Crossed Channels with Tony Fletcher and Dan Epstein cover art

Crossed Channels with Tony Fletcher and Dan Epstein

Crossed Channels with Tony Fletcher and Dan Epstein

By: A monthly podcast on which a Yank and a Brit clash and connect over music from both sides of "the pond".
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 Join music journalists/biographers/musicians/Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) as they debate and discuss the different ways that certain major bands and artists from their respective homelands have been received on the other side of the pond. In the process, Dan and Tony compare and contrast their own experiences as obsessive music fans growing up in the US and the UK.

tonyfletcher.substack.comTony Fletcher Art Entertainment & Performing Arts Music
Episodes
  • Dan and Tony Get Their Ya-Ya's Out

    Dan and Tony Get Their Ya-Ya's Out
    Feb 12 2026
    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 25th episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Limey) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.Dan & Tony Get Their Ya-Ya’s Out is an equally lively continuation of Episode 24, Should I Stay (Home) or Should I Go (Out)? in which we abandoned our usual focus on a particular band or artist from the UK or USA to take on the wide-ranging topic of live albums — official and otherwise. During that previous episode, Tony gave Dan hell for no longer going to see live shows, and Dan pointed out that his hearing is a lot better than Tony’s. And after arguing the positives and negatives of continuing to go out or stay home in one’s later years, the pair got down to answering some of the questions they had set each other: about the first live album they’d heard, or the favourite live cassette/bootleg of their formative years. Then they took a break and figured to stretch the conversation into two halves.And so, Episode 25 continues down this path of lively pub banter, the kind of “best” and “worst” lists that can be toxic on social media but are enormous fun when you’re sitting opposite one of your good friends and debating in real time. The questions we set each other and which we dig into on this episode include:* The best or most memorable bootleg you ever made yourself at a show.* Your favourite live album by anyone, for any reason.* The worst live album by an act that should have known better.* The live show you attended that you most wish had been recorded.* The live album that makes you most wish you could have attended.Does Tony mention every act he’s ever written a book about? Does Dan surprise Tony by referencing albums Tony has never heard of? Does Neil Diamond get a mention or was it edited out for reasons of length? And does Tony succeed in dragging Dan to an actual gig after they finish recording… or do they just go down the road for their usual post-pod meal at Kingston’s Yum Yum? (Hint: we record on a Monday.)Bottom line: we love doing this show, we have a lot more fun for doing it in person, and we know that this shows in the energy of the conversation. (We thank you for your feedback!) But also, we know our music – sort of! – and we love sharing our passion for it with you. So, if you are not yet a paid subscriber to either of our Substacks, maybe you should be, because, as always, the CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available in full to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this complete episode, along with all of our previous complete CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them! You not only get Crossed Channels every month, but other exclusive posts from each of us, and access to all the archives all the time. Plus, you allow us to afford that post-pod meal at Yum Yum! Remember, Crossed Channels, unlike most podcasts, does not take ads: we value your intelligence too highly.And if you are already a paid subscriber to either of our Substacks, may we firstly say Thank You! And may we follow that up by encouraging you to get your money’s worth and download the podcast, or stream it on your preferred podcast app – info on how to do so is on the right-hand sidebar of this page on the web. We also welcome (paid subscribers’) comments. What is YOUR fave live album, by anyone, for any reason? What live show did YOU attend that you most wish had been recorded? And what do YOU consider the worst live album by any act that should have known better?Thanks so much for being part of our journey. If these “show notes” indicate a different writing style than usual, then you are paying attention. Dan normally writes them, but had some pressing personal matters this week, and Tony stepped in to scatter tradition to the wind. Episode 26 will feature Dan and Tony debating the British pop stardom and belated American fame for The Sweet. Yeah, yeah yeah yeah.
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    11 mins
  • Should I Stay (Home) or Should I Go (Out)?

    Should I Stay (Home) or Should I Go (Out)?
    Jan 22 2026
    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.com

    Happy New Year everyone, and welcome to the 24th (and what we think may be the liveliest-ever) episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond. And on this episode, we do indeed clash… though we also connect, as well!

    We thought we’d change things up a bit this time. Whereas we usually focus on a single band or artist from the UK or USA for each episode, this episode finds us widening the scope to take on the topic of live albums — officially released and otherwise.

    So for this episode of CROSSED CHANNELS, we dig into a deep discussion of some of our favorite live albums — and not just our “desert island” selections, but the live albums that introduced us to the concept in the first place, concert recordings that enriched our appreciation of certain bands, bootlegs that we religiously listened to during our teens, and live albums we wish we could have been present for the recording of.

    We also get into some of the worst live albums ever recorded by some of our favorite artists, all-time favorite concerts we’ve attended, and amazing shows we’ve witnessed that really should have been recorded for posterity. Place your bets now on how many times Tony mentions The Who in this episode, or how long it takes for Dan to bring up The Kinks…

    As always, this CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available in full to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this complete episode, along with all of our previous complete CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them!
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    16 mins
  • Buzzcocks Love You More

    Buzzcocks Love You More
    Dec 11 2025
    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.com

    Welcome to the 23rd episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.

    This episode was inspired by Tony’s recent five-part exploration on his Substack about how Buzzcocks invented pop-punk in 1978 with an incredible run of singles — and how his early-teen self reacted to each new one (and its B-side) as it was released. Dan, on the other hand, discovered the band like most American Buzzcocks fans did back then: via Singles Going Steady, a compilation released in September 1979 by IRS Records, which was the first Buzzcocks record to come out in the US. Side One of the album presented the band’s first eight A-Sides in chronological order, with their first eight B-sides arranged similarly on Side Two.

    We talk about Shelley’s knack for writing about romance from a gender-neutral perspective, the production genius of Martin Rushent, the underrated brilliance of the band’s guitar arrangements, how Steve Diggle was the “Dave Davies” of the band, and our favorite B-sides from that original batch of groundbreaking Buzzcocks singles.

    As always, this full CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this episode in full, along with all of our previous CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them!

    Theme music: "Put It Down" by The Dear Boys. https://thedearboys.bandcamp.com/album/put-it-down
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    13 mins
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