Songbook

A new podcast exploring the music books that shape our lives has been launched by specialist publishers White Rabbit. ‘Songbook’ is presented by music critic and author Jude Rogers, who explores “the art and thrill” of music writing with guests from the fields of pop music, literature and journalism.

Episode one features Brett Anderson, lead singer of Britpop band Suede, who discusses the 1985 oral history ‘Starlust: The Secret Fantasies of Fans’ by Fred and Judy Vermorel. Black feminist punk singer Stephanie Phillips, of Big Joanie, explores Kirstin Hersh of Throwing Muses’ memoir ‘Rat Girl’ in another, while NTS Radio’s Zakia Sewell talks folk music and childhood mix tapes. And crime-writing legend Ian Rankin is present for episode four, discussing ‘Touching from a Distance’, a book written by Joy Division singer Ian Curtis’ wife Deborah, 15 years after his death in 1980.

Other works explored in ‘Songbook’ series one include ‘Just Kids’ by Patti Smith, ‘No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs’ by John Lydon, and ‘Bass Culture’ by Lloyd Bradley. The podcast was launched at the midpoint of another great year from publishers White Rabbit, whose 2022 book releases include Adelle Stripe and Lias Saoudi’s ‘Ten Thousand Apologies: Fat White Family and the Miracle of Failure’, and Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream’s ‘Tenement Kid’.

Series one of ‘Songbook’ is available now across various podcast streaming platforms.