Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware - S11 Ep 17: Guy Garvey

Episode Date: May 5, 2021

This week we welcome Manchester mensch Guy Garvey over for lunch. We chat to Guy over Ottolenghi lamb and pistachio patties about being dragged to black pudding stalls in Bury market growing up, his original worker bee tattoo and the importance of eating pies up north. He tells us how he met his wife Rachel at a wedding over cigarettes, having dinner with Joan Collins and his secret ingredient - instant coffee - in his spag bol sauce. This week, Elbow are celebrating 20 years of their first album ‘Asleep In The Back’ and we find out the band's favourite karaoke spots on tour. We love Guy even more as he brought over two bottles of wine and a second pud from Soho's finest, Cafe de Nata . Enjoy! X Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to Table Manners. I'm Jessie Ware. It's a beautiful... Would you say it's summer yet, Mum? No, it's spring. What's that song Guy Garvey sings, Jessie? It's a beautiful... Such a beautiful day. It's the one that they use the backing of the Olympics. Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do. That one. Yeah, yeah. What's it called? One Day Like This. It's a beautiful day. It's springtime in South London.

And we have Guy Garvey from Elbow coming up. Well, it's the perfect day for him. Oh, come on. I feel great. God, I'm ready. I'm ready. No, we've got Guy Garvey coming on. Now, I have made friends with Guy Garvey.

Jessie, you make friends with everybody. Yeah, but I've made particular friends with Guy Garvey. Why? I really like him. So he's a legend. Elbow have been around for a long time. It's the 20th anniversary of their album that came out in 2001. That's 20 years.

Yes. Their album, Asleep in the Back, came out 20 years ago this year. And so they're celebrating their 20th anniversary. He's been around the block. He's like the godfather of kindness in music he's doing such a huge campaign trying to get um streaming sites and labels to jump on board to make it from fairer for artists and songwriters and producers and he's just a mensch he's a mensch a manchester mensch when he's finished that can he sort out the super league problems shit we're gonna need some sorting if he's good at sorting he can sort that mess out

i know but yes so guy garvey from the brilliant band elbow is coming over now he's coming over not from far away the place that i always see him at which is the dairy in brixton where i go to write with my friend barney and johnny Latimer and he's got a room there now I've been going there for since my career started and because it's always been convenient it's a lovely studio Knit and Sawn he's in there like it's just gorgeous yeah I love it there and Guy's been there for years and it was always a kind of hello and he'd always offer you a cup of tea even though he didn't know me and then then we started chatting, because you know I like a chat, and he loves a chat too, and he's just the best storyteller.

And so we spent many a kind of tea break having a chat. On a Friday it turns to Guinness, at the moment not for me, but he's just a really nice bloke. And he is Manchester, Mum, so I knew you'd like him. Yeah, it'll be fine. He's texted me saying he's bringing, I think, pasta donatas from Soho, and I said, Mum's already made pud, and he said, well'll be fine. He's texted me saying he's bringing some I think pasta donatas from Soho

and I said mum's already made pud and he said well double pud that's great. I love a pasta donata so I'm happy. But yeah, I'm just looking over my shoulder because I think he's going to be here

any second. What's on the menu mum today? I've done lamb and pistachio patties. I've done cauliflower, bean, tomato and feta salad. I've made my onion rice. I've done cauliflower, bean, tomato and feta salad. I've made my onion rice.

I've done turmeric hummus. Homemade? Yeah. Look at you. And I'm just going to put a salad together in a bowl. Lovely. This is like my perfect, perfect meal. Guy Garvey coming up on Table Manners. Guy Garvey, thanks for coming over.

Thanks for having me. We're basically bringing an offie with you. An offie and a pancake. Yeah An offy and cake. Yeah, thank you so much. Yeah, I brought some nata from Selma. Are those the little Portuguese? Oh God. I don't think I've ever had it from this place. It's a bit amazing. Okay, well that's great. And they just kind of slip right down so quickly. Absolutely. So there's half a dozen there. With the coffee. Okay, I think we can manage it. So, how are you? Cheers. Cheers.

Cheers. Thanks for having me. Lovely to meet you, Annie. And you, darling. So, I just felt like this needed to happen because Guy and I have got to know each other over the past year, maybe, of saying hello to each other at the dairy. And I just, you know, you are the best storyteller. Oh, thanks.

You really are. You've got a story for everything. Yeah, there you go. Yeah, my wife would say that's a fault. Oh, come on, but then I've heard so much about your wife, Rachel. I mean, like, you both, I can imagine, like, you competing for stories at night or you're just going back and forth. It's like tune for tune with story for story.

