The Last Line: Recent Episodes
James Albarn
Join filmmaker, writer and comedian, James Albarn, as he has interesting chats with interesting figures in the arts and culture, every other week.
After a long hiatus, The Last Line is back!
In this episode James talks to comedian, actor and musician Nick Helm. Nick has been performing shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival since the early 2000s and came to prominence with his 2010 show Keep Hold of the Gold. His 2011 follow-up, Dare To Dream was nominated for the Fosters best comedy show award and won Dave's award for the funniest joke of the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe. Nick regularly appears on television in shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Russell Howard's Good News and The Boyle Variety Performance.
In 2014 Nick starred in the lead role in the BBC Three sitcom Uncle which continued until 2017. In 2017 Helm starred in the Channel 4 sitcom Loaded and starred in his own comedic food documentary series Eat Your Heart Out on Dave. Nick is also a BAFTA nominee for his short film Elephant which he co-wrote and co-starred with Esther Smith in 2015.
During my conversation with Nick at The Pleasance Theatre in London, we touched upon subjects such as Nick's early forays into the world of stand-up, the process of building up to play longer shows, not being deterred by the opinions of others and had a rather long and scientific conversation about belly button fluff.
If you have enjoyed the show then please join me on Instagram @jamesalbarn and Twitter @jamesalbarn, follow the podcast on Instagram @thelastlinepodcast and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thelastlinepodcast. You can donate to the show via Patreon at www.patreon.com/thelastline
In the tenth episode of The Last Line, James talks to criminal defence attorney, star of 'Making a Murderer' and author of 'Illusion of Justice: Inside Making A Murderer and America's Broken System', Jerry Buting. During their conversation they discuss the problems with the justice system in America, the benefits of the filming of trials, Jerry's faith and battle with cancer and why people are more drawn towards a job in prosecution than defence.
Jerry Buting has worked as a criminal defence lawyer in the state of Wisconsin for more than thirty-five years. Jerry has worked on many high profile cases during his career and shot to fame when his role as co-defence attorney in the State v. Steven Avery murder trial was documented in the Netflix series Making A Murderer. As well as his continued work within the justice system, Jerry has also written a book 'Illusion of Justice: Inside Making A Murderer and America's Broken System' in which he offers an insider's insight into the justice system's problems and proposes ways in which we can perpetuate change.
You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline
In the ninth episode of The Last Line, James chats to German electronic music pioneers Harald Grosskopf & Eberhard Kranemann of newly formed outfit Krautwerk. During their conversation they discuss the lack of experimentation in modern music, the need for imperfections in art and how growing up in post-war Germany influenced their music.
Harald and Eberhard are both influential names in the world of German electronic music. Harald played drums on early work by Klaus Shulze before recording thirteen albums with the band Ashra. His solo albums Synthesist and Oceanheart have become cult hits in the electronic music scene. Eberhard is one of the original founding members of legendary band Kraftwerk and went onto release a number of albums under the pseudonym Fritz Muller while also playing in bands Neu! and Pissoff.
You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline
In the eighth episode of The Last Line, James talks to journalist and blogger David Neiwert about everything from Alex Jones's removal from iTunes, Spotify and YouTube to conspiracy theories and their love for New Zealand film director Taika Waititi.
David hails from the United States and formally wrote for MSNBC.com where he won the National Press Club Award for Distinguised Online Journalism in 2000 for his series on domestic terrorism. He is the writer of several books, his latest being 2017's Alt America: the Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump. David is also a contributing writer for the Southern Poverty Law Center's blog, Hatewatch.
You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline
In the seventh episode of The Last Line, James talks to Two-Time World Superbike Champion and Lead Singer of Toseland, James Toseland. Recorded outside the pub at the end of the road they both live on they focus on how one moves on from having to give up what they love early in life and rebuild a new life and career. Apologies for the background noise, as this episode was recorded outside there will be vehicle noises present.
James Toseland was the World Superbike Champion in 2004 and 2007 before a wrist injury sustained in 2011 ended his racing career prematurely. After retiring James returned to his first love, music, and now fronts the rock band Toseland who have released two albums to date, Renegade (2014) and Cradle The Rage (2016).
You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline
In the sixth episode of The Last Line, James chats to Jack Bourke of the band City Calm Down. Recorded backstage ahead of their gig at The London Borderline in May of 2018, they discuss everything from physical music sales, the prospect of AI created songs, the difficulty of balancing a full time job with a music and why James should never write interview questions late at night.
