Pete Mitchell
Encyclopedia
Pete Mitchell was born in Crumpsall, Manchester
, England
. He was previously a radio presenter for Manchester's Piccadilly Radio, Key 103, BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music and Xfm and was one half of duo Pete & Geoff on Virgin Radio
. His music documentaries have been aired in America, Canada, Australia and Asia.He now works for Absolute Radio.
Mitchell began his career in 1986 as a sports commentator for Red Rose Radio
in Lancashire
. He moved to Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio in 1989 and, as the station gained a new identity and become Key 103, presented the popular afternoon show and developed, wrote and produced IQ, his own specialist weekend music programme. IQ featured guest interviews and live sets from both established and up-and-coming acts. He championed the indie bands of the "Madchester
" scene in the early 1990s. IQ featured bands such as Oasis
, Inspiral Carpets
, James
, Badly Drawn Boy
, 808 State
and Happy Mondays
.
Mitchell was introduced to Geoff Lloyd
in the mid-1990s by actor and writer Craig Cash
, star of The Royle Family
. Lloyd was an aspiring comedy writer and performer, and a fellow radio presenter. In 1996 Lloyd joined Mitchell on his afternoon radio show. The duo rapidly established a cult following with their witty and slightly risquė banter, and in 1998 won a Sony Radio Academy Award
for their show.
, where they took over the weekday evening show and covered Chris Evans on the breakfast show, and again rapidly built up a significant audience. The pair took over the drivetime show in early 2002. By 2003 they were the most popular DJs on the station and were moved to the breakfast show in order to increase the audience. This they did very successfully, sticking to their well-established formula of slightly risquė banter about contemporary news and culture, with Mitchell tending to play the "straight man" to the more outrageous Lloyd. They won another Gold Sony Radio Award for their show.
On 28 November 2005, the duo announced that they were splitting up and leaving the breakfast show on Virgin Radio. Their final show together took place on 16 December. While Lloyd remained at Virgin Radio, Mitchell left to join BBC Radio 2
.
In addition to this, Mitchell took over the Saturday sports show Rock & Roll Football when Chris Evans stood down. From 2002 Mitchell also presented a weekly show on his own called Razor Cuts (described by the NME
as 'The coolest show on radio') where he showcased new music and interviewed many bands and artists who picked their favourite tunes and played live on the show. Guests included Morrissey
, Lou Reed
, Elvis Costello
, Pixies, The Killers, New Order
, Paul McCartney
and Mick Jagger
.
, featuring interviews with guests including Sam Moore
, John Legend
, Gloria Jones
, The Velvelettes
, Ronnie Spector
and Noddy Holder
. A regular spot named "Where in the World is Carmine?" featured former Vanilla Fudge
drummer Carmine Appice
. American broadcaster Leslie 'Radio Chick' Gold
guested as the show's USA correspondent, while Professor Timothy English looked into plagiarism
in music. During his time at BBC Radio 2
Mitchell also presented Sold on Song live with Donovan
, and appeared as a fan of Bob Dylan
in the BBC radio series Imagine. He also covered many shifts across Radio 2 and 6 Music.
In early 2008 Mitchell produced and presented the Radio 2 documentary I'm On My Way, on Northern soul
star Dean Parrish
; he later produced Spellbound, on guitarist John McGeoch
who played with Magazine
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Visage
and PiL
amongst others. Toerag, the story of Liam Watson
, a documentary about one of Britain's most in-demand record producers, presented by Mitchell, was broadcast on 3 May on Radio 2. Watson produced Elephant
by the White Stripes, which went to number one around the world, from his little studio in Hackney in East London. The Carmine Appice
Story, the tale of the legendary rock drummer with Vanilla Fudge
, was broadcast in September on Radio 2.
