - they were Deacon Blue's Raintown, Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting - in all of its guises, including the Danny Boyle film adaptation - and John Niven's blindsiding memoir, O Brother, about the loss of his younger brother, who took his own life when he was 42.We met over a pot coffee in a very fancy hotel suite in Glasgow - which bought back classy memories - for both of us...

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I'm chatting with David MacGregor, aka Broken Chanter, about his terrific new album...The follow-up to 2024's Chorus of Doubt, it's a rallying cry for empathy, and a call-to-arms, to hold on to each other... it's inspired by the art of Arpita Singh, it's out now on legendary Scottish indie label Chemikal Underground, and it's called This Could Be Us, You, Or Anybody Else.David invited me round for a coffee, and we chatted about the new record, and his bygone days in Kid Canaveral - and if you fancy seeing him live, he's at Vox Box in Edinburgh for Record Store Day (April 18th) along with previous A Kick Up The Arts guest Kathryn Joseph, then he's live in Dundee, Inverness, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Leith in the coming weeks - (full details here). 

Send us Fan MailIf you missed my sold-out conversation with Del Amitri's Justin Currie at the Edinburgh Fringe a few months back - or even if you were in our lovely audience at The Stand and fancy listening again - well, it's right here...I've spoken to Justin various times over the years - about his songwriting, about Del Amitri, and more recently about his best-selling book, The Tremolo Diaries, which reflects on life on the road, and his Parkinson's diagnosis - but this time round, we chatted about some of his Scottish cultural loves...It's part of a series, All Back To Mine, where a guest offers us an imaginary afternoon or evening round at their house, discussing a Scottish album they'd play us, film that they'd show us, and then a book for some bedtime reading... It's seen guests like Altered Images' Clare Grogan discussing Simple Minds, Aftersun and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie; Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake chatting about Orange Juice, The Wicker Man and Nan Shepherd's The Living Mountain; Val McDermid singing the praises of Rab Noakes, Local Hero and James Robertson's And The Land Lay Still - and so many more fab guests with terrific recommendations...Justin came armed with a clipboard of notes, and waxed lyrical on his love of art-pop trailblazer Davy Henderson - of the Fire Engines and the Nectarine No.9 - along with Lynne Ramsay's film adaptation of Alan Warner's Morvern Callar - a psychological drama that sees the titular character waking up to find her partner's body, dead by suicide. Its disorienting exploration of grief sees Morvern hide the body, spend his money, and take ownership of his unpublished book manuscript.Justin also reflected on his new-found love of Muriel Spark, in particular her late-60s skewering of celebrity culture, The Public Image - a book that chimes with Del Amitri’s post-punk roots, given John Lydon also took his lead from the title when he named his post-Sex Pistols outfit Public Image Ltd…Thanks again if you joined us live for this event, and to everyone at The Stand in Edinburgh for being brilliant - and particular thanks to Justin Currie - not just for being such fab company as ever - but for squeezing in our afternoon chat before he hot-footed it for an evening gig with Del Amitri at Floors Castle in Kelso... 

Send us Fan MailWe’re back in Glasgow’s magical Alasdair Gray Archive on this episode, for a chat with two brilliant Scottish writers, and literary leading lights - Rory Watson and Alan Bissett…Rory is a poet, academic and editor - and a former Professor of English at Stirling University, whose celebrated work includes books exploring Hugh MacDiarmid, Norman MacCaig, Scottish Literature, and he was the long-time General Editor of Canongate Classics, where his paths crossed with Alasdair Gray, among myriad others.His latest poetry collection, The Silver of Old Mirrors, is a stunning, glinting and gentle reflection on a life well lived, and a life well loved - and a well-thumbed family album that digs deep on landscape, tides, and time… He’s launching it in his home town of Stirling at the Central Library on April 8th…I’ve known Rory and his wife Celia all my life - their daughter’s one of my best and oldest friends - and even when I lived in London, I’d always visit them when I was home. One of those times, around 2001, we were chatting about books, and music - and Rory handed me something from a Stirling Uni student that he said he thought I’d love…He was bang on the money. It was Alan Bissett’s first novel, Boyracers - Alan thanks Rory for his support in the acknowledgements - and since that hurtling, exuberant thrill of a debut, Alan’s work as an award-winning writer and performer has revelled on the page, on the stage, and beyond…There’s been Death of a Ladies’ Man, and the unstoppable Moira Monologues, there have been plays exploring Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett, witchcraft trials, and Andrea Dworkin; not to mention a short film, The Shutdown - and an excellent pop collaboration with Arab Strap’s Malcolm Middleton…More recently, an imagined conversation between Billy Connolly and Alasdair Gray, inspired by a photo of them together at the launch of Lanark in 1981, has given rise to Alan’s acclaimed and hugely entertaining one-man show, When Billy Met Alasdair, which returns to the stage this Saturday night, March 28th… That’s at the Citz as part of Glasgow Comedy Festival.And so, to celebrate all of that, I sat down with Alan and Rory and we chatted about the wonder of words, the magic of old photographs, the power of listening to women’s voices - from mums and wives and matriarchs to theatre directors and avant-pop diviner Laurie Anderson - and we looked forward to their next events. We got a bit nostalgic, too… After all, mirrors are always looking back… 

Send us Fan MailA few weeks ago, I was delighted to host the press launch of this year's Glasgow Film Festival, with new Head of Programme Paul Gallagher and Programme Manager Chris Kumar, at the GFT. We sat down afterwards to chat about some of the brilliant movies they're screening, and some of the myriad reasons that GFF remains a world-class festival, while also being deeply rooted in Scotland, and in its own city - as you'll hear. The festival opens in a matter of hours - on Wednesday February 25th - and it runs until the 8th of March. We touched on global premieres, Glasgow body-snatchers, two very different movies called Hen, and a retrospective of Marilyn Monroe - via Gaelic psalm singing, Caledonia Schemin', Carrie, Everybody To Kenmure Street - and special guests like James McAvoy, Bernard MacLaverty, and Lynne Ramsay who'll receive the festival's prestigious Cinema City Honorary Award.The Maryhill-born film-maker, whose outstanding work includes Ratcatcher, Die My Love, Morvern Callar and You Were Never Really Here, will lead a special In Conversation event, From Page To Pulse, on March the 6th. You can also delve into Moulin Rouge, a feminist film club, and the Scottish premiere of Broken English - Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard’s richly-layered portrait of pop cultural icon Marianne Faithfull, with contributions from, among others, Tilda Swinton, Courtney Love, and their regular collaborator and kindred spirit, Nick Cave. I’ll be hosting the Q&A with Iain and Jane after the screening - we go back decades - when Iain and I sat next to each other at Mute records in London - so I’m really looking forward to seeing their latest film, and to chatting with them. That’s this coming Thursday, February 26th.For now though, to a quiet but excited morning with Paul Gallagher and Chris Kumar, talking all things GFF - at the GFT…

Send us Fan MailWell, since the Spring is very nearly upon us, we’re celebrating the forthcoming season of Scottish lunchtime theatre phenomenon - A Play, A Pie, and A Pint.Founded by the hugely missed David MacLennan in 2004, PPP - as it’s fondly known - is the most prolific producer of new writing in theatre in the UK, bringing us 30-odd brand new plays every single year… The premise is therefore wildly creative, wildly thrilling - and wildly simple: a new play, every week, every season, for under an hour, with food and drink included with the price of every ticket. It’s a revelation, a wonder, a risk, a cultural institution, and a total joy.The new season kicks off later this month at its glorious HQ - Glasgow’s gilded Oran Mor - but many of the plays will also travel to spiritual PPP homes across the country - from Aberdeen to Dumfries; from Pitlochry to Paisley; from Edinburgh to Ayr - and they’re all worth your lunchtime… I caught up with A Play, A Pie, and A Pint’s fab Artistic Director, Brian Logan earlier this week - along with Associate Artistic Director Laila Noble, in her last few days in post before she brings all of her vision and dynamism to Ayr’s Gaiety Theatre, where she’ll be at the helm as Creative Director and CEO.We reflected on the general wonder of A Play, A Pie, and A Pint, and we whirled across the Spring season’s programme - from a comedy-drama inspired by a couple door-stepping a Beatle on the Mull of Kintyre, to a cabaret - and life-changing - swansong, in Funeral to my Boobs, via social uprisings, unsung Scottish football heroes, Hen Nights, dancing shoes, un-planned parenthood, self-discovery, lesbian bikers, and grannies in gay bars. All life is here. And there’s a free pastry, thrown into the bargain. Brian and Laila and I chatted in their precious free time between rehearsals, so we’re in a fairly echoey space - but they’re total legends, and their chat is great - and it’s all part of the magic, right? 