Yeah, Rachel is like, hers are really punchy, whereas I really enjoy the attention and string them out sounds like your grandma my mom used to do it we used to say she could make an epic film out of half a pound of mincemeat well yeah I am a bit like that where do you come from?

which bit of Manchester? so I'm from Bury my parents are buried in Bury at Gigg Lane Cemetery. Really? Yeah. Right near the football ground. Conversations.

Yeah, so all around there. The rest of the band is from the other side of Bury. I'm from sort of Hollins Pillsworth way, which is a little bit closer to Manchester. Best market.

Yeah, absolutely. Bury market. Yeah, my mum used to drag me there on a Wednesday. On a Wednesday? And there was a black pudding stall. Black pudding being the regional dish. And the woman that ran the black pudding stall,

they were boiled black puddings. It's like a great big boiled blood sausage in a piece of greaseproof paper with mustard and tomato sauce. It sounds disgusting. Did you like it? It was amazing, particularly as it was always freezing. And the woman who ran the stall, I don't know what happened to her,

but she had no nose bone. She was... Poor woman. I think she probably made the black puddings as well. She was tough, sort of farm stock. So, like, do you still eat black pudding? Yeah. Where do you get eat black pudding? Yeah. Where do you get it from now?

Like, where's a good place to get it from? I don't know, actually. It turns up on plates here and there. So do you support Bury football team? I don't really pledge an allegiance, but being sort of a Manchester band, if you pledge an allegiance to... Are you a blue or a red?

Exactly. Well, we're reds. Oh, yeah. Do you think it could have really fucked your ticket sales if you'd done pleasure leaves? Half of them. Really? Half of them immediately.

I only congratulated a football team on stage once when we were playing in Manchester. I got a bit flapped between songs, you know. End of a tour, we were home, and I was stuck for things to say, and someone had mentioned that one of the football teams were home and i was stuck for things to say and someone had mentioned that one of the football teams had won that day so i said congratulations to any of our fans and there was a great big cheer and then there was the most convincing boo and hiss it was like

the tide coming in and it was it really sent a shiver I actually quite enjoyed it when my guitarist was like don't do that again oh my god that's so funny I mean I guess like I don't really think about when Oasis were playing that there would only be City fans in the audience that's exactly how it works yeah did you used to go out in Bury or in Manchester in. Did you go on the tram? Yeah. The metro? Yeah. Mum, I love that you're acting like you're not from Manchester and, like, doing a Manchester accent. Like, if I go to Birmingham, like, fish and chips.

It's like... I talk like that. You're speaking to your peoples. I know, darling. Mum, I'm thinking... Show her your tattoo. I'm thinking maybe you should... Is that the bee?

The worker bee. Do you know, it's beautiful. And I didn't realise the Manchester Evening News has the bee as its emblem now. Oh, does it? Yeah, I didn't know that. I had this done years ago. Oh, you had it before?

Before the bomb. Oh, really? Why? Because of Manchester. I never knew that. Why didn't I know that? What? Why? because because of Manchester I never knew that why didn't I know that? what the why? about the bee

oh yeah well it's in it's in all the street furniture all the lampposts and all the bins and you know the clock of the Palace Hotel yeah they're all bees

and it's just one of those things it's been it's a couple of hundred years old why didn't I know I lived in Manchester all my life. My brother, who monitors everything I do on my radio programme and otherwise, and swoops in on a rope to mock me

at any available opportunity. Siblings. When the bomb happened, and tens of thousands of people had the same tattoo, he phoned me up and he said, to every tragedy a silver lining. Every fucker's got your tattoo. What a little shit.

Yeah, yes. And what does your brother do? He's an actor. Ah, okay. So take us through the family. Who was around the dinner table and what are they doing now? Okay. So my dad was a proofreader for the Daily Mirror and a night shift worker for 30 years.

Mum, before she was married, was a policewoman. And then after they were married, she became a counsellor. She went and did a degree and became a counsellor. And Gina, my eldest, is NHS her whole life, a nurse and a counsellor. Karen is a primary school teacher. She lives in France. Louise has been a teacher, is a counsellor Karen is a primary school teacher she lives in France Louise has been a teacher is a counsellor

I've got five older sisters and a brother your pain in the arse younger brother who likes to take the piss who's the actor yeah so why did the boys decide to go into the arts and all the girls were doing all these

proper jobs well just spoil rotten I think it's like there was five of them it wasn't a big house did you go to Bury Grammar? no I went to St Peter's in Presswich oh I know opposite Heaton Park

yeah well it was I actually think more of Presswich as my home than I do Bury Yeah. Opposite Heaton Park. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, the big, well, it was, yeah, it was a big Catholic school. I think more of Presswich is my home than I do Bury. Do you? Well, that's where I was brought up. Whereabouts in Presswich? Dovedale Avenue, which is off Park Road.

