Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Living The Life | 20171211 | 20190311 (R3) | Author David Hepworth reflects on pop music's struggles with authenticity. Author and broadcaster David Hepworth reflects on pop music's struggles with authenticity. 1/5. Leadbelly's managers wanted him to perform in prison stripes. He preferred his best suit. When Dylan arrived in New York he pretended to be a hobo. Seasick Steve was a producer of disco records. Why do rock fans care that their heroes have lived the real lives their songs describe? |
| 02 | The Terminology | 20171212 | 20190312 (R3) | David Hepworth discusses pop terminology - a trap for frauds and a charter for pseuds. Author and broadcaster David Hepworth reflects on pop music's struggles with authenticity. 2/5. From the elementary pop-rock schism of the '60s to the bewildering array of compounds mapping the contemporary musical landscape, pop terminology has been a trap for frauds and a charter for pseuds. there's only one term that works. |
| 03 | The Importance Of Noise | 20171213 | 20190313 (R3) | Teenagers flocked to see The Blackboard Jungle in 1956 because it was the only way you could hear Rock Around The Clock loud. High volume drives distortion which is what makes rock music exciting. What's the difference between signal and noise? |
| 04 | Are Djs Doomed? | 20171214 | 20190314 (R3) | 'Writer David Hepworth on pop music's struggles with authenticity, asking 'Are DJs doomed?' 4/5. Streaming music means that the people listening have just as many records as the people running the radio stations. So is the radio DJ is going the way of the blacksmith while the club DJ flourishes? Writer David Hepworth asks, 'Are DJs doomed? |
| 05 LAST | The Rock'n'roll Funeral | 20171215 | 20190315 (R3) | David Hepworth asks if pop music has any place in the great ceremonies of life and death. Writer David Hepworth on pop music's struggles with authenticity. 5/5. Recently David was asked to programme the music for the wake after the funeral of a colleague. Now he wonders whether, despite the public demand for Robbie Williams' Angels and Frank Sinatra's My Way, pop music really has any place in the great ceremonies of life and death. |