WEBVTT 00:00:01.870 --> 00:00:06.309 And now here they are, Nick and Sue on Chatterbox. 00:00:06.469 --> 00:00:09.810 When the stars talk, they talk to Nick and Sue. 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:32.979 Hi there and welcome back to the Chatterbox Redux 00:00:32.979 --> 00:00:35.899 podcast. My name's Nick and I'm being joined 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:55.570 by Johnny Taylor of The Horn. And now on Chatterbox 00:00:55.570 --> 00:00:58.030 UK, we're just lucky enough to welcome Johnny 00:00:58.030 --> 00:01:00.130 Taylor from The Horn. Johnny, welcome. How are 00:01:00.130 --> 00:01:02.590 you? Nick, thanks very much for having me on 00:01:02.590 --> 00:01:04.769 Chatterbox. I'm very well, thank you. It's great 00:01:04.769 --> 00:01:07.629 to meet you at last. It's been a pretty good 00:01:07.629 --> 00:01:11.769 year, really, isn't it? We got like, we go back 00:01:11.769 --> 00:01:16.549 to August with, what's the score, I think? Let's 00:01:16.549 --> 00:01:20.250 become an anthem already for you. Sounds quite 00:01:20.250 --> 00:01:53.739 exciting. Right. and also another band back in 00:01:53.739 --> 00:01:57.239 the day and I'm pretty sure that they supported 00:01:57.239 --> 00:01:58.739 the Boomtown Rants then and they were called 00:01:58.739 --> 00:02:02.340 Friends of Gavin, kind of punk scene going on 00:02:02.340 --> 00:02:05.280 all around Nick. I know that he even I think 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:09.599 rented out his flat to Nick Jones of The Clash 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:13.520 at the time so he was yeah kind of I think hobnobbing 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:18.080 with some of the fun punk scene in London and 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:20.939 our label, our lovely label Autonomy who were 00:02:20.939 --> 00:02:25.340 based here in in Tullyard in Kings Cross. I know 00:02:25.340 --> 00:02:29.039 that I think Nick and they put their heads together. 00:02:29.180 --> 00:02:31.080 So the lovely Richard, shout out to Richard at 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:35.080 Autonomy, our manager, and the one of the light 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:38.539 heads of the label. I think it was down to him 00:02:38.539 --> 00:02:41.520 and his contacts. So him and Nick kind of put 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:42.759 their heads together and sort of thought, are 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:46.719 there any UK tours happening this year? And yeah, 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:49.259 we amazingly were accepted by the Boomtown Rats. 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:53.210 So I think that was sort of big moment especially 00:02:53.210 --> 00:02:56.629 for Nick because he he was very your namesake 00:02:56.629 --> 00:03:01.009 because he was very much um You know for him 00:03:01.009 --> 00:03:03.430 I think even even my mum when she found out she 00:03:03.430 --> 00:03:05.150 was like well I was singing I don't like Mondays 00:03:05.150 --> 00:03:08.250 in the 70s and So for her is quite surreal that 00:03:08.250 --> 00:03:11.590 I'm sort of sharing stage Bob Geldof. Yeah, it's 00:03:11.590 --> 00:03:14.729 a real pleasure a real privilege. Yeah, I Remember 00:03:14.729 --> 00:03:17.069 buying rat trap and I don't like Mondays when 00:03:17.069 --> 00:03:19.069 they're in the charts first time around. So yeah 00:03:19.449 --> 00:03:50.990 that the backing vocals in the horn. And I'm 00:03:50.990 --> 00:03:55.150 seeing him later on in his studio that he runs, 00:03:55.389 --> 00:03:58.009 because he's an audio engineer, is in Baker Street 00:03:58.009 --> 00:04:01.229 on a sort of lovely Harry Potter -esque cobbled 00:04:01.229 --> 00:04:05.229 street called Chagford Street, just very close 00:04:05.229 --> 00:04:07.449 to the Charlotte Holmes Museum. So it's a sort 00:04:07.449 --> 00:04:11.569 of fun area that people like to visit. And he 00:04:11.569 --> 00:04:14.069 and I had founded a band called Montreal back 00:04:14.069 --> 00:04:17.230 in the day. And we were, because he lived in 00:04:17.230 --> 00:04:21.329 Brixton on Montreal Road. And we played quite 00:04:21.329 --> 00:04:25.850 a few gigs and we toured around Europe, Germany, 00:04:26.569 --> 00:04:30.389 Holland, and then Italy. And Nick, this guy, 00:04:30.550 --> 00:04:32.769 met Danny through a friend in Central London 00:04:32.769 --> 00:04:36.509 