Word In Your Ear

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Mark Ellen and David Hepworth have been talking about and writing about music together and individually for a collective eighty years in magazines like Smash Hits, Mojo and The Word and on radio and TV programmes like "Rock On", "Whistle Test" and VH-1.


Over thirteen years ago, when working on the late magazine The Word, they began producing podcasts. Some listeners have been kind enough to say these have been very special to them. When the magazine folded in 2012 they kept the spirit of those podcasts alive in regular Word In Your Ear evenings in which they spoke to musicians and authors in front of an audience. 


Over these years they've produced hundreds of hours of material. As of the Current Unpleasantness of 2020, they've produced yet hundreds of hours more with a little help from guests kind enough to digitally show them around their attics such as Danny Baker, Andy Partridge, Sir Tim Rice and Mark Lewisohn. For the full span of the Word In Your Ear world, visit wiyelondon.com.

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Recent Episodes
  • The Band Aid recording, the birth of the tape loop and the power of the movie theme tune
    Nov 25, 2024 – 57:57
  • How Toyah & Robert’s kitchen show became an Xmas rock’n’roll ding-dong
    Nov 23, 2024 – 24:09
  • John Lydon on the genius of Frankie Howerd, Tommy Cooper and the fine art of Spoken Word
    Nov 20, 2024 – 37:16
  • The poshest pop star ever, music in Xmas ads and song lyrics we can still recite
    Nov 18, 2024 – 42:34
  • Robert Hilburn on the lifetime achievement of Randy Newman
    Nov 13, 2024 – 30:21
  • Peter Perrett of the Only Ones – teenage life, a wondrous return and a 35-year lost weekend.
    Nov 12, 2024 – 29:22
  • Does ‘celebrity endorsement’ still work? - and how Quincy Jones invented the blockbuster
    Nov 11, 2024 – 50:10
  • The genius of George Harrison and why he’s still underrated
    Nov 9, 2024 – 39:55
  • Ian Broudie of the Lightning Seeds - his Year Zero moment, Imposter Syndrome and seeing the Beatles (aged 7)
    Nov 4, 2024 – 31:06
  • Kraftwerk, Cream, Nirvana, savage reviews, fantasy girlfriends and a naked Nick Cave ‘plush doll’
    Nov 3, 2024 – 47:51
  • Life with the Lennons, fame, friendship, the FBI and the Lost Weekend – by Elliot Mintz.
    Oct 30, 2024 – 43:40
  • How Goth took over, farewell Phil Lesh and the curse of teenage stardom
    Oct 28, 2024 – 51:48
  • When Mark King of Level 42 was the 11 year-old singing drummer in a novelty act
    Oct 25, 2024 – 46:24
  • King Crimson, red hair dye and a singing Jack Russell: the boisterous memoir of Jakko Jakszyk
    Oct 22, 2024 – 39:19
  • Obsessive fans, Dylan’s reading list and how Taylor Swift tickets are the new codeword for wealth
    Oct 21, 2024 – 51:04
  • Britpop, its peaks and its spiritual godfather: a Golden Age rebooted by Miranda Sawyer
    Oct 17, 2024 – 41:44
  • Zappa and Elvis as fathers (!), Billy Joel’s house sale and the curse of too much choice
    Oct 14, 2024 – 44:18
  • Hugh Cornwell on how the drummer has the best seat in the house
    Oct 10, 2024 – 24:03
  • Kris Kristofferson, a lost Tom Petty film and rock stars and the curse of the selfie
    Oct 7, 2024 – 45:18
  • How Christine McVie saw Fleetwood Mac and the real reason she left them – by Lesley-Ann Jones
    Oct 4, 2024 – 37:56
  • Nick Heyward dressed like Cary Grant – then the Jam, XTC and Talking Heads. “It’s all about clothes, hair and shoes.”
    Oct 3, 2024 – 33:12
  • In the studio with Nick Drake, Fairport, John Martyn & the String Band: John Wood remembers a golden age
    Oct 2, 2024 – 48:44
  • Ian Hunter – joining Mott The Hoople, Bowie, Hamburg and being “enthused into craziness”.
    Oct 1, 2024 – 31:19
  • Bryan Ferry, Maggie Smith and why Ian Hunter is a movie in waiting
    Sep 30, 2024 – 46:44
  • When Cocteau Twins followed the Ramones onstage and why 1979 was the Golden Age - by Simon Raymonde
    Sep 27, 2024 – 45:10
  • The deep secret of Abba’s “music without nostalgia” and the time they met the Pistols
    Sep 25, 2024 – 46:59
  • Fond memories of lost ‘80s London, Morrissey v Marr and the film they should make about Toyah
    Sep 23, 2024 – 55:54
  • Swinging London & the Wombles seen from an electric-blue Rolls-Royce. Mike Batt looks back
    Sep 20, 2024 – 30:10
  • Joe Boyd – Little Richard, Nick Drake, Tight Fit and why everything sounds the way it does
    Sep 18, 2024 – 48:18
  • Screaming Jay Hawkins 75, Dave Grohl 1
    Sep 16, 2024 – 46:11
  • One Day author David Nicholls – prog rock, Live Aid and making tapes for girls
    Sep 13, 2024 – 35:11
