Glossop Record Club

In May 2014, we welcomed Graham Jones – a founder of Proper Music and author of ‘Last Shop Standing’ and ‘Strange Requests and Comic Tales from Record Shops’. Born in Liverpool, Graham managed local band The Cherry Boys and ran his own market stall, selling fruit bowls made from Beatles LPs melted into shape under a grill. He then travelled the country selling records, tapes and CDs to independent record shops. ‘Last Shop Standing: Whatever Happened to Record Shops?’ tells how the UK went from having over 2000 independent record shops in the 1980s to just 269 by 2009. Witnessing this decline from his vantage point as a record company salesman, the book became a celebration of the survivors: a David and Goliath tale of shops managing to keep going despite the immense pressure from downloading and supermarkets. Recorded and edited by Simon Galloway.

In May 2016 we welcomed respected author and music journalist Paul Du Noyer to Glossop Record Club. Paul started out as a writer at the NME, moved on to being editor of Q, founding editor of Mojo and associate editor of the greatly missed Word magazine. He’s interviewed the likes of David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Madonna, Pavarotti and nearly everyone with a strong connection to The Beatles, not least Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. He’s also written several books including definitive musical histories of Liverpool and London, plus tomes dedicated to John Lennon and seminal art-rock band Deaf School. His latest book, Conversations With McCartney, draws from the many interviews Du Noyer has conducted with Macca over the years. Hosted by Gavin Hogg. Recorded and edited by Simon Galloway.

In October 2016, on the anniversary of the release of the first punk single (The Damned's 'New Rose'), we welcomed writer David Nolan to talk about his book 'I Swear I Was There - Sex Pistols, Manchester and the gig that changed the world'. David is a multi award-winning British author, specialising in music and pop culture biographies, covering subjects from the Sex Pistols to Simon Cowell. He is widely-known for investigating famous myths in music - and if needs be, disproving them. He once tracked down the whole audience of a famous 1976 gig by the Sex Pistols at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall. He wanted to prove how many people really went to a gig that thousands claim to have attended. He's written biographies on Tony Wilson of Factory Records, Bernard Sumner of Joy Division/New Order, Damon Albarn of Blur, Ed Sheeran and many more. He's also written and produced documentaries on the Sex Pistols, Echo and the Bunnymen and The Smiths. Hosted by Simon Galloway.

In April 2018, we welcomed veteran writer and broadcaster David Hepworth to Glossop Record Club to discuss his best-selling books ‘Uncommon People‘ and ‘1971: Never A Dull Moment‘ and his lengthy career as a music journalist, magazine editor and publisher. If you’ve picked up a British music magazine in the last 40 years, you’ll have encountered David’s work. From the early days of Smash Hits, to founding Q, Mojo and The Word, he’s been an ever-present figure in some of the most successful and influential music magazines. As a presenter, he fronted Whistle Test in its final few years alongside fellow music journalist Mark Ellen and was also part of the presentation team for Live Aid in 1985. Along with Mark, he’s also the host of the excellent A Word In Your Ear podcast, where he discusses music books with their authors. Hosted by Gavin Hogg. Recorded and edited by Simon Galloway.