and heard that Danny had a music studio. And 00:04:36.509 --> 00:04:38.769 then Danny, during lockdown, said, do you fancy 00:04:38.769 --> 00:04:41.629 doing a session singing job? So initially it 00:04:41.629 --> 00:04:46.240 was just studio work. And it kind of then was 00:04:46.240 --> 00:04:50.879 a studio to stage situation. Nick was writing 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:54.620 songs in the 80s. And so he's a little bit older 00:04:54.620 --> 00:04:57.399 than us, but still young at heart. And so it 00:04:57.399 --> 00:04:59.339 was very much like a time capsule. He wrote a 00:04:59.339 --> 00:05:02.660 song called Passion, which never, I think, got 00:05:02.660 --> 00:05:06.560 recorded in any studio in the 80s. But he then 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:09.279 brought it to us and we recorded it. That was 00:05:09.279 --> 00:05:12.089 our first single. So that was it would have been 00:05:12.089 --> 00:05:15.209 yet 2020 2021 kind of time yeah and then we were 00:05:15.209 --> 00:05:17.310 suddenly on the road supporting these amazing 00:05:17.310 --> 00:05:20.589 people so we don't know how that happened that's 00:05:20.589 --> 00:05:24.370 brilliant love it yeah uh okay so um get yourself 00:05:24.370 --> 00:05:27.629 so your own gigs i mean how are you finding them 00:05:27.629 --> 00:05:29.610 and is it a bit surreal that you step out on 00:05:29.610 --> 00:05:32.250 stage and there you are and you got your audience 00:05:32.250 --> 00:05:35.069 there and seeing their reactions yeah that's 00:05:35.069 --> 00:05:37.430 a really good question because i think basically 00:05:37.430 --> 00:05:42.290 we um have done because mentioning Brighton earlier, 00:05:43.649 --> 00:05:47.990 we played the Great Escape Festival, played Rossy 00:05:47.990 --> 00:05:49.790 Bar, which is on the High Street. You might know 00:05:49.790 --> 00:05:54.149 that one. It's a very, very adorable little bar 00:05:54.149 --> 00:05:56.430 with a gorgeous little music venue in the basement. 00:05:57.550 --> 00:06:01.110 And I really like, I love Brighton. I always 00:06:01.110 --> 00:06:04.110 say I can't find a bad boozer in Brighton. I 00:06:04.110 --> 00:06:07.029 still haven't found one. They're all amazing. 00:06:07.610 --> 00:06:08.970 They've all got something to offer, haven't they? 00:06:10.250 --> 00:06:13.790 So we, that was one of our first shows and then 00:06:13.790 --> 00:06:17.970 we supported Star Sailor, which was insane. I 00:06:17.970 --> 00:06:21.129 remember actually the day we played London, we 00:06:21.129 --> 00:06:22.970 played in Sheppard's Bush, played the Empire, 00:06:23.209 --> 00:06:26.110 the O2 Empire. And that was the same day that 00:06:26.110 --> 00:06:30.569 the Queen died. And so very surreal for us, as 00:06:30.569 --> 00:06:33.649 you say, just like sort of stepping out on stage 00:06:33.649 --> 00:06:35.889 and when you're a support act with these bigger 00:06:35.889 --> 00:06:45.830 bands, you get kind of like a ready made the 00:06:45.830 --> 00:07:07.470 right but it's an amazing experience for me as 00:07:07.470 --> 00:07:10.949 a front man because I kind of get to chat to 00:07:10.949 --> 00:07:13.209 that many people at once and kind of read the 00:07:13.209 --> 00:07:16.689 room and try and understand how everyone's feeling 00:07:16.689 --> 00:07:20.810 and that can be tricky when it's two or three 00:07:20.810 --> 00:07:23.750 thousand people so it's sort of you have to kind 00:07:23.750 --> 00:07:27.269 of end up asking is everyone feeling okay and 00:07:27.269 --> 00:07:29.560 you know like do you want to sing along that 00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:57.829 that that Is it an alter ego you step into as 00:07:57.829 --> 00:08:01.509 Johnny Taylor the singer or is it? Do your two 00:08:01.509 --> 00:08:04.529 the two sides Johnny Taylor or merge into one 00:08:04.529 --> 00:08:08.610 and it's just the same person? Wow, what a question 00:08:08.610 --> 00:08:11.670 That's that's possibly the best question I've 00:08:11.670 --> 00:08:19.290 ever been asked as a performer and When I was 00:08:19.290 --> 00:08:24.220 little my dear father threw me on stage in the 00:08:24.220 --> 00:08:26.519 Minak theater, this woman, Rune Kade, built a 00:08:26.519 --> 00:08:29.079 cliff out of, built a theater out of a cliff 00:08:29.079 --> 00:08:31.180 side with her gardener blew up the cliff with 00:08:31.180 --> 00:08:33.559 dynamite. And she loved theater so much that 00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:36.279 