It’s The Media, Stupid!

We were commissioned by MediaNorth/Campaign For Press And Broadcasting Freedom (North) to film their conference It’s The Media, Stupid: Post-Election Policies For Media Reform which took place at Leeds City Art Gallery on 8th February 2020. The conference took a comprehensive look at the state of the British media with a series of experts giving talks with plenty of space for informed contributions from the floor. They were four sessions throughout the day, the first two took an in-depth look at media coverage of the 2019 General Election, the third session a detailed examination of the BBC at a critical time in its history as it faces an existential threat from the current government. The final session considers what steps are necessary to move forward. Click play above to watch all four sessions. Individual links to each of the four sessions follows here:

Session 1: THE MEDIA AND THE ELECTION
Professor Dominic Wring: Co-Director Loughborough University 2019 Election Survey
Justin Schlosberg: Media Reform Coalition
Contributions from the floor
Introduced by Granville Williams: Editor MediaNorth

Session 2: THE PRESS: OWNERSHIP, REGULATION AND ETHICS
Nicholas Jones: Author and former BBC Industrial and Political Correspondent
Louisa Bull: National Officer, Unite’s Graphical Paper, Media and IT Sector
Contributions from the floor
Chaired by Caroline Bedale, Health Campaigns Together

Session 3: BROADCASTING: REGULATION, AND IMPARTIALITY
Introduced by Granville Williams: Editor MediaNorth
Sian Jones: President, National Union of Journalists
Dr Tom Mills: Author and Vice Chair Media Reform Coalition
Tony Lennon: Freelance and Research Officer, Bectu
Contributions from the floor

Session 4: LOOKING FORWARD: POLICIES FOR MEDIA REFORM
Justin Schlosberg: Media Reform Coalition
Granville Williams: Editor MediaNorth
Contributions from the floor
Chaired by Barry White, NUJ Member, Leeds and Wakefield Branch

Iain Matthews and Ian Clayton Words & Music Tour | The Red Shed | Woodstock

Iain Matthews and Ian Clayton caught in the Devil’s bargain on their Words & Music Tour at The Red Shed, Wakefield. Ian reads a short extract from Iain’s memoir Thro’ My Eyes followed by a stripped-down performance of ‘Woodstock’ by Iain. Recorded on 27th September 2019.

It was the perfect moment at iconic Red Shed, Wakefield’s Labour Club. The story shows that it was because of the Union that we got the Matthews Southern Comfort ‘Woodstock’ in the first place. It’s a song that strives for a new utopia, but it’s this version that spread the ideal beyond the hippies and dreamers to the kitchens, bedrooms, youth clubs, factories and paint shops of the masses. And this is a beautiful performance by Iain. At one point, he’s singing the notice board (Toulouse / To lose)

Click here for more on Thro’ My Eyes: A Memoir.

Paul Hanley In Conversation | Louder Than Words Festival 2019

Paul Hanley in conversation with Daryl Easlea at Louder Than Words Festival 2019. They discuss Paul’s book Have A Bleedin Guess: The Story of Hex Enduction Hour. Running time 1:02:37

Click here for more on Have A Bleedin Guess and to order

Click here more features on Have A Bleedin Guess

Hanley Brothers at Rock N Roll Book Club

AUDIO: Brothers Steve Hanley and Paul Hanley in conversation with John Doran at Walthamstow Rock N Roll Book Club. The first part of the conversation is dedicated to The Fall’s 1982 album Hex Enduction Hour, the subject of Paul Hanley’s book Have A Bleedin Guess. The second part is taken with general questions about The Fall, led first by John Doran and followed up by questions from the audience. Recorded at The Trades Hall, Walthamstow on 23rd October 2019 in front of a full house. The sound of bottles smashing during the recording come from the bar, there wasn’t a riot in the crowd. Click play above to listen. Running Time 1:26:50

(If the audio player above is not active, click this link to play the file in your browser, or right-click and choose ‘save link as’ to download the podcast’)

VIDEO: Click here to watch a video of the audience Q&A (It duplicates the last 21 minutes of this recording, so you can switch over at 1:05:29 and listen to the remainder with moving pictures.)

For more on Steve and Paul’s books, click the covers below.

   

Funky Si On Location | You Can Drum But You Can’t Hide

Funky Si Wolstencroft has been filming a series of vignettes at the sites featured in his memoir You Can Drum But You Can’t Hide. Taking in locations in London, New York, Leeds, Coventry, Wales, and of course Greater Manchester. Click play above to watch them in one continuous stream.

Click here for more on the book

Click here for the You Can Drum But Can’t Hide website

 

Bob Dylan’s Picnic at Blackbushe | A Story By Ian Clayton

Ian Clayton reads an extract from his best-selling music memoir Bringing It All Back Home about the time he went to see Bob Dylan at Blackbushe in 1978.

‘One of the best books about popular music ever written.’ – Record Collector

‘A music-powered helter-skelter of living and learning, as perceptive as a Bob Dylan lyric and as earthy as a Bessie Smith blues.’ -Val Wilmer

Click here for more on Bringing It All Back Home

Clinton Heylin Talks Fairport Convention

Clinton Heylin introduces Fairport Convention’s What We Did On Our Holidays at a 50th anniversary celebration of the album hosted by The CAT Club, Pontefract. Clinton reads a relevant passage from his book What We Did Instead of Holidays followed by a Q&A, with questions from Ian Clayton, Richard Lewis and Rev Reynolds.

Click here or more on Clinton’s book What We Did Instead of Holidays