Pop: The History Makers with Steve Blame

Before 10cc, Graham Gouldman had already written some of the defining songs of the 1960s—including “For Your Love,” “Heart Full of Soul,” “Bus Stop,” “Look Through Any Window” and “No Milk Today.” He then helped form one of Britain’s most inventive bands, creating classics including “I’m Not in Love,” “The Things We Do for Love” and “Dreadlock Holiday.”

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In this extensive career interview, Graham talks bout discovering songwriting, the extraordinary chemistry of 10cc, working with Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, and the circumstances that changed the band. He also discusses Wax and his creative partnership with Andrew Gold, producing the Ramones and the craft of writing songs that continue to connect with audiences across generations.

Graham Gouldman and his semi-acoustic band Heart Full of Songs will tour the UK in October 2026, performing material from across his remarkable career. Tickets are available from the venues and at www.grahamgouldman.info. HEART FULL OF SONGS 2026 TOUR 8 October — Corn Exchange Theatre, Stamford 9 October — The Stoller Hall, Manchester 10 October — Playhouse, Whitley Bay 11 October — Memorial Hall, Sheffield 13 October — The Stables, Wavendon 14 October — The Gate, Cardiff 15 October — The Hafren, Newtown 17 October — Lowther Pavilion, Lytham St Annes 18 October — Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry 19 October — City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds 20 October — Drill Hall, Lincoln 22 October — Saint Luke’s, Glasgow 23 October — Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh 24 October — Epstein Theatre, Liverpool 26 October — Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury 27 October — St George’s, Bristol 28 October — The Apex, Bury St Edmunds 29 October — Cadogan Hall, London Subscribe to Pop: The History Makers for more candid, in-depth conversations with the artists, songwriters and producers who changed popular culture. If you enjoy these independent interviews, you can support the channel using the Super Thanks button beneath the video.
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Haddaway created one of the most instantly recognisable songs in pop history. Released in 1993, “What Is Love” became an international phenomenon and one of the defining records of the Eurodance era.
But Haddaway’s story is far more complicated than a single worldwide hit.

Born in Trinidad, raised in the United States and launched to fame from Germany, Haddaway’s life has crossed countries, cultures and musical traditions. Before success arrived, he studied political science and history, played American football, worked in fashion and made music at night.

In this candid interview, Haddaway explains how he fought to retain control of his identity, voice and work—and why he refused an early offer for “What Is Love.” He discusses his creative relationship with producers Tony Hendrik and Karin Hartmann, the intervention of legendary record executive Clive Davis and the personal heartbreak that gave “What Is Love” its emotional power.

He also reflects on the extraordinary success of “Life,” “I Miss You” and “Rock My Heart”; the importance of MTV Europe; the sacrifices demanded by international fame; and the unexpected afterlife of “What Is Love” through Saturday Night Live, A Night at the Roxbury, Eminem and Lil Wayne’s “No Love,” and David Guetta’s “Baby Don’t Hurt Me.”

More than three decades after first asking the question, Haddaway explains what love means to him now: respect, communication, understanding and space.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction
00:59 Life beside Lake Garda
01:35 Trinidad, identity and finding somewhere to belong
02:58 Learning music through the trumpet
03:50 Studying political science and history
05:44 Why Haddaway left America for Germany
06:44 American football, fashion and surviving in Cologne
07:12 The Haddaway name and protecting his identity
08:23 Fighting for control of “What Is Love”
09:21 Tony Hendrik, creative differences and learning to share
10:24 Refusing to imitate Joe Cocker and meeting Clive Davis
11:30 The heartbreak inside “What Is Love”
12:30 Meeting the woman who inspired the song again
13:05 The voice and performance that defined the record
14:16 When “What Is Love” became a cultural phenomenon
15:13 How worldwide fame changed his life
16:19 MTV Europe’s role in Haddaway’s success
17:09 Controlling his image, name and rights
18:29 What fame gave him—and what it took away
19:37 “Life,” “I Miss You” and the Ayrton Senna connection
20:39 Escaping the Eurodance label
21:02 The early Haddaway song that represents him best
21:55 What singing dance music really requires
22:45 Saturday Night Live and A Night at the Roxbury
24:11 Eminem and Lil Wayne’s “No Love”
24:54 David Guetta’s “Baby Don’t Hurt Me”
25:38 Being placed in the one-hit-wonder box
27:00 “The Sun” and taking complete creative responsibility
28:31 Optimism, responsibility and music with meaning
30:18 “Lift Your Head Up”
30:49 What if “What Is Love” had never succeeded?
31:34 The story behind his first name, Nestor
32:30 Why “What Is Love” remains a gift
33:13 Haddaway answers the question today
34:10 Closing thoughts

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My guest today is Chris Difford — songwriter, musician and co-founder of Squeeze, one of Britain’s most distinctive and enduring bands.

Together with Glenn Tilbrook, Chris created songs that turned everyday life into sharply observed pop: “Cool for Cats,” “Up the Junction,” “Tempted,” “Labelled with Love” and so many more.

His lyrics are filled with characters, conversations and small domestic details. They can be funny, uncomfortable, romantic and heartbreaking — sometimes within the same song.

But Chris’s story goes far beyond the hits. It is also about friendship, ambition, addiction, recovery, fatherhood and the complicated reality of keeping a creative partnership alive across more than five decades.
He has written for other artists, pursued a solo career, published his memoir and helped new songwriters find their own voices.