Send us Fan MailWe’re celebrating the wonder of writer, artist, Glasgow icon and cultural polymath Alasdair Gray - not for the first time, I grant you…The annual Gray Day takes place at Glasgow’s Oran Mor on February 25th, and - among other things - it’ll be revelling in Alasdair’s masterpiece, Lanark, on the 45th anniversary of its publication…Alan Bissett will perform another excerpt of his outstanding theatre work inspired by a photograph of Alasdair with Billy Connolly at the launch of Lanark back in the ‘80s - and there’ll be video contributions from Alan Cumming, who’s narrating the first full version of the Lanark audiobook.It’s curated, as ever, by the Alasdair Gray Archive’s incredible custodian, Sorcha Dallas - honestly, she is a legend - and this year’s Gray Day is hosted by comedian, writer and broadcaster Josie Long, who’s always worth seeing live, and whose recent short story collection, Because I Don’t Know What You Mean And What You Don’t, is wonderful…I sat down with Sorcha and Josie at the archive this morning, along with the brilliant writer Rachelle Atalla, whose unforgettable novels include The Pharmacist and The Salt Flats. Rachelle’s the recipient of this year’s Creative Commission, so she’ll read from a brand new short story, inspired by the work of Alasdair Gray - following on from the likes of Chitra Ramaswamy, Ali Smith, Denise Mina, Sara Sheridan and Michael Pedersen… Pour a coffee, pull up a chair, have a listen - and hopefully see you at Oran Mor on February 25th…

Send us Fan MailMy guest in this episode is an award-winning, best-selling writer and style icon - look, I’m just stating the facts here - whose terrific work includes crime fiction, comic books, theatre shows, and historical novels…Following titles like The Garnethill Trilogy, the Paddy Meehan and Alex Morrow series, Rizzio, Three Fires, Hellblazer and Conviction - the latter of which was celebrated as part of Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon’s book club - Denise Mina's latest novel is The Good Liar, and it’s as brilliant as it is thrilling… It’s out in paperback this month, and we chatted about The Good Liar, as well as Denise’s choice of a favourite Scottish album, film and book, in a conversation recorded live at The Stand in Glasgow - if you were in our fab audience, thanks so much for joining us… If you fancy hearing more from Denise, she’s in conversation with former podcast guest Val McDermid at Aberdeen’s Granite Noir on February 20th - I’ll be up there with Vera and Shetland creator Ann Cleeves on February 21st - and then Denise is at Greenock’s Beacon Book Book Festival with Louise Welsh and Kirsty Logan on February 22nd. Denise has also just been announced as this year’s Bloody Scotland guest programmer here in my home town of Stirling, following on from another previous podcast guest, Ian Rankin, who had the honours last year… For now though, to a chilly afternoon in Glasgow, and Denise’s talk about music, books, films, caravans, reading, writing - and the holiday that changed her life… 

Send us Fan MailI’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… Ian recalled visiting the historic venue as a wee boy growing up in nearby Cardenden, and he reflected on some key cultural touchstones for him through the years - from the punk spirit of The Skids and the riotous language of A Clockwork Orange, to Muriel Spark’s darkest humour, and Alison Watt’s sublime visual art.We also discussed Ian’s latest Rebus best-seller, the thrilling Midnight and Blue, which sees his legendary detective banged up in an Edinburgh prison… There were various technical gremlins on the night, so this audio recording’s not the best quality - but rest assured it settles down after the first 30 seconds or so, so bear with us while there are a few doors banging and people getting settled down… And it’s well worth staying around, to hear Ian’s tales of rocking some bleach-spattered “sexy blue overalls” that he nicked from a local chicken factory - and selling one of his own paintings to Jack Vettriano… Renaissance man or what…

Send us Fan MailMy 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… She’s shared a stage with Burt Bacharach, she’s toured with Tina Turner, and we chatted about all that - and about her early days making music with her former Horse collaborator Angela McAlinden… We also celebrated 35 years of The Same Sky, and looked forward to her Celtic Connections show, which is later this month…It’s at Glasgow’s Barrowlands, in cahoots with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, three decades since their first groundbreaking union at the legendary venue. We recorded this chat live at The Stand in Edinburgh a few months back - thanks so much if you were in our joyous audience… Horse played three songs live for us too - You Could Be Forgiven and Sweet Thing - I can’t include the full versions, because there are so many rights issues around music and podcasts that I’m worried this episode will get taken down if I push my luck…BUT - if you stay for our chat, then you’ll also hear Horse signing off with a stunning a capella version of Careful… Everything falls into place…

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I'm joined by an actor, writer, comedian and TV star, thanks to roles in 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.. Sanjeev’s starring in a new adults-only panto this month - Patter Productions’ The Wizard Wae The Big Baws - which is touring Greenock, Dumbarton and Glasgow this month, so we chat about that, and his life and work - and his choice of a favourite Scottish album, film and book… We recorded this live at The Stand in Glasgow - thanks so much if you joined us in the audience, to hear Sanjeev’s tales of stalking Chris de Burgh, twitter spats with Carol Decker, Bollywood fever-dreams on Still Game - and who’d play him in his biopic. Spoiler alert: it’s one of The Krankies… 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode - recorded live at the wonderful Stand in Glasgow - I’m joined by a legendary musician, singer and songwriter who’s been associated with so many bands and artists that if I listed them all, we’d be here till next week… They include, however, 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 is the glorious Norman Blake, and he chatted about his life and work - and a favourite Scottish album, film and book - via budgies, Bellshill, boiler suits, roller blinds, touring with Nirvana - and rock ‘n’ roll bungalows…He played us some fab songs live too, he told me he’d rocked up with his guitar tuned to Nashville - but music on podcasts is a bloody minefield for various rights reasons - so I can’t include them.. Trust me, they were awesome - and not least because I accompanied him, uninvited, on the tambourine… Go buy all his records though, and I’ll list some upcoming live shows after our chat. But for now - to a winter’s afternoon, on the Great Western Road, with Norman Blake… 

Send us Fan MailThis 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…Emma Pollock's a founder member of hugely loved Scottish band the Delgados, and the revolutionary label Chemikal Underground. She led the Music Like A Vitamin and Fruit Tree Foundation projects alongside Idlewild’s Rod Jones, which grew from previous work with the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, in association with the Mental Health Foundation. She’s just released an absolutely glorious new album, it’s called Begging The Night To Take Hold, and its release follows a period of huge personal upheaval, and an autism diagnosis… Jo Mango is a musician, songwriter and academic whose work ranges from touring with Vashti Bunyan to her involvement with incredible initiatives like Vox Liminis’ Distant Voices and A Giant on the Bridge - which explored experiences of the criminal justice system from various perspectives - and Listening To Voices, which engaged creatively with people who hear voices - often those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia…Jo’s forthcoming album, The Lightswitch, has a strong focus on mental health - exploring the ‘ghost voices’ of women who have left the music industry because of harassment, abuse or toxic environments…Amy Duncan, meanwhile, is a musician, singer and songwriter who I first met when she played in punk-folk outfit Swelling Meg with Cora Bissett in the late 1990s - and I loved them so much I put out their album… Since then, you might have seen Amy onstage brandishing her double bass in the National Theatre of Scotland’s awesome June Carter Cash show, or marvelled at her solo albums… She’s gearing up to release Greetings From Gartnavel, her third collaboration with lyricist David Paton, which is an album of songs shining a light on David’s experiences with schizophrenia - and this episode is bookended by Amy and David’s songs together, to let their music do the talking. Their album’s out via Last Night From Glasgow in January…For rights reasons - because music on podcasts is a bit of a minefield, to be honest - you’ll only hear clips of the tracks that Amy, Jo and Emma performed - but seek out their records, go see them live!

Send us Fan MailThis week I'm hearing from two terrific writers whose latest books are perfect for cosy reading over the next few weeks - and beyond... Jenny Colgan is a best-selling author. whose latest - 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... It's a snowed-in, fired-up celebration of family, secrets, ancient novels, dogs, adventures, mysteries, castles - and devastatingly handsome men... Andrew Meehan has worked for the Irish Film Board and teaches Creative Writing at Strathclyde University, and his books include the wonderful One Star Awake and The Mystery of Love. His latest, Best Friends, sees seventy-somethings Ray and June falling into ways of life, and love, they never thought possible - via books and bikes and honey bees, and the wonder of hedges, knees, and surprises...Listen in, and catch Jenny and Andrew at St Andrew's Book Festival in London's St Columba's Church at the end of this November... I'll also be there, chatting with Irvine Welsh and John Niven together - we'll be there on Saturday night, that's November 29th at 8pm - and before that, at teatime - I'll be in conversation with Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi - aka the Witches of Scotland - about their publishing phenomenon, How To Kill A Witch...For now though, to a bright and frosty Edinburgh morning, with Jenny Colgan, and Andrew Meehan, and piping hot coffee and excellent pastries - to talk about life, love, getting older, memory and expectations, winters nights and travellers - and Italo Calvino gets a seasonal look-in too...

Send us Fan MailIn this episode 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…His work includes early roles on stage and behind the scenes at The Citz in Glasgow, via Velvet Soup, Monarch of the Glen, Bill Forsyth’s Being Human, Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut - and various dramas with his kindred spirit John Byrne, including the Tutti Frutti theatre show…We recorded this conversation live at The Stand in Edinburgh as part of this year’s Fringe, and Gavin took us on an imaginary evening of entertainment chez Mitchell, discussing his choice of a Scottish album, film and book, along with his own life and work. Come for his Mick Jagger impressions; stay for the chat about Peter Pan: though I warn you; it gets pretty dark… If you’re a fan of Still Game incidentally, another legend - Sanjeev Kohli, aka Navid - joins me at The Stand in Glasgow on November 13th, at half two - we’ll be having a similar chat to this, and it’d be lovely to see you there… there’s more info at akickupthearts.orgFor now though, back to Gavin Mitchell, live in Auld Reekie… 

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I’m joined by  the brilliant poet Hollie McNish, whose latest collection, Virgin, is out this week. We caught up last night in her dressing room, ahead of a sold-out gig at Glasgow’s Oran Mor, kicking off her Scottish book tour.Virgin is a blazing, bright, riled love letter to the best of us - which is most of us - in the face of man-made constructs, expectations, blame, shame, and abuses of power. It features mashed potatoes, pomegranates, warm baths, pornhub comments, rebel yells, kissing trees, butter dishes and radical hope.(I’m also now madly in love with Benny from Accounts, incidentally - but you’ll need to read the book to find out why.)Anyway - we sat down for a blether, for an All Back To Mine special, where Hollie chose us a Scottish album, book and film…We spoke about love, life, words, power; women, children, masculinity; Shirley Manson, Michael Mullen, roller-skates, and Gregory's Girl. (You can also watch a very DIY film of our chat in Hollie's dressing room on YouTube, if you like!)Hollie's live at Toppings' St Andrews tonight (October 20), at Dunkeld's Birnam Arts on the 21st, at Mac Arts in Galashiels on the 22nd, at Portobello Town Hall on the 23rd, and then she's at Push the Boat Out with Michael Pedersen in Edinburgh on November 8th.

