Arts Broadcaster & Writer. The Afternoon Show: Fridays, 2-4pm, BBC Radio Scotland. Interviews: Dolly Parton, Patti Smith, Martha Reeves, Joan Collins. (She/her)
Of all the albums in all the world - and there have been a few - this is the one Iโll never get over. It turns 35 tomorrow. Never gets old though.
๐๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ
My total legend of a grandma, Sarah Meighan, rocked out of this world & into the next one early this morning. Nurse, chancer, inveterate gambler, octogenarian scuba diver, and surely the only woman to have been arrested in Falkirk, driving a transit van, dressed as a bunny girl.
Utterly, utterly heartbreaking. As a child, as an adult, as a truly extraordinary artist, Sinead OโConnor deserved to be so much more listened to: so much more loved: so much better looked after.
Weโre celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Gregory's Girl on Fridayโs
@BBCRadioScot
Afternoon Show (2-4pm), & I'm thrilled I'll be joined by
@claregrogan2
, Alex Norton & Bill Forsyth. Weโd love to share your favourite GG memories, moments & quotes: get in touch below. Thank you!๐ป
I'll be joining
@VicGalloway
on
@BBCRadioScot
tonight, to celebrate the life, and music, and humour, and kindness of the brilliant - and so very, very sorely-missed - Scott Hutchison.
Dropped supplies off to my mum earlier, including a bottle of wine, so sheโs having a wee solo party tonight and just sent me this pic. Sheโs 71 and high-risk so sheโs been indoors for two weeks now, but thatโs not stopped her getting dolled up every day, hair fascinators & all.
A month ago, my dad preempted the lockdown, and he hasnโt left his wee flat since. I was worried heโd miss his daily run up Balgay Hill, and his walks in the Dundee sun - especially as he doesnโt have a garden - but then he showed me his indoor sun lounger, high above Lochee...๐งก
THE LOVE CONTINUES. Huge congratulations
@mogwaiband
@plasmatron
@rockactionrecs
on this yearโs Scottish Album of the Year Album Award
@SAYaward
win. Here we are hanging around the hand sanitiser by way of celebration. A joy to host this yearโs ceremony with
@VicGalloway
as ever.
The BBC in Scotland turns 100 on Monday (which is also my mumโs birthday). We had a party on
@bbcradioscot
to celebrate with fab guests & live music; thereโs a TV highlights show on
@BBCScotland
, March 6, 8pm. I didnโt get a pic with everyone, but I did get one with my mum ๐งก๐บ๐ป
On
@BBCRadioScot
โs
#AfternoonShow
this Friday, 2-4pm, weโre celebrating 40 years of Local Hero as it returns to cinemas. Iโll be joined by cast members for a fond look back - and if youโre a fan, Iโd love to know where you saw it; what you remember; what it means to youโฆ ๐งก๐ป
Got chatting to someone about Hercules the Bear last night. Itโs hard to explain how normal it was to go on a family drive to the Sheriffmuir Inn, in order to feed an ACTUAL BEAR a bag of crisps (and maybe a pint), if you grew up in Stirling in the 70s / 80s.
Itโs a tartan special here on
@BBCRadioScot
โs Afternoon Show, 2-4pm today - weโre live from
@VADundee
to celebrate their fifth birthday AND their fab new tartan exhibition - with live music, special guests, party tunes and more... join us! ๐๐๐ป๐ฅ
My pure legend of a mother is somehow 72 today. Here she is during summerโs brief lockdown reprieve; today weโll gladly settle for fizz in the garden. And here, as is traditional, is a reminder of some of the things my mum taught me... ๐งก
On tour with Nick Cave back when I worked at Mute, hanging out in a hotel, not sure where, or when. (Dublin? Copenhagen? Morning? Night?) While the rest of the company appears to be on water, I am drinking Guinness. And smoking a cigar.