Right, OK. Near Heaton Park, yeah. So, yeah, I was, that's where I was. I was on Kings Road for a long time. I went to primary school on Kings Road. Right. Kings Road Primary. Yeah, yeah.

And Bonds, you know, the sweet shop. Right. No, I don't know that. I used to go and get a penny, a poke of a mixture. A poke is like a corn, a conical kind of bag. Oh, right. And Grandma used to call them a poke. Oh, right.

Yeah. So, yeah, all around that. Why King's Road? The houses on King's Road were available to people with no money. Really handy for me. It meant I could live there for £17 a week. Wow. Yeah.

It was collapsing at the back. It's where I met most of my friends, you know. Really? So who was cooking the dinner and what were you eating? Your mum. Mum cooked. Brilliant cook. Yeah. Loads mum. Mum cooked, brilliant cook. Yeah.

Loads of mouths to feed, of course. Yeah. Dad was getting up for work normally, so... And he worked nights as well. Yeah. So dad in his pressed shirt, smelling and looking fantastic, but in a bad mood normally. And then all squeezed round, littlest at the back,

because they could crawl through the legs to get out. And in fact, I once remember, because they could crawl through the legs to get out. And in fact, I once remember, as I was crawling through the legs to get out, I'd finished my dinner first. My sister Becky booted me, and I rocked the table, and there was a terrified silence, because, you know, Dad was in a mood. And then he shouted,

It's like a bleeding seance! So, yeah, that was the deal. What were you eating then? Mum always made something healthy alongside something fun. So it was like pie with some vegetables or it was... I didn't know that chilli wasn't traditionally served with twisty pasta until I was about 18. So that was one of her...

an amazing cheese and onion pie recipe that her mum came up with. Yeah, I don't think Jessie understands the importance of pies at all. Yeah, well, I feel like I don't need to understand the importance. Yeah, I think you don't. Otherwise my arse would be ten times bigger. Would be the same size as mine pies are very important in Manchester yeah can you cook no really uh if you asked Rachel she would say I don't cook okay um no I really I really can't I'm terrible so so Rachel does the cooking at home? Yeah. Is she good?

She's brilliant. Okay. Yeah, she's really good. But she resents it. She wants me to catch up. Oh, I know that. Are you willing to, or do you appreciate her food so much, you're like, you know what, I got it good?

This is really current. Okay. Pray do tell. It'll go like this. Okay, so what have you done here? This is me, right right when I'm eating something she's cooked and she's like

well why would I fucking tell you because it's going to go in one ear and out the other and you're never going to try and recreate it oh I love her she sounds very fabulous but okay so

when did you last ask that to Rachel what had she made it happens all the time because I genuinely mean it when I ask her I genuinely mean it I want ask her I genuinely mean it I want to know

what I'm eating and how it's so delicious but she points out that I'm going to forget it instantly what was the last thing you cooked? well I cooked last night

because Rach is working in Cardiff what does she do? she's an actress is she? you've probably seen her on the theatre man on what?

so she's did you see that film, Their Finest? With Gemma Anderson? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't see that. Okay, so she was in that. She played the rather glamorous lesbian with a cigarette. I remember.

Absolutely gorgeous. Yes, and she's quite the chameleon as well. They did something with her hairline for that wig and she became a redhead. But yeah, she did that. What did you cook last night? I cooked... Do you know I didn't cook at all?

I cooked some spaghetti. That is not good. And added some pesto. That's not good. How many children have you got? One. One. And he likes pesto pasta.

He loves it. We all do. And you can get green stuff in him that way. Oh, did you do a homemade pesto? Yeah, Guy. Do you know what? I don't think he did, Jessie. No, I didn't.