Send us Fan MailWhile I’ve got your ear, just a quick reminder that on the afternoon of Thursday the 9th of October I’ll be in conversation with writer and legend Denise Mina - that’s at The Stand in Glasgow, it’s at half two - and it’d be lovely to see you there. You can get tickets for the price of a coffee via akickupthearts.org…There are also events coming up with Emma Pollock, Irvine Welsh, John Niven, Sanjeev Kohli and Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake, Michael Pedersen - and more chats with this episode's guest, Gordon Buchanan. I’ll tell you more about all those soon... sign up for the newsletter! Or you can find me on social media...Right now though, I’m joined by brilliant wildlife cameraman and film-maker Gordon Buchanan, whose hugely loved series include My Epic Camel Adventure, Life in the Snow, The Bear Family and Me - and Tribes, Predators and Me. Earlier this year, he published a terrific, enlightening and hugely engaging memoir - IN THE HIDE: HOW THE NATURAL WORLD SAVED MY LIFE - which is well worth reading if you haven’t come across it yet. We chat about all that, of course, and Gordon also reflects on a favourite Scottish album, film and book, in a chat that ranges from killer polar bears - and vicious pets - to pop goddess Sheena Easton, magical writer Michael Pedersen - and showbiz icon Sydney Devine…This conversation was recorded live at the Edinburgh Fringe - thanks so much if you joined us - and, as I always do, I got the audience to try and practice cheer before we brought Gordon out… But it didn’t really go to plan…

Send us Fan MailWe’re back at Scotland’s Crime Writing Festival, Bloody Scotland, for this episode - which is a whistle-stop blether with three of the many, many excellent writers who’re in my home town of Stirling this weekend…Tariq Ashkanani’s latest wide-screen Americana novel, The Midnight King, hones in on a best-selling writer, a father, a widower, and a friendly man who - guess what - is also a serial killer. It won this year’s McIlvanney Prize for best Scottish Crime book of the year, leading on from Tariq’s 2021 Crime in the Spotlight slot at Bloody Scotland where upcoming writers are given a platform to read their work ahead of lead events onstage… The Midnight King also follows Tariq’s Welcome to Cooper, which won the debut prize in 2022. This year, that garland was bestowed upon David Goodman - another previous Crime in the Spotlight guest - thanks to his fab novel, A Reluctant Spy, which sees a man make a bit of a deal with the devil, or MI6 at least, in return for an easier life. Spoiler alert - that’s the last thing that happens.I caught up with Tariq and Dave on Friday night at Bloody Scotland, and when I got to the green room, I also bumped into the thrilling writer that is Claire Wilson. Her debut, Five by Five, is a trip deep into the prison system - and then some - and it transpired we’re also very closely connected through family, because we realised, literally while we were talking last night, that Claire has an incredible tattoo of Kathy Bates on her arm and - guess what, my wee brother did it years ago… Here’s to Tariq, David, Claire - and here’s to Bloody Scotland…

Send us Fan MailRecorded live at The Stand, Glasgow...Scotland’s Crime Writing Festival, Bloody Scotland, kicks off tomorrow - that’s Friday September 12th, we’ll all be there and hopefully you will too… Ian Rankin’s the guest programmer, I’m chairing Ian and various actors who’ve played Rebus over the years at the Albert Halls tomorrow, and then I’m in conversation with Mark Billingham and Laura Lippman on Saturday, and there are so many terrific events taking place from Friday to Sunday… They’ll also be announcing this year’s winners of the McIlvanney and Debut Prizes, but honestly - just dive into all the nominated books, there are so many murderous thrills in there…To celebrate all of this, I caught up with a couple of brilliant, best-selling and award-winning crime writers earlier today… We were live with a really lovely audience at The Stand Comedy Club’s gorgeous new home on Glasgow’s Great Western Road…When I had the idea of trying to launch this podcast from my kitchen table almost exactly this time last year, I got in touch with a few folk that I really love, and I don’t think it would have got off the ground without them - and Chris Brookmyre was one of the first out the gates…Because along with shining a light on cultural goings-on across the country in arts spaces every week - or thereabouts - I had this idea to run a special series where guests spoke about some of their favourite Scottish albums, films and books…I called it A Kick Up The Arts: All Back To Mine, and Chris was the first person I asked. Thankfully, he said yes… if you fancy, you can listen back to that chat from last September, along with subsequent episodes with the likes of Barbara Dickson, Justin Currie, Grant Stott, Clare Grogan, King Creosote, Jonathan Watson, Val McDermid and telly and theatre legend Dave Anderson - who was in the audience at The Stand today, like the absolute cultural beacon he’s always been… He’s a huge fan of Chris Brookmyre too…Chris is an incredible author in his own right, but he also writes fascinating, thrilling historical - best-selling - fiction with his partner in crime - and wife - the writer and consultant anaesthetist Dr Marisa Haetzman, under the guise of Ambrose Parry. I’m a huge fan of the Ambrose Parry novels… The latest, The Death Of Shame, came out earlier this summer, and I cannot get enough of Raven and Fisher - and I love chatting to Chris and Marisa. And so - in the first of a monthly Thursday afternoon sessions at Glasgow Stand, Chris and Marisa were my very special guests for an Ambrose Parry joint edition of All Back To Mine… 

Send us Fan MailThis week, we’re looking back at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, where we had a brilliant run of live guests including Barbara Dickson, Gordon Buchanan, Gavin Mitchell, Horse and Justin Currie - thank you so much for joining us, if you came along…I’ll post those chats, and others, in due course, but this week, we’re hearing from actor and broadcaster Grant Stott, who regalled us with tales about music, showbiz and secretarial studies at The Stand, and he talked about his family and childhood too - which was particularly lovely, as his dad and pals from his primary school were in the audience…Before we hear from Grant, I’m delighted to say that this week I’m at The Stand in Glasgow, which has just moved into the gorgeous Webster’s Theatre on the Great Western Road, for the first of a few monthly Thursday afternoon shows, and I’ll be joined on Thursday September 11th at half past two by best-selling writers Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman, aka Ambrose Parry - you can get tickets via akickupthearts.org, and it’d be lovely to see you there…For now though, to a crowded room in Edinburgh just a couple of weeks ago, for a chat about Scottish music, memories, films and books with a TV, stage and radio favourite, the baddest panto villainess, and a former law enforcement officer with a penchant for pot noodles and vinyl… It could only really be one big tidy… And so it was… The legend Grant Stott…

Send us Fan MailThis week, I’m at Edinburgh’s Voodoo Rooms, for a chat with the goddess - the countess - that is Fay Fife…The Rezillos and Revillos trailblazer - and the only person in the history of the universe to sing Top of the Pops on - yes - Top of the Pops… is playing at the Voodoo Rooms from August 12th to 17th- so we caught up for a coffee, to chat all about it…She’ll be raising the roof with her swaggering country insurgents The Countess of Fife, playing songs from the glorious album Star of the Sea, the equally fab recent Betwixt and Between - and who knows - maybe even a few teasers from the forthcoming LP… You can also WATCH this episode on YouTube! Just search for A Kick Up The Arts with Fay Fife... and thank you, if you do!

Send us Fan MailRecorded at the East Neuk Festival in FifeThis week, I’m hearing from one of our most gorgeous, and inventive musicians, who’s a composer, harpist, singer, songwriter and - as it turns out - a pretty fierce conductor too.Esther Swift is at Edinburgh International Book Festival tonight (August 15th) - in a collaboration with Jackie Kay - so we talked about that, and Esther’s glorious album Expectations of a Lifetime…But we met after her superb Zulu Voyage community performance at this year’s East Neuk Festival in Fife - which told the story of a fishing boat; its lives, and loves, and journeys - and so we started with that… 

Send us Fan MailThis episode was recorded live at the brilliant Portobello Bookshop, in (near!) Edinburgh - thank you so much to Euan and the gang for making us so welcome - as ever - and to everyone at Birlinn. And thanks to the legend Val McDermid - folk singer; football fan; Fun Loving Crime Writer; creator of heroes like Lindsay Gordon, Wire in the Blood’s Carol Jordan and Allie Burns - and a newly-appointed doctor of letters. But we’ll get to that…To celebrate the paperback edition of her excellent Darklands Tale. Queen Macbeth - and the fact that another of her many terrific protagonists - Karen Pirie -  is back on our tellies, I sat down with Val for a chat about life, and love, and reading, and writing - and she also discussed her choice of a favourite Scottish album, film and book. In fact, she chose more than one almost every time...

Send us Fan MailThis week, we’re chatting about comedian, writer and director Paul Black's terrific new BBC short film - Govan Fair Queen - which sees nine-year-old Abigail reluctantly roped into entering the annual local pageant by her fired-up granny Linda - played by Elaine C Smith. It’s a really warm and funny love letter to family, community and pride, via footballers, flatpack furniture and crufts…And it also features surely the three greatest-named siblings you’ll ever hear… We recorded this episode in the Pearce Institute in Govan, and I also filmed it on my phone, so if you fancy watching Paul and I, you can watch us blethering over on YouTube… Before we dive in - quite literally, because, as you’ll hear, we found a bath on my ad-hoc TV set - just a reminder that I’d love you to join me in conversation with Gavin Mitchell, Gordon Buchanan, Barbara Dickson, Grant Stott, Justin Currie and music icon Horse at the Edinburgh Fringe in August - there are tickets and lots more info via akickupthearts.orgBut, for now - to Govan! And Paul Black... 

