Originally broadcast on 4th July 2008 on WCR FM

• 02.45: MPs vote against full reform of their expenses regime. We debate the rights and wrongs with Labour’s Darren Husted.
• 18.39: The Google StreetView camera has been spotted in the UK. Should we fear for our privacy or just get over ourselves?
• 26.08: Looking for live music nights with an indie bent? Katie and Matt from Colour talk about their events at the Light House.
• 35.50: Jim Smith talks to ex-Mafia guy Louis Ferrante about his life and his new book Tough Guy.
• 48.23: Folk artist Ruth Theodore is our Creative Commons musician of the week. Features the song Nothing on us.
• 57.30: In our 4th July special, we look at the life of Button Gwinnett, a Wolverhampton man who signed the American declaration of independence. Barbara Gwinnett - no relation - talks about his life in England.
• 1:07.06: Orlando Montoya - a journalist with Savannah’s WSVH - talks about Button Gwinnett’s life in Georgia and the political career that led to his signing the declaration.

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Originally broadcast on 27th June 2008 on WCR FM.

• 02.56: Mark Watson (editor of Minority Perspective) and Doug Hope (Wolverhampton South West propsective Parliamentary candidate for UKIP) discuss child labour. What are the alternatives for children in third world countries?
• 21.53: What is to blame for the events in Zimbabwe?
• 33.38: Bill, John and Andy are cycling from Wolverhampton to Paris in aid of the County Air Ambulance and the Beacon Centre for the Blind. They tell us about their plans for the journey.
• 43.21: Artist, photographer and film-maker Pogus Caesar talks about his career and his forthcoming Wolverhampton Art Gallery exhibition.
• 1:05.18: Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Crowe is our Creative Commons artist of the week. She talks about her music, her inspiration and running her own label. She also plays Happy People and Hold Back from her album Little Light.
• 1:28.01: Fordhouses singer-songwriter Nathanael Poole plays three of his songs and talks about his music.

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Originally broadcast on 20th June 2008 on WCR FM.

• 02.38: Is the EU’s reaction to the Irish vote against the Lisbon Treaty proof that there is no democracy in the EU?
• 23.33: Why is Gordon Brown asking the Saudis to increase oil production when tax is the largest component of the pump price?
• 33.51: Former Corrie barmaid Sally Lindsay talks about her new show, Eurobeat, which is a tribute to the Eurovision Song Contest.
• 40.40: Film producer Simon Woods and actress Den Woods talk about their latest project, The Mandrake Root.
• 57.05: Wolverhampton metal musician Jono Bacon talks about his new project Severed Fifth and his project to make a commercial success of Creative Commons music. Includes the song Beating Heart.
• 1:11.45: Comedian Stan Stanley talks about his work and his forthcoming gig at the Little Civic.
• 1:18.11: Wolverhampton resident and architect Rob Annable talks about the architecture of Wolverhampton’s Civic Centre and how it relates to the buildings around it.
• 1:39.50: Local history expert William Howe talks about the history of the Civic Centre site.
• 1:45.26: City musician Mick Burrows talks about his work and plays three of his songs: All at Sea, Dream All Day and The Hunter’s Song.

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Is he right? I don’t know, maybe.

Best radio in the West Midlands? Probably.

Best radio in Wolverhampton, though? Definitely.

Is the new show going to my head?

More good stuff next week…

• Councillors David Bourne and Minohar Minhas will be discussing:
  • Wolverhampton GP loses thousands of patient records - when will the State take our privacy seriously?
  • the proposed Lidl superstore in Finchfield
• What’s on in Wolverhampton, including previews of and interviews with:
  • Sally Lindsay, formerly of Coronation Street, who’s appearing Eurobeat at the Grand Theatre this week
  • the Penn Local History Fair
• Interview with film director Simon Woods about his film Mandrake Root, which is showing at the Light House next week
• Interview with Jono Bacon about his new Creative Commons licensed music project
• Feature on the architecture and history of Wolverhampton Civic Centre, including interviews with local architect Rob Annable and city history expert William Howe
• Live music from local musician Mick Burrows

Tune in: 7pm - 10pm on 101.8 FM in Wolverhampton and stream live at wcrfm.com or get the podcast here soon.

Features: Nick Pope, Paul Stott and John White.

Includes studio discussion of the documentary by Neil, Matthew Revell, James Renhard and Darren Husted.

Originally broadcast 13th June 2008 as part of the Wolverhampton Radiophonic Institute on WCR FM.

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Originally broadcast on 13th June 2008 on WCR FM.

• 02.39: What impact will 42 days detention have and what is David Davies trying to achieve by resigning?
• 18.31: The Generalist Party is aiming to bring the people of Britain exactly what they want. They’re also standing against David Davies in the Haltemprice and Howden by-election. We spoke to the party’s James Stinson, Dale Weston and George Georgiou.
• 30.20: Ray Barry of The Equal Parenting Alliance explains why he thinks roof-top protests are still necessary in the battle for fathers’ rights.
• 40.40: Illustrator Sarah Ray talks about her work and her exhibition at Wolverhampton’s Light House.
• 49.15: Henry Allingham is Europe’s oldest man and a World War I hero. John Mellor asks why Henry’s own country hasn’t honoured him.
• 1:01.45: The Cynic’s Guide to 9/11 Conspiracy Theories. Paul Stott, Nick Pope and John White contribute to Neil’s documentary on the groups who pose alternative theories as to what happened on September 11th 2001.
• 1:19.21: Dan Whitehouse - local singer-songwriter - talks about his upcoming album and plays two songs live in the studio.

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There were a few fraught moments, me dashing between studios, but I thought it went well, and it also seemed to go very quickly, too.

Kudos must go to Matthew for getting guests like John Mellor on to talk about Henry Allingham, and Ray Barry, who gave a local perspective on a national news story. Thanks to the people from The Generalist Party for coming all the way down from Grismby, too.

Dan Whitehouse’s set was good under difficult circumstances, and a great way to end the first show. I only realised this morning that we had two musicians on the show, and both of them were called Dan. I’m not sure if that will be a regular theme.  Dan Bryk has, through Matthew’s efforts, found his way on the the WCR FM playlist. I’m sure we’ll be inundated with demo tapes and requests for interviews now.

Big thanks too, to Paul Stott of 9/11 Cultwatch for giving the first of the Cynic’s Guides some publicity. Nice one Paul.

Staying on a conspiracy theory theme, last year I read Mark Lawson’s counterfactual novel Idlewild. One of the review quotes inside the front cover says something like “recognisably a first novel, but one that makes you want to read the second and third novel.”

I think last night’s show was recognisably a first show, but hopefully one that made you want to listen to the second, third, fourth, fifth…

Some good stuff in the pipeline for next week, too - I’m sure we’ll let you know more nearer to the time.