Countdown to Indy – A New Scottish National Anthem

With Drew Wright, Kieran Hurley, Dumb Instrument, Janice Galloway, Bram Gieben, Annie Grace, Ruth Wishart.

I was looking forward to this show for a long time. A national anthem sing off! There was a lot of flying by the seat of the pants in the preparation of the show. I knew the general idea was to have an advocate for and a performance of each song. I also knew I wanted to have a ‘cut up’ or improvised national anthem to throw into the mix. It was meant to be a bit of fun but in the end – from the first haunting shivery performance of ‘Freedom Come All Ye’ by Drew Wright up to the audience sing along that close the show – it turned out to be surprisingly moving. I loved every minute of it but I urge you to look out for Janice Galloway’s wonderful advocacy for ’Suffering From Scottishness’ and don’t miss Bram Gieben’s beautiful poem which took the audience’s breath away. A wonderful way to end the run. Not a few tears in the audience at the end.

David Greig

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Living Independence

With Alison Peebles, Robert Softley Gale, Jo Clifford, David Greig, Julia Taudevin, Nancy Somerville, Gerry Campbell.

This was one of my favourite All Back To Bowie’s. It was deeply personal, passionate, angry, hopeful and the best kind of political, the personal kind.

David and I were co-hosting and we weren’t sure what to expect. We were interested in talking about fighting for independence on a personal level, interdependence and dependence and having to fight for your own space and your own autonomy. That word, autonomy, proved to be the key theme for the show in the end.

We kicked off with a beautiful Bowie cover from Gerry Campbell and then a provocation from the great actor and director Alison Peebles. Alison talked us through her own experience of discovering she had MS and having to adapt her life, her career, her identify, her wardrobe to adapt to the change. She was then joined by the brilliant actor and theatre maker Robert Softley Gale, recently returned from a European tour of his show If These Spasms Could Speak about living with cerebral palsy and ever-inspiring playwright, performer, father and grandmother, Jo Clifford. The panel discussion was deeply personal, as I suspected it would be, but I hadn’t anticipated it becoming so passionate about Scottish independence – which, for me anyway, was bloody brilliant!

There was one member of the audience for whom it wasn’t brilliant and there was an amusing moment when Jo Clifford was talking about the abuse she suffers on a daily basis as a trans woman and who Scotland has experienced abuse for generations and the disgruntled member of the audience shouted “Bollocks.” After the show, Jo said she wished she’d shouted back “I don’t have any anymore”.

It was a shame, though, that the gentleman was so unwilling to hear the discussion that was being had about Scottish independence he wasn’t able to engage positively with the more personal and wider reaching discussion about autonomy and independence on a personal level. I hope he has found some happiness since that day.

After the panel we had some rip roaring poetry from the fantastic Nancy Somerville and a final beautiful number from Gerry full of hope. The grumpy gent left before the end and consequently there was a most wonderful feeling of hope and strength and possibility in the Bowie yurt. What an incredible summer it’s been.

Julia Taudevin

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Exploring The Common Weal

With Robin McAlpine, Peter Arnott, Jenny Lindsay, Laura Eaton-Lewis, Hector MacInnes.

In today’s session, hosted by David Greig and Peter Arnott, we investigated The Common Weal, with Robin McAlpine (director of The Common Weal), music from Hector MacInnes calling for land reform and 1000 huts in the wilderness, a storming poem by Jenny Lindsay about the realities of life in the UK called ‘England, We Need to Talk About Britain’, and a polemic from myself explores the fallacy of the liberalist economic narrative.

A world-first, The Common Weal is a project which takes over fifty independent reports by leading academics and professional leaders to form an evidence-based, big-picture proposal for a future Scotland which places All of Us First. Only tried and tested approaches and policies are included in this book, so it is a pragmatic plan for a social democratic society which exists in the real world. Robin McAlpine explains how the Common Weal approach works within a liberalist market by maximising the wealth of our society by focusing on mutual efforts for 90% and market competition for the remaining 10%.