Send us Fan MailBefore we get to this episode, recorded at the brilliant Glasgow Women’s Library, a reminder that A Kick Up The Arts is live at the Edinburgh Fringe in August…I’d love you to join me at the Stand, which is only a five-minute walk from Waverley Station, for lunchtime chats with guests Gavin Mitchell on August 18, Gordon Buchanan on the 19th, Barbara Dickson on the 20th, Grant Stott on the 21st,  Justin Currie on the 23rd, and then - on the 24th - the iconic Horse will be celebrating 35 years of The Same Sky with chat and live music… Meanwhile, at Edinburgh International Book Festival, we’re having a party in the Spiegeltent on August 10th, with Emma Pollock, Cora Bissett, Chitra Ramaswamy, and Carrie Marshall - with live music from the Hen Hoose Collective’s Cariss Crosbie and more surprises…You can get tickets and more info on all of those shows via akickupthearts.org - it’d be really lovely to see you there.And musician and writer Carrie Marshall’s also a guest on this episode of the podcast, to celebrate her fab new book, SMALL TOWN JOY: from Glam Rock to Hyperpop: How Queer Music Changed the Sound of Scotland, which features interviews with Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry, Garbage’s Shirley Manson, and Horse, and so many other incredible voices. Her previous book, Carrie Kills A Man, is a tale of growing up in a world that doesn’t want you, how it feels to throw a hand grenade into your life, and ripping it up and starting again - from coming out to navigating parenthood as a trans woman… We’re joined by incredible fiddle player and composer Laura Jane Wilkie, whose gorgeous album, Vent, is centred around waulking songs - which were ancient women’s work songs from the Highlands and Islands, often sung while beating and softening tweed - and often infused with gossip, along with a sense of humour, love, safety, power, community - and freedom. Laura’s also performed with Man of the Minch - oh, he gets some love in here - along with The GRIT Orchestra, Shooglenifty, Siobhan Miller, and as we speak she’s bidding a fond farewell to the Kinnaris Quintet.We recorded this at Glasgow Women’s Library, which is an utterly wonderful place that absolutely deserves the sanctuary status that it’s just been awarded… I’ve been a fan for many years, but it was library love at first sight for Carrie and Laura…

Send us Fan MailWe’re at one of my old places of work for this episode - The Tron theatre in Glasgow, to celebrate a terrific one-man play called Man’s Best Friend - you might have seen the dogs who’re ostensibly at the heart of it all over social media - and it’s there until the 12th of July, before touring Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, Edinburgh, Greenock and Inverness in the Autumn.It’s written by Scottish theatre lodestar Douglas Maxwell, and directed by Tron artistic Director Jemima Levick, who was previously at the helm of Dundee Rep, Stellar Quines and Oran Mor’s Play, A Pie and a Pint. That’s where this production first came to life with Jonathan Watson starring as Ronnie - a man adrift, in the wake of loss and lockdown, save for the leads of the local dogs he takes to the park, and the memories that keep bringing it all back home… That role’s now reprised in an expanded version of the play, thanks to Jordan Young, a River City bad guy, panto good guy, and an actor who’s equally adept at physical comedy and quiet tragedy, whether that’s in Black Watch, Chemo Savvy, or right here, in his first one-man play - a comical, heartbreaking meditation on what we have, what we have to lose, and the loneliness of the long-distance dog walker…I met up with Jordan and Jemima at the Tron this afternoon, and we touched on all of that... But seeing as every podcast I record, I check levels and plosives by asking guests to say A Play, A Pie and A Pint, I did that again today - and it transpires, perhaps to little surprise, that nobody does it better than its former director… 

Send us Fan MailBefore we get wired into this week’s episode, I’ve just announced that wildlife cameraman, film-maker and rock ‘n’ roll lion tamer Gordon Buchnanan is the latest guest to join me for A Kick Up The Arts at the Edinburgh Fringe… We’ll be at the Stand on August 19th, and we’d love you to join us. My other guests that week - so far - are Gavin Mitchell on the 18thl, Barbara Dickson on the 20th, Grant Stott on the 21st, Justin Currie on the 23rd, and I’ll be announcing another guest soon… You can get tickets for all of those, right now, via akickupthearts.org…And before that - next month - Val McDermid and I are in conversation at the Portobello Bookshop - that’s on July 9th, and you should totally come to that too… same place for the tickets, if you fancy…I’m also delighted to be coming to Edinburgh International Book Festival, and Bute Noir, and I’ll tell you all about those events soon, or sign up for the newsletter for more - you know… news…But ANYWAY!This week, we're at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, as this year's 39th Glasgow Jazz Festival kicks off..The city's longest-running music festival runs until Sunday June 22nd, and among its wonders, it'll welcome Gil Scott-Heron's legendary collaborator Brian Jackson - a keyboardist, flute-player and vocalist who's also worked Stevie Wonder, Gwen Guthrie and Earth, Wind and Fire…He joins artists on the programme like Later With Jools favourites the Neil Cowley Trio, Colin Steele and his Quartet reimagining The Blue Nile - and incredible turntablist Mariam Rezaei joining forces with saxophonist Raymond MacDonald... With only a mere few hours till the opening events - and fresh from Alan Donaldson's excellent exhibition, The Glasgow Jazz Pictures - I met up with Glasgow Jazz Festival director Jill Rodger, and rising jazz star Marianne McGregor, who won best vocalist at the Scottish Jazz Awards in 2023, and who'll launch her new album - Make Believe - at the festival on Sunday...Jill, Marianne and I looked forward to some of this year's events, and Jill also looked back on a festival that she's been a part of since 1990... I didn't anticipate how much of our conversation would be taken up with Jill's memories of George Benson hanging out in Dorothy Perkins, or her taking soul icon Jimmy Smith underwear shopping - but then again, if jazz has taught us anything, it's to expect the unexpected...akickupthearts.org

Send us Fan MailJust very quickly, a reminder that I’d love you to join me for A Kick Up The Arts - live at at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, I’ll be at The Stand, with Still Game's Gavin Mitchell on August 18th, Barbara Dickson on August 20th, Grant Stott on August 21st, and Del Amitri’s Justin Currie on August 23rd - and I’ll be announcing more fab special guests soon…Before that, the awesome Val McDermid will join me at The Portobello Bookshop on July 9th… There are ticket links to all of those shows via akickupthearts.org…I’m also delighted to be coming to Edinburgh International Book Festival, and Bute Noir, and I’ll tell you all about those events soon, or sign up for the newsletter for more news - that’s also via akickupthearts.org…Right now though, we’re in my hometown of Stirling for the launch of the brilliant Crime Writing Festival, Bloody Scotland, which started back in 2012…I’m just back from the launch, which was great fun as ever… I was in conversation with globally best-selling author Linwood Barclay about his new supernatural thriller, WHISTLE, which is out now, and the event also saw director Bob McDevitt and this year’s guest programmer Sir Ian Rankin chat about what’s on this year’s bill…As they were discussing the programme, I realised we should do a launch episode for the podcast, so my daughter dropped off my recording equipment, and I cajoled Ian Rankin along with Bloody Scotland founder and author Gordon Brown - aka Morgan Cry - and writer Natalie Jayne Clark, to join me for a flick through this year’s brochure…Natalie’s terrific novel, The Malt Whisky Murders, is shortlisted for the festival’s 2025 debut novel prize. This year’s McIlvanney Prize for best Scottish book of the year will also be unveiled at Bloody Scotland, which runs in Stirling from the 12th to the 14th of September…And can I just say now that I’m really looking forward to chairing a very special Rebus event, which you’ll hear about during our chat, and also a conversation with writers Mark Billingham and Laura Lippman who’ve written over 50 best-selling novels between them…Anyway, here we are - Ian, Natalie, Gordon and me - in a hastily-cobbled together studio in a room at the Golden Lion… Linwood Barclay even joined us…

Send us Fan MailJust very quickly, a reminder that I’d love you to join me for A Kick Up The Arts - live - at at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, I’ll be at The Stand, with Barbara Dickson on August 20th, Grant Stott on August 21st, and Del Amitri’s Justin Currie on August 23rd - and I’ll be announcing more fab special guests soon…Before that, the awesome Val McDermid will join me at The Portobello Bookshop on July 9th… There are ticket links to all of those shows here.Right now though, we’re in Glasgow’s glorious record cafe, Some Great Reward for a chat with Kathryn Joseph about her stunning fourth album, We Were Made Prey,  which is out today on Mogwai’s Rock Action label.As with Kathryn’s previous album - for you who are the wronged - and its attendant remix EP, the new record’s made in cahoots with singer, songwriter, producer and synth wizard Ziggy “Lomond” Campbell, who runs a stunning residential studio near Fort William, The Lengths - although, as we’ll hear, their musical (dis)harmony actually goes back decades…Let’s just say - the campaign to find and hear the early bootlegs starts right here…

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, we’re celebrating brass bands, activism, teenage angst and community spirit, thanks to the National Theatre of Scotland’s latest production - KELI, which opened last week at Stirling’s Macrobert Centre and Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum.It’s running at Dundee Rep this week, before marching on to Perth Theatre and Glasgow Tramway in June…Marking 40 years since the miners’ strike, it tells the story of a stressed, and funny, and fired-up seventeen-year-old - Keli - dealing with life, and college, and work - and a mum who’s really struggling - in a former mining town…She’s also a brilliant tenor horn player, and a member of the local brass band, who’re still going strong long after the loss of the coal industry that brought them together…The music at the heart of this has long been an obsession for writer and composer Martin Green, who also plays in folk visionaries LAU… and Keli closely follows on from his Radio 4 documentary series, Love, Spit and Valve Oil, and his interviews with trade-unionists, miners, music teachers and brass band players - not to mention a gorgeous album, Split The Air.The show’s musical director is Louis Abbott, of Admiral Fallow among other wonders, the play’s directed by Bryony Shananan, and it stars Liberty Black as Keli, Karen Fishwick as her mum Jane, and Olivia Hemmati as two die-hard, very different friends - Amy and Saskia…And it’s always a thrill to see theatre and screen legends Phil McKee and Billy Mack onstage - the former playing band leader Brian, the latter as the town’s fabled hero - the former miner Willie Knox. We’re also treated to performances by either the Whitburn Band or Kingdom Brass at every show.I loved Keli when I saw it in Edinburgh last week, and I sat down with Martin, Liberty and Olivia at the National Theatre of Scotland’s headquarters, Rockvilla, to reflect on Keli’s journey so far - ahead of the rest of the Scottish dates…akickupthearts.org

