GBH - The Garry Bushell Hour

The Ruts

February 14, 2016 21:19 - 55.7 MB

Shortly after the NME announced that punk was dead, The Ruts came along and proved that it wasn’t. Their driving, reggae-infused punk embodied the whole late 70s Rock Against Racism ideal. And their amazing anthems, such as Babylon’s Burning, Staring At the Rude Boys and Something That I Said carried them into the charts and into the hearts of a generation…before tragedy struck. The Ruts story is told at length in Love In Vain - a massive tome written by Roland Link with a foreword by Henr...

Whatever Happened To… The Stranglers?

November 04, 2015 10:49 - 39.8 MB

Hugh Cornwell was one of the major figures in early British punk rock. He was the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter in The Stranglers, the hugely influential band who scaled the charts with hits like No More Heroes, Peaches, and Always The Sun, and always marched to the beat of their own drum. Hugh smuggled Leon Trotsky into the charts and more covertly heroin – the real subject of their 1981 hit single Golden Brown. But he left the band 25 years ago to concentrate on his own recordin...

In Godden We Trust: Meet The Mae West Of The Spoken Word Scene

October 12, 2015 10:00 - 52.8 MB

To mark National Poetry Day, Garry’s guest tonight is one of the brightest and most brilliant of British poets – Salena Godden. Funny, poignant, outrageous and guileless, Salena is every inch a successful 21st century poet. Includes selections from her anthology Fishing In The Aftermath featuring the immortal My Tits Are More Feminist Than Your Tits ( the world premiere exclusive to GBH!), A Letter To An Air Stewardess Found In The Back Of Seat 67 as well as Salena reading from her autobio...

Women Who Rock - Pride, Passion & Prejudice

October 08, 2015 12:20 - 45.9 MB

Strong female artists have been a part of pop and rock since the beginning: incredible singers from Etta James and Janice Joplin to Adele and Paramore’s Hayley Williams have wowed the world with their talent. But for many it’s been an uphill battle, fighting exploitation and ingrained attitudes. Joining Garry tonight to discuss this fraught subject are three very different performers – Dominique Olliver, Danie Cox and Kristina Oberzan. Download the show as mp3 file Subscribe in iTunes ...

Steve Diggle - Still A Buzz, Cock

October 07, 2015 11:00 - 62.2 MB

Mancunian Steve Diggle is the guitarist and singer songwriter with the Buzzcocks… the seminal punk band who infiltrated the charts with brilliant, infectious songs such as ‘Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t)’, ‘Promises’ and ‘Harmony In My Head’ – back at a time when punk really did want to subvert mainstream music. Tonight’s show is a tour-de-force of punks on tour. The Buzzcocks opened for the Sex Pistols at Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall, performed at the 100 Club punk...

Patti Boulaye: From Strife To Stardom

September 01, 2015 19:30 - 55.1 MB

Garry’s guest tonight Patti Boulaye shot to fame on ITV’s talent show New Faces. But hers is not a normal showbiz story. Nigerian-born Patti lived through one of the worst genocides of the 20th century, growing up during the horrific Biafran civil war where one million people died either in fighting or from famine. Patti emigrated to London at 16, where she became an actress by accident… and a star through her pure talent. On tonight’s GBH, you’ll have an intimate encounter with a huge s...

The Cargo Cult of Europe

August 08, 2015 16:56 - 50.5 MB

How are you going to vote in the forthcoming Euro-referendum? Conventional wisdom says that if you’re on the political right wing, you’ll probably vote against staying in the EU, and if you’re to the left, you’ll probably vote in favour of staying. Well, Garry’s guest tonight, Brian Denny of the RMT Union, has got some mind-opening surprises in store for you. “The EU means fascism at home”, says Brian, “and war abroad.” So he’s in Nigel Farage’s camp, then? By no means. UKIP comes acros...

Flexipop - When Plastic Was Fantastic!