It’s an extraordinary body of work, and prompts the question ‘If these policies are successful why do we not already have the infrastructure proposed by the Common Weal?’ In today’s provocation, I explain that ‘We could have universal economic measures such as a citizen’s income that would value all the invisible work of women, the disabled, the underemployed, so why don’t we? Ask the tories. Thatcher’s government researched the possibility in the 70s and discovered it is cheaper than the current benefits system. It’s more efficient, so why don’t we have it? Perhaps it’s because it would show that the conservative mindset is based on a myth, and who knows where that might lead … real change? But surely animal spirits, competition and higher financial reward for higher performance makes us all stronger, makes us all strive more, yes? They don’t.

The facts on the biggest myth of our times: financial incentives don’t motivate us to perform better, in fact, financial reward makes us perform more badly.

Laura Eaton-Lewis

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The London Scots

With Stephen Greenhorn, Rona Munro, David Greig, Linda McLean, David Morgan, Adam Ramsay and Lach.

It was a special treat to get Rona Munro and Stephen Greenhorn for this show. Both are old friends of Linda and mine from the playwriting world but in the last year both have also re-defined great chunks of Scottish identity and popular culture. Stephen with the film of Sunshine on Leith whose optimism and charm captured the imagination last summer, and Rona with the James Plays which were the hit of the festival. You can feel the warmth of the audience towards them. This episode also features some fabulous intervention essays – two letters from Kevin MacNeill in London and David Morgan in Manchester, and Adam Ramsay’s wonderful provocation. Someone teased me that I always said, after every show, that it was the best on yet. But this show was definitely the best one yet!

David Greig

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Women and Independence

With Tasmina Sheikh, Kate Higgins, Elaine C Smith, David Greig, Kirstin Innes, Tracey S Rosenberg and Laura Eaton-Lewis.

Three of the most prominent female voices in the Yes Campaign – Tasmina Sheikh, Kate Higgins and Elaine C Smith – join us for a frank discussion of the frustrations of being a woman in (and out of) politics right now. There’s also some heady emotional stuff, with Laura Lewis’ heartfelt songs, and her battle cry for invisible women. Poet Tracey Rosenberg imagines what Scottish ten year olds of the future will write in their history essays, the podcast listeners get an audio-described tour of David Bowie’s Manhattan penthouse yurt, and it all finishes up with a glorious cover of Life on Mars. Who knew it was a feminist anthem?

Kirstin Innes

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Sport, Dreams and Independence

With Gerry Hassan, Alan Bissett, Susan Egelstaff, Michael Stewart, David Greig, Ron Ferguson, Fiona Ferguson, Miko Berry, Josephine Sillars, Ruth Wishart.

Well, it’s hard to beat the Bowie’s shows so far but having my dad on the panel today pretty much did the job (oh as did discovering during the show that I had a great uncle called David Bowie, a butcher in Alloa, whose confirmed surname pronunciation has now pushed me firmly in the ‘rhymes with cow’ camp – Alloa Bowie beats Manhattan Bowie especially when wielding a butcher’s knife). We were delighted to have Josephine Sillars back with her beautiful songs (and ironing board), plus Miko Berry from Loud Poets reading a brand new poem and a polemic from Gerry Hassan about dads and men and the way in which football suffocates other sports in Scotland. The panel – David Greig, Gerry Hassan, Ruth Wishart, Allan Bissett, Ron Ferguson, Susan Egelstaff and Michael Stewart – talked about sport and identity, the Commonwealth Games and ach yeh, ok there was a fair bit of football chat because we just cannae help ourselves.

Mon the Blue Brazil.

Fiona Ferguson

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The Media in Scotland

With Iain Macwhirter, Derek Bateman, Kirstin Innes, Fiona Ferguson, Peter Arnott, Ross Colquhoun, Rob Mackenzie and Martin Lynch.

It’s such a treat to do some hosting for these shows, largely as I get to hear the musicians, poets, polemicists and panel guests from the front row. For free, yass. After the Bowie (rhymes with cow)/Bowie (rhymes with no) test – I’m firmly in the rhymes with no camp – we heard music from Playing Politics and a brilliant polemic from Derek Bateman, then got stuck into the debate exploring the media in Scotland. There are many things I’ve been left with after this discussion, most importantly where are all the women in our media?! We had a fantastic line up for our panel with Iain Macwhirter, Derek Bateman, Peter Arnott and Ross Colquhoun brilliantly questioned by the loveliest of co-hosts, Kirstin Innes. We learned about ‘erasure’ poetry from Rob Mackenzie before hearing a Letter From Belfast where Martin Lynch told us in no uncertain terms about his views of Scottish independence!