Send us Fan MailJust very quickly, a reminder that I’d love you to join me for A Kick Up The Arts - live - at at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, I’ll be at The Stand, with Barbara Dickson on August 20th, Grant Stott on August 21st, and Del Amitri’s Justin Currie on August 23rd - and I’ll be announcing more special guests soon…Before that though, the brilliant Val McDermid will join me at The Portobello Bookshop on July 9th, we’ll be celebrating the paperback publication of Queen Macbeth, and chatting about Val’s choice of a Scottish album, film and book - and it’d be fab to see you there. There are ticket links to all of those shows online here - but, for now, we’re back with the legends at Porty Books for a chat with another incendiary writer - and if you joined us for this event, thanks so much for coming along…We’re singing the praises of David Keenan’s latest mind-melding trip of a book - and they all are, incidentally - from his esoteric musical odyssey England’s Hidden Reverse, to the award-winning 1970s Belfast fever-dream For The Good Times - not to mention the iconic This Is Memorial Device - which a novel, theatre show, and online community devoted to post-punk, small towns, fanzines, mad dreams, and the infinite possibilities of - well, everything…David’s latest thrill, Volcanic Tongue - a time-travelling evangelist’s guide to Late 20th Century Underground Music - collects his music writing for The Wire among other publications, including deep-dives into the worlds, and lives, and music, and alchemy, of Sun Ra, Sonic Youth, Faust, John Martyn and Throbbing Gristle. It takes its title from the mythical Glasgow shop that David ran with his wife - the pedal steel phenomenon and musical visionary Heather Leigh - and it was also the title of a weekly newsletter - but we’ll come to that… Volcanic Tongue (out now, via the fab White Rabbit Books) is a psychoactive love letter to underground music, literature, science fiction, and to life’s wild moments and miracles… its sonic booms and zodiac workshops, its 70s porn stars and new, old weird folk, its tangerine dreams and acid house reveries… the magic of our day-to-day…But enough from me - let’s hear from David, and our lovely audience on a rainy and dark old night in deepest Portobello… Thanks so much again to Euan and everyone at their totally iconic shop - and thanks to you, if you came along - or asked a question…(There's lots more episodes, live events and a newsletter that I'd love you to sign up for via akickupthearts.org) 

Send us Fan MailBefore we jump on board with this episode, I’m delighted to tell you that the writer and legend Val McDermid will be joining me for A Kick Up The Arts live from Edinburgh’s Portobello Bookshop to celebrate her latest book, Queen Macbeth, on July the 9th. She’ll also chat about a favourite Scottish album, film and book - and we’d love you to come along. I’ll put ticket links everywhere…There are also tickets on-sale now for A Kick Up The Arts live from the Edinburgh Fringe, I’ll be joined at the Stand for a series of lunchtime chats with fab guests including Barbara Dickson on August 20th, Grant Stott on August 21st, and Del Amitri’s Justin Currie on August 23rd - and it’d be fab to see you…And, if you’re very quick, I’m at Paisley Book Festival this weekend, with fab songwriters and novelists James Yorkson and Malachy Tallack - they’ll chat about their latest books, and music, and they might even play us some songs - Paisley Town Hall, 4-5pm on Saturday April 26th, it’d be ace to see you there in person - the more the merrier - but we’ll also record it for a forthcoming episode of A Kick Up The Arts…Meanwhile - onto this episode, and it’s about a new musical theatre production that’s based on one of my all-time favourite films…Restless Natives hijacked my heart as a kid when it was released in the mid-1980s, and its politics, its love, its humour, its Big Country soundtrack, and it’s gorgeous protagonists - the Clown, and the Wolfman - and Margot - have been loved by so many of us ever since…Now the tale of the Highland Highwaymen - who hold up tour buses and charm everyone in sight - is coming to the stage, and touring Scotland. It’s kicking off at Perth Theatre as we speak, before travelling to Stirling, Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow in May and June…The new show is thanks to the film’s original creative team - director Michael Hoffman, producer Andy Paterson, and writer Ninian Dunnett, and it plays out to the tune of Big Country, alongside new songs from composer Tim Sutton, with lyrics from Ninian.And it’s also thanks to a new Clown aka Ronnie, and Wolfman aka Will, and Margot… They were played in the film by Joe Mullaney, Vincent Friell and Teri Lally respectively, and this time around we’re seeing them brought to joyous life by Kyle Gardiner, Finlay McKillop and Kirsty MacLaren…Sarah Galbraith reprises Ned Beatty’s role as Bender, and you can hear Sarah with Kirsty workshopping some of the new songs - as a sneak preview - throughout this episode. These are just rough recordings, but you’ll get the idea - and they sound wonderful already…I grabbed a chat with Kirsty, Kyle and Finlay during rehearsals at Perth Theatre last week, but before that, I sat down with producer Andy Paterson, whose other film credits include Girl With A Pearl Earring, and Hilary and Jackie) - along with the brilliant actor, writer and panto legend Alan McHugh…He loved the film the first time around, and now he’s starring as Chief Inspector Baird in the musical (Robert Urquhart played him in the film), tasked with ensnaring the Clown and the Wolfman. Alan had been in rehearsals too, and I was well impressed with his warm-up dance moves…

Send us Fan MailBefore we get wired into this episode, I’m delighted to tell you that the podcast is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe this Summer! I’ll be at The Stand, which is a five minute walk from Waverley Station, with very special guests every lunchtime, from August the 18th to the 24th…So far, I can tell you that I’ll be joined by Barbara Dickson on August 20th, Grant Stott on August 21st, and Del Amitri’s Justin Currie on August 23rd - and I would love you to join us… I’ll be announcing other guests soon, but get your tickets for these shows in the meantime - they’re on-sale now, I’ll stick a link everywhere I can - within reason... Their chat’ll be a bit like the one you’re about to hear, as they take us to a virtual party round at theirs, with a choice of Scottish album, film and book - along with a wider conversation about their life, and work…Right now though - back to an earlier live event for A Kick Up The Arts: All Back To Mine - promoted by the excellent Sufrecs, and recorded at the Glad Cafe in Glasgow… If you were here for this - thanks so much for being such a fab audience… and you’ll already know that Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe played some stunning renditions of songs from my guest, Michael Pedersen’s chosen Scottish album…Spoiler alert, it was a classic from Garbage - so you’ll hear snippets of those through our chat, but follow Siobhan online to hear the full versions...Michael’s a brilliant writer, and person, who’s a poet, an author, and a cultural rabble-rouser…He’s also the Edinburgh makar, and the writer in residence at Edinburgh University, and he took to the stage beside me rocking the greatest top I have ever seen. Picture this - a painted shirt with pink and green love-hearts, orange and yellow smiling cats - and of course there was glitter. It was neon, in fact. I have never seen anything like it…Michael’s published three poetry collections, including Oyster and the Cat Prince, his prose debut, Boy Friends, was published to huge acclaim in 2022, and his forthcoming debut novel, Muckle Flugga, is a revelation. It’s stunning and tender, it’s a beacon of hope, it’s brimming with love, and it’s powered by starlight. I asked myself, and the audience, what more I could ask for… And then I answered my own question… * * *Tickets!A Kick Up The Arts with Barbara Dickson at Edinburgh Fringe (20/8) here!A Kick Up The Arts with Grant Stott at Edinburgh Fringe (21/8) here!A Kick Up The Arts with Del Amitri's Justin Currie (23/8) here!Get in touch with me any time - I'd love to hear from you - [email protected]

Send us Fan MailJust before we get wired into this episode, a quick reminder I’ll be in conversation with the brilliant writer David Keenan - whose hallucinogenic books include Xstabeth and This Is Memorial Device - about his new collection of music writing, Volcanic Tongue, live from Edinburgh's Portobello Bookshop, on March 27th - there’ll be loads of tunes too - and we’d love you to join us… But onto this episode, and it's with a band I've loved madly since I was at primary school...It's 40 years since the early days of Deacon Blue, and over 35 since since their debut, Raintown, defined the landscape of 80s Glasgow, and its follow-up, When The World Knows Your Name, made the band a household name - and knocked Madonna off the top of the charts... They toured all the theatres, sold out arenas, broke our hearts - or certainly mine - when they broke up in 1994, and then they made up for it - and with each other - back in 1999...Their leading lights have changed since then... Bassist Ewen Vernal left for other musical adventures, and we lost beloved guitarist Graeme Kelling in 2004... But Ricky Ross, Dougie Vipond, Lorraine McIntosh and James Prime are still as fired up as ever - now further stoked by Lewis Gordon, and co-writer and producer Gregor Philp...They're back with a new album, The Great Western Road, which is a gift of a title for Deacon Blue and their driving take on their America: that big old street runs right through Glasgow - and across the band's history - like a stick of rock... And they were always big on going away, and coming home with souvenirs... When they announced the new LP, and released its lead single, Late 88 - their biggest chart success in decades - I'll tell you right now, I slid straight into Ricky's DMs, and told him how much I loved in an unsolicited ten-paragraph diatribe…That’s lower than the word count for the liner notes I wrote for the band's You Can Have It All and All The Old 45s releases a couple of years ago, but it was still quite a lot...Anyway, despite all that, he and Lorraine invited me round to their house for a coffee, and for a chat for A Kick Up The Arts... We'll be discussing this more, incidentally - along with the rest of the band - at Glasgow's Oran Mor on March 26th for two acoustic sets and album launch gigs, and if you're quick, you can maybe grab the final tickets for the matinee show...But meanwhile, back at theirs, for this podcast chat, Lorraine was concerned about her first pot of coffee, so she made it twice, then we sat around their kitchen table, in the room next door to their home studio, where most Deacon Blue songs come to life these days... We chatted about their recent Beyonce cover on Radio 2, and which band member paid for kebabs with Raintown demos in the 1980s - and how they re-joined forces with that debut album's engineer, Matt Butler, when they laid down this new LP at Rockfield Studios in Wales. We talked about The Great Western Road...

