Denise Mina! Sanjeev Kohli! Clare Grogan! Andrew Wasylyk! More!

Hello again!

If you got the last (first!) newsletter, then you’ll know how impressed I am that I’ve managed (I hope) to reduce the font size for this salutation. Anyway - here’s a quick update of some new and recent podcast - and live - guests you can listen to, or come and see / hear in real life, if the mood takes you, which it totally should.

This week, I’m delighted to announce TWO forthcoming live guests, and they’re both pure dreams… The award-winning writer and syle icon Denise Mina joins me for an afternoon of conversation at The Stand in Glasgow on October 9th, and Still Game legend / comedian / actor Sanjeev Kohli is with me at that same venue on the 13th of November. Come hang out with us! There’s an early bird code that’ll get you tickets for either - or both - for the price of a coffee. More details below. We’d love to see you there.

There are also TWO new bookish podcast episodes if you fancy a listen, thanks to Ambrose Parry - Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman - discussing their brilliant historical novels, along with their mutual love of Del Amitri, Iain Banks and oft-overlooked Billy Connolly movie What We Did On Our Holiday; AND courtesy of this year’s Bloody Scotland crime writing festival, where I grabbed three fab authors - Tariq Ashkanani, David Goodman and Claire Wilson for a blether.

I’ve also flagged up a few other visual art, music and other highlights around the country, along with related podcast episodes from Clare Grogan (Altered Images), Andrew Wasylyk and Matthew Arthur Williams, if you fancy getting out and about.

Thanks again for signing up / listening / getting involved / all of that! I’ve lots more events and guests to announce in this newsletter anon, including some adventures in London (Irvine Welsh may well feature), something very special in Dundee, and a Glasgow date with a Teenage Fanclub legend - and lots more… Hopefully see you at a live show soon!

Live Event - Book Now!

Denise Mina at The Stand, Glasgow, Thursday October 9, 2.30pm

Well then. I always love chatting with Denise Mina, and I can’t wait to have a blether with her about her latest brilliant crime thriller, The Good Liar (I absolutely love it and am getting a BLOOD SPATTER PROBABILITY SCALE tattoo to prove it) - along with her wider work, and some of Denise’s favourite Scottish albums, films and books.

The best-selling, award-winning and - let’s face it - wildly stylish writer has worked across theatre, film and non-fiction over the years, not to mention hugely-loved novels like Garnethill, Conviction, and The Long Drop.

Join us for a drink and a blether, and hand-picked tunes, and an informal, entertaining Glasgow Thursday afternoon… We’ll be at the new Stand in Glasgow (the old Webster’s Theatre, right across the road from Kelvinbridge subway).

There’s even a half-price code which gets you tickets for a mere four quid - AKUTA - get them right here!

Live Event - Book Now!

Sanjeev Kohli at The Stand, Glasgow, Thursday November 13, 2.30pm

Now let me just say for the record that I approached this legend of a man about joining me for a podcast blether BEFORE that glorious new Irn Bru advert had aired, but - I mean. It’s really something.

Writer, actor and Still Game favourite Sanjeev Kohli will be with me at The Stand in Glasgow (opposite Kelvinbridge subway) on November 13th, for a chat about some of his favourite Scottish albums, films and books - along with his myriad hugely-loved roles including Dept Q, River City, Fags, Mags & Bags - and yes, that new TV ad.

Sanjeev's also written for Chewin' the Fat and Goodness Gracious Me, and appeared as vintage electro scholar Synthesizer Patel (in Look Around You), and on various records by Dundee exploratory pop ensemble The Grand Gestures.

We’ll chat loads, there’ll be hand-picked tunes, who can say whether synthesizers will feature. It’s a distinct possibility. Early bird tickets for FOUR QUID with the promo code AKUTA are right here!

New Episode - Listen Now!

Ambrose Parry: All Back To Mine

Chris Brookmyre is a terrific author in his own right, but he also writes fascinating, thrilling, historical best-selling fiction with his partner in crime - and wife - the writer and consultant anaesthetist Dr Marisa Haetzman, under the guise of Ambrose Parry.

I’m a huge fan of the Ambrose Parry novels… Their latest, The Death Of Shame, came out earlier this summer, and I cannot get enough of Raven and Fisher - and I always love chatting to Chris and Marisa.

You can listen to them reflecting on writing together, and how they met - along with their mutual love of Del Amitri, Iain Banks’ The Crow Road, and fab unsung Scottish movie What We Did On Our Holiday - right here.

More Episodes

FESTIVALS / BOOKS / MURDER: This year’s Bloody Scotland crime writing bacchanal in Stirling was a thrill, as ever. I had a blast chairing events with Mark Billingham, Laura Lippman, and Ian Rankin along with Rebus actors James MacPherson and Gray O’Brien - and I also grabbed the winner of this year’s McIlvanney Prize (Tariq Ashkanani), Debut Prize (David Goodman) and brilliant local writer Claire Wilson for an ad-hoc blether: you can listen here.

SCOTTISH POP: To celebrate the forthcoming live date from Glasgow post-punk livewires Altered Images (the Glad Cafe, October 18, for the mighty Tiny Changes charity), here’s the band’s Clare Grogan discussing her favourite Scottish album, film and book (spoiler alert: Simple Minds, Aftersun and Muriel Spark feature) - along with her own life and career - and Gregory’s Girl, of course… Listen here.

VISUAL ART / PHOTOGRAPHY: The incredible Matthew Arthur Williams has a new exhibition, In Consideration Of Our Times, running at Edinburgh’s Stills Gallery until October 18th and it is absolutely worth a visit. I’ll hopefully have more on this soon, but for now, here’s a reminder of the lovely man behind the art, in a conversation about life, work and Derek Jarman with the equally joyous Gavin Mitchell… listen here.

MUSIC / AUDIO-VISUAL WONDER: The nights are drawing in, the leaves are turning, and this is absolutely the time of year and atmosphere for Andrew Wasylyk and Tommy Perman’s swoon-inducing Ash Grey and the Gull Glides On. The album’s sublime, but you can also see them playing live with brass and woodwind at Dundee’s Marryat Hall on November 8th, to celebrate this year’s Scottish Album of the Year Award coming to the city. (More of which anon!) You can listen to Andrew reflecing on the record, and creativity, with the righteous James Robertson, right here.

Well that’s quite enough for now. Thanks so much for signing up, and for reading! (And for listening…) Please forward this to anyone you think might like it - BUT - get them to sign up too! Tell your pals! Come to a live show! Thank you xxx

Get in touch any time - I’d love to hear from you…

A Kick Up The Arts