Fiona Ferguson

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Sunday Session

Karine Polwart-curated line-up of guests in a music, sketches and spoken word special.

Rachel Newton, Luke Wright, Amy Geddes, Camille O’Sullivan, Adie Elias Baako.

This was another Sunday session but unfortunately Karine was not able to join us for it. Nevertheless it was a warm audience and some cracking acts. I’m not quite sure how Adie’s incredible Ghanaian dancing will translate to the podcast. Adie, dreadlocked and in bright yellow African print clothes danced a beautifully contained, rhythmic traditional dance on the narrow stage. I had to hold onto the piano to stop it falling off the stage as Adie’s feet made a slow patient beat on the stage. He had the yurt enthralled and delighted. You’ll have to imagine that bit.

David Greig

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Wales and an Independent Scotland

With Peter Arnott, Julia Taudevin, Neil Murray, Buddug James Jones, Sarah Jane Leigh, Catrin Dafydd, A New International.

I was looking forward to this show as I have a bit of a thing for Wales. So much of the music and poetry I like is Welsh and yet I feel I know so little about it. It was pure luck that the show ‘Hiraeth’ was on the fringe and both Byddug and Sarah Jane were available to come on but I think their contribution centres the show. The idea of Hiraeth, despite my multiple attempts at pronunciation, runs through the show; from Neil Murray’s memories of his parents’ home to Buddug’s memories of the farm she grew up on. It’s an idea that seems to capture something terribly important about all of our relationships to place. Whatever ‘Hiraeth’ is, I was feeling something like it when I listened to A New International sing their spine-tingling songs. This was a very special Bowie’s for me. Warm and sad.

David Greig

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Lesley Riddoch interview – Could Scotland Blossom?

With Lesley Riddoch, David Greig, Calum Rodger, Matt Baker, Lomond Campbell.

I was a bit giddy with the thrill of meeting Lesley Riddoch. I’ve been a fan of her since her BBC Radio Scotland days and followed her writing about the Eigg buyout with fascination. But since the referendum and her book Blossom she has become a central figure in the debate about exactly how we can shape a new Scotland. Her husband Chris Smith is also a stalwart of the coastal rowing world so I could have chatted to the pair of them for ages. My particular highlight in this interview is Lesley countering my new word coinage ‘Riddochian’ with a new one of her own… look out for it.

David Greig

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Ireland and an Independent Scotland

With Peter Geoghegan, Cormac Quinn, Lynda Radley, Nicola McCartney, Kieran Hurley, Linda McLean, Rachel McCrum, Camille O’Sullivan.

Where to start on this one? We didn’t even get on to talking about the financial crash, or the use of Ireland as an example of the dangers and virtues of independence from both sides of the debate. You could curate a Fringe long-season on Ireland and the Irish in relation to Scotland’s referendum. David Greig read us a brilliant provocation sent in from Lynda Radley, we had poetry from the frankly outstanding Rachel McCrum, who was then joined in discussion by Nicola McCartney, Peter McGeoghan and Cormac Quinn. Thankfully I resisted the urge to get sentimental and starry-eyed and quote James Connolly at length, and let our much more able panel to the talking, which they did brilliantly. A real favourite of mine this one, it was rounded off perfectly when Camille O’Sullivan showed up at the end and blew the roof off.

Kieran Hurley

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We Need To Talk about England

With Kieran Hurley, David Greig, Josie Long, Leo Glaister, Clare Duffy, Chris Thorpe, Dan Rebellato, Loki.

This was a wee beauty, this one. We hadn’t been sure whether to expect Josie Long, after some confusion over whether or not she was confirmed, so we were all delighted to walk into the Yurt and find her patiently sitting in the front row, waiting for us to explain what was going on. The brilliant Chris Thorpe and the wonderful Clare Duffy completed our panel, discussing solidarity, hope, and whether national identity is a thing that should even exist. Leo Glaister brought the poems, and Loki kicked us off in the music slot with some a capella rhymes and some vital musings on materialism and idealism. We also had a really lovely video-letter from Dan Rebellato.