Send us Fan MailJust before we get wired into this episode, a quick reminder that I’ll be in conversation with the brilliant writer David Keenan - whose hallucinogenic books include Xstabeth and This Is Memorial Device - about his new collection of music writing, Volcanic Tongue, in Edinburgh later this month…It raves about, and roves across, artists like The Pastels, Nick Cave and John Martyn, and we’ll chat about all that for A Kick Up The Arts, live from the Portobello Bookshop, on March 27th - there’ll be loads of tunes too - and we’d love you to join us… Right now though, we’re in Glasgow for the terrific exhibition, Digging In Another Time: Derek Jarman’s Modern Nature. It’s inspired by the visionary English film-maker, writer, artist and gay rights activist’s diary entries of the same name - which detail his 1989 performance-installation at Glasgow’s Third Eye Centre, now the CCA - replete with two men in a bed, caged in by barbed-wire - and the planting of his radical, beautiful garden at Prospect Cottage in Dungeness, established in the aftermath of his HIV diagnosis. He died in 1994.Alongside the artist’s own visceral paintings, and photos, and audio-visual wonder - and walls of homophobic tabloid coverage - the exhibition also features responses from contemporary artists, including a film by Tom Walker that digs into footage of Jarman talking at the Third Eye Centre, alongside thrilling work by Sarah Wood, Luke Fowler, Andrew Black - and a forthcoming live performance from Jade De Montserrat…It’s curated by Dominic Paterson, it runs until Sunday the 4th of May, and it’s free… There’s also a fab-looking programme at the city’s GFT over the coming weeks, including screenings of extraordinary Jarman films like The Garden, starring Tilda Swinton; Caravaggio - with Robbie Coltrane and Dexter Fletcher - and the stunning, revolutionary Blue, which features a Q&A with Derek Jarman’s long-term friend and collaborator, Neil Bartlett…I’ve been to the exhibition three times now - I love it - and last time, I was joined by actor Gavin Mitchell - who worked closely with John Byrne, is a household favourite as Still Game’s Boabby The Barman, and who spent time with Derek Jarman in Glasgow in the 1980s. We were also joined by the brilliant Glasgow-based artist photographer and DJ Matthew Arthur Williams, whose own response in the exhibition - a house with no walls - reverberates with the life, and death, of buildings, and people, and histories, and their connections…It enlivens a line between Derek Jarman and the queer American avant-garde composer Julius Eastman, who worked with Arthur Russell, and Meredith Monk, and whose recorded concert from the Third Eye Centre in the 1970s - the only one of its kind - was only discovered recently within the archive.We had a wander round the show - at the Hunterian Art Gallery - then sat down for coffee and a chat at the nearby Kelvin Hall...

Send us Fan MailBefore we dive into this week’s episode - recorded live at Aberdeen’s Granite Noir festival - a reminder that if you’re in or around Glasgow on the afternoon of March 1st, we’d love to see you at the Glad Cafe for A Kick Up The Arts live with award-winning poet and writer Michael Pedersen - Alan Cumming loves him, Shirley Manson from Garbage loves him, Nicola Sturgeon loves him - everyone loves him, and little wonder…Michael will be chatting about a favourite Scottish album, film and book along with his wider life and work, and we’ll also have live music - playing covers from his chosen album - from the brilliant Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe. We’ll be there from half two onwards, Michael and the gang will hang around afterwards for a drink, and to sign books and records, and I’ll be DJing too - it’ll be a lovely afternoon, and we’d love to see you… But onto this episode, and the wonder that is actor Dawn Steele, who joined me and a glorious audience - thanks so much if you were with us - at Aberdeen Music Hall on Sunday…Dawn first arrived onto our screens, and into our hearts, as Lexie in Monarch of the Glen, followed by starring roles in Wild at Heart, Holby City, Shetland, and Aberdeen’s own Granite Harbour - and that’s not to mention various film and theatre credits, including John Byrne’s Cutting A Rug AND Tutti Frutti - and myriad connections to Aberdeen - but we’ll come to all of that…We were in the Music Hall’s Big Sky Studio, but Dawn whisked us away to her home - virtually speaking - for an A Kick Up The Arts: All Back To Mine special, choosing us a Scottish album to play us, screen classic to show us, and a Booker prize-winning novel no less, for some bed-time reading…We also touched on Dorothy Paul, Paolo Nutini, hyenas, crisps, and lemon trees - obviously...Anyway... What a woman… here she is - and thanks so much again, if you were in our fabulous audience…

Send us Fan MailThanks so much if you joined us at Granite Noir in Aberdeen on Sunday, for a lovely live recording with actor Dawn Steele - that podcast is coming soon!And don’t forget, if you’re in Glasgow, I’m joined by writer Michael Pedersen and musicians Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe for A Kick Up The Arts live from the Glad Cafe, that’s on Saturday afternoon, March 1st - and then, the mighty David Keenan will be in conversation about his new collection of music writing, Volcanic Tongue, at Edinburgh’s Portobello Bookshop on March 27th…Right now though, in this episode, we’re celebrating the 21st Glasgow Film Festival - they grow up so fast - which runs from the 26th of February to the 9th of March…It’s Scotland’s biggest celebration of local and international cinema, and this year it’ll showcase 92 world, UK and Scottish premieres from 39 countries…It opens with the world premiere of Tornado, the latest epic from Fife’s John Maclean, who made huge waves with Slow West, following his time in pop voyagers the Aliens and the Beta Band. Tornado stars Tim Roth and Jack Lowden, and features gold heists, criminal gangs, and travelling puppet shows, played out in 1790s Britain…The festival closes with another world premier with distinct Scottish roots, thanks to Martyn Robertson’s incredible Make It To Munich, which follows teenager Ethan Walker’s charity cycle from Scotland to Germany, just months after almost losing his life…And in the countless screenings between those movies bookending the festival, there are worlds of possibility - from a free 'Coming of Age' strand with classics like Gregory’s Girl, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Lady Bird and Boys in the Hood, to a retrospective of Swedish actor, director and pioneer Mai Zetterling, including her 80s borstal drama - Scrubbers - starring Kathy Burke and Pam St Clement…There’ll be In Conversation events with icons Jessica Lange AND James McAvoy - and outwith the Glasgow Film Theatre, you can lose yourself in The Craft and Muriel’s Wedding at Cottiers; and Coyote Ugly at the Grand Ole Opry… And - this coming Saturday evening, that’s March 1st - I’ll be chatting to directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard about their stunning new performance film, The Extraordinary Miss Flower, which digs deep on a hoard of lost letters, and the music of Emiliana Torrini, and stars Richard Ayoade, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Caroline Catz and Nick Cave - who Iain and Jane previously explored in their film about him, 20,000 Days On Earth…When the programme was revealed last month, I caught up with programme co-ordinator Chris Kumar and Festival Director Allison Gardner - it’s her final fling in the role, after 30 years at GFT. I’d hosted the launch that morning, so was really excited to hear more from them about this year’s films - and we got a bit nostalgic too…

Send us Fan MailI promise I’ll stop going on about this soon, but I’m still very excited about the first three LIVE episodes of A Kick Up The Arts - at Aberdeen’s Granite Noir on February 23rd with actor Dawn Steele, at Glasgow’s Glad Cafe on March 1st with writer Michael Pedersen AND musicians Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe…PLUS - on March 27th, I’m joined by David Keenan to celebrate his new book of music writing, Volcanic Tongue, at Edinburgh’s Portobello Bookshop… you can get tickets online for any or all of them, or email [email protected] now though, listen on for a blether with a woman I’ve loved for as long as I can remember - for her poems, her plays, her performance, her absolutely brilliant spirit - and she is just the best company too... Former Scottish makar Liz Lochhead’s work includes groundbreaking theatre productions like Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off and Medea - though she’s not so keen on looking back on the sprawling, experimental Burns and MacDiarmid-inspired Jock Tamson’s Bairns - while an anthology of her poetry to date - over 50 years’ worth - A HANDSEL - was published last year…Liz studied at Glasgow School of Art, but music’s also been at the heart of so much of her work, from an early love of Joni Mitchell to her time with The Lost Poets, and titles like BAGPIPE MUZAK and IN PRAISE OF OLD VINYL, to collaborations with Michael Marra, Hector Bizerk, Andrew Wasylyk and Andrew’s indie harmonists, the Hazey Janes…Liz’s album with the Hazey Janes, The Light Comes Back, also featured her legendary saxophonist, Steve Kettley - you might have caught their fab show together, Somethings Old, Somethings New, among other adventures…  Steve’s also played with Salsa Celtica and the Cauld Blast Orchestra, and worked with Niki King and Savourna Stevenson, along with enlivening countless theatre shows from Wildcat and Communicado, among others… The three of us got together in Glasgow’s Mitchell library to chat about all of that - over coffee so hot it was tantamount to a biohazard - ahead of Steve’s Captain Beefheart-inspired gigs at Glasgow’s Glad Cafe on February 16th, and Newcastle Globe on the 20th - and Liz’s appearance at Pitlochry’s Winter Words Festival on the 22nd…And spoiler alert for any potential promoters listening: they’re totally up for more shows together...

