Chapter 258. The well oiled machine

You don't have to have been following TCD (...sorry Lucy) that intently to know that the beat combo is in the middle of writing and recording a new album.Now I have been around this world for a very long time, and I am here to tell you that I don't think it really matters who the artist or band is, there isn't a particular definition of normal for this process. That said, the Marillion way is probably still a good distance from anything you could class a norm.So what we have tried to do this week, is give you a bit of a flavour of what is currently going on in Marillion Towers as the machinery starts to creak into life. And to do that we needed some extra intelligence, and as a happy coincidence that is what we got.Love'n'dodgy salmonh

It’s all about personal growth this week as Ant and yours truly open ourselves up to the process of re-evaluation.It all started a few weeks ago when we happened to mention, quite casually as it transpired, that neither of us were moved by the music of Rush.As it turned out a goodly number of the purple community were a little vexed by this admission. So we decided that maybe we should take some time to revisit Rush, and asked for some listening recommendations which the said Purps duly provided.And this episode is our response to that process….would we be won over to the musical charms of the Alex, Geddy & Neil?Love’n’anticipationhP.S the albums that Ant and I put forward for evaluation are as follows;Jason Isbell - SoutheasternMassive Attack - MezzanineTrueloves Gutter - Richard HawleyHats - The Blue Nile

So…outside through the open sliding door is the calm azure Caribbean and above, a wide open blue sky, as the tap tap on my cabin door - exactly on time - summons me to welcome in a genius, a legend and someone fast-becoming a “goofball-brother”. It takes one to know one (a goofball I mean…).Now I could bang on for hours about what he has achieved, his extraordinary playing, or the records he sprinkled his peculiar gold dust all over. But you either know already, or you’re about to get a glimpse (you can always Google his discography, I did and it blew my mind).So I invite you to just kick back and enjoy this magic hour. And with that, all that is left is to say is…ladies and gentlemen I give you Adrian Belew!Love’n’cruisinghTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

Before we start I need to draw your attention to something. If you have been listening for a while you know that TCD has never shied away from the odd expletive or two. However today's chapter is a little more littered than usual, and I wanted to give you ample warning, and beg forgiveness from Christine.There are a couple of reasons for this, but the most obvious is that drink had been (and was continuing to be) taken, both by me and also by our guest. But before you judge you need to know it had been well-earned, following the near-perfect execution of a daring and audacious mission to smuggle contraband from the mainland.Where we were less successful, was in getting an enormous amount of solid intel from our guest. Now, if you have ever spent any time with Frenchie (AKA Rich from Marillion) then maybe you will understand why. But as with everything to do with Frenchie it doesn't matter, because he is not only the lifesaver of all lifesavers, and a man to whom I owe a great deal, he is above all a joy to be around.Love'n'hendricksh

Now, even by our standards this is a little confusing.Last week we sat down to record a patron-only Q&A, and we weren't 100% successful. We did manage to record, and we did end-up with a piece of purple content, but we didn't get around to actually answering any of your questions.This week we should have been recording a non-patron episode, and one that did include a guest contributor. We did manage to record, but at some point along the way we managed to misplace the guest, so we had to come up with a different plan.Which means (deep breath) we sat down and recorded a patron-only style Q&A episode but one that is also available to non-patrons, we actually answered some of your questions but we weren't able to ask any of our own questions, because the guest who was invited somehow became uninvited.Oh, and Ant forgot to include the intro...Other than that it all went swimmingly xShe Used To Be Mine - Sara Bareilles and Rufus WainwrightBob Mortimer & Fuji 9FablonTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

I seemed to recall that we said at some point that we would try and get a few more guests on TCD (...sorry Lucy), it could have been as a result of passing the 250 mark or it might even have been a sort of NY resolution.Now clearly anything that either of us states as an intention (or even a hard-and-fast truth) should be taken under advisement, but in this case it is playing out as described. Saying that I didn't think all of them would be so close to home, because today marks the debut of the third (in podcast terms) and the first (chronologically speaking) of my offspring, with the appearance of Sofi.I have really enjoyed these episodes, not least because of how proud I am of all of them, but also because of the little nuggets of insight that have been uncovered as we have chatted.Love'n'loud trousershTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

Buses.You wait 251 episodes to get one of my boys on the pod, and just like that you get the other one.Actually it was all a bit odd this week, Ant is away in California so we have been juggling and crowbarring, just to find a suitable moment to sync the time zones and press record. And yes before you ask, crowbarring is a word.Anyway not wanting to be the odd brother out, Nial was able to join us for a chat that threw up some Hoggarthian nuggets of random fact. Two hundred and fifty in and we are still unearthing this stuff, everyday is indeed a school day.Love'n'laddershTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

I don't know if it is because we are in a new year (Happy 2026 btw) or because it feels a while since the 250th, but this episode feels like a new start, maybe a do-over, or even a hard reset.(of course all of that is merely a figure of speech, and for those of you that worry about these things I am not currently trying to press a little button on the base with an unfolded paper clip).Anyway Ant and I have been having production chats about what the next incarnation of TCD (...sorry Lucy) is going to sound like, and the first thing that came to mind was 'get some more guests on!'.And so that is where we have started, and for #251 that means we answered the oft-quoted-call, and got one of the kids in.Love'n'third-bornhTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite

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'milestonesh

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.hTCD Merch StoreBecome Purple and support the showThe Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997The Invisible Man Volume2: 1998-2014FacebookInstagramWebsite