Horatio Clare is an award winning writer and broadcaster. And if there was an award for being a lovely bloke he’d probably have won that too.
I first came across Horatio through his book Heavy Light in which he writes vividly about his experience of the highs and lows of bipolar disorder and what it’s like to be sectioned.
Read MoreI love the writing of John Higgs. It was a chance encounter with The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds that first switched me on to his unique literary landscape. It’s a landscape where there’s a surprise round every bend, a place where diverse ideas intermingle to create flashes of illumination …
Read MoreI’ve thought for a while that Darby would be an excellent guest on the Wind Thieved Hat and when I found out that he was about to publish a book on creativity and poetry, I invited him to join me. Our conversation roams over subjects as diverse as the losses and wins of getting older, what your sober self can learn from your drunk self, the benefits of hanging out in cemeteries and …
Read MoreDan Nelken is on a mission: he’s passionate about helping creative people create and get over what's stopping them. A fork lift driver - and advertising copywriter - by trade, his book A Self Help Guide for Copywriters was a breakout hit during the pandemic …
Read MoreKathryn Mannix is a best-selling author and palliative care doctor. Given that this is a podcast about the creative process she may seem to be a rather unusual guest, but as you’ll discover, Kathryn is a brilliant wordsmith and someone who has a great deal to say about stories; the stories we use to make sense of life and of death …
Read MoreByron grew up poor. With the cards stacked against him. He had a tough time when he was younger. He’s the only one of my guests, so far as I know to have been shot and kidnapped. But through the nurturing of his home environment and his own character kooks – he used to bunk off school to go to the library – he managed to navigate those early challenges …
Read MoreOf all the books I read to my kids when they were growing up, there was one that I loved just as much as they did - ‘The Murderer’s Ape’. In this inspiring and reflective episode I talk to the creator of Sally Jones, writer and illustrator Jakob Wegelius …
Read MoreIt’s rare but every so often a documentary film comes along that transcends the medium, that is in itself a work of art. For me, Garage People is such a film. So I was delighted to talk to Natalija Yefimkina, the film’s director, about her own creative process. Garage People is - remarkably – her first film.
Read MoreA thought provoking conversation with a hugely inspiring thinker and writer on how to overcome some of the most common challenges we face in making creative work.
Read MoreJohn Wood and Paul Harrison are two artistic heroes of mine. They make work that is both simple and complex, profound and mundane; it’s always engaging, often funny and, as you’ll hear, has occasionally ended in disaster …
Read MoreJust before Christmas I was in the virtual audience for a night of poetry headlined by John Cooper Clarke. There were eight poets on the bill that night. One of them stole the show. And her name was Toria Garbutt. In this conversation, recorded down the line, I talk about writing and life with Toria …
Read MoreIf you ever find yourself on a shoot for a TV commercial then there’s a good chance that the Director of Photography, will be male and white. Deepa Keshvala, one of the UK’s most sought after DOP’s, is neither of these things. And in this brilliantly refreshing and inspiring conversation Deepa gives me her unique take on the creative process …
Read MoreI first came across Cas Holman through the Netflix documentary Abstract, the Art of Design. My interest was piqued by the fact we share the same surname, but I soon became utterly absorbed in Cas’s brilliantly iconoclastic approach to creativity. For Cas play is a fundamental part of the human experience, shaping the people we become and the world we make for ourselves …
Read MoreI’m delighted to be able to mark the 21st episode of The Wind Thieved Hat with this very special conversation with poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist and designer Inua Ellams, without doubt one of the most inspiring and eloquent creators I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with so far …
Read MoreI’m a sucker for a portrait project. And Richard Beaven’s All of Us is one of the most beguiling I’ve seen for a long time. Originally from Devon in the UK, Richard now lives in a small town called Ghent in upstate New York. On the town’s bicentennial Richard set out to photograph as many of the townspeople as he could, one by one …
Read MoreFor many years Guilhem Gallart was a successful record producer and recording artist. Better known by the moniker Pone, he helped shaped the sound of hip hop in France in the 90’s. In 2015 Pone was diagnosed with ALS. It’s left him unable to move anything but his eyes, yet he’s still writing, producing and making music …
Read MoreIt’s often said that you shouldn’t meet your heroes. So it was with some trepidation that I went down to Brighton one rainy day in March to meet Henry Normal. Henry’s name always used to pop up on the credits of some of my favourite TV shows. Paul Calf’s Video Diaries, Mrs Merton, The Royle Family, The Mighty Boosh …
Read MoreNEON is Mark Nixon and Viliina Koivisto. They work together from their studio in Margate creating fantastical architecture, art and design. Their projects are often large, sometimes very large, and invite people to interact with them, to touch, to feel, to listen, to see …
Read MoreMy first encounter with Nicola Davies was on telly after school in the 1980’s when she was presenting the Really Wild Show, a TV show for kids all about animals. My second encounter with her was at a family gathering when I discovered - with a double take - that Nicola and my wife are related. Today Nicola is a writer …
Read MoreThis conversation with the Emmy nominated and internationally acclaimed creative director & designer Ana Criado was recorded over lunch in her garden in LA. Ana is as generous with her stories as she was with her paella …
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