July 31, 2015 16:12 - 47.9 MB

If you can remember the nineteen eighties... you probably weren’t there. Barry Cain was – and he’s got 27 incredible issues of Flexipop magazine to prove it! It was a publishing phenomenon. Launched in 1980 by Barry and Tim Lott, every issue came with a flexible music disc. Flexipop was an overnight success rapidly reaching sales of more than 100,000... but it only lasted for 27 issues before it folded in 1983. Why? Get out your flares and big hair extensions... tonight, we’re gonna party...

When Garry Met Steven Berkoff

July 24, 2015 15:29 - 59.8 MB

There is only one Steven Berkoff. Perhaps there’s only room for one. What happens when an enfant terrible of the British theatre grows up? They become Steven Berkoff, that’s what. Prepare yourself for an encounter like no other. Bad boy Berkoff is every bit as bad as you’ve heard, and then some. But in this searingly honest encounter with Garry, he bares the soul of a great actor. “Great actors are stupid” he spits out, contemptuously. Typical Berkoff. Uncensored, unrestrained, unleashe...

The Golden Years of British TV Comedy

June 24, 2015 13:52 - 65.4 MB

From The Two Ronnies to Blackadder…from Benny Hill to Marty Feldman… the golden years of British television comedy produced some of the funniest shows and larger-than-life characters the world has ever seen. Garry’s guest tonight COLIN EDMONDS has dominated British television comedy writing for four decades – and he knew them all… the stars, the monsters, the legends and the lunatics! Click to buy from Amazon If names such as Les Dawson, Lilly Savage, Paul Daniels, Julian Clary, Barbara ...

John Moloney – Choosing Not To Play The Accordion

May 10, 2015 15:58 - 43.6 MB

Garry is joined in the studio by the award-winning stand-up comedian John Moloney (twice won Best Live Performer at the London Comedy Festival) whose four-part Radio 4 series The John Moloney Show kicks off on Tuesday 12th May. Influenced by Les Dawson, Dave Allen, The Jam and West Ham United, John’s stand-up comedy is a finely crafted blend of wordplay, one-liners and cat molesting. His radio producer says that observing him at work is “like watching a masterclass unfold. He’s like a con...

Terry Alderton – The Voices In My Head

April 27, 2015 14:10 - 58.4 MB

Garry’s guest tonight is Terry Alderton, one of Britain’s most exciting comedians and a man Frank Skinner dubbed “a flipping genius”… only he didn’t say flipping. Famous for his roles in TV hits such as EastEnders and London’s Burning, Terry’s first love was Southend United Football Club – he played in goal for their youth team – but the stage was where he really scored. Terry’s gift for mimicry made him a rising star in what we used to call old school mainstream comedy. But his originali...

Breaking Bard

April 20, 2015 15:57 - 51.5 MB

In the early 80s, Britain’s pubs and clubs were full of angry, funny, working class poets inspired by punk, reggae and protest. This brave new wave of radical wordsmiths made folk heroes of Seething Wells, Garry Johnson, Ginger John, Attila The Stockbroker, Porky the Poet and one of Garry’s guests today Tim Wells – all of whom will be celebrated next month at the British Library’s Taking Liberties event, ‘Ranting poets, 'zines & Angry Kids of the ’80s’. Tim is also the founding editor of ...

Roger Scruton - The Last Englishman

February 01, 2015 19:11 - 57.1 MB

What does it mean to be a conservative in 2015? Garry’s guest tonight is Professor Roger Scruton, one of England’s leading philosophers and the author of How To Be A Conservative, along with many other provocative and intelligent books which question the dominant left-liberalism of modern Western thought. The son of a working class Mancunian Labour Party supporter, Roger’s contrary views were shaped by the 1968 Paris uprising when he realised that he was on the other side: the side that wa...