Chris Difford has never been afraid to examine the less polished parts of life — or himself. So today, I want to discover the stories behind those remarkable songs, the experiences that shaped the man who wrote them, and what he has learned from a lifetime spent turning real life into music.

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Squeeze UK tour dates 2026
The following British dates are part of the Tried, Tested and Trixies Tour, with special guest Billy Bragg:
12 November — OVO Hydro, Glasgow
13 November — Opera House, Blackpool
14 November — Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
16 November — O2 City Hall, Newcastle
17 November — The Globe, Stockton
19 November — Connexin Live, Hull
20 November — First Direct Arena, Leeds
21 November — M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool2
3 November — O2 Apollo, Manchester
26 November — The O2, London
27 November — Cardiff Arena, Cardiff
28 November — Utilita Arena, Birmingham
30 November — Swansea Arena, Swansea
1 December — Plymouth Pavilions, Plymouth
4 December — BIC, Bournemouth
5 December — Brighton Centre, Brighton

Tickets;
https://www.squeezeofficial.com/home/

#ChrisDifford #Squeeze #GlennTilbrook #Trixies #UpTheJunction #CoolForCats #Tempted #PullingMussels #LabelledWithLove #BlackCoffeeInBed #TakeMeImYours #AnotherNailInMyHeart #Songwriting #BritishSongwriters #BritishMusic #NewWave #MusicInterview #MusicHistory #BehindTheSongs #PopTheHistoryMakers
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After a 21-year hiatus, Gene returned last year to perform three sold-out comeback shows, including a triumphant night performing to 5300 fans at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, where the band’s classic line-up of Martin Rossiter (vocals), Matt James (drums), Steve Mason (guitars) and Kevin Miles (bass) delivered one of the stand-out performances of their career. That performance was captured on the live album, ‘Apollo’, which upon its release in April this year reached Number 1 on the Official Record Store Chart, Number 2 on the Independent Albums Chart, and Number 8 on the Physical Albums Chart.

Gene return to London to play two shows at the Roundhouse in Camden on Friday 9th and Saturday 10th October, where they will perform a different set each night, before playing their first North American tour in 24 years in November. Tickets for all shows are on sale now, available from https://www.geneofficial.com/live/

Gene is the one of the most distinctive British bands to emerge during the 1990s. And Martin Rossiter is the singer, lyricist and unmistakable voice of Gene.

Gene’s first single, “For the Dead,” originally reached No. 86 in 1994—but when it was rereleased two years later, it climbed to No. 14, becoming the band’s highest-charting UK single. It formed part of an impressive run that included “Sleep Well Tonight,” “Olympian,” “Fighting Fit,” “We Could Be Kings” and “Where Are They Now?”

As Martin says of Gene’s extraordinary trajectory: “We took off like Concorde and landed like the Wright Brothers.”

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In this revealing and frequently funny conversation, Martin talks about the formation of Gene, the speed of their success and the pressures that followed. He discusses the stories behind the songs, the comparisons with Morrissey, the hostility and mockery he encountered during the Britpop years, and why the band eventually came to an end.

He also speaks candidly about sexuality, depression, fatherhood, becoming a teacher and the very different life he built after Gene. Now, with the band back onstage, Martin reflects on what those songs—and the people who created them—mean to him today.

This is Martin Rossiter: honest, provocative, self-deprecating and still entirely himself.
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Miles Hunt has never been interested in fitting neatly into anyone else’s idea of who he should be.

As the singer, songwriter and frontman of The Wonder Stuff, he became one of the most distinctive voices in British alternative music. Formed in Stourbridge in 1986, the band broke through with an unmistakable combination of guitars, sharp pop instincts and lyrics filled with humour, frustration and brutally honest observation.
Songs including “Unbearable,” “Give, Give, Give Me More, More, More,” “A Wish Away,” “Don’t Let Me Down, Gently,” “The Size of a Cow” and “Welcome to the Cheap Seats” captured the intelligence, irreverence and restless energy that made The Wonder Stuff stand apart. Their collaboration with comedian Vic Reeves on “Dizzy” took them to number one in the UK.

Miles brought the same qualities to interviews that he brought to his songwriting: honesty, directness and a refusal to hide behind carefully rehearsed answers. He could be provocative and cutting, but also self-deprecating, unexpectedly vulnerable and very funny. Behind the confidence was someone determined to question success, the music business and his own choices rather than simply repeat the accepted version of events.

In this interview, Miles talks about growing up in Stourbridge, the impact of punk, finding his voice and learning to trust his instincts. He reflects on ambition, friendship, loss, creativity, getting older and the courage it takes to remain yourself in an industry that constantly tries to tell you who to be.

An open, funny and thoughtful conversation with an artist who has spent four decades choosing authenticity over expectation—and who still has plenty to say.
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The Wonder Stuff & Inspiral Carpets — UK Tour 2026
1 October — Newcastle, O2 City Hall
2 October — Manchester, O2 Victoria Warehouse
3 October — Sheffield, The Octagon Centre
8 October — Brighton, Brighton Dome
9 October — Bournemouth, O2 Academy
10 October — Margate, Dreamland (Hall by the Sea)
14 October — Glasgow, Barrowland
15 October — Cardiff, Great Hall
16 October — Leeds, O2 Academy
17 October — Leicester, O2 Academy
22 October — Scarborough, Scarborough Spa
23 October - Bristol O2 Academy
24 October — Norwich, University of East Anglia
29 October — Lincoln, Engine Shed
30 October — Wolverhampton, Civic Hall
31 October — Liverpool, Olympia
8 December — London, O2 Academy Brixton
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