Paul Weller Fan Podcast

In this episode, Miles Leonard - a respected record executive, tastemaker, and lifelong music fan - shares rare insight into his years at the helm of Parlophone Records and his close working relationship with Paul Weller during the mid-2010s.

Miles was Director of A&R between April 1995 and May 2003, before stepping up to chairman - a role he held until 2012 when he was made Chairman of Parlophone & Warner Records. He left t...

In this episode, Sean O’Hagan - composer, producer, and frontman of The High Llamas - shares his perspective on working with Paul Weller, and explores the curiosity, eclecticism, and collaboration that continue to drive both musicians.

As the arranger behind the lush strings of 'Sleep of the Serene' and 'By the Waters' on Paul’s celebrated Sonik Kicks album, Sean offers rare insights into the creative process and mutual r...

In this episode, I’m joined by Roger Pilling, who offers an intimate window into Paul Weller’s formative years - sharing memories from their early friendship at Sheerwater School right through to the pivotal moments that would define Paul Weller’s life and career.

As one of Paul’s earliest confidants, before The Jam and the limelight, Roger’s perspective brings to life the world Weller grew up in: the friendships, family, ambit...

In this episode, recording and mixing engineer Joeri Saal shares a behind-the-scenes perspective on working with Paul Weller during the creation of the Studio 150 and As Is Now albums - capturing the collaborative Amsterdam sessions and the transition to mixing Weller’s original material.

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In this episode, Dutch jazz icon Benjamin Herman shares how his lifelong journey in music - and his creative outlook as a musician and bandleader - was profoundly shaped by working with Paul Weller.

From contributing horns and arrangements on Weller’s Studio 150 and As Is Now albums to joining his touring band, Benjamin describes how these collaborations and time spent on the road deeply influenced his own appro...

In this episode, recorded for my book, Paul Lester -now editor of Record Collector and longtime music journalist - reflects on his career, his encounters with Paul Weller, and the makings of his celebrated Uncut Magazine cover story, 'Paul Weller: Up Close and Personal - Last Man Standing' (December 1998).

We discuss the enduring influence of meaningful, passionate music journalism.

Paul Weller’s restless creativity and refusal t...

In this episode, Acid Jazz records co-owner, Dean Rudland shares his lifelong musical journey and personal relationship with the world of Paul Weller

From being pulled into music by The Beatles and The Jam, through finding his own identity in Mod, to eventually working with and around the Weller orbit, Dean gives an insider’s perspective on cultural movements - and Paul Weller’s unique gift for making fans feel part of something big...

Percussionist Joe Beckett share his stories from inside a pivotal, often-overlooked chapter in Paul Weller’s career: the Paul Weller Movement. Joe recalls the unique circumstances that landed him in the band, from chance club gigs to a spontaneous audition at Solid Bond Studios, and the creative camaraderie that followed.

He takes us on the road in 1990, from a packed Dingwalls debut surrounded by mods and scooters, across Europ...

In this episode, music writer Chas De Whalley recalls discovering The Jam after a last-minute tip-off that led him to see them at the Nashville Rooms and review them for Sounds magazine. He reflects on the charged early gigs, their breakthrough shows at the The Roxy, and the fast-moving record deal with Polydor Records.

Chas also shares memories of travelling with the band, visiting the Weller family home and seeing Ann Weller run t...

In this episode, I’m joined by acclaimed live film director Matt Askem, a creative force behind some of the most iconic concert films of the last 25 years. From capturing the raw intensity of Paul Weller on stage to working with global superstars like Adele, U2, Muse and Take That, Matt has spent decades translating live music into cinematic storytelling.

We dive into the making of Weller’s 2000s concert films, the challenges of fil...

In this episode, I’m joined by Roger Armstrong - co-founder of the legendary Rock On record shop and the Chiswick label - to talk about his unique vantage point on Paul Weller’s earliest days.

Long before record deals, Roger knew Paul as a meticulous record buyer, hunting for Motown and soul 45s at his Soho Market stall.

We explore the lost world of seven-inch singles, the importance of B-sides, and how that deep, physical re...

A journalist since 1988, Keith Cameron is currently a contributing editor at MOJO, with a career that’s taken him from Sounds and NME to bylines in the Guardian, The Times, Kerrang! and Q.

In this episode, Keith talks about discovering The Jam in the punk era, growing up in the Highlands, and the lengths he went to just to get to gigs - finally seeing The Style Council at university.

He gives an honest glimpse into intervie...

For this special episode, I bring you a conversation with Dee C. Lee - singer, songwriter and essential member of The Style Council.

This chat was recorded in a riverside pub back in January 2025 for my book Paul Weller: Dancing Through The Fire and Dee has been kind enough to let me share this as a podcast episode. What better timing than the release week for the new Café Bleu Deluxe Edition boxset!

From her early breakthrough ...

In this episode of the Paul Weller Fan Podcast, I talk to composer and arranger John Mealing, whose work helped define The Style Council’s orchestral and cinematic edge. John shares how he first connected with Paul Weller, starting with 'Shout To The Top', and goes deep into the making of Our Favourite Shop, The Cost of Loving and Confessions of a Pop Group - including strings, horns, live performances and studio experiments.

Along ...

My guest on this episode is Jon 'Mojo' Mills - founder and editor-in-chief of Shindig! magazine, lifelong mod, and someone whose life has been shaped, in very real ways, by the music of Paul Weller.

Jon discovered The Jam at the age of ten, too young to see them live but old enough for the music, the look, and the ethos to completely take hold. From The Jam to The Style Council, through the solo years, right up to the present day, P...

On this episode, I’m joined by the visionary Belfast musician, composer, producer, and DJ, David Holmes.

From soundtracking iconic films to collaborating with giants of UK music, David’s career is one of creative restlessness and fearless activism...

The biggest surprise is that it's taken this long for him to collaborate with Paul Weller!

We’ll dive into his formative years discovering Paul Weller through the music of The Jam, his ...

On this episode, I am joined by a true musician’s musician whose artistry crosses borders and genres.

Sheema Mukherjee is a sitar prodigy, composer, and band member with Transglobal Underground and The Imagined Village (where she first played with Paul Weller) - fusing her deep-rooted Indian classical tradition with cutting-edge British musical innovation.

We talk about her family musical heritage, her powerful approach to emotion ...

When I started on the extra interviews for my book, Paul Weller: Dancing Through the Fire, back in July 2024, Journalist and author, Peter Watts was one of the first people that I chatted to. He has written for Uncut, the Guardian and Sunday Times, and has also written a book about the history of Denmark Street: London’s Street Of Sound.

He has done some superb interviews with Paul Weller on many occasions including on tour in the ...

On this episode, I chat to Stuart Watts - a producer and director whose credits include acclaimed music documentaries for artists as varied as Paul Weller, Marc Bolan, Andrea Bocelli, Jeff Wayne, and Jeff Beck - along with legendary icons outside of music such as Muhammad Ali and Christopher Reeve.

Stuart was the driving force behind Paul Weller: Into Tomorrow, the 2006 documentary that, for the first time, captured Paul’s ...