Musical worlds collide
It may be chaos in the United Kingdom in the political sense, but why not forget about Brexit for a while and let a couple of new British music podcasts entertain you. The first podcast One Plus One is an ongoing series that explores what happens when two geniuses come together to do something they couldn’t do alone.
The first in the series is on the iconic collaboration between The Beatles’ Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
Over six parts, their songwriting technique and creative tension is explored from The Beatles’ origins in Liverpool in the early 1960s, to their breakup in 1970 and through the ongoing debate on who owns their chart-topping songs.
The second podcast is a rollicking punk documentary from the BBC, and exclusive to Spotify, Stay Free: The Story of the Clash. Public Enemy frontman Chuck D narrates this eight-part series, which takes a deep dive into the rise, reign and self-destruction of the London punk rockers.
The Clash were formed in the 1970s during the London squatters’ revolution and frontman Joe Strummer became a philosopher for the punk generation.
This series is packed with archival interviews of Strummer and other founding members of The Clash, along with Clash recordings.
As narrator, Chuck D intertwines his 1980s Public Enemy experiences with the band’s story.
A highlight of episode one is Chuck D retelling the story of Strummer being asked if he thought music could change the world, to which he responded, ‘‘No, of course not, but I think it can make a chink in the blinds’’. It’s a ripper of a listen.