It's not every week that you get all five members of the beat-combo on the same episode of a podcast (in fact it is possible that we were popping the 'ol podcast cherry, collectively speaking).

But then it isn't every week that we record the 250th episode of TCD!!

It made for an eventful recording process, and indeed a game of two halves, as we huddled around a single microphone in my hotel room in Utrecht to try and make this semiquincentennial episode something a bit special.

And do you know what? I think we might have managed it! Despite being “post-the-best-gig-in-living-memory” shattered, the boys brought their 'A' game to the table, and Ant (bless him) has put in an extra special effort to wrestle the edit into submission and sprinkle it with sparkles.

It's been a special project for me, one that so many of you have embraced and carried on your shoulders, and for that I will always be truly grateful.

Love'n'milestones

h

I had a rare old time in Poland last week, in fact it may well be the best h natural show I have played there. Despite a little apprehension on my part, it all went swimmingly, as you are about to hear as we discuss the gig and the set-list in some detail.

Of course the next few weeks are going to blur a bit, what with the upcoming Marillion Weekend in Utrecht, and then the run of solo shows that (by tradition) draw the curtain across my musical year. All of which I am looking forward to.

But that doesn't mean that in the midst of all this gigging activity, Ant and I don't have one last TCD trick up our sleeve before we sit expectantly around the fireplace waiting for the big fella.

And we will let you ponder on that, as you listen to this week's ramble.

Love’n’just the one chopstick.

h

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There are so many reasons why we don't do a video version of TCD (...sorry Lucy) but we got the sense that many of you didn't believe us.

So as Ant was round at ours anyway, and as Vibes was on hand to assist with production duties, we decided to tiptoe out 'till our feet only just reached the floor.

What that means is that you get a few mins of audio-only, before we will redirect you to the YT link so you can be hypnotised by the act of Christmas admin.

Huge thanks to my boy, who has slaved over this...

Sound'n'vision

h

Chapter 248 in all it's glory

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It’s a full on chapter of TCD this week (….sorry Lucy) with all the bells and whistles that are now synonymous with our artform.

Firstly we have a guest. The inimitable Lucy J. joins us, bringing with her that wonderful frisson, that you only get when a special personality has rocked up in your own backyard. And of course when Lucy J. is in the house, we get some insider goss, and this time it's all about Pompeii.

Secondly we have the ad-hoc drop-in (in this case twice) both as a preamble, and a post-title introduction. The bit where you have to listen a bit more closely, just to stay with the convo, because we have changed tack without giving you fair warning.

And finally there is the obligatory BLEEP, employed as a protection mechanism because I have invariably strayed into a cul-de-sac of rantiness, or indiscretion. Of course it's normally Ant who has manoeuvred me there, but just because he crosses them over I don't need to head them in.

Enjoy.

h x

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It's all got a bit of a 'rockumentary' kind of a vibe this time, as I take you behind the curtain at the ProgStock festival in Noo Joizee

Recorded from my hotel room overlooking Manhattan, on the morning after the night before, and with me not altogether compos mentis. So in amongst the normal TCD bants, we talked about the gig a bit, as well as the details of a fab few days grooving around NY & NJ.

Thanks for the invite, and to everybody that helped in terms of getting me on (and off) stage, and at the right places at the right time. As it turned out the journey back only became eventful after we had touched down in the UK, but I will have to tell you about that on a future pod. The gold stops us...

Love'n'souwesters

h

What is a Nor'easter

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Listening back to this weeks chat, and it is fairly obvious that if you have never been to Cornwall, or holidayed in the UK for that matter, then a lot of the references might seem a bit bewildering.

I am not sure it is possible to explain in a succinct enough fashion for the purpose of these notes so lets try a few images...

1. This is a fairly typical example of static caravans on a UK holiday park
2. This is a good example of the kind of 'scenic road' I was talking about, but the one that we traversed had higher hedges, dark overhanging trees and two ruts of a road surface.
3. The Looe river hitting the sea, with the beach where the Kernowfornia stage was situated
4. The East Looe and West Looe River Catapult
5. The Sardine Factory website

As you were.

h x

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There are certain things in life that are absolutes.

For a start - the fastest way to find a stray piece of lego is to walk across the floor in stockinged feet, and you will find it in an instant (and with more than a modicum of extreme pain). Toast always falls butter side down, and if it is a pair of sunglasses or a laptop charger I am going to misplace it.

The TCD absolute (...sorry Lucy), is that however innocuous the topic might seem at first glance, Ant and I seem effortlessly to get a podcast episode out of it.

Take this week, to be honest I had slight misgivings that going through a list of countries where the beat-combo had only ever performed twice would not really be worthy of discussion. But I was mistaken, because as soon as the red light came on then we were off and running, my often unreliable neurons began firing and I was throwing out random memories like a man possessed.

Love'n'sharp giraffes

h

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I happened to listen to the opening credits today, and this week's chapter is certainly a bit random, and a bit irreverent.

What it really needs to accompany it is one of those maps that you get on travel programs, that indicate the route taken as the story unfolds. You know the kind of thing I mean, I have the one from Antiques Road Trip in mind but numerous other examples are available.

You start with a static visual of the area in question (in our case North Yorkshire and the East Coast) and then you get a little car-style icon that plots a course from the beginning of the story (in this case Scarborough) around the interim stops (Filingdales, Egton Bridge, Egton, Glaisdale, Staithes) and ending up at the journeys end, which for me was Steve R's childhood home of Whitby.

Of course I don't have the go-to-skills to conjure one of those maps up, but how nice would it have been. Anyhow you get the idea.

Love'n'streetfighting

h

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