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Articles by David Hepworth

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The Word Podcast live on August 19th

July 6, 2014 David Hepworth 0

In response to public demand we’re putting on a recording of the Word Podcast live on August 19th. It’ll be at the Islington. Mark Ellen, […]

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Our first Manchester Word In Your Ear – with Stuart Maconie and Mark Ellen

May 9, 2014 David Hepworth 0

There’s nothing like speech. It’s amazing how many subjects you can touch on, buttons you can press, situations you can recall and pictures you can […]

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Keep May 19th free and stay tuned for a details of a second Mark Ellen show

March 6, 2014 David Hepworth 1

The show with Mark Ellen at the Slaughtered Lamb on May 12th has sold out but we’ll be announcing another one to take place a […]

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Revision notes for Sunday’s WIYE at the Lexington

November 27, 2013 David Hepworth 0

Here’s Rhodri Marsden’s piercing analysis of the umbilical connection between the words “waiting” and “aniticipating” This is “Build A House Of Love”, an Andy Gregory-arranged […]

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Did anyone take any decent pictures of last night’s show?

October 10, 2013 David Hepworth 0

I was somewhat preoccupied so I didn’t. Which is a shame because it seemed to go very well. Can’t tell you how much simpler it […]

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I’m 540 pages into Mark Lewisohn’s book…

September 24, 2013 David Hepworth 0

…so I’ve written about it here.

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A night playing records and talking with Richard Williams and Kate Mossman

September 17, 2013 David Hepworth 0

Last night Richard Williams and Kate Mossman were  guinea pigs for our experimental evening in the small upstairs room to the Betsey Trotwood. In my […]

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We’re back from our holidays

August 22, 2013 David Hepworth 0

News about two exciting shows in September and October coming soon. Keep the 16th of the former and the 15th of the latter free. More […]

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We few, we happy few, will be talking about those Duckworth Lewis shows for weeks

July 10, 2013 David Hepworth 0

Alex and I have just got back from Nottingham, having seen the Duckworth Lewis Method royally entertain the Playhouse Theatre with a slightly longer set […]

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Handful of new tickets for Duckworth Lewis at Lord’s on Monday!

July 5, 2013 David Hepworth 0

Because of public demand and media interest, Duckworth Lewis will now be playing two shows at Lord’s on Monday night and therefore we have issued […]

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The Word Podcast

Word In Your Ear
Word In Your Ear

David Hepworth, Mark Ellen and chums cast an occasionally jaundiced eye over the goings-on in the worlds of music and entertainment.

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Paul Simon’s Graceland and how the masterpiece was made
byMark Ellen, David Hepworth and Alex Gold

‘Graceland’ was an almighty gamble for Paul Simon, a costly, high-risk departure from the music he’d been making and a complex international venture. And a game-changing, worldwide triumph. When Ashley Kahn taught a course about it at New York University, Simon turned up to contribute. His book ‘Days Of Miracle And Wonder’ tells the story of what inspired the album, the way it was recorded and the global reaction when it arrived in 1986. We talk to him here about …

 

… the bootleg cassette of township jive that inspired the Graceland project 

 

… fraying relations with Art Garfunkel and Carrie Fisher

 

… his habit of playing unfinished tracks to people – David Byrne, Philip Glass, Neil Diamond – while singing the vocal into their ear

 

… the extraordinary way he apologised for the failure of One Trick Pony

 

… how Bakithi Kumalo’s bass solo on You Can Call Me Al is a palindrome – “first half forwards, second half reversed!”

 

… the advice Quincy Jones gave him about South Africa’s cultural boycott

 

… the key role of Roy Halee, engineer and long-time creative collaborator

 

… the Johannesburg sessions that “started with rhythm and worked backwards”

 

… Kind Of Blue, A Love Supreme, other albums that merit a book to themselves

 

… the details you hear in the tracks’ last seconds

 

… and the Grammy telecast that cemented the album’s US success.

 

Order copies of ‘Days of Miracle And Wonder’ here: https://geni.us/DaysofMiracleandWonder

Help us to keep The Longest Continuous Conversation In Rock’n’Roll going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear


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Paul Simon’s Graceland and how the masterpiece was made
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Brian Epstein & the Beatles – what he did and what he hid
June 9, 2026
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Are we nearing Beatles Overload? plus the rock star with the most children (41!)
June 8, 2026
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The glorious story of Funk from James Brown to Off The Wall
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Leo Sayer has met everyone – rock legends, sport superstars, future presidents …
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Songs about sweltering heat, Willie Nelson’s braids and is vinyl now ‘luxury goods’?
June 1, 2026
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