Author Archives: PaulWellerFanPodcast

There is a beautiful, cosmic symmetry in bringing this podcast journey to a close. Back in December 2020, Stuart Deabill was my very first guest, and today, he returns to close the circle for our final episode. It feels incredibly fitting that we are bowing out by celebrating Stuart’s stunning new book, In the Shadow ofContinue reading “Stuart Deabill – In the Shadow of the Sun – Paul Weller & the Nineties”

In this episode, highly influential British television producer Malcolm Gerrie joins the podcast to share his incredible front-row memories of Paul Weller’s journey, spanning the historic final days of The Jam, the rise of The Style Council, and the sheer grit of Weller’s solo renaissance. Malcolm takes us back to the early ’80s and theContinue reading “Malcolm Gerrie talks The Tube, The Brits, The White Room and more…”

In this episode, acclaimed Sheffield singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Richard Hawley talks about his long-standing friendship and creative kinship with Paul Weller. Richard takes us back to his working-class upbringing in Pitsmoor, Sheffield, where he was raised on a strict diet of ’50s rock and roll, rockabilly, and R&B – until his two younger sistersContinue reading “Richard Hawley – Singer-songwriter, Guitarist, and Producer”

In this conversation, recorded for my book, legendary music manager, producer, and author Simon Napier-Bell takes us inside the creation of NOMIS Studios, the state-of-the-art Hammersmith rehearsal complex he built out of a Victorian dairy with two-foot-thick concrete walls. Originally created to give top-tier acts a luxurious, soundproof, and private space to hone their liveContinue reading “Simon Napier-Bell – Talks NOMIS Studios, Paul and John Weller…”

In this episode, legendary photographer Tom Sheehan shares a personal narrative that spans the arc of Paul Weller’s career, from The Jam’s charged early days right through to Weller’s solo renaissance – we take a journey through images found in his acclaimed book AIM HIGH: Paul Weller in Photographs 1978–2015. Tom’s first encounter with Weller wasContinue reading “Tom Sheehan – AIM HIGH: Paul Weller in Photographs 1978 – 2015”

In this episode, Paul Dowling – director of marketing at Go! Discs in the early ‘90s – tells the story of how he helped Paul Weller find a new home and a fresh start after The Style Council’s Modernism album was rejected by Polydor. A teenage Jam fan who witnessed the band’s energy first-hand, PaulContinue reading “Paul Dowling, Director of Marketing, Go! Discs (1990-1993)”

In this conversation, John Reed – music journalist, a former Research Editor of Record Collector magazine, Director of Catalogue at Cherry Red, and author of Paul Weller: My Ever Changing Moods – takes us on a journey through the many stages of Weller’s remarkable career. Growing up entrenched in the Mod revival and drawn into TheContinue reading “John Reed – Author of Paul Weller: My Ever Changing Moods”

In this conversation, Jun Sato – International A&R at Pony Canyon, Japan – shares the remarkable story of how he helped get Paul Weller’s solo career off the ground when everyone else had written him off. In the early 1990s, as the UK industry dismissed Weller as an ‘80s has-been, Jun trusted his own taste,Continue reading “Jun Sato – International A&R, Pony Canyon Inc., Japan (1990–2002)”

In this conversation for my book, Richard Ogden – former Head of International Marketing and later Managing Director at Polydor Records – shares the inside track on the extraordinary career of Paul Weller from a label perspective. Already immersed in the music industry when The Jam exploded in 1977, Richard’s role took off in theContinue reading “Richard Ogden – Polydor – Head of International Marketing + Managing Director”

In this conversation for my book, John Lewis – respected music journalist and critic – shares a fan’s journey that became a professional one. He recalls being a teenager during The Jam’s “imperial phase,” with a mod next-door neighbour and a copy of Snap! on repeat, and traces his path to writing in-depth features, retrospectives, and Q&AsContinue reading “John Lewis – Arts critic, Journalist, Editor and Musician”