City Calm Down hail from Melbourne Australia, they have released two studio albums, In A Restless House (2015) and Echoes in Blue (2018). Their debut album debuted at number 25 on the ARIA charts and the single, Rabbit Run, was featured in Triple J's Hottest 100 in 2015. The band have played multiple sell-out tours and major festivals including Splendour In The Grass, Laneway, Falls and The Great Escape.
You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline
In the fifth episode of The Last Line, James talks to investigative journalist and documentary presenter Ellie Flynn. Recorded in March of 2018, they cover everything from Ellie's documentary Rent For Sex which investigated landlords advertising their properties for free in exchange for sexual favours, our thoughts and insecurities around conducting interviews and being interviewed and Ellie's experience with the world of catfishing.
Ellie has written for an extensive list of magazines and newspapers and worked as a reporter at a national newspaper before moving into presenting television documentaries for BBC Three. As well as investigating the landlords offering rent for sex, in her documentaries she has also covered the world of unregulated botox and traveled to Ireland to speak to both sides of the debate surrounding the Irish referendum regarding abortion.
You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline
In the fourth episode of The Last Line, James talks to singer/songwriter Tom Williams. Recorded in February of 2018, they cover everything from Tom's latest album All Change, his other job teaching music and songwriting to school children, pop music, the merits of buying physical music and their views on a certain red headed singing megastar who plays a tiny guitar.
Tom came to prominence with the band Tom Williams & The Boat who released three albums between 2010 and 2014. They were championed by the likes of Lauren Laverne and Steve Lemacq at BBC 6Music. After taking a break from band duties Tom released two solo acoustic albums, New House & New Guitar before releasing All Change last year. All Change received a great critical response and was chosen as one of the Top Ten albums of the year by BBC 6Music.
You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline
In the third episode of The Last Line, James talks to author, activist and former ecstasy kingpin Shaun Attwood. Recorded in May of 2018, they cover everything from life and violence in prison, corruption in the justice system, Shaun's book on Making a Murderer's Steven Avery, mafia boss Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano and whether James would end up as someone's prison bitch.
Born in Widnes, Shaun moved to Arizona as a young man and within a few years he had already become a millionaire on the stock markets. Through throwing massive rave parties, Shaun found himself becoming the biggest ecstasy dealer in the state of Arizona and soon had allies in the New Mexican Mafia and enemies in the Gambino crime family.
Years after giving it all up, Shaun's mansion was raided by a SWAT team and he spent time in some of the toughest jails and prisons in Arizona. While in jail he smuggled out writings that were published online exposing the terrible conditions that the prisoners were kept in under Sherrif Joe Arpaio.
Since his release and return to the UK, Shaun has become a public speaker, talking to school children across the country to stop them from repeating his mistakes.
You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline
In the second episode of The Last Line, James talks to J. Willgoose Esq. of the band, Public Service Broadcasting. Recorded in January of 2018 they cover everything from creative processes, peforming at Brixton Academy, being interviewed and even the trials and tribulations of being a Wimbledon F.C. supporter.
Public Service Broadcasting are a pseudonymous musical group that set new music to old public information films, archive footage and propoganda material. They work closely with institutions such as the BFI to produce concept albums that tackle subjects such as the Welsh Mining Industry (Every Valley, 2017), the Space Race (The Race for Space, 2015) and the Second World War (The War Room EP, 2012).
At first, the band consisted solely of Willgoose who writes the majority of the material and plays a number of different instruments on stage including guitar, banjo and keys. The band now takes the form of a three-piece with Wrigglesworth and JF Abraham also playing multiple instruments during shows.
You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline
In the first episode of The Last Line, James talks to BBC 6Music Breakfast host Shaun Keaveny. Recorded in February of 2018 they cover everything from comedy influences, dealing with criticism, delivering huge news to radio audiences and James manages to get some tips on how to conduct a good interview.
Shaun has presented the breakfast show on 6Music since 2007 and you'll often hear him pop up on other stations such as Radio 2 and Radio 4. Shaun also has a podcast exclusive to Spotify called Shaun Keaveny's Show & Tell in which he invites a different guest each episode to talk about treasured items from their pasts. Shaun's first book, R2D2 lives in Preston was published in November 2010. It is a compilation of little known facts relating to various towns throughout the United Kingdom, advised by listeners to his radio show in a feature entitled "Toast the Nation".
You can donate to the show via Patreon at: www.patreon.com/thelastline