Jimmy Jones – The Original Alternative Comedian

January 29, 2015 21:01 - 65.1 MB

Without doubt, Jimmy Jones is the biggest British comedy star never to have had his own television series. For five decades, Jimmy has been Britain’s most successful live comedian – performing around 275 sell-out live shows every year. Jimmy’s life in comedy is the subject of Garry’s show tonight – and what a life it has been. Summoned by Michael Jackson to his suite at the Dorchester... swapping gags with Prince Philip... pouring brandy for Princess Margaret out of a teapot... performing...

Rhoda Dakar: Cleaning In Another Woman's Kitchen

January 29, 2015 20:58 - 48.9 MB

Rhoda Dakar is one of the UK Ska scene’s feistiest characters, making her mark originally with the Bodysnatchers and then with Jerry Dammers in the Special AKA. Rhoda’s talent, intelligence, and heartfelt socialist ideals made her stand out from the pack. Like Dammers, she wanted 2-Tone to mean more than a good time…cue songs like The Boiler and Free Nelson Mandela that added real politics to the movement's in-built message of racial tolerance. Rhoda was a teenage glam rocker caught up in...

Jim Morrison : Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre

December 13, 2014 20:33 - 57.1 MB

From Axl Rose to Sharon Osbourne, legendary rock journalist Mick Wall knows them all. A world-class raconteur, Mick joins Garry tonight for an evening of absolute rock nirvana. Mick’s story is a real-life Almost Famous with balls on. And goats. And many, many other substances. What a long, strange journey it’s been! Stopping-off points include The Police, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Dire Straits, Lou Reed, and many more. Currently, Mick has just concluded an investigation into the death of...

Bez, A Twenty-Four Hour Party Political Person

December 01, 2014 15:54 - 43.8 MB

He’s a threat to democracy, as dangerous as ISIS, and keeps bees. He’s a freaky dancer, a maestro of the maracas and a brewer of fine old, traditional ale. Oh yes - and the icon that is Bez from the legendary Mancunian band Happy Mondays also wants to be your MP. Garry’s guest tonight is Mark Berry, known universally as Bez. By the late 1980s, the Happy Mondays were a central part of the Manchester music scene and personified rave culture. Musically, the band fused indie pop with house mu...

Soul of the Hooligan

October 18, 2014 19:20 - 50.9 MB

Football hooligans! The words are enough to strike terror into the hearts of the upstanding middle classes and have entire towns boarded up and quaking with fear. Garry’s guest has more than a casual acquaintance with the subject. Dougie Brimson, a former hooligan himself turned bestselling writer, is an expert. Join us tonight as we explore this controversial topic in depth. With over half a million books sold worldwide, Dougie’s first title was Everywhere We Go - first published in 1996...

Lars Frederiksen: Growing Up Punk

October 05, 2014 17:39 - 59.9 MB

Rancid are one of the world's biggest ever punk bands. Formed in California in 1991, they have sold more than four million albums worldwide. Vocalist and guitarist Lars Frederiksen has been with them since 1993, and he also fronts his own streetpunk band The Old Firm Casuals. Son of a Danish mother and an Italian-American father, Lars has devoted his life to his vision of punk and the old ideals of uniting different youth tribes against the system. Tonight, he speaks frankly to Garry abou...

Carol Harrison - From EastEnders To Itchycoo Park

September 08, 2014 10:33 - 49.7 MB

Her role as Louise Raymond in BBC's EastEnders brought her stardom and notoriety, but Carol Harrison's true life story has been as gripping as the plot of any television soap opera. Born in London’s East End to a single mum, Carol grew up in abject poverty. It has been said that there are four main routes out of the East End - crime, sport, acting and rock'n'roll. Carol’s life connects three of those (she was once married to the son of one of Britain's best-known gangsters). Garry’s guest...