Send us Fan MailJust a reminder that I’d love you to join us for A Kick Up The Arts live in Aberdeen at Granite Noir festival with the fab actor Dawn Steele, that’s on February 23rd - then award-winning poet and writer Michael Pedersen will join me at Glasgow’s Glad Cafe on March 1st, with live music from the sublime Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe - and THEN literary livewire David Keenan launches his new new collection of music writing, Volcanic Tongue, at The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh on March 27th…ANYWAY! Onto this episode, and we’re celebrating the fantastical Glasgow polymath, Alasdair Gray. The writer, painter, playwright and poet has mapped out the city in vivid murals, the recent Hollywood adaptation of his novel Poor Things starred Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe, and his landmark epic, Lanark, exists in a brilliant realm like no other - and it’s been a huge influence on many of the special guests who’re appearing at this year’s Gray Day celebrations, at Oran Mor on February 25th.The annual event takes place in what would be Alasdair’s 90th year - and it’s all beneath his celestial mural in the auditorium… Performers include comedians Ashley Storrie and Christopher Macarthur-Boyd, and writers Alan Bissett and Sara Sheridan, not to mention new animations and the involvement of composer, musician and visionary Scott Twynholm…I’ll be hosting proceedings, and if you move fast you can still get the remaining tickets.Gray Day is thanks to the terrific Alasdair Gray Archive, helmed by custodian and long-term friend of Alasdair’s, Sorcha Dallas - and in this year it’s in cahoots with Glasgow International Comedy Festival…Sorcha and she warmly welcomed Alan Bissett and I into that magical archive - as she always does - and plied us with coffee in Gray-inspired mugs, and we chatted a bit more about his legacy, his imagination, his roving work - and what’s coming up…

Send us Fan MailJust a reminder that there are a few live events coming up, and I’d love to see you there - actor Dawn Steele - who’s starred in Monarch of the Glen and Shetland among others - joins me at Granite Noir in Aberdeen on Febrary 23rd, award-winning poet and writer Michael Pedersen’s with me at Glasgow’s Glad Cafe on March 1st - Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe will play some live music at that one too…And then, on March 27th, David Keenan will introduce us to his superb new collection of music writing, Vocanic Tongue, at Edinburgh’s Portobello Bookshop. There are tickets online - and we’d love you to join us…In the meantime, onto this episode, which celebrates the work, and living legacy, of Scottish-Ghanaian artist, photographer, film-maker and writer Maud Sulter, thanks to a brilliant - and free - exhibition that’s running at the Tramway in Glasgow until the end of March…Titled Maud Sulter: You Are My Kindred Spirit, it’s an immersive experience of moving image and spoken word archives, alongside photographs, montage and written works like her Alba Sonnets - and her voice rings out across the building…Maud was born in the Gorbals - not far from the Tramway - in 1960, and died after a long illness in 2008. She began her career as a writer, and award-winning poet, before expanding her practice to include photography and visual art, often addressing the erasure and representation of Black Women in the histories of these disciplines - and giving a voice to the marginalised.Along with the brilliant exhibition itself, there’s a live events programme, curated by Pelumi Odubanjo, which includes poetry evenings, collective readings, presentations, conversations and a rare screening of Maud’s play Service to Empire in the coming weeks.The live programme launched with a screening of Natasha Ruwona and Tomiwa Folorunso’s excellent short film, Maud, which invited Black women making art in Scotland to reflect on her life, and work, and influence. Many of them also feature in the superb PASSIONS publication, which revisits and responds to Maud’s seminal 1990 book PASSION: DISCOURSES ON BLACKWOMEN’S CREATIVITY.I caught up with Natasha, and Tomiwa, and Pelumi, after the screening, to chat a bit more about Maud, and her work…

Send us Fan MailFirstly! A reminder that A Kick Up The Arts is live in Aberdeen, at Granite Noir book festival, where my guest will be the fab Dawn Steele, star of Granite Harbour, Monarch of the Glen, Shetland and more - that’s on the 23rd of February, it’s in the afternoon, and we’re love you to join us. We’re doing another live recording at Glasgow’s Glad Cafe on the 1st of March with award-winning writer Michael Pedersen, and there’ll be live music from Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe - and then the awesome David Keenan will be chatting about his new collection of music writing, Volcanic Tongue, at The Portobello Bookshop on the 27th of March. I’d love you to join us for one of those dates - or all of them! You can get tickets online…Anyway, onto this episode, and I'm thrilled to be joined by some of the team behind the Scottish-Palestinian collaboration Bethlehem Calling, which is an evening of stories, music and pipers coming to Celtic Connections this weekend...It's based on the diaries of teenage girls who were encouraged by a teacher to write about their experiences of growing up in the West Bank during the second intifada (early-mid 2000s).Some of those women are also revisited in this latest production of a show that was first staged by the pupils themselves, and there are also present-day testimonies from current students at the same school.The resulting musical, audio-visual and verbatim theatre show features artists like Paul Thomson - who's played with Franz Ferdinand - and theatre makers Ben Harrison, Zoe Hunter and Reada Ghazaleh…And that’s not to mention audio visual designer Dav Bernard, and the spirit of the Palestinian Arab Orthodox Scout Pipers of Beit Jala, who formed 100 years ago - originally taught by Scots Guards - and whose skirling will ring out across the performance, despite several visa rejections this week...Bethlehem Calling's at Glasgow Tramway this Saturday, January 25th, but I snuck into rehearsals a couple of days ago, and was already thrilled by what I saw...Before they headed home for the night, Raeda, Zoe and Ben shed more light on the project, and what it means to them - with special thanks to Reada, who'd just touched down in Scotland only a few hours earlier…

Send us Fan MailBefore I go any further, I want to tell you that A Kick Up The Arts is coming to a venue near you, very soon! If you’re in Aberdeen, I’ll be at Granite Noir on February 23rd, which is a Sunday afternoon, with a very familiar face from your telly - she’s a legend, and she’ll join me for an afternoon chatting about her life, and work, and her choice of a favourite Scottish album, film and book. If you’re in Glasgow, we’re having a similar shindig with the brilliant poet and author Michael Pedersen at the Glad Cafe on the 1st of March… Siobhan Wilson and Raveloe will play some live music, I’ll spin tunes to soundtrack your Saturday afternoon, we’re all going to hang about for a blether, and sign books and records, and it’d be lovely to see you…And in Edinburgh - this hasn’t been officially announced yet, but the absolute literary fever dream - and conjuror of This Is Memorial Device - David Keenan will be launching his collection of music writing, Volcanic Tongue, at the Portobello Bookshop on the 27th of March. I’ll put ticket links to all of those on my website somewhere - if I can work it - but you should hopefully be able to find those events online via my social media quite easily too…ANYWAY! On to this week’s episode, and as the mighty Celtic Connections kicks off for another epic year, I’m joined by two absolute musical l…Writer, performer, singer and musician Karine Polwart is an award-winning folk star, a pop and theatre visionary, and a storyteller whose reflections on landscape, and nature - and human nature - have sent ripples - and sometimes fired shockwaves - across stunning theatre work like Wind Resistance, and myriad gorgeous albums - get them all, every one of them, right now - and that’s not to mention her show-stopping Celtic Connections opener a few years back - I Burn, But I Am Not Consumed… Karine’s about to release a collaborative LP called LOOKING FOR THE THREAD, with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Julie Fowlis - and Julie also features on Dialogues, which is the debut album from legendary cellist and Scottish Chamber Orchestra live-wire Su-a Lee…Su-a’s worked with everyone from Jack Bruce and Mr McFall’s Chamber, to the Grit Orchestra - she’s with them this weekend - and Eric Clapton, who lured her into his studio, thanks to her musical saw…Her debut album is called Dialogues, it’s just been reissued on vinyl, and that sense of conversation, and collaboration, rings out throughout the record - as songs come to life with guests, and friends, like Duncan Chisholm, Jenna Reid, Phil Cunningham, Donald Shaw, one Karine Polwart - and Su-a’s husband and fellow musical trailblazer Hamish Napier…We talked about collaboration, community, and the power of coming together through music - Karine’s brought 300 voices into a rallying cry at this year’s Celtic Connections - alongside memories of being recruited by Mary Chapin Carpenter, and recollections of making Eric Clapton change his schedule - not to mention Sheryl Crow’s backstage rider… It’s all right here…But we met at the Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh, which means one of the city’s greatest vintage clothing shops is just across the road, so we started with that, which led lovely Karine to pay me a compliment… Take them where you can, right?

Send us Fan MailBefore I go any further, I want to remind you that A Kick Up The Arts is coming to a venue near you, very soon! I've got some really lovely events to announce in Glasgow, and Edinburgh - and elsewhere all over the country - but, for now, I'm delighted to be coming to Aberdeen's fab book festival, Granite Noir, on the 23rd of February, which is a Sunday afternoon, with special guests, and all sorts of chat, and it'll be great fun. I'll tell you all about it in good time but, for now, I'd love you to join us, if you fancy... you can get tickets via Granite Noir…But anyway - back to this episode, and if you fancy some festive company, or a friendly first-foot, then I have the perfect guest… Jonathan Watson’s known and loved as Colin from Two Doors Down, and he was on our tellies at Hogmanay for decades, in the hugely-loved sketch show Only An Excuse? - which first came to life almost forty years ago…He's also starred in Dr Who - with Jodie Whittaker at the helm; and as Frank opposite Brian Cox's Bob Servant,  and as the brilliant Brian in City Lights, alongside the likes of Gerard Kelly, Dave Anderson and Elaine C Smith. His theatre work includes stints with 7:84, and in John Byrne's adaptation of Chekhov's Three Sisters... He was also in Local Hero - he's got the jumper to prove it - but we'll come to that...Jonathan's giving us a virtual night in round at his - or maybe he's turning up on our doorsteps, just like Colin in Two Doors Down... Either way, he's armed with a Scottish album to play us , film to show us, and some bed-time reading for the end of the night... You'll also hear about the time he played football with prog-rock titans Yes - and the gig he played with Ally McCoist, and Mel Gaynor from Simple Minds on drums... We caught up at Glasgow's Oran Mor, where everyone knows him, and everyone loves him - and little wonder...