In 2009, the Motown record label celebrated its 50th birthday. Mitchell indulged his passion for the subject and presented various programmes to mark the occasion. The 6-part series Hitsville USA: 50 Years of Heart & Soul ran weekly from 5 January 2009 on Radio 2 and offered (to quote the Radio Times) "a nourishing insight into the label's rare treasures". Motorcity Blues aired on 10 January on Radio 2, with a fascinating portrait of the city of Detroit and how its events and people have shaped the Motown label. The Sound of Young America went out on Radio 2 on 17 January and told of how the Motown Sound has influenced music today. Mitchell's documentary Toerag was broadcast on 6 Music in July 2009. Spellbound, the story of guitarist John McGeoch
, was broadcast on 6 Music in April 2011.
breakfast show on Monday 15 June 2009 and his alternative radio show Razor Cuts on Sunday 21 June 2009. His first Razor Cuts guest was former New Order
member bassist Peter Hook
, who spoke candidly about the break-up of the legendary band. Guitarist Johnny Marr
revealed that he had been offered $50 million to reform The Smiths
on the show recently. Other guests included Jarvis Cocker
, Shaun Ryder
, Paul Weller
, Bernard Sumner
, Mike Joyce
, Delphic
, Ian McCulloch
, Dave Grohl
, Jack White
and Courtney Love
. On Sunday 9 August 2009 Mitchell presented a The Stone Roses
documentary with legendary producer John Leckie about the 20th anniversary of The Stone Roses' classic debut album
. In May 2010 he produced and presented Some Friendly, a documentary on the 20th anniversary of the Charlatans' debut album
, where the band and producer Chris Nagle were reunited by Mitchell for the first time since the album was recorded. It was broadcast on 16 May 2010.
Screamadelica and The Second Summer of Love, produced and narrated by Mitchell, aired on Absolute 90s, billed as the UK’s only station dedicated to music from that decade, on Friday 26 November 2010 at the end of a week of Primal Scream
activity timed to coincide with the band’s Screamdelica live dates. It charted the making of the album, including an interview with singer Bobby Gillespie
, as well as examining the wider context of the dance music explosion and rave culture, with contributions from The Inspiral Carpets’ Clint Boon
, Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam
and singer Denise Johnson.
and often contributes to the Daily Star. During his career he has guest written for some of the UK’s most influential music magazines. A love of alternative music, along with a passion for funk, soul and Motown has led to various high-profile appearances as a club DJ. In the past Mitchell has DJed at Manchester venue The Haçienda
and more recently at Alan McGee
’s Death Disco at Notting Hill Arts Club.
Absolute Radio 60s and 70s prepare for launch
New digital stations to be fronted by Pete Mitchell and Richard Skinner
Absolute Radio 60s' opening week will feature documentaries on Motown, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, and the Velvet Underground
Absolute Radio is to turn the dial back to the 1960s and 1970s with two new digital radio stations fronted by Pete Mitchell and Richard Skinner.
Absolute Radio 60s will launch on 22 November with a weekday mid-morning show hosted by Mitchell, a DJ on Absolute Radio's previous incarnation, Virgin Radio.
Having launched bespoke services dedicated to the 80s, 90s and "noughties", it was only a matter of time before Absolute came up with more.
"The beauty of it lies in its simplicity," said Absolute Radio chief operating officer Clive Dickens.
"Absolute Radio 80s is now the 11th biggest radio station in the UK and it is not even two years old. Around 50% of the Absolute Radio audience is now enjoying one of our digital services.
"Like our other digital stations, the spirit of these services will be the music of the 60s and the 70s through the lens of Absolute Radio.
"They won't replicate Gold or Magic or Smooth Radio. You won't find Herman's Hermits or the Searchers on Absolute Radio 60s."
Both stations will be on digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio, although the 60s station will be more widely available than its new sister station, with both on air in London.
Absolute Radio 60s will be the "home of the Beatles, Stones and Motown" combining the "swinging 60s" with "the sound of young America". Its opening week will feature documentaries on Motown, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, and the Velvet Underground.
They will also be available online, including the Radioplayer, and on Absolute's smartphone apps.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was previously a radio presenter for Manchester's Piccadilly Radio, Key 103, BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music and Xfm and was one half of duo Pete & Geoff on Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
. His music documentaries have been aired in America, Canada, Australia and Asia.He now works for Absolute Radio.