Kieran Hurley

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The Yes Campaign

With Brian Cox, Stephen Noon, Kate Higgins, David Greig, Kirstin Innes, Sam Small, Cora Bissett.

This was possibly our most on-message session yet. The official Yes Campaign were out in force, with chief strategist Stephen Noon on the panel and Brian Cox stopping by the yurt, and a wealth of journalists and broadcast crews in the audience. The provocation from Kate Higgins and ensuing discussion was more about the nature of the work still to be done than the various forms the campaign itself has taken, but what we come back to a lot, as you’ll hear, is the idea of fear. The manipulation of fear, discussed in the panel; the rejection of fear in Cora Bissett’s gorgeous, full-throated songs from Glasgow Girls and Sam Small’s brief, rallying call to arms; and finally, the fear that keeps people going, mentioned in Brian Cox’s moving, quiet tribute to his late friend Robin Williams.

Kirstin Innes

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What Would A Scottish Foreign Policy Look Like?

With Iain Macwhirter, Kieran Hurley, Sara Shaarawi, Jean Urquhart, White Feather Collective, Harry Giles, Gav Prentice.

Like so many of our panel discussions at Bowie’s Yurt, as this one approached the big question was how on earth we were going to cover all the issues in the short amount of time that we have. Poppy and Lou from the anarcho-feminist anti-militarism group the White Feather Collective kicked things off with a provocation about a demilitarised future Scotland. We were then delighted to be joined by Jean Urquhart and Iain Macwhirter, for a conversation which demonstrated that you don’t need to set up a Yes versus No binary to find interesting political difference when we get down to the detail. Harry Giles and Gav Prentice both brought their usual brilliance in poetry and music respectively and it was hosted by Sara Shaarawi, with the discussion chaired, in a loose sense, by me. It was a lively one this. Ramshackle, energetic and full of big and difficult political thinking. Which is, I think, exactly what we came for.

Kieran Hurley

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Sunday Session

Cora Bissett hosts her choice of guests in a music, sketches & spoken word special. Featuring David MacGregor from Kid Canaveral, Patricia Panther, Frances Thorburn, Sophia Walker, Nerea Bello and Ruth Mills.

This show BLEW the roof off. That’s partly because a storm that was raging outside which – as Kid Canaveral pointed out – was so loud it was ‘analogue percussion.’ But the rain and the storm had the effect of coorying us all in together as we listened to a breathtaking line up of songs and voices. Particular highlights for me were the songs from the Basque Country & Frances Thorburn’s astonishing a capella rendering of The Proclaimers. A treat!

David Greig

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Exploring Tory Scotland

With Ewan Morrison, David Torrance, Alex Massie, Lindsay Macintosh, David Greig, Jenny Lindsay, Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai).

I enjoyed this show enormously! Three top-notch political commentators, Alex Massie, David Torrance and Lindsay Macintosh. After a lot of rich and fattening ‘Yes’ voices in the Yurt it was excellent to hear some bracing ‘No’ for a change. Ewan Morrison was in good form too – proposing an entrepreneurial centre right vision for Scotland. There’s a fantastic moment at the end when Stuart Braithwaite sings ‘Heroes’ and, to me & him, it’s about Indy. But to Bowie, and I suspect for our panel, it’s a song about individuals escaping a rotten communist state. Either way we all sat spellbound. It was a very Yurty moment.

David Greig

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Negotiations After Yes

With Jim Sillars, David Greig, Fiona Ferguson, Peter Arnott, Andrew Tickell, Kevin Cadwallendar, Lady Alba, Josephine Sillars.

Today’s show is a bit of a special in that the discussion section is one of the few straight interviews we’re doing. To say I’m thrilled to be talking to Jim Sillars is to submit to cliche, but it’s true. His journey over the last fifty years of Scottish politics is our journey. His voice was one of the voices I first heard as a teenager that told me people who sound Scottish don’t have to sound like they’re selling shortbread … and here he is talking to us.

Peter Arnott

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Money and Wages in an Independent Scotland

With Ricky Ross, Nicola McCartney, Ian Fraser, Ben Dyson (of Positive Money), Agnes Torok, Julia Taudevin, Laura Eaton-Lewis, David Greig.