Send us Fan MailBefore I go any further, I want to tell you that A Kick Up The Arts is coming to a venue near you, very soon! I've got some really lovely events to announce in Glasgow, and Edinburgh - and elsewhere across the country - but, for now, I'm delighted to be coming to Aberdeen's fab book festival, Granite Noir, on the 23rd of February, which is a Sunday afternoon, with special guests, and all sorts of chat, and it'll be great fun. I'll tell you all about it in good time but, for now, I'd love you to join us, if you fancy... you can get tickets via Granite Noir...But anyway - back to this episode of A Kick Up The Arts: All Back To Mine, where a special guest gives us a virtual night in, round at theirs, choosing a Scottish album to play us, and film to show us, and a book for the end of the evening…This time, I'm joined by a man who's starred in just so many things I've ever loved - from films like Local Hero, Restless Natives and Gregory's Girl, to TV landmarks like Tutti Frutti - and who can forget him as the suave - or smarmy - and womanising bank manager, Mr McLelland, in City Lights...The brilliant actor, writer and musician Dave Anderson has variously been a livewire in revolutionary theatre ventures 7:84, Wildcat, and a Play, A Pie and a Pint - often with his long-time, and much-missed sparring partner David MacLennan - and among his myriad songwriting charms, he soundtracked Tony Roper's iconic Glasgow play, The Steamie.We caught up at Glasgow's Oran Mor - you'll hear the clattering of our teacups, and the busy road outside - and we touched on at least some of Dave's amazing work...But he also offered us a virtual night in, round at his, choosing us a Scottish album - courtesy of his some-time Wildcat theatre comrade, Michael Marra - and a book, thanks to the superb Chris Brookmyre. He picked a film to show us too, and - spoiler alert - it's one that he starred in, thanks to a fateful pint in the West End of Glasgow.Dave's an absolute legend in our cultural landscape, and it was such a joy to meet him - and to interview him - for what I'm shocked and appalled to say was the first time. I really hope it's not the last...

Send us Fan MailThis week, I’m revisiting the very first place I ever worked, with one of my very favourite writers…Malachy Tallack was raised in Shetland, so you might think that we’d meet up there - and I’ll hopefully get there soon enough - but we actually caught up in Cupar Library, what with Malachy living in Fife these days.I had a Saturday job there when I was at primary school, so it was a lovely, if slightly unsettling, experience going back after more than 35 years, but it hasn’t changed that much at all, and I was just so thrilled about that. We need our libraries more than ever…Malachy’s latest book, That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz, is a gentle, lilting meditation on landscape, love, home - and loss - that centres on a man called Jack, whose quiet life is upturned by a small and quite surprising thing - and then another - and maybe one more…It’s also an unhurried love letter to the power of a song, and to country music, and there’s a gorgeous accompanying album from Malachy, via Jack - and both are absolutely worth your time… But seeing as That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz is also a reflection on memory, and the myths that tend to wind around it, I started by taking Malachy back to my bygone days in Cupar Library - as far as I remember them…

Send us Fan MailCome in, take your coat off, ruffle your hair, and thanks for bringing that bottle of wine. The fire's on, get your feet up...It's time for an A Kick Up The Arts: 'All Back To Mine' special with one of our best-loved actors, and pop stars, thanks to her starring role in Gregory’s Girl, and her brilliant songs with Altered Images, and really that is not the half of it. Clare Grogan is in the house.Or rather, we're virtually round at hers, as she gives us an imaginary evening chez CG - choosing a Scottish album to play us, and film to show us, and a book for the candle-lit end of the night.Clare's also starred in Skins, Red Dwarf and Father Ted, and written a series of young adult novels, and her magic with Altered Images continues apace - they’ve just finished a 40th Anniversary tour of Bite, and still riding high on the love shown to their latest album - even if they kept us waiting almost 40 years for it - Mascara Streakz… We met at the music industry conference Resonate, held at Platform in Glasgow, which is where the legendary club, theatre space and arts haven the Arches used to be - so before Clare told us what LP she’s playing us, what movie she’s showing us - and what book she’s offering for bedtime reading - we got a bit nostalgic about that lively old place… You’ll hear the trains, you’ll hear fridges buzzing, and you’ll hear the tale of Clare and Bobby Bluebell playing out in the street as primary school kids - forever young at heart…

Send us Fan MailThis week, I'm at Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket Gallery with artist Fionna Carlisle and the legend of stage, screen - and music - that is Barbara Dickson…Fionna’s glorious painting, Eleven Red Roses, was shown in the gallery in the 1980s, and - as such - she features in Holly Davey’s exhibition, The Unforgetting, which is a role-call of the 354 women whose art has been shown there since the mid-1970s, from Tracey Emin to Yoko Ono.Holly dug deep on the Fruitmarket’s archives, giving a voice to many female names that had fallen silent, and been forgotten, along the way - and also giving each of them a physical presence with clay figurines.Barbara Dickson has recently had her portrait painted by Fionna - who splits her time between Scotland and Greece - as part of Fionna’s ongoing Women With Form project, that’s also seen her paint the likes of writer Val McDermid, playwright Jo Clifford, force of nature Judy Murray and Glasgow blues queen Maggie Bell…So the three of us caught up, and had a wander round The Unforgetting, and Barbara remembered her days in 60s folk pubs and clubs with Billy Connolly and The McCalmans - and being on Top of the Pops with Strawberry Switchblade - while Fionna recalled her early shifts working in the Fruitmarket, and being charged with taking Jean-Michel Basquiat out partying, when he was in town…

Send us Fan MailThis week, I'm at Glasgow’s Oran Mor, with gilded stars of stage, and screen - and Taggart - Blythe Duff and Colin McCredie... We chatted about Blythe’s musical adventures with Lacunas, and Colin’s forthcoming telly and theatre work, and then we bumped into former podcast guest Bobby Bluebell, of The Bluebells - who wrote and recorded the podcast's theme song, which you can of course hear on this very episode.Blythe told us about Lacunas Music Society - her collaboration with singer-songwriter Yvonne Lyon, and composer Malcolm Lindsay, who’s worked with members of Deacon Blue and The Blue Nile - while Colin looked forward to having an out-of-body experience watching Harry Mould’s awesome play The Brenda Line - it’s at the Traverse in the coming weeks…But needless to say, we got a bit sidetracked, so there’s also chat about 20 years of A Play, A Pie and A Pint - and Glen Michael’s Cavalcade, and Shallow Grave - and highly competitive ten pin bowling…

Send us Fan MailIt's the second of our monthly 'A Kick Up The Arts: All Back To Mine' specials, with fab guests giving us a virtual night in round at theirs: choosing a Scottish album to play us, a Scottish film to show us, and a Scottish book for some bed time reading, and they'll chat about all of that - and their own work - with Nicola Meighan. They might even chuck in a snack or two.This time, it's courtesy of a swashbuckling, accordion wielding, heartbreaking pop voyager all the way from Fife…His albums include his possible epitaph, I, Des - with musical sidekick Des Lawson - and Diamond Mine, in cahoots with Jon Hopkins; and From Scotland With Love; not to mention another few hundred records, including the 2014 live album that we were allowed to bootleg, called My Nth Bit Of Strange…He’s Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote, and we recorded this at Anstruther’s Dreel Halls, in Kenny’s native East Neuk of Fife, where he’s cast a DIY spell as KC, and via the Fence Collective, for 30 years…He’s been joined by pals like HMS Ginafore, Gummi Bako, and Kenny’s younger twin brothers, Pip Dylan and the Lone Pigeon, whose exploits include the Aliens and the Beta Band… His dad’s a ceilidh legend too, but I’ll let Kenny tell you all about that… For now - Kenny’s put the kettle on, and he’s taking us back to his coastal digs to play us some music, and a movie - and to read us a story, for one night only…

Send us Fan MailThis week, we're at Dundee’s Cooper Gallery, celebrating the city’s She-Town history with two local legends…Gayle Anderson’s a writer, broadcaster and the producer of the stunning Looking For Esther podcast, which is absolutely vital listening, and back in the day she worked at Dundee’s DC Thomson as the pop editor, and agony aunt, of Jackie Magazine… Be Charlotte is a songwriter, performer and pop star on the rise, who makes music and runs her own record label from the city, and who’s just released a new single with DJ Arielle Free. Charlotte’s glorious debut album, Self Help and Fictional Doubts, was released earlier this year, and has led to her crashing the American album charts - she’s currently at Number Two - thanks to Rod Wave’s sampling of its closing track, Will Anybody Be Out There…We had a wander round a fab exhibition called The Ignorant Art School / Sit In 4 / Outside The Circle, which celebrates feminist and LGBT resistance, collective action and the power of art…It features work from Audrey Lorde, Derek Jarman, Sam Ainsley and Maud Sulter, alongside grassroots media, tapestry, video footage, and some really fascinating archive material documenting radical, brilliant Dundee women like Ethel Moorhead and Mary Brooksbank…But I started with Charlotte - and this brilliant chart success… After all, it’s not every day you’re in the Billboard Top 200, ahead of Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift…