Benjamin Zephaniah (writer / poet / actor / 1958-2023) • Friday Rewind

emocleW, emocleW, emocleW to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This is your bonus FRIDAY REWIND episode! Today, we catch up with Stephen Merchant, originally episode 255 from 2019-02-27.Original writeup below:“…you realise you’re sort of somewhere between Rocky and A Star Is Born”An absolute legend right here, in not only TV, stage and film but the good old Wild West days of podcasting! A solid in-depth chat with Stephen, covering his illustrious career from those early days of his arch-character in standup comedy (which divided audiences down the middle) and his his return to the stage later down the road, the genesis of the undisputed TV classic ‘The Office’ and its evolution in the US (and being able to watch it objectively at last), right up to being holed up in off-track US locations with Richard E Grant, as well as his current position behind the camera as director of the wrestling biopic ’Fighting With My Family’! How much more besides? So much… Many perspectives and insights and straight up wisdom dropped in this powerful podcast, so set aside some time and ENJOY!PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureINSTAGRAMXFIGHTING WITH MY FAMILYPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMSPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITTERPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This week Pip is joined by John & Joel of the wonderful Dream Factory podcast to talk TV of the year for 2025!Not a "top 10" as such, this is more of a run-down of a lot of the incredible TV that we have been blessed with this year, in what has turned out to be a very bumper crop indeed. It's a great selection as there are also a bunch of series that somehow flew under radars there, and hopefully there'll be some sneaky additions you can make to your own viewing schedules. Awesome stuff as always, and loads that you will dig whether you've seen the shows or not. And while you're checking things out, go ahead and listen to The Dream Factory! You'll be in fine company. PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureTHE DREAM FACTORYSPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMPIP TWITTERPIP PATREONPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

emocleW, emocleW, emocleW to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This is your bonus FRIDAY REWIND episode! Today, we catch up with Bill Bailey, originally episode 292 from 2019-10-16.With Bill’s new appreciation of the early morning start, and enjoying those gems that are the early hours of the day, he joins Pip for some ace earlier-than-afternoon chattalogical goodness which includes so much, from back in the day to… now in the day? You know what I’m getting at. So you can absolutely expect to hear all manner of awesome including how he’s well up for the promo run, with a renewed appreciation for the talking element of it all, his newfound discipline - or that is to say ‘sharpened’ discipline, the new series of ‘In The Long Run’ in which he stars alongside creator Idris Elba (on Sky NOW!), his approach to the series and he tries not to install his own comic leanings on the proceedings, the ‘biomechanics’ of comedy and the District 9 theory, the importance of collaboration, how awesome Idris Elba is, the shock of coming from the mainly white Westcountry to multicultural London, Bill’s lightbulb moment for comedy at a London vegan anarchist commune, influences and respect for tradition, the DVD boom of the 00’s and how he got caught in it, the great equaliser of a shared artistic experience, and with that - the importance of sharing, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and QI and all kinds more! Lovely stuff, start to end. Have fun!PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureXONLINEIN THE LONG RUNQIPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMSPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITTERPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This week Pip is joined by the fabulous musician and icon INFINITE COLES!For those unfamiliar, yes Infinite Coles is the son of Ghostface Killah of Wu Tang - just to address that particular genetic detail! Though Infinite is in no way staying in what we now know as the familiar Wu lane, or using the name to get over. Far from it. Infinite is proudly out there as a queer artist as they bloody well should be, and dropping fierce dancefloor boulders so far from those discordant RZA Stax soul loops of the 90's. Kicking things off in this chat with a hint of self-proclaimed nerves, these soon melt as the two go in on all kinds of conversational gold, including said Wu connections of course, London as 2nd home, stylist and model friend groups, finding their voice and going in on it, mutual pal Uglyworldwide, mutual pal Richard Russell (XL Recordings), the fusion of ballroom / vogueing / house music, covid era shelter experiences, RZA coming through when others didn't, reclaiming slurs, alternative perspectives of family songs of the past, the process of penning a song about a parent in a very tough moment, and ohhh so much more. It's definitely a situation where you're better off just diving in on this episode. You'll get it. A lovely, uplifting and inspiring conversation from a voice of which we will hopefully hear more.PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureONLINESWEETFACEKILLAHUGLYWORLDWIDESPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMPIP TWITTERPIP PATREONPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

emocleW, emocleW, emocleW to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This is your bonus FRIDAY REWIND episode! Today, we catch up with Jordan Gray, originally episode 57 from 2015-09-09.Jordan's been a long term friend (and Tall Dark Friend) of the podcast and Pip for many years, and seeing their development in not only career but personal journey has been nothing short of incredibly inspiring and to be blunt, bloody wonderful. This Rewind episode is one frozen in time and which Pip often refers back to as something of a 'teachable moment' in the history of the show. It stemmed from the nature of some of the points that were coming up, and Jordan felt perhaps like the spokesperson for all trans people. So it was a really important moment in the podcast which was logged, learned from, and taken into account therafter. Of course the work is never finished, but Jordan shows up day in and day out making sure that her presence is known. Follow Jordan on all channels!PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureONLINETRANSACTIONPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMSPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITTERPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This week Pip is joined by show pal, comic and podcaster BILAL ZAFAR!A return mission for Bilal who is always welcome aboard, and a lovely chance for anyone less acquainted to become fast friends. Bilal's carving out a really special and unique path in comedy, mixing the daily grind with a ton of different disciplines as well as getting involved with the day job life. It's the path of someone who is listening to themselves and making it happen on their own terms, while being fluid and weaving in and out of the waves. But all that aside, Bilal is also plain funny and a great guest as there's a delicious balance of banter and good time charm mixed with the heavier stuff. Ground covered includes town explorations while on the road, comedian vlogs (one in particular), edgelords and comedians, the humble day job, the Fringe, endometriosis, supporting the arts, streaming skills aiding podcasting, and the good old Twitch world. A lot to enjoy right here fam.PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureALL BILAL LINKS ARE HERE FOR EVERYTHING!INSTAGRAMSUBSTACKSPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMPIP TWITTERPIP PATREONPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

emocleW, emocleW, emocleW to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This is your bonus FRIDAY REWIND episode! Today, we catch up with Self Esteem, originally episode 455 from 2022-06-01.Original writeup below:A huge episode right here, spraypaint-style in content in that it contains so much more than the runtime might suggest. The magnificent Self Esteem joins Pip to talk on all things including creativity, motivation, mental wellbeing, burnout, band psychology, getting ahead of potential comments, catharthis through lyricism, touring and how the terrain is geared towards men, being a "diva" when asking for things, and just so much more which only call for a part 2 in the near future. But without getting ahead of ourselves, let's enjoy the greatness of this one, and go and listen and watch at nearest opportunities. You'll love this episode. Enjoy.PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureONLINETWITTERINSTAGRAMYOUTUBEPRIMA FACIEDAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP BANDCAMPPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMSPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITTERPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This week Pip is joined by the fabulous actor BEN FOSTER!Ben's been making a huge amount of power moves out there on the big screen, and carries an unmistakeable presence which makes each role totally unique. Whether you started off on the marvelous Hell Or High Water, the beautiful Leave No Trace, or perhaps you're about to catch him starring alongside the phenomenal Sydney Sweeney in Christy, Ben's someone who gives so much to the camera and leaves - well - a very visible trace. From upbringings in Iowa which led to a love of theatre and the simple act of 'play', the path for Ben has been meticulous but also diverse, and this is a really lovely chat you'll definitely enjoy. There are two differing sound qualities you might notice for Ben which are to do with a change of environments but your ears will be fine with the little transition!PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureIMDBCHRISTYHELL OR HIGH WATERLEAVE NO TRACESPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMPIP TWITTERPIP PATREONPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

emocleW, emocleW, emocleW to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This is your bonus FRIDAY REWIND episode! Today, we catch up with Benjamin Zephaniah, originally episode 353 from 2020-11-11.Original writeup below:Pure enjoyment from the Birmingham legend as he and Pip catch up and talk about all things poetry but so much more… Beginning at the beginning of time itself, they move through viruses, “unpredictable” times, nature, the meat industry, finance and politics, squashing Twitter beefs, Bob Marley, doing gigs and slowly finding his crew, Life & Rhymes and everything contained within, finding and celebrating music in the words, performance poetry vs page poetry and of course, Peaky Blinders! Amazing. Commence listening immediately.PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureONLINELIFE & RHYMESBENJAMIN in THE GUARDIANDAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP BANDCAMPPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMSPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITTERPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip!This week Pip is joined by the legendary actor and director ALEX WINTER!As you will of course know, Alex was Keanu's co-star in the Bill & Ted series which is something he does not shy away from, but there is a whole lifetime of being a fully rounded person since then. As you will hear here, he is all about the work but more importantly all about the human side of life and being a person first. From his UK history, to directing and all sorts of process-based goodies, to reuniting with Keanu for Waiting For Godot, to what the future holds, Alex is a very interesting dude which - if you didn't already know - you will find out without shadow of doubt throughout this awesome episode. One for the books! PIP'S PATREON PAGE if you're of a supporting natureIMDBADULTHOODFREAKEDZAPPASPEECH DEVELOPMENT WEBSTOREPIP TWITCH • (music stuff)PIP INSTAGRAMPIP TWITTERPIP PATREONPIP IMDBPOD BIBLE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.