Marc Riley's Musical Time Machine

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Marc Riley

Marc Riley unearths archive music interviews that share something in common.

Marc Riley delves into the BBC spoken word music archive. In each programme, he unearths two interviews that share something in common.

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Marc Riley's Musical Time Machine: Series 1: David Bowie and Iggy Pop

David Bowie and Iggy Pop

Series 1

BBC Radio 4 - Marc Riley's Musical Time Machine, Series 1, David Bowie and Iggy Pop

Marc Riley explores the BBC archive to unearth interviews with David Bowie and Iggy Pop.

Marc Riley explores the BBC spoken word music archive: linked by Berlin - David Bowie in 1977 and Iggy Pop in 1990. From 2015.

The BBC's archive is justifiably and inarguably world-famous, but most of this attention and praise is showered on the riches contained within the Beeb's music archive - the life-changing Peel performances, seminal sessions from Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and David Bowie.

But these musical marvels risk over-shadowing another archive that's just as diverse, rich and rewarding - the BBC's spoken word, music archive.
 
As long as there have been pop stars, the BBC has spoken to them. Marc Riley and his trusty Time Machine - a rickety rust-bucket, back-firing jalopy - travel back through the years to visit the great and the good, the famous and the infamous, safely ensconced within the treasure trove of the BBC archive. Marc replays candid snapshots at crucial points in the careers of some of the biggest names in music.
 
In each episode, Marc lines up the Time Machine to travel to two different points in time and revisit two interviews with something in common - a person or place, a shared influence or ideology, a discovery, a misunderstanding.
 
In this first of two episodes, the interviews share a geographic connection - Berlin. 

David Bowie, in conversation with BBC Radio 1's Stuart Grundy from 1977, explains why the city was so good for his creativity. 

The second interview comes from 1990 when Iggy Pop spoke to Nicky Campbell about how he hooked up with Bowie and offered another perspective on their time together in Germany.
  
Producer: Ian Callaghan

A Smooth Operations production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2015.

Marc Riley's Musical Time Machine: Series 1

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Marc Riley delves into the diverse, rich and rewarding BBC spoken word archive.

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Marc Riley's Musical Time Machine

Series 1

David Bowie and Iggy Pop

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