No, I'm terrible. Yeah, I've got to pick it up. So, okay, so if cooking is not your thing, that's fine, but you appreciate it. So where do you like to eat out? Because I kind of, you know, I love hearing about your tell me places around your dates with rachel you just sound like you have the funnest time and do you at least do a good reservation guy garvey it has been known but i mean we love the moment yeah well yeah jesse's got 11 i've not got one yeah you can have one of mine rachie's been brought up going to restaurants a

lot and I mean I don't think I went into a restaurant before I was in my mid-20s and therefore it's still quite new to me and also being waited on is only something that I've got used to in the last few years and this sounds very working class hero but I've had to learn to enjoy it and honestly I've only learned to enjoy it and and honestly i've only learned to enjoy in rachel's company why because she's fabulous because she's so uh she's so charming but she's so relaxed in that environment where did you meet gorgeous rachel uh well this is very glamorous uh benedict come about she's wedding oh for god's was the food good oh my god amazing what was that was it a buffet i can't remember

pretty drunk pretty fast so why were you there and why was she there i've known benedict for a few years uh before he got married i'd known him for maybe five years something like that i was there on my own and And Rach was there with two pals. She was there with Tobias Menzies and Andrew Scott, who were both pals. Oh, my God, Andrew Scott! Yeah. Shame.

He's kind of our Cilla Black. He's our Cilla Black? Yeah, he is. Laura, Laura, Lars. Well, no, he put them together. No, he put them together, I know. Surprise, surprise. Okay, right, anyway, carry on.

Yeah, well, he kind of, you know, so... Unknown to me, Rach had seen us play and liked the band. Okay. And she sort of went, he's here. And Andrew was like, go get him. And, yeah, and it's like, we owe him a lot. So she pursued you on the dance floor, at the table, at the bar? It was all over cigarettes.

Ah. I actually went with more cigarettes than I needed because I know that everybody smokes at a wedding. I think I was lucky for somebody. That's a good move. That's a really good move. So how long have you been together? Jack's four, so six years. Newlyweds?

Yeah. When did you get married? A year and a bit after we met so you just knew who was andrew scott your best man uh nobody was there and he danced yeah we got married at the sam wanamaker we we did the register of a registry office in manchester at the town hall that's why i got married oh really jackson's row right yeah that's where I got married. Oh, really? Jackson's Row. Right. Yeah, that's where we were, yeah. And there was just four of us there.

And then a day later, all our family and friends came. A big party. To the Sam Wanamaker, because she was in Shakespeare at the Playhouse there. And so we got married by candlelight and then went upstairs and danced in the Swan. What was your first dance? We didn't think it through, actually. What?

You curate playlists for everyone every week. No, we picked one, but we didn't think the actual dancing through. Oh, okay. We knew what our song was. Which was your song? Tell Me Something Good by Rufus and Shaq and Khan. Is that Tell Me Something Good?

I don't know. Do-do-do. So how did you dance to it? Badly. Okay, well, that's okay. That wasn't the best song for a dance. No, we didn't think it. Great for a duet.

Why did that become your first dance? We did a lot of drinking when we got together. We did a lot of drinking. We did a lot of box sets. And we did a lot a lot of drinking. We did a lot of box sets. And we did a lot of scrabble. I thought you said something else for a moment. Sorry. Box sets.

Sorry, sorry, sorry. Carry on. I don't know something about sex, but carry on. Carry on. We did a lot of box sex. Box sex. I was like, what's that? It's such a good thing.

Box sex. Right. But you just have to get these series of... That's the Dragon's Den on the phone now! Box sex! Peter! Peter! I've no idea!

Is somebody in a box? Do you need to eat, Mother? Box sex! Oh, Jesus. Okay, anyway, sorry. So you did a lot of box sets. Yeah. And so sprinkled.

I'm usually, no, mildly more professional than this. She's gone, that's it. We're fucked. We're fucked. So, yeah, so, okay, and lots of listening to music or? Yeah, while playing Scrabble. Okay.

While playing Scrabble and finding out about each other, you know. But I feel like you. Meeting in your 40s is great. Oh, how old were you then? I was, actually, she's going to, yeah, I think I was, no, she was in her late 30s. I was 40. Yeah, just. And just ready. yeah just and just ready i'm 47 thanks lenny i'll take it so have you been out for dinner yet now that lockdown's lifted

uh when it briefly lifted last year we went oh this is a great story we got over excited do you know naughty piglets love it right so we went down to naughty piglets yeah i did a good job of booking because the world and his wife wanted to go amazing and uh we got there and we'd had a couple of drinks before we got there uh and then we piled in and we were kind of like oh the place has changed they've got rid of that kind of homely vibe oh have they were you in the wrong place

yeah right but we didn't notice till dessert oh my god where were you we were in a place on the corner

that we now call Marema Marema yeah is that what it's called yeah yeah on the road that leads up to it

and there's a massive picture of a pig in the window oh is that why you booked that yeah and I mean it was amazing because

we were being really we were feeling for them we thought that all the changes were due to you know the pandemic oh yeah so we were like

thank you so much. This is a delicious one. It wasn't great. Not really. And then... Hold on, Domi. Thanks very much. Is this the same...

