Guy Chambers - writing with Robbie, a tangle with Bowie & half a bagel with Paul McCartney
About this episode
Guy Chambers was a teenager in Liverpool and at John Lennon’s old school - "same headmaster, Mister Pobjoy". He remembers the Beatles, Queen, Abba and Jesus Christ Superstar sparking his interest in the "perfect song package" and went on to work with Tina Turner, Rufus Wainwright, Kylie, Diana Ross and scores of others. He talks here about early shows he saw, records bought and his own tour in the autumn, "An Evening With Guy Chambers", stopping off at various points on the way, among them ...
... how YOU can write a song with him.
... Bowie's reaction on discovering he was third on the bill below George Michael and Robbie Williams at Netaid.
... seeing XTC and Generation X at the teen shows at Eric's.
... Benny Hill's Ernie, the Scaffold's Lily the Pink and other singles bought at Probe Records.
... "the great harmony bands" like the Eagles, Byrds and the Mamas & the Papas.
..."A Is For Banana", his song about dyslexia.
... writing a string quartet aged 11 and the magic of hearing four people bring his sheet music to life.
... "the wastage": composers who write 50 songs and throw 40 away.
.. the cinematic internal worlds of the Cocteau Twins and Lana Del Ray.
... the "subversive harmonies" on Strawberry Fields Forever and what makes Eleanor Rigby so perfect.
... everything that now needs to be in place to get a hit record.
... mass song-writing teams and how he can't operate with more than three people in the room.
... and what you can expect from his upcoming tour.
Tickets for An Evening With Guy Chambers here …
https://www.guychambers.co.uk/live
We've been podcasting since 2006 and every bit of support we receive helps us keep the conversation going. Find out more about how you can support Word In Your Ear into the future here: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear
Help us to keep The Longest Continuous Conversation In Rock'n'Roll going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Word In Your Ear publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Word In Your Ear
Clint Boon saw Manchester lift off twice and auditioned the young Noel Gallagher
Word In Your Ear
The Slits, a movie in waiting - “Marvel superheroes with their pants on the outs...
Word In Your Ear
Shawn Colvin – songwriter, storyteller, urban cowgirl, singing waitress
Word In Your Ear
The world’s greatest radio station! & things we loved about Dolly Parton
Word In Your Ear