The sun was shining and the crowds were out for this show. I think I saw a number of financial types on their lunch break, RBS lanyards peeking out from the summery shirts. Walking along George Street, seeing the name plates on the cafes and bars which were once banks, and I realised just how much money and finance sit at the heart of Edinburgh’s identity. Currency is a central part of the independence debate and a day or so after The Debate, it was on all our minds. Ricky Ross reminded us, in song, of how money, aspiration and hope are all bound up together. Ben Dyson posited a new, Positive money. Ian Fraser & Laura discussed Scotland’s options, and Nicola McCartney brought home the human consequences of austerity. And all the while, the RBS flags flapped in the summer sun on the East side of St Andrew Sq.

David Greig

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The Braveheart Myth

With Linda McLean, Kieran Hurley, Jenny Lindsay, Fiona Watson, Alan Bissett, Rachael Clerke, Seafieldroad.

Yep. We really did go there: we talked about Braveheart…

Whether Braveheart makes you wince, weep, rejoice or want to explore yer clan history, it is the indyref film that just never goes away. So, Kieran Hurley and myself hosted a lively panel discussion with Rachael Clerke, Linda McLean, Fiona Watson and Alan Bissett, aiming to unearth why this is.

Following a great provocation by Linda, the panel opened with discussion on the Braveheart myth and masculinity in Scottish culture, before widening out to explore the importance of seeing Scotland on film, and whether it is a lack of Scottish representation in film in general that makes Braveheart such a ubiquitous cultural reference point for yes and no voters alike.

An interesting, wide-ranging discussion concluded with the audience assisting in the creation of a performance poem, writing one sentence each, beginning with the words “Braveheart Is…”. Much hilarity ensued. We finished up with a song from Seafieldroad, with the reminder that “This Road Won’t Build Itself“. True that – and if our discussion unearthed anything conclusive about the Braveheart myth, it’s that there are many factors building our definitions of ‘Scottishness’ too.

Jenny Lindsay

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What Happened To The Idea of Britain?

With David Torrance, Neal Ascherson, James Robertson, Isobel Lindsay, Andrew Tickell, Julia Taudevin, Jim Monaghan, Peter Arnott, Wounded Knee.live streaming film Hell or High Water 2016

When planning co-hosting Bevan Tried To Change The Nation – Whatever Happened To The Idea of Britain? with the playwright Peter Arnott, Peter expressed his concerns of becoming a bit of a Jeremy Paxman when confronted with welcoming an audience. So we decided to utilise his Paxman potential in the interview section and I would explore any Kirsty Wark potential I might have.

Bowie’s guest yurt on the top of his Manhattan penthouse apartment was packed out with folk seemingly from all sides of the discussion around what has happened to Britain. We kicked things off with the phenomenal Wounded Knee singing Hamish Henderson’s The Flyting of Life And Death. For those of you who don’t know, a flyting is a fast, poetic exchange of insults or disagreements.

The provocation for the day was brought to us courtesy of the, until recently anyway, on-the-fence indy skeptic David Torrance who I declined to introduce as ‘good-looking and available’ as he suggested I do, opting instead to leave it to the audience to decide for themselves if this was relevant information.

David’s provocation was indeed provocative laying the ground extremely well for a heated and rigorous debate between Torrance and a fantastic panel of James Robertson, Isobel Lindsay, Neal Ascherson and Andrew Tickell hosted by Peter Arnott – without even a whiff of Paxo.

Jim Monaghan kicked us into a different gear with two of his brilliant poems followed by Sara Shaarawi‘s uncompromisingly honest letter from Cairo. The show rounded off with Wounded Knee’s rendition of Hamish Henderson’s Freedom Come All Ye set to the reggae tune of Augustus Pablo’s Eastman Sound which sent us all out into the sunshine in hope that ‘all ye at hame wi freedom never heed whit the hoodies croak for doom’.

Julia Taudevin

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In The Eye of The Storm

With Nicola Sturgeon, David Greig, John Carnochan, Tracey Rosenberg, Dan Bye, Whyte and Mackay (Daily Reckless)

The security guys in black suits turned up first. I’m not sure the idea of the Deputy First Minister playing a Fringe show in a yurt was making them happy.

‘What will you do if there’s a heckle?’ said one of the guys.

‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘I don’t think our audience do heckle.’

(I politely ignored the esteemed audience member and former elected parliamentarian who coughed ‘he’s a c***’ in a previous show.)

‘What will you do if someone does heckle?’

‘I think I shall say… ‘it sounds like you’re angry about something. Would you like to elaborate?’

He raised an eyebrow.

Fortunately, today’s polemicist, John Carnochan, who’s an ex cop of 30 years, turned out to know them. When John spoke they visibly relaxed. I think they thought, if somebody goes for Nicola this hippy won’t be able to do anything but at least Carnochan will be able to sort it. Which was both true – John radiates authority – and ironic – John’s polemic is a brilliant picking apart of Scottish masculinity and its reliance on violence.

They were lovely.

I saw them laughing at Whyte & Mackay.

In any event, there was no heckle.

David Greig

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Gender Politics and Indyref

With Jo Clifford, PastaChips, Kate Higgins, Harry Giles, Julia Taudevin, Kirstin Innes, Rachel Amey, Gordon McIntyre.Movie All Is Lost (2013)

We said that Wham Bam, Thank you Ma’am was going to be about ‘gender and the indyref’, and immediately started feeling limited by that. What you’re about to listen to is the articulation of marginalised voices who may or may not have found a platform or common grounds with others during this campaign. Yes, most of these voices came from ‘gendered’ places, but they were talking about social and political alienation, and the possibilities for overcoming those in a future Scotland.

Playwright and performer Jo Clifford starts us off, with a passionate, lyrical polemic analogising her own journey as a trans woman to the transformation beginning to happen in Scotland. On the panel, blogger and Women For Independence co-founder Kate Higgins speaks about forging a voice for herself as a woman and single mother within the campaign, poet Harry Giles voices skepticism about mainstream politics, while activist PastaChips articulates the difficulties current legislation is causing sex workers in Scotland today. There’s cynicism and gnashing of teeth, but also a lot of hope for the future, all rounded off beautifully by Rachel Amey‘s rousing feminist poetry and songs of gentle victory from Gordon McIntyre (ballboy). Rather than trying to define ‘gender’ and its relationship to the campaign, we asked the audience to complete the sentence ‘An equal Scotland is…’

Your hosts for the hour are actor, activist and playwright Julia Taudevin and writer and journalist Kirstin Innes, who between them make a lot of terrible Bowie puns.

Kirstin Innes

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Is There a Scottish Establishment?

With David Greig, Peter Arnott, Laura Eaton-Lewis, Andrew Tickell (Lallands Peat Worrier), Mandy Rhodes, Cameron Wyllie, Chrissy Barnacle and poet Bram Gieben.

A lively and honest exploration of the concepts and many faces of the Scottish Establishment, this episode brought to light the problem of class issues that dominate Scottish society and questioned whether the interests of our establishment lay in Westminster. Do the people need to ask permission or is power something the people can in practice give to our representatives to enact on our behalf? What might a new establishment look like, and are the grass roots movements ready and capable of defining the shape of a new system?

With contributions from the media leader and economic prophet, Mandy Rhodes; private-sector head and educator of the future establishment, Cameron Wyllie; and constitutional law expert and wryly self-described ‘cybernat’ Andrew Tickell. Featuring poetry by radical thinker and journalist, Bram Gieben. Brought to life with gorgeous music and personable stories from Chrissy Barnacle.

Laura Eaton-Lewis

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The Metaphors of Indyref

With David Greig, Linda McLean, Janice Galloway, Davey Anderson, Hannah McGill, Martin O’Connor, Van Badham, Rachel Newton.

Wow. I felt very nervous on this show but the crowd were glorious. Rachel’s song got us off to a fine start and Davey Anderson’s polemic was a stormer, picking apart the cliches of referendum language. The panel was fascinating – Janice Galloway talking about metaphor and Hannah McGill about narrative. We got some things wrong in the first 20 minutes and we ran over time so we couldn’t read the audience’s ‘Scotland is like…’ sentences. But check them out at the end of the podcast because there are some beautiful ones. ‘Scotland is like a macaroon…’ Phew! We had a crowd of about 30 in the yurt. It was a beautiful sunny day and the Fringe was beginning… we are all optimism and hope!

David Greig

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