On episode 2 of The Paul Weller Fan Podcast – I was joined by writer, film-maker, PR man, London Legend, Paul Weller Super Fan, and a good mate of his, Mark Baxter AKA Bax!.
Bax and Lee Cogswell are the creative forces behind Mono Media Films, creating documentaries on LeRoy Hutson, Sir Peter Blake and Tubby Hayes. Their film John Simons – A Modernist featured Paul Weller and his music with Paul commenting after watching “What a brilliant bit of film. I loved it! Beautifully told too. I left thinking and feeling how wonderful it is to be a mod and why I am still and always will be. It was like a reminder of why I love it ‘all’ so much!” You can buy it here
Mono Media have also created some fabulous documentary films on recent Paul Weller albums from Jawbone through to On Sunset. You’ll find the links below so dive in after listening to the podcast.
They were also the team behind 2020’s incredible Sky Arts Documentary on The Style Council called Long Hot Summers – which was a brilliant celebration of the band – and one of the best kept secret in pop music with that finale!
As a writer, he has created books on Football, Fashion, Modernism and Music. His 2007 book The Mumper which tells the story of a group of friends who invest in a racehorse was even turned into a film – Outside Bet – starring Bob Hoskins! Bax loves his fashion and has even been featured in John Simons customer spotlight which you can read here
Bax is a lovely fella – I’ve bumped into him a couple of times since our recording – at the Jazz Cafe Stone Foundation Gig back in July, and at the Style Council Soul Deep Celebration in October – and he’s been hugely supportive of this ‘ere podcast and the ultimate end goal too. (Thanks for all the advice Bax!)
Hear our chat below and find out more about Mono Media Films at monomediafilms.london
EP02 – Mark Baxter (Bax) – The Mumper – Paul Weller Fan Podcast : Desperately Seeking Paul
Mono Media Films 2021 ShowReel
Scorcha!
Scorcha!: Skins, Suedes and Style from the Streets 1967–73 from Paul ‘Smiler’ Anderson and Mark Baxter delves into the roots, rise and fall of the Suedeheads and their close companions the Skinheads. Covering topics from fashion and football to the influence of black music and culture, the book draws on first-hand accounts from the original skin-suede generation and later adopters, such as Paul Weller and Norman Jay MBE. Buy the Book here
The Mumper
Seven drinking buddies decide to buy a racehorse and embark on the journey of a lifetime in the book that inspired the film Outside Bet.
It’s 1985 – A motley rabble of seven firm friends: Thimble, Gudger, O’Sh, Fred the Shoe, Dave, Alfie and Bax meet every Sunday in their favourite South London boozer for banter of the highest order and a lot of taking the mick.
One day an unknown character approaches the crew and asks them a most intriguing question…’Does anyone here want to buy a racehorse?!’
Buy the book here
The A-Z of Mod
For some Mod means a way of life: London clubs and Lambrettas, cigarettes and speed. For others it’s clothes: trim suits, sunglasses and loafers. Combining style savvy with cultural anthropology, this guide to the many aspects of Mods takes an alphabetical approach to the most enduring of youth cults.
Beginning with A bout de souffle and ending with Zoot Money, authors and Mod experts Paolo Hewitt and Mark Baxter touch on every facet of the fad.
Entries such as Eel Pie Island, Otis Redding, Mary Quant, and Ready Steady Go give intriguing background information, history and facts, while colourful illustrations bring Mod style to life. Style hounds, pop music fans, and Anglophiles of all ages will be entertained and inspired by this book that proves that, while ‘mod’-ernism has gone through several phases, it’s never gone out of style.
Buy the book here