#tbt
#throwbackthursday
#alwaysclassy
Delighted to have a new summer music show starting on
@BBCRadioScot
this Thurs, 9-11pm. Local & global pop favourites & rarities; all eras, all genres. Iโm joined this week by
@garbage
โs Shirley Manson, playing the records that are closest to her heart ๐ฅ๐ป
I had an absolutely terrible time chatting to Deacon Blueโs
@rickyaross
about his memoir
#WalkingBackHome
at Edinburgh International Book Festival, as you can see. It was filmed and so, if you so wish, you can watch it any time, any place, anywhere, here:
Ach, Sydney Devine. I introduced him onstage at the Commonwealth Games on Glasgow Green in 2014 (to the strains of Also sprach Zarathustra, of course). It was midday, and torrential rain, but the crowd went absolutely wild. Iโve never, ever seen a more adoring mob of baying fans.
Happy to announce that Elizabeth Day and I are now married.
It was such a pleasure to talk all things
#Friendaholic
with
@elizabday
, who is a goddess, at
@PortyBooks
โ event last night.
We caught up again
@BBCRadioScot
this morning; coming to a wireless near you soon...๐งก๐๐ป๐ป
Loved
@deaconbluemusic
at the Hydro on Saturday. I wrote about it for
@thelistmagazine
- at length (couldnโt help myself) - so keep scrolling... ๐ฌ๐๐ป๐
My dear and old friend Rab Noakes has died suddenly in hospital today. I am shocked. We had so much in common - The Everly Brothers, the Flying Burrito Brothers and an enduring love of songs, particularly traditional music. Sleep well, Rab. May you rest in peace. Bx
#rabnoakes
Alasdair Gray should have lived to be 150 at least. Iโm so here for the year of Poor Things. He illustrated our 2007 Triptych Festival brochure - this is his portrait of Cat Power; Iโll try to find others. (Including Ute Lemper, Terry Riley & Gruff Rhys, if my memory servesโฆ) ๐งก
Happy Birthday Alasdair โค๏ธ
Today
#AlasdairGray
would have been 90 yrs old. In 2014, to mark his 80th yr, our Custodian
@GraySorcha
devised โThe Alasdair Gray Seasonโ across venues in Glasgow & beyond. The main retrospective exhibition โFrom The Personal to the Universalโ
I went to Dundee to see
@thetwilightsad
, and all I got was a broken heart, a brilliant laugh, a cameo from The Twilight Dad, a reminder of how much I absolutely love the band, AND this (admittedly dubious quality) pic of the bandโs James Graham. (And a Papa Roach hoodie.)๐งก๐๐โค๏ธ
I'm being let loose on Friday nights
@BBCRadioScot
for a couple of weeks (March 23 & 30), and along with loads of post-punk, disco, indie, soul & electro tunes I'll be celebrating as many ace Scottish albums (old & new) as I can fit in - if you've any requests please let me know!
I never paid much attention at school, but every Thursday night, after my chip shop shift, I hung on this guyโs every word. Loved chatting with
@billysloanshow
about his new memoir, One Love, One Life - via Grace Jones, Bowie & Bono - for
#TheCultureScene
Thereโs a wealth of John Byrne-coloured wonder now available on the
@BBCiPlayer
, thanks to
@BBCScotland
โs special tribute programming last night. Tutti Frutti, Your Cheatinโ Heart, interviews and all manner of treasures. What a man he wasโฆ ๐งก๐งก๐งก
One day, Iโll tell you the story of how a teacher from Denny High (who was also my dad) came to star on David Kid Jensenโs Radio 1 show alongside Frankie Goes To Hollywood. For now, please enjoy this pic of him turning 70 today, in Camden, rocking a bread basket
#HappyBirthdayDad
Spent the morning listening to music in Edinburgh with the great Ken Loach. He discussed the songs that have soundtracked his life, including the one that he canโt help singing along with, and the one he wishes heโd written.
#ForTheRecord
special on
@BBCRadioScot
coming soon ๐งก๐ฅ
Bloody hell.