Iron’s Den

August 29, 2014 09:38 - 68.2 MB

Iron Maiden are one of the world’s most successful heavy metal bands with more than 85 million albums sales to their name. Dennis Stratton was their guitarist right back in 1979. He played on and co-produced their self-titled debut album and their first three hit singles. Here he chats exclusively with Garry (who wrote Maiden’s authorized biography Running Free) about life on the road in those early days – the laughs and the tension, and his enduring friendship with the band which, like hi...

Neville Staple - Original Rude Boy

August 12, 2014 19:52 - 47.4 MB

The Specials were one of the most important, vital and influential bands to come out of the post-punk explosion, the band who created the 2-Tone movement. The Coventry-based Ska combo had eight Top Ten hits including ‘A Message To You Rudy’, and the chart-toppers ‘Ghost Town’ and ‘Too Much Too Young.’ And right at the heart of them was Garry’s guest tonight Neville Staple, the roadie who became a star and then went on to have seven more hits with his next band The Fun Boy Three. Although...

Skinhead Truth Romp - Roy Ellis, Mr. Symarip

July 02, 2014 14:49 - 54.4 MB

Tonight's guest on the Garry Bushell Talk Show is the legendary reggae star Roy Ellis, also known as Mr Symarip. Roy is one of the genuine icons of sixties reggae in the UK and his band Symarip were famously the first to target the emerging skinhead youth cult with their best-loved song, 1969’s Skinhead Moonstomp. The young skins were feared by the press and the establishment; but the Jamaican-born star found love and acceptance amongst all those cropped heads, braces and bovver boots. Ro...

Sid Vicious Was My Lover

July 01, 2014 15:37 - 59.3 MB

A few months after he joined the Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious hooked up with beautiful 16-year-old Norwegian Teddie Dahlin who was acting as translator on the band's 1977 Scandinavian mini-tour. Sid, 20, had split up with girlfriend Nancy Spungen at the time, and the smitten bass-player begged Teddie to come back to England with him. If her horrified mother hadn't confiscated her passport, Sid might not have got back with Nancy, and might not consequently have died in New York nineteen months...

Jim Davidson: Standing Up For Himself

March 04, 2014 19:53 - 54.4 MB

Jim Davidson gives his first major interview since winning Celebrity Big Brother! Cockney comic Jim Davidson was written off as a dinosaur by a younger breed of middle class stand-ups. Falsely suspected of all the "isms", Tory-backing, troops-loving, womanising Jim had been sacked by the BBC and snubbed by TV. And when he was arrested by Operation Yewtree in January 2012... well, it seemed that after four explosive and lucrative decades of fame, Davidson was finally finished. Media comme...

Secret Affair: Time For Action!

December 03, 2013 14:48 - 56.4 MB

This is the time, the time for action! Secret Affair were at the forefront of the 1979 British Mod Revival. Like the Specials, the young Essex band's sound was rooted in sixties music but whereas the Specials were firmly grounded in bluebeat, Secret Affair's took their musical cue from Tamla Motown and Stax. Their cynicism came from direct exposure to major labels. Singer Ian Page's vision of a new street-savvy teens called Glory Boys found a ready audience and their tunes did the rest. ...

Pauline Black: Queen of 2-Tone

October 16, 2013 09:51 - 47.7 MB

Garry’s guest tonight is Pauline Black - the charismatic leading lady of 2-Tone, the musical movement that combined the anger of punk with the joyous bounce of Jamaican Ska. Arriving after the first waves of punk were receding, the new blue-beat bands put dancing and tunes back into pop. Pauline’s combo The Selecter were one third of 2-Tone’s Holy Trinity along with The Specials and Madness. She was one of the very few women in the male-dominated movement; but as a mixed-race girl growin...

Louise Distras: Songs Of Love And Fury

September 28, 2013 19:27 - 44.4 MB

Her voice sounds like an angel caught in a mantrap – or maybe, pulled backwards through a cheese grater. There’s a raw emotional honesty to Brit punk sensation Louise Distras that some might even find too intense... which would be a terrible shame - because on tonight’s GBS, Louise sings four superb live tracks for us from her forthcoming album Dreams From The Factory Floor that are nothing less than unmissable. Bold, brainy and ballsy, Louise Distras represents nothing less than the rebi...

