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Music Maps Podcast

Music Maps Podcast

Rock n Roll Book Club 120 episodes Latest May 31, 2026

Each episode uses a place as a jumping off point for a conversation about music, exploring locations from the obvious to the obscure. Join the hosts as they build a music map of the world, discussing songs and artists connected to different places.

Episodes

119 - Yoko Ono & the Avante-Garde Diaspora with Paul Morley Jun 7, 2026 1:01:12 Join us & Paul Morley to hear all about Yoko Ono & the Avant-Garde Diaspora. We hear about her early years in Tokyo, born into an almost aristocratic background via her banker father, before her eventual relocation to New York to enter the art world.Once in New York Yoko goes on to create numerous significant works of art including Cut Piece & Grapefruit before meeting John Lennon
118 - Glasgow Barrowlands with Alison Irvine May 31, 2026 45:12 Join us for a deep dive into an iconic gig venue, the legendary Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom. The building was first opened by Maggie McIver on Christmas Eve 1934 & hosts dances for the East End of Glasgow for decades, however once the big band era passes the venue begins to decline & loses popularity following the infamous Bible John murders in the late 1960s. After a brief perio
117 - Ringo Starr & The Beatles with Tom Doyle May 24, 2026 55:36 So today we take a deep dive into the early life of Ringo Starr, how he joined the Beatles & their subsequent unprecedented success. After overcoming various serious Illnesses as a child, a young Ringo first develops an interest in drumming while in hospital recovering. His first arrives courtesy of stepfather Harry Graves & before long Ringo is drumming in skiffle bands around L
116 - The Coral with James Skelly, Nick Power & James Slater (Hoylake) May 17, 2026 1:01:56 Join us for a very special live episode to mark the release of Dreaming Of You - The Making of the Coral - the new documentary available now to rent or buy. Our starting point is the faded seaside town of Hoylake, on the Wirral Peninsula near Liverpool, where The Coral meet & come together to form the band. Before music James & Ian Skelly live in a fantasy world of Ghostbusters,
115 - John Altman on Monty Python, Prince, Muddy Waters, Amy Winehouse & more May 10, 2026 39:31 AltmanJohn’s Uncles Sid Phillips & Wolf Phillips were big band conductors at the London Palladium so John grew up around the likes of Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong & Jack Benny.At a young age he played with the likes of Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, John Martyn, Nick Drake, Bridget St. John & Kevin Ayers.He joined Hot Chocolate & also found time to jam with Jimi Hendr
114 - Gang Of Four with Jon King (Leeds) May 3, 2026 59:28 Jon King joins us to talk about the early years & formation of the Gang of Four - formed at Leeds University while Jon studied art. Jon was born in South London but moved to a village near Sevenoaks in Kent & while the King household rarely featured music, Jon grew up listening to Motown & Trojan Records before discovering Bob Dylan & the Velvet Underground. Another notab
113 - Paul McCartney in the 70s & the end of The Beatles with Tom Doyle Apr 26, 2026 50:06 Take a deep dive with us into the end of the Beatles, Paul McCartney in the 70s, Wings Over America, Mary Had a Little Lamb, feuding with John Lennon & more with writer Tom Doyle whose McCartney biography Man On The Run is out now. The Beatles come to an end & Paul takes refuge at High Park Farm in Scotland, taking a little time to consider his next move. Amid the Paul Is Dead ru
112 - Melissa Auf Der Maur on Hole, Smashing Pumpkins & more (Montreal) Apr 19, 2026 49:47 This week we welcome Melissa Auf der Maur to hear about her new book Even The Good Girls Cry - out now on Atlantic Books. Our starting point is Montreal as Melissa recounts growing up listening to The Cure & The Smiths, studying photography & seeing Hole & Smashing Pumpkins in one week in 1991 - both bands she would later join. On her first meeting with Hole, Melissa in force
111 - Nirvana with Everett True (Olympia, Washington) Apr 12, 2026 45:13 Join us for our first episode on one of the seminal bands of the 90s - Nirvana with legendary music writer Everett True. His book Nirvana - The True Story is out now. Kurt Cobain & Krist Novoselic meet in Aberdeen, Washington but it’s in Tacoma & Olympia where the band really comes together. We hear about Kurt’s early influences including The Melvins, The Raincoats, The Pastels,
110 - 50 Years of The Undertones with Damian O'Neill Undertones (Derry) Apr 4, 2026 44:46 This week we celebrate 50 years of The Undertones with guitar player Damian O’Neill. Damien kept diaries during the early years of the band & reads extracts for us throughout & he tells us about joining the band age 15 & their first gig at a local scout hall. From there The Undertones honed their craft playing regularly at The Casbah in their hometown of Derry, Northern Ireland.&n
109 - The Ramones with Everett True (Forest Hills, New York) Mar 28, 2026 44:20 This week we travel to Forest Hills, Queens, New York to trace the origins of the legendary punk band The Ramones. While Joey Ramone is actually the only Ramone born in Forest Hills, it is this conversation suburb of New York which creates one of the iconic bands in the history of NYC. The bands influences include 1960s Girl Groups, The Beatles, The Beach Boys & Elvis Presley. T
108 - Music Maps LIVE with Amy Rigby & Kathy Valentine Mar 21, 2026 40:31 This week we bring you a very special conversation between singer/songwriter Amy Rigby & Kathy Valentine (The Go-Go’s) to mark the publication of Amy’s brand new book Girl To Country. Amy Rigby has established herself as one of America’s enduring underground/cult/indie artists, combining the insight and humor of country and folk songwriting with classic rock craftsmanship and punk DIY spi

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