  • Nick Lowe – war stories, wise decisions and the event in 1970 that made him think again
    Sep 12, 2024 – 32:27
  • The Buskers’ Hall of Fame – from Moondog and Billy Bragg to Don Partridge and “the skating Sikh”.
    Sep 10, 2024 – 39:03
  • Who should follow John Lydon with a Spoken Word spectacular?
    Sep 9, 2024 – 38:09
  • David Hepworth on the glory, comedy and tragedy of rock stars who can't retire
    Sep 4, 2024 – 53:13
  • The Oasis reunion – feuds, cash, symbolism and the desire to repair our imperfect lives
    Aug 31, 2024 – 33:36
  • Are comedians more competitive than rock stars?
    Aug 28, 2024 – 44:15
  • Johnny Beatle’, early Blondie, Led Zeppelin’s plane and seven fabulous years at the Melody Maker.
    Aug 22, 2024 – 45:55
  • One-word rock star mimicry, bands who shouldn’t reform & the best thing about Taylor Swift
    Aug 19, 2024 – 42:01
  • The extraordinary story of Arthur Lee, Love and the 1966 flop which became a hit for the ages
    Aug 15, 2024 – 34:04
  • Buddy Holly airlines and the inimitable Bob Dylan
    Aug 12, 2024 – 38:59
  • “Pop music is 80 per cent about hair”, remaking classic albums and why CDs are so hard to love
    Aug 4, 2024 – 50:25
  • Queen, Bowie and other residents of Rockfield Studios remembered by the cook’s daughter
    Aug 2, 2024 – 31:59
  • 57 years of Fleetwood Mac: author Mark Blake's fond encounters and fresh revelations
    Jul 31, 2024 – 45:56
  • Ron Sexsmith doesn’t need a teleprompter. He can do 40 Dylan songs at the drop of a hat
    Jul 30, 2024 – 35:14
  • Without John Mayall … no Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Status Quo or Led Zeppelin?
    Jul 29, 2024 – 52:36
  • Best album sleeves, what’s ruined singing and pop as ‘empowerment porn’
    Jul 21, 2024 – 42:19
  • Who is Lawrence and why did Will Hodgkinson write a whole book about him?
    Jul 18, 2024 – 38:42
  • Backstage at Live Aid, the first Knebworth and bands that don’t get on
    Jul 15, 2024 – 52:54
  • How Joni Mitchell joined the boys’ club and why we don’t need a comeback – by Ann Powers
    Jul 12, 2024 – 46:21
Recent Reviews
  • jenzahara
    Calm down?
    Maybe the host was very excited to talk to the guest, but maybe also he could calm down, because interrupting the interviewee multiple times when he's answering you is very annoying. Then they put the ad break literally in the middle of a sentece. Poor.
  • SpongeBobbyHil589
    Snobby
    Snobby
  • Fffffffjjkhvc
    More Tube stories please.
    What a brilliant listen Jah Wobble’s brief experience on the Underground was….especially the bit where he was training as a guard/driver. More pop stars in public transport job stories please.
  • Number37
    Too much hot air.
    Make it shorter, much of the ‘banter’ is excruciatingly dull.
  • gooofpronanaspendradilly
    Love the concept…
    Love the guests, love the info… but for god’s sake will you two rude old farts LET YOUR GUESTS FINISH THEIR SENTENCES!! Go back and listen to how many times you interrupt a perfectly interesting train of thought or comment from your guests with another question.
  • Scot T. G.
    Always great but buffer that theme!
    Always loved this podcast. Still amazing, insightful, educational, great guests. But that infernal acoustic intro/outro is ear-piercing & louder than the voices we love to listen to (mark & david’s). Can some high-end be EQ’d out, or bring level down just a touch? Thankfully those bumpers are short. Love David’s theories he comes up with, and he’s usually always right. Stackwaddy game never disappoints!
  • jpitt32
    Great
    Great Podcast!
  • DaveyWavey-9666
    Sometimes too much Beatles
    I like the podcast and even find it, but they talk about the Beatles a lot, and I mean a lot.
  • Ave L
    Like a fine wine
    Still hugely enjoyable after all these years. Rapidly getting into Grumpy Old Men territory but all the better for it.
  • bhoyo
    Time well spent
    Like a particularly good afternoon down the pub with two old mates (two knowledgeable, opinionated and funny old mates). Life-affirming and delightful -- and they probably always get their rounds in.
  • Lit plastic
    One of the mandatory music podcasts
    I’ve been listening to the Word in Your Ear podcast since it was the Word podcast and I was a subscriber to the magazine. I really enjoy Mark and David’s take on music and culture and I know you will. They really know what they’re talking about and they do it in a funny and insightful way. I count this podcast, the Sodajerker on Songwriting and the Rockonteurs as just mandatory musical info and enjoyment. I’m always happy when I see a new episode has been uploaded.
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