And the Welcome everyone to Soda Jaker on songwriting episode 246. I'm Simon here as always with

Brian and joining us today is an English singer, songwriter, author and DJ who's

perhaps best known as lead vocalist and frontman for celebrated indie rockers, the charlatans,

a position he's now held for well over three decades.

More recently, he's garnered huge acclaim for his Twitter listening parties,

an ingenious album commentary concept hatched during the COVID lockdown,

which in just a few years has grown into nothing short of a social media institution.

I think it's safe to say he's Twitter royalty at this point. Oh without a doubt.

Anyway he currently joined us just a couple of weeks ago from Minneapolis where he was in the

middle of a charlatan's US tour for a lovely Nata about his songwriting.

We're delighted to welcome the splendid

Tim Burgess to the show. Our guest was born in Salford in 1967 but grew up in the

village of Moulton in Northwich Cheshire. He developed a keen interest in pop music from an early age

and with later broadness horizons with the help of his uncle Andrew who was an accomplished guitarist

and possessed an enviable record collection. Though he was a huge fan of the punk band Kras in his early teens, it was a school excursion

to, of all places, Manchester's legendary Hasiander club that would prove particularly pivotal

for the young Tim.

He fell hookline and sinker for the whole

factory records world, especially the work of Salford's own New Order and spent much

of his mid-to-late adolescent semester's thriving nightlife and vibrant music scene.

Can't believe he went on a school trip to the Hasiander?

I know, at our school we go to, I don't know, a national park.

...