@thetwilightsad
were utterly brilliant and devastating at Bellahouston Park. They even chased the rain away. I could not love them more. I hope the sun shines on them forever.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining
@PeterAlanRoss
for a daunder round one of our favourite haunts. We were chatting about his heartening and sublime new book, A Tomb With A View, and you can hear all about it on this weekโs Friday Afternoon Show, 2-4pm,
@BBCRadioScot
โ ๏ธ๐ป๐
The dog got a haircut and a fierce new t-shirt and is starting a Dexyโs Midnight Runners tribute band. If youโve got a fiddle and / or opposable thumbs, heโd like you to join him. ๐๐ป
The mighty, mighty
@ArabStrapBand
are heading for the UK Top 10 with their excellent new album,
#AsDaysGetDark
. This is the very Monday we should all be at the Hug & Pint. ๐งก๐ฅ๐น
I was going to write a tweet with some thoughts about how much I love the new
@deaconbluemusic
album, City of Love (out today), but the word count got quite out of hand, so I turned it over to
@thelistmagazine
. Many thanks to them for publishing this...
With the most CD and vinyl sales this week,
@mogwaiband
are on track for their first Number 1 album of their 25-year career.
See how they're progressing on today's sales flash:
Delighted that my On The Record series - talking to some of Scotland's best-loved artists about their well-loved songs - is being repeated on
@BBCRadioScot
's
@BBCJFShow
. Kicks off today with the brilliant
@GaryClarkMusic
of Danny Wilson on Mary's Prayer...
On todayโs
@BBCRadioScot
Afternoon Show, 2-4pm, Iโm in conversation with the iconic
@DollyParton
. We discuss her new book
#BehindTheSeams
, her forthcoming LP
#RockStar
, and she reflects on a life in fashion; taking musical risks; and how lipliner can be mightier than the sword ๐ฉท
Getting weirdly emotional about this as the day goes on. Been listening to
@mogwaiband
LPs in turn: a quarter of a centuryโs worth of awesome music; an adult lifetimeโs worth of memories. I didnโt think I was bothered about the charts these days, but there you go.
#Mogwai4Number1
This is such brilliant and righteous news for
@mogwaiband
and
@rockactionrecs
.
#AsTheLoveContinues
is stunning and will save us all. Not all superheroes wear capes etc. (That said, Iโd wholeheartedly welcome the bandโs Rick Wakeman phase) ๐งก๐๐ป๐ฅ
Karine Polwartโs
@IAMKP
celebration of Scottish pop in its myriad joyous, enlightening and heartbreaking forms was wonderful
@ccfest
. Best of all was her communal spirit, turning the Fruitmarket into a Caledonian gospel dancefloor. The closest thing to heaven is to rock and roll.
Easy t-shirt choice today, as weโre celebrating DOLLY PARTON on the show (
@BBCRadioScot
2-4pm). Iโll also be joined by my beloved
@BarbaraDickson
๐; weโll hear from Richard Jobson on writing
@the_skids
โ Into The Valley; plus
@VADundee
Design Busters. Want a shout out? Lemme know!
Despite appearances to the contrary,
@VicGalloway
& I did not get married in a 50s tiki bar on Thursday. We did, however, have a ball hosting this year's Scottish Album of the Year Award
@SAYaward
at Paisley Town Hall. Who needs Waikiki Beach. Here's to brilliant Scottish music๐
Thrilled that those absolute legends The Bluebells are coming to Stirling
@Tolbooth
17/8. The law dictates that you must too. Theyโre playing live & weโll be chatting about the brilliant photography of Harry Papadopoulos. Tix here!
@R0Poem
@urbancrofter62
The Bluebells, live in concert & in conversation on 17th August at Tolbooth. Hosted by
@Nicola_Meighan
As part of the โWhat Presence: the Music Photography of Harry Papadopoulosโ Exhibition with
@StreetLevel_
, part of
@StirlingPF
.
On sale now
I love Ariana Grande, but
@thetwilightsad
(via Glasgowโs
@rockactionrecs
) outselling her in the UK this week is mind-blowing and beautiful. They are the best ๐งก๐งก๐งก
Obligatory selfie in the nationโs greatest public toilets, while viewing the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Artโs
#NewArrivals
exhibition. Weโre discussing it on todayโs
@BBCRadioScot
show, plus:
@jonronson
on culture wars; Dundee nostalgia; Friday tunes! ๐๐ป
@NatGalleriesSco
The new
#Bluebells
album is glorious. Every home should have one. (And a spare, just in case it gets warped in the sun.) ๐๐๐๐งก๐งก๐งก
@R0Poem
@urbancrofter62
Last few hours of chart reporting for this beautiful baby. Grab one in store and lets squeeze as high a position as possible.
