Public Address Podcast

JACQUES BREL

Public Address: JACQUES BREL

Jacques Brel rose to prominence before American/English pop music took off and significantly influenced modern-day songwriters. Since the 1960s, many have shown their admiration to Brel and have paid tribute to him by covering his translated songs. Brel was, first and foremost, a writer but he would later learn more about the mechanics of music theory from the classical piano player, Francoise Rauber, who also accompanied him for his earlier performances. It would stand him in good stead to become the icon he now is.

Brel was one of the first major literary songwriters who pulled from subversive material for his songs; prostitution, alcoholism, death, drug use and the bourgeoisie are just some of the taboo topics Jacques began introducing into popular culture. Although there’s a long list of artists who have covered Brel songs, one of the most popular was the American singer Scott Walker, although he wasn’t the first. Later, David Bowie took on a couple of the songs that Scott Walker did and based them on his arrangements. In the second hour of this programme we'll hear some of the standout English-language cover versions of Brel's classic material.

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

DAVID BOWIE LIFE AND MUSIC

DAVID BOWIE LIFE AND MUSIC

Another chance to hear this

David Bowie, original name David Robert Jones (1947-2016) was a British singer, songwriter and actor who was best known for his shifting personae and musical genre-hopping. In this two-hour Public Address Special - hear the story of his astonishing life and exemplary career - and of course his outstanding music.

Written and Presented by Thom McKeown

©™ Public Address/Thom McKeown 2021

NOISE ANNOYS

Public Address: NOISE ANNOYS

In this special two-section edition - we'll have an initial hour of contemporary music, then an hour of The Buzzcocks! The name “Buzzcocks” was chosen by band members Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley after reading the headline “it’s the buzz, cocks!” in a review of the 1970s TV series Rock Follies in Time Out magazine. The “buzz” is the excitement of playing on stage; “cock” is Manchester slang meaning “youngster”. They thought it captured the excitement of the Sex Pistols and the nascent punk scene…. and so then came the music. Over an hour, some interspersed chat from Devoto, Shelley and Steve Diggle, plus highlights from the career of one of the greatest British indie singles bands ever – the brilliant Buzzcocks!

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

LISTEN TO THE BANNED

Public Address LISTEN TO THE BANNED

Over the years, a great many singles have been prudishly vetoed, outlawed, prohibited from airtime and suppressed outright by broadcasters worldwide. In this Public Address special – Listen to the Banned, we'll revisit a selection of some of that lost vinyl contraband - and the reasons given for this audio prohibition!

• Please note - sensitive listeners - this programme contains explicit content!

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

IT SHALL BE PLAYED

Public Address IT SHALL BE PLAYED

"Popular music will always be popular, but I don't really know what is rock - and what isn't - anymore. I don't consider a lot of the pop things I hear on the radio to be rock n' roll. It's just kind of fragmented - but that's more than okay! If it's worth being heard, it should be played!" Alice Cooper, Musician

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

SOUNDS FROM THE CITY

Public Address: SOUNDS FROM THE CITY

Music allows for free personal expression like painting or writing and fulfils a most practical need - the need to inspire, be made to dance, feel free, forget your worries and be yourself.

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

MUSIC FOR ALL

Public Address: MUSIC FOR ALL

 "Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memory" - Oscar Wilde

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

SONIC RENDEZVOUS

Public Address SONIC RENDEZVOUS

"A great deal of today's pop music is comprised of moronic managers who can't think, signing artists who can't write, play or sing, to make records for people who can't hear."  Frank Zappa

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

AURAL EXCESS

Public Address AURAL EXCESS

Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.  John Lennon

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW

Public Address RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW

A PA Dance Mix Special - 2 non-stop hours of electronic dance music - produced as a continuous DJ set, with the tempo varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is in common time (4/4) and characterised by a repetitive four on the floor beat.

Mixed Edited and Produced by Thom McKeown © 2023

 

 

AUDITORIA

Public Address AUDITORIA

Substantial scientific research has shown that listening to good and stimulating music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure and pain - as well as improving sleep quality, mood, mental alertness and memory. Try it out by listening to this programme!

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

A.I. SPECIAL - MUSIC IN COLOUR

Public Address: A.I. SPECIAL - MUSIC IN COLOUR

In this special edition of Public Address – A.I. Music In Colour – presented vocally by an Artificial Intelligence-creation - you'll hear a selection of tracks embracing the dappled and kaleidoscopic spectrum of varied colours with compositions featuring one, or in a few cases more, in their respective titles.

Written and Produced by Thom McKeown • Presented by Artie Intell © 2023

SERENADES FOR THE SELECTIVE

Public Address SERENADES FOR THE SELECTIVE

"The first time I heard modern rock music, I fell off my chair, and since then, whenever I hear it - I can't sit down, I have to move around!" Ahmet Ertegun Founder and president of Atlantic Records, who discovered and championed many leading rhythm and blues and rock musicians.

Written Produced and Edited by Thom McKeown © 2023

MELODY MAKER!

Public Address MELODY MAKER

"I never wanted to go back and relive the glory days, I just want to keep moving forward in music. That's what I took from punk. Keep going. Don't look back."

Paul Simonon, formerly of The Clash, now of The Good The Bad and The Queen, Gorillaz, Galen and Paul 

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

TIP TOP TUNES

Public Address TIP TOP TUNES

"That's why I do this music business thing, it's communication with people without having the extreme inconvenience of actually phoning anybody up". (Morrissey, 2023)

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

TENUOUS LINK 5

Public Address TENUOUS LINK 5

Another in our occasional series Tenuous Link. How does it work? Well - a random track is chosen – and from there it has to be linked in some way, via a deeply meaningful or extremely trivial connection to the next track and so on – in a circuitous fashion over the next hour, concluding with a grand finale tenuous link, leading us back to a direct connection with the very first chosen song or artist! All clear? Great - then do please start listening!

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

A.I. IN MUSIC

Public Address A.I. IN MUSIC

There’s a lot happening in the field of artificial intelligence at the moment - and that goes for music - both in terms of making and producing it. Quite a few musicians who have moved away from manual production are now using AI in the production process. From composition apps and mastering platforms, to song identification tools, AI is changing the way music is created and listened to. The promising technology of the future is still in its infancy, yet as we're all aware, you’re only afraid of what you don’t know. Later in this edition of Public Address you'll hear three chilling examples of Artificial Intelligence at work in music - but before and after, as always, some of the very best in contemporary material. 

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

MUSIC FROM THE PAST

Public Address MUSIC FROM THE PAST

A personal selection of some special tracks from music's varied past of contemporary material.

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown

GREAT SONGWRITERS OF THE 1960s

Public Address GREAT SONGWRITERS OF THE 1960s

A special edition of the programme looking back at the amazing output from just some of the greatest songwriters who emerged in contemporary music back in the 1960s.

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023

70s SPECIAL!

Public Address 70s SPECIAL!

It’s hard to believe, but pop and rock music was nearly two decades old by the time the 1970s rolled around, which meant that things had come a long way. The elements that made it great, however, remained much the same: Electric guitars and a love of the blues underpinned so much of what many acts had to say. As the decade progressed, however, more and more influences seeped in.

The leading lights of rock music’s early 70s contingent would continue to expand their horizons and those years saw some of the best rock songs of the genre’s history. Then soul funk emerged, and music from Black artists was busy soundtracking dance floors the world over before disco moved in.

Punk then swept away everything bloated and old before it and it did feel that way during the last few years of the 70s. Here's a fond listen back to just some of the pivotal music from that extraordinary decade.

Written Produced and Presented by Thom McKeown © 2023