In this episode, recorded for my book, Jim Cook shares his inside perspective from his years as Head of A&R at Polydor Records (1975-1984) during one of British music’s most exciting eras. As the man who signed The Jam and oversaw their rise, Jim reflects on the real-life stories behind the deals, the challenges ofContinue reading “Jim Cook – Head of A&R at Polydor (1975-1984)”

In this episode, Erica Echenberg, one of the pioneering female photographers of the UK punk explosion, joins the podcast to share vivid memories from the very heart of late ‘70s London. Starting in 1976, Erica was everywhere – camera in hand at legendary venues like the Roxy and the Nashville, capturing the wild energy ofContinue reading “Punks, Bands, and The Jam: The Iconic Photography of Erica Echenberg”

Craig McLean joins the podcast to share his reflections on interviewing Paul Weller across several pivotal moments in his solo career. With bylines for The Face, The Word, The Observer, and The Telegraph, Craig has had rare, in-depth access to Weller – riding tour buses, joining late-night escapades, and catching candid conversations that reveal theContinue reading “On the Road and Off the Record: Craig McLean’s Candid Encounters with Paul Weller”

This podcast episode is living proof that sometimes your teenage music heroes really do come full circle. Richard Engler grew up in Manchester, a diehard Jam fan who could recite Paul Weller’s lyrics and remember the row and seat number of his first gig. Fast forward a couple of decades, and Richard found himself workingContinue reading “Richard Engler – Marketing Director at V2 Records”

Scottish musician, singer & songwriter, Jamie Telford joins the podcast to take us behind the scenes of The Jam’s frenetic final days. Brought in on keyboards for their last year of shows and the farewell single ‘Beat Surrender,’ Jamie experienced firsthand the thrill of playing with one of the UK’s biggest bands just as internalContinue reading “Last Orders with The Jam: Jamie Telford’s Inside Story”

In this special episode, we explore Paul Weller’s personal take on modernism. If you’ve followed this podcast from the beginning, you’ll know it started back in 2020 with one simple ambition: to interview Paul Weller. That ambition became Desperately Seeking Paul, and after 180 episodes, we finally reached that goal. What began as fandom grewContinue reading “Detail Magazine – Guest Editor, Paul Weller … the full story from Claire Mahoney.”

In this episode, Miles Leonard – a respected record executive, tastemaker, and lifelong music fan – shares rare insight into his years at the helm of Parlophone Records and his close working relationship with Paul Weller during the mid-2010s. Miles was Director of A&R between April 1995 and May 2003, before stepping up to chairmanContinue reading “Miles Leonard – Former Chairman, Parlophone Records / Warner Music”

In this episode, Sean O’Hagan – a songwriter, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist whose career has quietly woven its way through some of the most adventurous corners of pop and indie music. Born to Irish parents in England and raised in Cork, Sean first made his mark as half of the acclaimed duo Microdisney, whose blend of sharpContinue reading “Sean O’Hagan – The High Llamas, String Arranger on Paul Weller’s Sonik Kicks”

In this episode, I’m joined by Roger Pilling, who offers an intimate window into Paul Weller’s formative years- sharing memories from their early friendship at Sheerwater School right through to the pivotal moments that would define Paul Weller’s life and career. As one of Paul’s earliest confidants, before The Jam and the limelight, Roger’s perspectiveContinue reading “Roger Pilling – Paul Weller’s School Friend”

In this episode, recording and mixing engineer Joeri Saal shares a behind-the-scenes perspective on working with Paul Weller during the creation of the Studio 150 and As Is Now albums – capturing the collaborative Amsterdam sessions and the transition to mixing Weller’s original material. Click your preferred podcast platform to listen… From Studio Tech to Trusted Collaborator: Joeri joinedContinue reading “Joeri Saal – Recording Engineer and Producer, Studio 150 (Amsterdam)”