Nick Welsh: Life & Times of a Ska Man

August 26, 2013 21:15 - 54.6 MB

Before reggae there was ska - originating in Jamaica in the late 1950s and still a major music genre. Garry’s guest tonight is Nick Welsh - one of the busiest and most prolific ska musicians of all time - it’s fair to say that much of the ska music that has been produced and performed in the UK over the last few decades has Nick’s fingerprints on it somewhere. He’s worked with and produced A-list artists such as Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken, Dave Barker, Rico Rodrigues, and Judge Dread as...

Steve Ignorant: Crass Warrior

August 08, 2013 17:36 - 49.7 MB

Garry's live guest this evening is the co-founder the seminal anarchist punk band Crass, Steve Ignorant. Always uncompromising, highly influential, often copied but rarely bettered... Crass were simply one of the most important bands to emerge from Thatcher's Britain. And maybe even more relevant now than then. Join us for tales of Thatchergate, direct action, penis envy and situationism. Doesn't get better than that, does it? Download the show as mp3 file Subscribe in iTunes Be a wond...

James Delingpole: Always Right, Never Wrong

July 15, 2013 13:25 - 24.9 MB

He's spiky, no question. "I'm just a rude f$!%er, I suppose", sighs Garry's guest James Delingpole. "I've reached the point where I don't give a f$!% what I say any more, as long as I believe it to be true. Some of my editors find this terrifying." Bête noire of the Met Office, tilter at wind farms, and tormentor of the University of East Anglia... James is both more complicated and more surprising than you would ever have expected. From Glastonbury ("my rosebud") to Greenpeace ("no l...

The Lurkers: Backstage & Back-Story

May 26, 2013 11:32 - 26.5 MB

The Lurkers were one of the greatest and most seminal of English punk rock groups, and tonight, Garry's guest is Pete "Manic Esso" Haynes, their drummer and creator of the of the band's name. Constantly compared to The Ramones, The Lurkers were not always loved by the Punk Rock cognoscenti. No pretensions, no frills, no hype - just pure rock'n'roll. "We didn't really want to remain outsiders", says Pete. "We tried to be friendly, but we just weren't hip. Our songs were an outlet for re...

Being English

April 23, 2013 09:22 - 25 MB

On this Saint George's Day, Garry welcomes Robin Tilbrook, chairman of The English Democrats, and poses the question - what exactly does it mean to be English? And just how close is patriotism to nationalism - to racism? It's a minefield out there! As always, Garry dispenses with the niceties of Political Correctness in the pursuit of truth. And justice. And the English way. A great, thought-provoking show - pass the link on! And in the meantime, join in the discussion on the website...

King of The Football Factory

March 28, 2013 12:20 - 21.6 MB

John King will forever be recognized for his debut novel The Football Factory - an instant word-of-mouth success. Heralded as a ‘state of the nation’ novel by some reviewers, others criticized its aversion to political correctness. Football fans and the wider public made it a best-seller, with more than 250,000 copies sold in the UK to date. Filmed by director Nick Love, starring Danny Dyer and Dudley Sutton, the presence of a number of known Chelsea hooligans among the film's extras cau...

Nigel Farage, Kingmaker in Waiting

February 27, 2013 14:25 - 24.3 MB

He's Britain's most controversial politician, and he tells it like it is. David Cameron? On Botox! The BBC's chairman Chris Patten? An old toad who should be abolished! And please don't get him started on immigration. Wait a minute - this is The Garry Bushell Show! The place where political correctness goes to die! Yes - we can talk about immigration - and every other topic that mainstream media ignores today. Garry will go there. And he's got the scalps to prove it. Join us for th...