Mitchell began his career in 1986 as a sports commentator for Red Rose Radio
Red Rose Radio
Red Rose Radio is the former name of two radio stations in Lancashire, England. Both are owned by the same company, although they now have different names:* 97.4 Rock FM, "contemporary" format, station has also been named Red Rose Rock FM...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. He moved to Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio in 1989 and, as the station gained a new identity and become Key 103, presented the popular afternoon show and developed, wrote and produced IQ, his own specialist weekend music programme. IQ featured guest interviews and live sets from both established and up-and-coming acts. He championed the indie bands of the "Madchester
Madchester
Madchester was a music scene that developed in Manchester, England, towards the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The music that emerged from the scene mixed alternative rock, psychedelic rock and dance music...
" scene in the early 1990s. IQ featured bands such as Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, Inspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets are an alternative rock band from Oldham in Greater Manchester, England formed by Graham Lambert and Stephen Holt in 1983. The band is named after a clothing shop on their Oldham estate...
, James
James (band)
James are a British rock band from Manchester, England. They formed in 1982 and were active throughout the 1980s, but most successful during the 1990s. Their hit singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", and "She's a Star" as well as their American College Radio hit "Laid"...
, Badly Drawn Boy
Badly Drawn Boy
Damon Gough is an English alternative music singer/songwriter. He was born on 2 October 1969, in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. He grew up in the Breightmet area of Bolton, Lancashire, England....
, 808 State
808 State
808 State are a British electronic music outfit, formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and their common state of mind...
and Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
.
Mitchell was introduced to Geoff Lloyd
Geoff Lloyd
Geoff Lloyd is a British radio presenter. Lloyd presents Geoff Lloyd's Hometime Show, Monday-Friday, 5pm-8pm on Absolute Radio...
in the mid-1990s by actor and writer Craig Cash
Craig Cash
Craig Cash is an English comedy actor, BAFTA award-winning writer and also a director.-Biography:Cash is best known for playing slightly dull and dopey working-class northern men, particularly Dave Best in the hugely successful BBC sitcom The Royle Family, which he co-wrote with Caroline Aherne...
, star of The Royle Family
The Royle Family
The Royle Family is a popular, BAFTA award-winning television comedy drama produced by Granada Television for the BBC, which ran for three series between 1998 and 2000, and specials from 2006 onwards...
. Lloyd was an aspiring comedy writer and performer, and a fellow radio presenter. In 1996 Lloyd joined Mitchell on his afternoon radio show. The duo rapidly established a cult following with their witty and slightly risquė banter, and in 1998 won a Sony Radio Academy Award
Sony Radio Academy Awards
The Sony Radio Academy Awards , started in 1983, are some of the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. They are run by ZAFER Associates in association with the Radio Academy...
for their show.
Virgin Radio
In 1999 they were recruited by Virgin RadioVirgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
, where they took over the weekday evening show and covered Chris Evans on the breakfast show, and again rapidly built up a significant audience. The pair took over the drivetime show in early 2002. By 2003 they were the most popular DJs on the station and were moved to the breakfast show in order to increase the audience. This they did very successfully, sticking to their well-established formula of slightly risquė banter about contemporary news and culture, with Mitchell tending to play the "straight man" to the more outrageous Lloyd. They won another Gold Sony Radio Award for their show.
On 28 November 2005, the duo announced that they were splitting up and leaving the breakfast show on Virgin Radio. Their final show together took place on 16 December. While Lloyd remained at Virgin Radio, Mitchell left to join BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
.
In addition to this, Mitchell took over the Saturday sports show Rock & Roll Football when Chris Evans stood down. From 2002 Mitchell also presented a weekly show on his own called Razor Cuts (described by the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
as 'The coolest show on radio') where he showcased new music and interviewed many bands and artists who picked their favourite tunes and played live on the show. Guests included Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Pixies, The Killers, New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
and Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
.
