SF0196 The Twilight Turntable Co-Hosting Episode

A first on this episode as our guests are the joint hosts of fellow musical podcast, ‘The Twilight Turntable’. They’re my old pals Paul Howarth, Grubby to some, with whom I sometimes share a cricket commentary box; and Tony Harris, who once led me and a handpicked elite team to victory in the 1993 VH1 All-Comers Pop Quiz.

Now, let us take a step back in time. There is an advertising agency that has overlooked the Westway and the train tracks into Paddington Station since 1968. It’s 12 Bishop’s Bridge Road, originally the parcels depot for the Great Western Railway and many years later home to, in sequence, three of the finest agencies London has ever known. First, Boase Massimi Pollitt (which I had joined in 1987) – the Smash Martians and Cresta Bear outfit. Which was bought by DDB in 1989, who bought you Gary Lineker’s Walkers and Rowan Atkinson’s Barclaycard campaigns. And has since 2009 become Adam&Eve, the people behind John Lewis’s famous advertising. All out of the same building.

If you were to travel up the spiral staircase to the second floor of that building at some point in 1997, you’d find three fresh faced young men, beavering away at our desks: Paul, Tony and me. We’re talking at the coffee machine about either Alan Partridge, Alan Shearer or possibly Alan Price.

Ripple dissolve to all these years on, and we’re all beavering away at our podcasts. If you’ve never listened to The Twilight Turntable, first, you really should. And second, well, here’s a little bit about it.

Its catalyst was Tony’s post-prandial nighttime habit (settle down, we’re better than that). Ever one to eschew the easy option, rather than resorting to a relaxing scandi-noir, Tony likes to liberate a classic LP from its sleeve, drop the needle, then let the music work its magic. Hence the podcast – dedicated to reviving “the lost art of listening. Join us as we explore a world of late-night long players. No screens, no books – just the cover and sleeve notes for company.”

Not every album that features on The Twilight Turntable overlaps with the Sombrero Fallout vibe. That’s fine. Some however do. The subjects of recent episodes, for example, have included Aztec Camera, The Kinks and Radiohead.

On this episode, Paul and Tony have selected ten artists that are Sombrero Fallout-adjacent, at least, but only one of whom, BC Camplight (also a TT selection), have actually featured on the podcast before. Above all, it was just lovely to catch up – I suspect the first time we’ve sat down as a ‘trilat’ since the twentieth century. And, to return the favour, the two of them have invited me on to their show; one to look forward to, clearly. So, it won’t be another 30 years before we meet up again.