It is 11.20am at Euston station. Swarms of people are positioned on their starting blocks in front of the announcement board. The 11.40 to Liverpool has already been called on platform 8, yet the 11.23 to Birmingham has still not been placed. There is a sense of tension in the air - then suddenly it appears on the monitor. Release gives way to mass pandemonium as a stampede of people push and jostle their way to platform 13. We clutch our paper coffee cups with grim determination and lead the throng. This is the start of a four hour journey from London into the deepest Shropshire countryside. Our mission is to interview retired folk singer Harvey Andrews. This man has had a 50 year career touring, but still, few people have heard of him. It seems something is awry with this: he is a talented lyricist, tells genuinely human stories about blind great aunts and underdogs and, as we’re soon to find out, is extremely self-deprecating. In fact he embodies all those admirable qualities … [Read more...]
Harvey Andrews Interview: ‘Margarita’ a ‘Streets of London’ for Birmingham?
Interview: What Not to Say to Sir Walter Raleigh
We got the call late... far too late to do any proper research. With just a few hours grace to get to the venue and meet one of the most famous explorers the world has ever seen, we were a bit daunted to say the least. As we charged out of the tube station a slim ray of sunshine peered out jauntily from behind the Orange Tree Theatre. The White Swan pub was only a few minutes away and we are already late for our appointment to meet Sir Walter Raleigh. … [Read more...]
Interview: A £2.99 Mask from Tesco & a Final Fling With 1928
Kathryn and Nick meet 20s pianist Robert Johnson, the tempo setter for the most lavish parties in Chiswick House's history As we trooped embarrassedly along the edge of the dual carriageway, gaggles of locals were swarming from their homes to form a steady flow of foot traffic towards Chiswick House. A swathe of groomed be-suited males waddled carefully alongside brightly coloured ball gowns and elevated hair. Expensive looking masks were firmly secured to the face of each marcher... we must have looked stupidly under dressed by comparison. … [Read more...]
Inside the Bee: Mr Caroo’s Augmented Reality & Brand New Alternate Universe
BeeLine is a new interactive platform which blends augmented reality, cutting edge holographic technology and CGI to take families on a true interactive journey. Kathryn and Nick meet the company's Founder, CEO and Inspirational Director, Brendan Caroo, at his Dream Studio in deepest Kent for a bizarre, inaugural peek inside a new universe. A smartly dressed woman with a shell-like blond bob thrusts us through a doorway into a large old industrial warehouse space. High above our heads, the ceiling is pregnant with wires, whilst a slow unnerving whirring drifts downwards. Suddenly, through the overhead clutter a shape emerges on a fast rope-bound descent... … [Read more...]
4×4 Interview: Cave-Aged Blue Gum-Tingler
Olly Bruggles has just swept the board at this year's Grande British Cheese Championships (est. 1871) - Britain's oldest cheese award. His Cave-Aged Blue Gum-Tingler took centre stage at the Leicester-based event as he romped away with Gold trophies across five categories: Best Welsh, Best Blue, Best Sheep's Milk Cheese and Cheese of the Year. With all other competitors reeling in his wake, Kathryn & Nick talk to the decidedly happy artisan and try to tease out his secrets. … [Read more...]
4×4 Interview: Love & Guns in Brick Lane
Elliot Cumbersmith's 20-minute film, Windows 2 the Soul: Love & Guns in Brick Lane, was produced for the art-house market and quickly graduated to cult classic. Now, five months on, it's becoming a surprising mainstream hit. Kathryn & Nick talk to the 22-year-old writer and director about his breakthrough success. … [Read more...]
Health & Fitness: Meet Jo-Jo Taylor – Indio Guru
Former ballet dancer Jo-Jo Taylor is dressed in electric blue leggings and matching headband as she glides across the floor to meet us at Indio's flagship franchise in Chiswick, West London. Discretely located above two estate agents on Turnham Green Terrace, we have just emerged from a narrow staircase into a startlingly large, bright studio space that could easily accommodate three full size tennis courts. Open plan, in primary colours, the studio comprises of vast chrome kitchen incorporating an impressive health-drink bar, a central breakout area, and polished workout floor. The east wall, is dominated by floor to ceiling mirrors, whilst motivational poems, posters and imagery decorate the remaining wall space. The most immediate of these is an alarmingly life sized photo of founder, Angelica Andress, under the familiar tagline “Californian body, Indian soul”. … [Read more...]
Health and Fitness: A Poet Laureate for Business
As told to Kathryn & Nick: Zelda Stewart is Poet Laureate for Indio Fitness, a global fitness and nutrition company based in Anaheim, California. Currently in England promoting a new book, Zelda agreed to tell us more about her work on just one condition, we had to complete an Indio beginners class first. Once the 5' 2", impossibly blonde coiled spring had subjected us to a range of - not totally unpleasant exercises - she finally took us through what we really came for. … [Read more...]
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