BBC
From April 2006 to May 2009, Mitchell presented shows for BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
, featuring interviews with guests including Sam Moore
Sam Moore
Samuel David Moore is an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the tenor vocalist for the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 through 1981...
, John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
, Gloria Jones
Gloria Jones
Gloria Richetta Jones is an American singer and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She recorded the 1964 northern soul song, "Tainted Love", later a hit for the British synth-pop duo, Soft Cell. She was the girlfriend of glam rock artist Marc Bolan of the band T...
, The Velvelettes
The Velvelettes
The Velvelettes was an American singing girl group, signed to Motown in the 1960s.-Early years and establishment:The group was founded in 1961 by Bertha Barbee McNeal and Mildred Gill Arbor, students at Western Michigan University. Mildred recruited her younger sister Carolyn , who was in 9th...
, Ronnie Spector
Ronnie Spector
Veronica Yvette "Ronnie" Spector is an American rock and roll and popular music vocalist, and was the lead singer of the 1960s hit-making girl group, The Ronettes, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. She is known as the "original bad girl of rock and roll."-Personal...
and Noddy Holder
Noddy Holder
Neville John "Noddy" Holder MBE is an English musician and actor. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Slade....
. A regular spot named "Where in the World is Carmine?" featured former Vanilla Fudge
Vanilla Fudge
Vanilla Fudge is an American rock band. The band's original lineup – vocalist/organist Mark Stein, bassist/vocalist Tim Bogert, lead guitarist/vocalist Vince Martell, and drummer/vocalist Carmine Appice – recorded five albums during the years 1966–69, before disbanding in 1970...
drummer Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice is an American rock drummer of Italian background and is the older brother of drummer Vinny Appice by 12 years. He received a classical music training and was influenced by the jazz drumming of Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa early on...
. American broadcaster Leslie 'Radio Chick' Gold
The Radio Chick
The Radio Chick is the on-air name for Leslie Gold, an American radio personality whose talk show features comedian Chuck Nice and her producer, Paul "Butch" Brennan. Leslie is a co-founder of from which she currently broadcasts...
guested as the show's USA correspondent, while Professor Timothy English looked into plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
in music. During his time at BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
Mitchell also presented Sold on Song live with Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
, and appeared as a fan of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
in the BBC radio series Imagine. He also covered many shifts across Radio 2 and 6 Music.
In early 2008 Mitchell produced and presented the Radio 2 documentary I'm On My Way, on Northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
star Dean Parrish
Dean Parrish
Dean Parrish is an American soul singer from New York, best known for the song, "I'm On My Way", which became famous for being the last record that was played at Northern Soul all-nighters at the Wigan Casino.-Career:Anastasi was born to Italian and Spanish parents and was raised in Little Italy,...
; he later produced Spellbound, on guitarist John McGeoch
John McGeoch
John Alexander McGeoch, , was a Scottish guitarist who played with a number of bands of the post-punk era, including Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Visage and Public Image Ltd....
who played with Magazine
Magazine (band)
Magazine are an English post-punk group active from 1977 to 1981, then reformed in 2009. Their debut single, "Shot by Both Sides", is now acknowledged as a classic and their debut album, Real Life, is still widely admired as one of the greatest albums of all time...
, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Visage
Visage
Visage are a British New Wave rock band. Formed in 1978, the band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their 1980 hit "Fade to Grey".-New Wave years :...
and PiL
PIL
PIL may refer to:* Private International Law* Carlos Miguel Jiménez Airport , in Pilar, Paraguay* Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport , in Port Isabel, Texas...
amongst others. Toerag, the story of Liam Watson
Liam Watson
Liam Watson is a Grammy Award-winning British record producer and owner of Toe Rag Studios. Watson is perhaps best known for his work engineering and mixing the White Stripes' Elephant, receiving the 2004 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album...