she made it whole Greek amphitheater style. And 00:08:36.279 --> 00:08:37.659 even if the play is terrible, you can just stare 00:08:37.659 --> 00:08:40.299 out to see and watch the dolphins, because backdrop 00:08:40.299 --> 00:08:43.539 is the ocean. So I learned at a very young age 00:08:43.539 --> 00:08:46.720 to be a different person on stage, to be, to 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:54.009 do various roles and to just jump in. So. When 00:08:54.009 --> 00:08:59.750 I then jump on stage to do songs that I've written, 00:08:59.970 --> 00:09:03.029 which is more me, I'd say it is a mixture. It's 00:09:03.029 --> 00:09:06.330 a mixture of someone who has... We all present 00:09:06.330 --> 00:09:09.470 a certain version of ourselves to everyone, and 00:09:09.470 --> 00:09:13.470 I'd hazard a guess to say that we're all fractionally 00:09:13.470 --> 00:09:16.009 different each time we have a conversation with 00:09:16.009 --> 00:09:20.070 someone, even if it's with our family or friends 00:09:20.070 --> 00:09:24.480 or whatever. terms of an audience I'd say there 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:28.059 is a sort of survival mode that one kind of goes 00:09:28.059 --> 00:09:34.440 into and my I think my sort of subconscious is 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:36.480 sort of telling me entertain them you know you've 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:39.480 got to entertain these people when you're on 00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:42.379 stage and as my dear old man put me on stage 00:09:42.379 --> 00:09:46.220 at such a young age in front of about 750 on 00:09:46.220 --> 00:09:51.360 this cliff face it was bizarre I think I learnt 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:53.220 at a fairly young age that I've just got to be 00:09:53.220 --> 00:09:58.360 on and be loud as well. So I think the alter 00:09:58.360 --> 00:10:04.500 ego is louder and surprises me with some jokes 00:10:04.500 --> 00:10:06.340 that I never thought I had inside of me. It's 00:10:06.340 --> 00:10:08.500 extraordinary what a human brain is capable of 00:10:08.500 --> 00:10:10.440 when they're suddenly faced with lots of people. 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:15.220 And it sort of forces you into that performance 00:10:15.220 --> 00:10:17.679 mode. So yeah, I definitely would say there's 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:19.840 an alter ego that kicks in there, yeah. I can 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:21.879 understand that, with live radio as well I guess, 00:10:22.159 --> 00:10:25.539 it's very similar for us. We didn't prefer live 00:10:25.539 --> 00:10:28.840 to recorded any days, it's incredible. And it 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:29.940 doesn't matter if it goes wrong, you just get 00:10:29.940 --> 00:10:34.360 yourself out of it. Exactly. It's less likely 00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:35.940 to go wrong if you're live actually, it's quite 00:10:35.940 --> 00:10:39.460 incredible. Yeah, yes, yes. Let's talk about 00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:44.000 what's the score. Now this is from your new album 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:46.240 coming out in spring 2026. I'll talk about this 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:48.940 one briefly first before something you forgot. 00:10:49.779 --> 00:10:53.340 Now it's been described, what's the score has 00:10:53.340 --> 00:10:57.100 been described as an anthem. So is it you guys 00:10:57.100 --> 00:10:59.539 decided it should be an anthem or is it like 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:01.299 guys you sung it to and they sing it back to 00:11:01.299 --> 00:11:03.440 you and it's the crowd have made it an anthem? 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:05.940 That's a really good question. I love these questions. 