‘Mystique is dead’: what Gary Kemp learnt in 40 years of making and selling records

 Gary Kemp has been posting reels of his recent visits to old haunts in Soho where he and his early bands used to rehearse, this in the run-up to releasing a third solo album, ‘This Destination’, in January. We talk to him here about how records were made and promoted in the ‘80s and how radically that’s changed today. Which includes … … “all media is now about getting and keeping people’s attention”. … the first time he heard one of his songs on the radio. … Bowie, Bolan, Queen and Elton John at Trident Studios. … how bands copy the groove of a track. … technology and the curse of too much choice. … why TikTok’s changed the way songs are written. … how the first Spandau Ballet album was made. … the phone call from Richard Hawley that kick-started a song. … the craft of 10cc and Steely Dan and why it doesn’t work on 2024 radio. … the male attitude to bands who are largely followed by women. … cunning ways to infiltrate the NME in the early ‘80s. … plus Robert Elms in jodhpurs and “fly dentists” in the Saucerful Of Secrets audience.   Pre-order This Destination here:https://lnk.to/GaryKempThisDestinationFind out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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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. Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.