, a documentary about one of Britain's most in-demand record producers, presented by Mitchell, was broadcast on 3 May on Radio 2. Watson produced Elephant
Elephant (album)
Elephant is the Grammy winning fourth album by the American alternative rock band The White Stripes. Released on April 1, 2003 on V2 Records, the album marks the band's major label debut...
by the White Stripes, which went to number one around the world, from his little studio in Hackney in East London. The Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice is an American rock drummer of Italian background and is the older brother of drummer Vinny Appice by 12 years. He received a classical music training and was influenced by the jazz drumming of Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa early on...
Story, the tale of the legendary rock drummer with Vanilla Fudge
Vanilla Fudge
Vanilla Fudge is an American rock band. The band's original lineup – vocalist/organist Mark Stein, bassist/vocalist Tim Bogert, lead guitarist/vocalist Vince Martell, and drummer/vocalist Carmine Appice – recorded five albums during the years 1966–69, before disbanding in 1970...
, was broadcast in September on Radio 2.
In 2009, the Motown record label celebrated its 50th birthday. Mitchell indulged his passion for the subject and presented various programmes to mark the occasion. The 6-part series Hitsville USA: 50 Years of Heart & Soul ran weekly from 5 January 2009 on Radio 2 and offered (to quote the Radio Times) "a nourishing insight into the label's rare treasures". Motorcity Blues aired on 10 January on Radio 2, with a fascinating portrait of the city of Detroit and how its events and people have shaped the Motown label. The Sound of Young America went out on Radio 2 on 17 January and told of how the Motown Sound has influenced music today. Mitchell's documentary Toerag was broadcast on 6 Music in July 2009. Spellbound, the story of guitarist John McGeoch
John McGeoch
John Alexander McGeoch, , was a Scottish guitarist who played with a number of bands of the post-punk era, including Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Visage and Public Image Ltd....
, was broadcast on 6 Music in April 2011.
XFM
Mitchell presented his first XFMXfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
breakfast show on Monday 15 June 2009 and his alternative radio show Razor Cuts on Sunday 21 June 2009. His first Razor Cuts guest was former New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
member bassist Peter Hook
Peter Hook
Peter Hook is an English bass player, musician and author.He was a co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division along with Bernard Sumner in the mid-1970s. Following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the band reformed as New Order, and Hook played bass with them throughout their career until...
, who spoke candidly about the break-up of the legendary band. Guitarist Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
revealed that he had been offered $50 million to reform The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
on the show recently. Other guests included Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker is an English musician and frontman for the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus Cocker has led a successful solo career...
, Shaun Ryder
Shaun Ryder
Shaun William Ryder, aka X, is an English musician, occasional newspaper columnist, actor, author, singer-songwriter and television personality, best known as lead singer for Happy Mondays and Black Grape – and more recently as the runner-up of the 2010 version of the British TV Show I'm a...
, Paul Weller
Paul Weller
Paul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
, Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....
, Mike Joyce
Mike Joyce
Mike Joyce is an English drummer. He is best known as the drummer for The Smiths.-Career:...
, Delphic
Delphic
Delphic are an alternative dance band from Marple Bridge, Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. They are signed to Polydor and released the single "Counterpoint" in April 2009 through R&S Records, produced by Ewan Pearson...
, Ian McCulloch
Ian McCulloch
Ian McCulloch may refer to:* Ian McCulloch , British actor* Ian McCulloch , English singer, notably of Echo and the Bunnymen* Ian McCulloch , English snooker player...
, Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
, Jack White
Jack White
Jack White may refer to:* Jack White , with the rock bands The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather* Jack White , UK soldier* Jack White , German producer of disco music...
and Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
. On Sunday 9 August 2009 Mitchell presented a The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
documentary with legendary producer John Leckie about the 20th anniversary of The Stone Roses' classic debut album
The Stone Roses (album)
The Stone Roses is the debut album by English rock band The Stone Roses, released on Silvertone Records in 1989. It cemented the band's reputation among critics, and is still rated by some as one of the most important albums ever...
. In May 2010 he produced and presented Some Friendly, a documentary on the 20th anniversary of the Charlatans' debut album
Some Friendly
Some Friendly is the debut album by the English band The Charlatans , released in 1990 ....