00:11:06.679 --> 00:11:39.460 I don't that the uh last month which was fun 00:11:39.460 --> 00:11:43.679 which was with um uh some lovely lovely lovely 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:49.659 sports people and um it came from nick me and 00:11:49.659 --> 00:11:51.720 danny boat all three of us being arsenal fans 00:11:51.720 --> 00:11:54.279 so we kind of it was there's a football theme 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:57.919 um i have no idea who called it an anthem it 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:02.200 might have been our manager richard um yeah i 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:04.340 think um i think it's definitely an anthem it's 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:07.120 a shame to not play it live. We've got some other 00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:10.899 bangers, so I'm really happy with the set that 00:12:10.899 --> 00:12:14.179 we've got, but I know that some of the band are 00:12:14.179 --> 00:12:18.159 sad that we can't play that one. OK, let's move 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:20.860 on to something you forgot. Brand new release 00:12:20.860 --> 00:12:23.279 from you guys. That's also coming from your new 00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:26.840 album in spring 2026. Tell us about something 00:12:26.840 --> 00:12:30.419 you forgot. Yes, thank you for asking about that, 00:12:30.519 --> 00:12:33.460 Nick. Yeah, so we're going to go into Abbey Road 00:12:33.460 --> 00:12:36.019 and finish off the album. This month, which would 00:12:36.019 --> 00:12:39.059 be great and something you forgot is definitely 00:12:39.059 --> 00:12:41.220 sort of up there with one of our kind of favorite 00:12:41.220 --> 00:12:45.240 singles and it was actually written by me and 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:49.299 Danny and I was in his studio in Baker Street 00:12:49.299 --> 00:12:52.960 and Danny plays lead guitar and he's the sings 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:55.080 backing vocals as well. He's also an audio engineer. 00:12:55.240 --> 00:12:59.539 He trained up in Liverpool at Lepe, same as one 00:12:59.539 --> 00:13:04.389 of the Beatles and so he basically He and I weren't 00:13:04.389 --> 00:13:06.549 expecting to write a song that day. We just sort 00:13:06.549 --> 00:13:08.850 of sat around and sort of thought okay this is 00:13:08.850 --> 00:13:11.450 this is sounding good which playing guitar and 00:13:11.450 --> 00:13:14.230 We'd had a rather for your morning listeners. 00:13:14.230 --> 00:13:16.389 I'll keep it light, but we'd had a rather heavy 00:13:16.389 --> 00:13:20.409 night in Peckham and so the first verse is about 00:13:20.409 --> 00:13:23.529 that and I remember actually distinctly remember 00:13:23.529 --> 00:13:28.110 Dropping a pint of beer on a bouncer's shoe while 00:13:28.110 --> 00:13:30.570 maintaining full eye contact with him It wasn't 00:13:30.570 --> 00:13:33.139 the best night for him, but I did help him clean 00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:36.519 up. And apparently I did give the DJ a peck on 00:13:36.519 --> 00:13:38.299 the cheek. So yeah, that's where the first verse 00:13:38.299 --> 00:13:40.860 comes from. It's a true story. Nick came in with 00:13:40.860 --> 00:13:44.179 his story about Soho in the second verse. So 00:13:44.179 --> 00:13:50.100 yeah, it is fun to sing that song on stage when 00:13:50.100 --> 00:13:53.980 it's come from a real story. So it's not fictional. 00:13:54.559 --> 00:14:26.830 It's a true story. So yeah. that the Okay, I've 00:14:26.830 --> 00:14:29.769 got to ask this as well. I don't mind if it's 00:14:29.769 --> 00:14:32.649 a youth certificate or ex -certificate, how did 00:14:32.649 --> 00:14:37.450 the band get its name The Horn? I get asked this 00:14:37.450 --> 00:14:40.490 more often than you can imagine. Yes, I'm actually 00:14:40.490 --> 00:14:44.509 sat in Tullyard in Kings Cross, this is where 00:14:44.509 --> 00:14:48.070 our label is based, and I remember in the studio 00:14:48.070 --> 00:14:51.690 in Baker Street, Nick coming downstairs and just 00:14:51.690 --> 00:14:56.059 going, it's The Horn! I've no idea where that 00:14:56.059 --> 00:15:02.960 came from, whether that was a French horn or 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:07.100 Peter Cook Dudley Moore sketch or one of those 00:15:07.100 --> 00:15:15.559 situations. I remember coming up to Tile Yard 00:15:15.559 --> 00:15:17.799 and seeing Richard, our manager, and he was sort 00:15:17.799 --> 00:15:20.039 of sat cross -legged in a swivel chair, turned 00:15:20.039 --> 00:15:22.220 around and went, are you really going to call 00:15:22.220 --> 00:16:46.169 it the horn? the end of the the that's one big 00:16:46.169 --> 00:16:49.129 gig, Yeah, we've really, really guessed about 00:16:49.129 --> 00:16:53.590 that. I'm slightly confused as to whether it 00:16:53.590 --> 00:16:56.190 will be seated or standing. It usually is standing 