Prog & Progeny

Wing Mirrors and Quacking Ducks

From an Eindhoven hotel room on the Dutch tour’s final day, Mark and Tallulah answer your questions: the re-recorded Interior Lulu solo, fearing the sack, blown-down drum

Seasons End - Part 2

Mark and Tallulah finish their deep dive into Seasons End. Mark explains to Tallulah what a hair band is, and why Hooks in You put Marillion a little too close to being o

"A Band Is Kind of a Fake Family" - John Helmer

Former Piranhas guitarist, novelist and Marillion lyricist John Helmer joins Mark and Tallulah. He talks about Top of the Pops and Tom Hark, signing with Pete Waterman, a

Seasons End - Part 1

We begin our deep dive into Seasons End - Marillion’s first album with Steve Hogarth. Mark and Tallulah explore the first four tracks - The King of Sunset Town, Easter,

Sounds That Can't be Made - part 2

Mark and Tallulah finish Sounds That Can't Be Made. Why Power's lyric leaves Mark cold, how Mike Hunter pulled a buried vocal melody out of Invisible Ink, the home piano

Sounds That Can't Be Made - Part 1

We jump forward to 2012's Sounds That Can't Be Made. We discuss the writing and recording of the first half of the album track by track.

Script for a Jester's Tear, Part 2

We wrap up our two-parter on Marillion's 1983 debut, moving from the songs the band left behind to the reasons they did. Also, the gear and the studio decisions that shap

Mini Episode: Pompeii and Sugar Mice (in the rain)

A short catch-up episode. Mark and Tallulah discuss their Pompeii experience — the choir, the pre-show keyboard crisis, playing "Sugar Mice" in the rain — plus podcast me

Sticking To The Script

Mark and Tallulah deep dive into Script For A Jester's Tear, Marillion's 1983 debut — six songs, forty-six minutes, more chaos than the record lets on. Razor-blade multi-

The Final Chapter: Cement Mixer Blues

Mark joins Tallulah from backstage in Bonn as Marillion's German tour begins with the live debut of "Ribbons and Lace." The book's final chapter covers the story behind "

Update

A little pre-tour update...

David Stopps & Marillion — The Friars Aylesbury Story

Mark and Tallulah are joined by David Stopps, the promoter behind Friars Aylesbury, which he founded in 1969 and has run for 56 years. David recalls the club's earliest n

[PREVIEW] Number Station

In episode 35 we discussed the making of the Marathon album and our first attempts at writing together. These early efforts never came to anything, but for your amusement

Unknown Unknowns: Guy Vickers on Lawsuits, Lyrics and Marathon

Mark and Tallulah are joined by Guy Vickers — barrister by day, musician and lyricist by night — the man behind the lyrics on Mark Kelly's Marathon and the legal brain be

The Queen Nearly Got Our Royalties

This week we dive into Mark's years on the FAC and PPL boards, fighting for artists' rights while Marillion were being short-changed by their old EMI deal. The lawsuit th

How We Learnt to Admit When a Song Isn't Good Enough

This week Mark calls in from Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios — with a quick video tour and the story of meeting Peter Gabriel for the first time. Then into deputising

Listener Questions episode (recorded 17/04/26)

This week we answer your questions. If you have a question for inclusion on a future episode ask it on our Patreon "Questions questions" chat.

Interview with Marillion manager Lucy Jordache

This week we speak with manager Lucy Jordache about her 30-plus-year journey, from a teenage Marillion fan to EMI catalogue manager, band manager, and Ian Mosley’s wife.

All For One: Risk, Royalties & Anoraks

This time we discuss how Marillion took a leap nobody else had dared, and accidentally changed the music industry. Lucy Jordache’s evolving role, and why the band chose n

Before Crowdfunding Was a Word

This week we chat with Erik Nielsen. He was a 22-year-old help desk worker in Cleveland, Ohio when a woman he was seeing dragged him to a Marillion gig and changed his li