, where the band and producer Chris Nagle were reunited by Mitchell for the first time since the album was recorded. It was broadcast on 16 May 2010.
Screamadelica and The Second Summer of Love, produced and narrated by Mitchell, aired on Absolute 90s, billed as the UK’s only station dedicated to music from that decade, on Friday 26 November 2010 at the end of a week of Primal Scream
Primal Scream
Primal Scream are a Scottish alternative rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie and now based in London. The current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes , Martin Duffy , and Darrin Mooney...
activity timed to coincide with the band’s Screamdelica live dates. It charted the making of the album, including an interview with singer Bobby Gillespie
Bobby Gillespie
Robert Bernard Andrew "Bobby" Gillespie is a Scottish musician. He is the lead singer and founding member of the alternative rock band, Primal Scream. He was also the drummer for The Jesus and Mary Chain in the mid-1980s.- Early life :Born and raised in the south side district of Mount Florida in...
, as well as examining the wider context of the dance music explosion and rave culture, with contributions from The Inspiral Carpets’ Clint Boon
Clint Boon
Clint Boon is an English musician and DJ. Boon originally rose to notability as the keyboards player with Inspiral Carpets.-Career:...
, Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam
Dave Haslam
Dave Haslam is an author and DJ. Originally from Moseley, Birmingham, and educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham. Having moved to Manchester in 1980, he DJ'd over 450 times at the Haçienda nightclub, including Thursday's Temperance club night in the late 1980s...
and singer Denise Johnson.
Other work
Mitchell has appeared on Sky News, Channel 4’s Top 100 Albums, Channel 5’s Top 100 Singles, ITV’s Madonna special, Eggheads for the BBC, Sky One’s Hidden Secret, Pete & Geoff’s Top 9s for VH1 and The Royle Family for Granada/BBC—to name but a few. He has written regularly for the Manchester Evening NewsManchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
and often contributes to the Daily Star. During his career he has guest written for some of the UK’s most influential music magazines. A love of alternative music, along with a passion for funk, soul and Motown has led to various high-profile appearances as a club DJ. In the past Mitchell has DJed at Manchester venue The Haçienda
The Haçienda
Fac 51 Haçienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, England. It became most famous during the "Madchester" years of the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the 1990s it was labelled the most famous club in the world by Newsweek magazine...
and more recently at Alan McGee
Alan McGee
Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...
’s Death Disco at Notting Hill Arts Club.
Absolute Radio 60s and 70s prepare for launch
New digital stations to be fronted by Pete Mitchell and Richard Skinner
Absolute Radio 60s' opening week will feature documentaries on Motown, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, and the Velvet Underground
Absolute Radio is to turn the dial back to the 1960s and 1970s with two new digital radio stations fronted by Pete Mitchell and Richard Skinner.
Absolute Radio 60s will launch on 22 November with a weekday mid-morning show hosted by Mitchell, a DJ on Absolute Radio's previous incarnation, Virgin Radio.
Having launched bespoke services dedicated to the 80s, 90s and "noughties", it was only a matter of time before Absolute came up with more.
"The beauty of it lies in its simplicity," said Absolute Radio chief operating officer Clive Dickens.
"Absolute Radio 80s is now the 11th biggest radio station in the UK and it is not even two years old. Around 50% of the Absolute Radio audience is now enjoying one of our digital services.
"Like our other digital stations, the spirit of these services will be the music of the 60s and the 70s through the lens of Absolute Radio.
"They won't replicate Gold or Magic or Smooth Radio. You won't find Herman's Hermits or the Searchers on Absolute Radio 60s."
Both stations will be on digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radio, although the 60s station will be more widely available than its new sister station, with both on air in London.
Absolute Radio 60s will be the "home of the Beatles, Stones and Motown" combining the "swinging 60s" with "the sound of young America". Its opening week will feature documentaries on Motown, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, and the Velvet Underground.
They will also be available online, including the Radioplayer, and on Absolute's smartphone apps.