00:16:56.190 --> 00:16:59.690 there, I think. So it may well be our only standing 00:16:59.690 --> 00:17:02.169 gig. But yeah, we're very excited about that 00:17:02.169 --> 00:17:06.190 because it's just such an epic. I've played up 00:17:06.190 --> 00:17:09.710 in Rock Ness in Inverness before, but I've never 00:17:09.710 --> 00:17:13.650 played in Glasgow. and uh i'm just really excited 00:17:13.650 --> 00:17:16.049 yeah the idea of playing with bob geldof in in 00:17:16.049 --> 00:17:19.309 glasgow barrowlands is just uh iconic yeah we're 00:17:19.309 --> 00:17:21.210 just we're over the moon about that one in particular 00:17:21.210 --> 00:17:23.509 not only that don't forget barrowlands does come 00:17:23.509 --> 00:17:25.930 in its own serial killer bible john hit out there 00:17:25.930 --> 00:17:28.549 in the late 60s so it's got his own serial killer 00:17:28.549 --> 00:17:30.730 i've never caught him but seriously look up if 00:17:30.730 --> 00:17:33.109 you don't know the story look up bible john and 00:17:33.109 --> 00:17:35.890 he killed uh murdered three young ladies in glasgow 00:17:35.890 --> 00:17:38.569 in the late 60s and he picked them all barrowlands 00:17:38.569 --> 00:19:01.039 all three wow that the that the the the I must 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:03.059 tell you as well, Sue, my partner and myself, 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:05.880 we also do a live show called Hit or Miss. We're 00:19:05.880 --> 00:19:07.599 actually just doing the finals at the moment. 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:10.180 Season four starts first weekend of November. 00:19:10.779 --> 00:19:13.160 We will put both the singles we talked about 00:19:13.160 --> 00:19:17.099 in season four between November and middle of 00:19:17.099 --> 00:19:19.440 December. They both go out then. And what happens, 00:19:19.500 --> 00:19:22.079 the audience get a chance to vote either by e 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:24.799 -votes or in real time in a chat room where they 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:26.319 think it's going to be hit or miss. So we give 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:50.539 it some air on Hit or Miss as well. We are on 00:19:50.539 --> 00:19:54.839 Instagram and we are the horn band is our handle 00:19:54.839 --> 00:20:10.490 as you would expect it to be spelt that's the 00:20:19.289 --> 00:20:21.490 Brilliant stuff. All right, that's fantastic. 00:20:21.710 --> 00:20:24.130 Well, you can tell that I've really enjoyed the 00:20:24.130 --> 00:20:26.009 interview. It's been a fantastic meeting you 00:20:26.009 --> 00:20:28.109 at last and every success you've got we talked 00:20:28.109 --> 00:20:32.599 about. And yeah, two things. Look up Bible John 00:20:32.599 --> 00:20:35.819 and the second thing is, you know, let's have 00:20:35.819 --> 00:20:37.579 a chat again a little bit down the line so we 00:20:37.579 --> 00:20:39.640 can see how it all works out for you guys. It 00:20:39.640 --> 00:20:41.519 would be my pleasure, all the best to your lovely 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:44.339 partner Sue, I'm so in awe of the radio station 00:20:44.339 --> 00:20:46.500 you've created and all the best with it and it's 00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:48.559 a real pleasure and an honor to be on it, so 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:51.480 thank you. Likewise, great pleasure meeting you. 00:20:51.700 --> 00:20:53.440 Anyway, all the best, take care mate, bye bye. 00:20:53.440 --> 00:21:28.680 Cheers Nick, bye bye. This edition of the Chatterbox 00:21:28.680 --> 00:21:31.910 Redux podcast was presented by me, Nick. I thank 00:21:31.910 --> 00:21:34.730 my special guest today who was Johnny Taylor 00:21:34.730 --> 00:21:38.970 of The Horn. All inquiries please to nickelbum 00:21:38.970 --> 00:21:43.589 at myyahoo .com Alternatively, you could write 00:21:43.589 --> 00:21:45.769 to us or send press releases or whatever you 00:21:45.769 --> 00:21:49.609 like in the post to pobox26 the old Observer 00:21:49.609 --> 00:21:53.089 Building, Telford Road, St. Leonard's -on -Sea, 00:21:53.309 --> 00:21:59.049 East Sussex, England, TN389LZ. We thank you for 00:21:59.049 --> 00:22:01.009 your company and look forward to welcoming you 00:22:01.009 --> 00:22:03.470 again next time when our special guest will be 00:22:03.470 --> 00:22:06.410 Philip Wright of Paper Lace. Take care for now. 00:22:06.589 --> 00:22:06.950 Bye bye.