Author Archives: writewyattuk

About writewyattuk

This is the online home of author, writer and editor Malcolm Wyatt, who has books on The Jam, Slade and The Clash under his belt and many more writing projects on the go, as well as regularly uploading feature-interviews and reviews right here. These days he's living his best life with his better half in West Cornwall after their three decades together in Lancashire, this Surrey born and bred scribe initially heading north after five years of 500-mile round-trips on the back of a Turkish holiday romance in 1989. Extremely proud of his two grown-up daughters, he's also a foster carer and a dog lover, spending any spare time outside all that catching up with other family and friends, supporting Woking FC, planning adventures and travels, further discovering his adopted county, and seeing as much of this big old world as time allows. He can be contacted at thedayiwasthere@gmail.com and various social media online portals, mostly involving that @writewyattuk handle.

Return of the Magnificent Maytals – the Toots Hibbert interview

Posted on July 16, 2016 by writewyattuk

I’m not quite sure where Frederick Hibbert, better known as ‘Toots’, is when I get through, but I’m guessing it’s Jamaica’s own back of beyond, with the phone reception poor. It doesn’t help that he’s en route between engagements, nor that … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged 54-46 Was My Number, Amy Winehouse, Big Feastival, Bob Marley, Funky Kingston, Island, Jamaica, Jimmy Cliff, Madness, Monkey Man, Pressure Drop, Reggae, rocksteady, ska, The Clash, The Harder They Come, The Specials, The Wailers, Toots and the Maytals, Toots Hibbert | 1 Comment

Sideways On – the Geno Washington interview

Posted on July 7, 2016 by writewyattuk

I should give prior warning here that this interview involves lots of exclamation marks. But believe me, there could have been many more. Let’s just say that the septuagenarian soul legend on the other end of the line lives life with … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Aldershot West End Centre, Cream, Dexy's, Geno Washington, Georgie Fame, Indiana, Ipswich, Kennington Cricketers, Kevin Rowland, Little Richard, Otis Redding, Pete Gage, Ram Jam Band, Steve Bingham, The Beach Boys | 4 Comments

Lead us unto The Temptations – the Otis Williams interview

Posted on June 30, 2016 by writewyattuk

At the end of a month in which the world mourned for Muhammad Ali, it seems apt that I’m conducting an interview with the sole surviving original member of a band the revered US boxing legend and civil rights activist … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Aretha Franklin, Berry Gordy, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendrick, Gerri Hirshey, Melvin Franklin, Motown, Muhammad Ali, New Jersey, Otis Williams, Paul Williams, Richard Street, Ron Tyson, Smokey Robinson, Tavares, Texarcana, The Distants, The Four Tops, The Primes, The Temptations | 6 Comments

Paying homage to the blues – the Joe Bonamassa interview

Posted on June 24, 2016 by writewyattuk

Joe Bonamassa has not long finished his latest tour on home soil, involving 20-plus dates in barely a month, taking in – as he put it – ‘all the great metropolitan cities of the United States of America’. That came … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | Tagged BB King, Blues of Desperation, British Blues Explosion, Cavern Club, Dave Stewart, Donald Trump, Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, Hoghton Tower, Humble Pie, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Joe Bonamassa, Keeping the Blues Alive Foundation, Kevin Shirley, Led Zeppelin, Liverpool, New York, Otis Rush, Paul Kossoff, Peter Green, Rory Gallagher, Stephen Stills, Symphony at the Tower | 1 Comment

The Undertones – Chester Live Rooms

Posted on June 19, 2016 by writewyattuk

“Summer’s really here and it’s time to come out, time to discover what fun is about.” Yep, The Undertones are back, taking on a series of mostly-weekend commitments to mark the 40th anniversary of becoming a proper functioning band, good … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 4 Comments

Getting up close and personal with Toyah

Posted on June 17, 2016 by writewyattuk

Regular readers of this blog won’t be surprised that this scribe is an avid viewer of BBC 4’s Top of the Pops re-runs, a point I soon confess to my latest interviewee, Toyah Willcox. “Oh, God bless those!” The more … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged Birmingham, Chris Wong, Colin Hinds, Hazel O'Connor, Hugh Cornwell, John Lydon, Madonna, Phil Daniels, Quadrophenia, Robert Fripp, Smash Hits, Teletubbies, Top of the Pops, Toyah Willcox | 2 Comments

A jaunting we will go, with The Undertones – the Mickey Bradley interview

Posted on June 9, 2016 by writewyattuk

I tend to find books on bands traditionally take the formulaic approach, rather predictably following artistes from rags to showbiz riches, preferably with plenty of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll clichés en route. In many cases, and somewhat inevitably, acts lose a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Belfast, Billy Doherty, Chester, Damian O'Neill, Derry, Feargal Sharkey, Jimmy Hill, John O'Neill, Manchester, Mickey Bradley, My Perfect Cousin, Paul McLoone, Revolution in the Head, Steve Lamacq, Teenage Kicks, The Undertones | 4 Comments

Proof perfect pop idol here to stay – the Will Young interview

Posted on June 2, 2016 by writewyattuk

(PLEASE NOTE: This interview largely centred around Will Young’s proposed Symphony at the Tower show in Lancashire on Friday, July 1, which was unfortunately cancelled on the day of the show. I’ve subsequently updated where I felt I could, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged 85% Proof, Berkshire, Bodmin, Cabaret, David Tench, Evergreen, Funny Peculiar, Gareth Gates, LGBT, Love Revolution, Mrs Henderson Presents, Pop Idol, St Catherine's Hospice, Symphony at the Tower, The Voice, Will Young | 2 Comments

Bruce Foxton – Smash the Clock (Absolute/Bass Tone Records, 2016)

Posted on May 28, 2016 by writewyattuk

So Bruce Foxton has a top-40 hit, 33 years after he last troubled the charts with debut solo single, Freak. In at No.31, pop-pickers, thanks largely to the 21st-century phenomenon of crowd-funding pre-orders, with new LP Smash the Clock his … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Music | Tagged Black Barn Studios, Bruce Foxton, Charles Rees, From The Jam, Paul Jones, paul weller, Rick Buckler, Russell Hastings, Smash the Clock, Steve Cropper, The Jam, The Vapors, Tom Heel, Wilko Johnson | 6 Comments

Further Adventures of The Wonder Stuff – the Miles Hunt interview

Posted on May 26, 2016 by writewyattuk

Miles Hunt was taking a break from archiving material in the studio when I caught him on the phone at his rural Shropshire base, not far from his Black Country roots. “Not so far at all. It’s still Midlands, innit”. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books Films, TV & Radio, Comedy & Theatre, Music | Tagged 30 Goes Around The Sun, Bill Hunt, Black Country, Bob Dylan, BritPop, Dan Donnelly, ELO, Erica Nockalls, Gigantic, Hup, Jake Shillingford, Lucian Grainge, Manchester Academy, Mark McCarthy, Miles Hunt, Never Loved Elvis, Polydor, Pop Will Eat Itself, Roy Wood, Slade, Stockton, Stourbridge, The House of Love, The Wonder Stuff, Tony Arthy, Wizzard | 1 Comment