@R0Poem
@urbancrofter62
@dvdmcc
Delighted to be back on
@BBCRadioScot
Friday nights this summer, kicking off 27/7 with Martin Metcalfe On The Record talking
#GoodbyeMrMackenzie
's The Rattler; a Shop Assistants LP love-in; plus rockabilly, disco, soul, punk, Scottish thrills, and more!
A joy as ever to host the Scottish Album of the Year Award
@sayaward
with this absolute punk dreamboat,
@VicGalloway
. Huge congratulations to winner
@Auntie_Flo
, and to all the nominated artists. Hereโs to everyone who makes our musical landscape so varied, and so thrilling...๐งก
I regret to report that Sir Ian Rankin & I have yet to be cast as a couple of hard-boiled 70s telly cops cleaning up the mean streets of Stirling, BUT you can hear him in a 1 hour
@BBCRadioScot
#ForTheRecord
music & conversation special on todayโs
#AfternoonShow
, 3-4pm
@Beathhigh
โWhat will people make of us?โ Ahead of tonightโs
@BBCScotland
screening of the exquisite From Scotland With Love, hereโs an archive
@thequietus
interview with
@kingcreosote
on life, death, history, hope, and soundtracking
@virginiaheath
โs film...
๐ถ This ainโt the way I spend my mornings, baby... ๐ถ
Hello, I am Italian now. This is my roof terrace. I live here in Napoli. I communicate solely through the words of Paul Young and Zuccheroโs โSenza Una Donnaโ.
#SchoolHolidays
Sad to hear that Vincent Friell has died. He appeared in Trainspotting, River City, Taggart, The Angelsโ Share, Still Game and Rab C Nesbitt but heโll be best remembered for the comedy Restless Natives. Condolences to his family and friends.
Standard Saturday morning having breakfast in Glasgow with
@rickastley
. Coming to
@BBCRadioScot
โs Afternoon Show soon. (And then heโs playing just across the river there at the Hydro in Februaryโฆ) ๐๐ป๐งก
If you've ever had the misfortune to spend so much as five minutes in my company, youโll know how thrilled I was to write liner notes for
@deaconbluemusic
โs new Greatest Hits comp & LP Box Set. Info here . Spoiler alert: Iโve always loved them; always will.
Got an early train through to Auld Reekie to spend more time with
@alisonjfwatt
โs still, shimmering exhibition, A Portrait Without Likeness, which runs until tomorrow and is full of life, and light, and love.
๐ค
@NatGalleriesSco
โItโs been an incredible journey...โ Mogwai (
@mogwaiband
) score their first Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart with As The Love Continues โค๏ธ
Itโs Friday! Itโs Hogmanay! Party time! On
@BBCRadioScot
, 2-4pm, Iโm joined by DAME JOAN COLLINS *and* BARBARA DICKSON! Name a more iconic duo. Plus: tunes from Chic, Bowie, Nina Simone, more! Hereโs a photo of me & my mum (aka โStirlingโs Joan Collinsโ) to celebrate. Join us! ๐
We are here!
@StirAlbertHalls
is looking magic, and the Scottish Album of the Year Award party kicks off in five minutes! Wooooohoo! All the luck and all the love to all of the brilliant artists involved. Pictured with thee debonair punk gentleman
@VicGalloway
@SAYaward
๐งก๐๐ป๐น
If youโve a free hour that youโd like to fill with the wonder of
@claregrogan2
discussing her life & work - & choosing the songs that mean the most to her (no spoilers, but letโs just say DORIS DAY) - itโs right here
@BBCSounds
:
@BBCRadioScot
#ForTheRecord
Love this so much, and love that one of the stranger twists my life has taken - and there have been a few - is that Rab Buchanan, as of last summer, is now my uncle.
That Sinking Feeling (1979). Unemployed teenager Ronnie and his hapless pals spend their time hanging around rainy parks and dingy cafes in Glasgow, but their world is about to change when Ronnie hatches a plan to make them all rich by stealing a job-lot of stainless steel sinks.