Maybe you won't want this. Is this the same night that you were smoking outside and you... This is a story that I've heard. And is this the same story? Yes. The same night. I've got to tell the story.

I might have to change a name. Fine, that's fine. All right. So I'm going to change the story I might have to change a name you're fine that's fine so I'm going to change the name I'm going to change the name to Percy yeah we were smoking outside the restaurant you know parents night off

and one of Rachel's significant exes was walking up behind mewas walking up behind me. She? Was walking up behind me. That smells amazing. And as he walked up behind me, Rachel sort of looking over my shoulder went,

Oh, hello? Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello? Percy! Well, not Percy. Percy!

Percy! And he's walked past us by this time and then this guy turns around and he says, I'm like, Percy! Well, not Percy. Yeah. Percy! Percy! And he's walked past us by this time and then this guy turns around and he says, I'm not Percy. And? That was very rude. She's not sure to this day. Because if it was the right person.

If it wasn't him, if she'd... If it wasn't her ex-love, Percy. Yeah. Or he was... Or he was pretending he wasn't in order to not stop. Because she broke his heart so much. Yeah.

Did you laugh or was it awkward? Oh, yeah. No, it was amazing. The guy was off into the night. That is so... Do you think it was Percy? No, I don't. Knowing Rachel, no, I don't.

She sounds... She's fabulous. I haven't even met her, but she sounds fabulous. She sounds fantastic. I know. She but she sounds fabulous. She sounds fantastic. She is. She's great. And she's brought you to a dinner with Joan Collins, hasn't she? Yeah, so Rachel's mum

Do you want to eat something? I'd love to. It's a help yourself moment. Mum has made bits and bobs. Bits and fucking bobs! Not bits and bobs! Slaves over your meal. There you go. So, yes, guys, go on, guys.

Yeah, Rachel's mum is the late Diana Rigg. Oh, wow. Yeah, so Diana was amazing. And they were really ace pals, you know, like you two. Had she kept any of her clothes those fantastic vintage clothes yeah yeah she got married in one of her mum's dresses yeah she's kind of renowned for her style yeah she was great yeah she was lovely so because i'm telling you i do no songwriting when i'm at the dairy i just listen to stories of guys so i don't know what this is like so yeah so guy you've kind of been you've

been introduced to eating out with your wife yeah and there was one particular meal that you went out with was it joan collins and you oh right and i still can't remember the name of the place we were in the ivy no it wasn't no i no it's like a bistro type of place that used to be a car showroom. The one that's the Conran restaurant. The Conran restaurant. Pabendum. No. Okay, well, anyway.

Who was at the dinner table? Right, okay. So Rachel's dad, Archie, and his wife, Sharon, and Rachel's mum, Diana. Yeah, we went to this place, I can't remember the name of, and the maitre d'

said to Diana as we walked in, Dame Rick, would you like to sit with Dame Collins or across the room from Dame Collins? And she went, oh, no, we're friends! Do you know her? Well, I met her that night. I didn't say very much to her. Her and Diana were talking across me.

They were either side of me, and both really enjoying that, I think. Do you know what I mean? So, are they great, great friends then? Yeah, apparently. I mean, I didn't know they hung out. I don't know if that happened. I love the idea that the maitre d' was just like Dane Rick, Dane Collins.

Yeah, yeah. Are all your family in different places? A lot of them in Manchester or...? My eldest and the youngest of my sisters are in Manchester. You've got one in France, didn't you? That's right. Karen's in France, Louise is in Wales, and Sam's in Ireland. She's in Waterford. So what happens at Christmas?

We try and get together around Christmas. I mean, it changes all the time depending on where everyone is. We try and get together at least once a year, but there's usually somebody missing, you know. It used to be always me, but things have changed since then. Are you going to be touring this year?

Hopefully in September, Lenny. Hopefully. Have you announced it yet yeah is this to celebrate the 20th anniversary no thanks for bringing that up well you know

yeah it's 20 years since our first album came out Mercury nominated yeah thanks did really well yeah were you unsigned

at the time or was it V2 it's a weird one we were we were signed to Ireland yeah made the record yeah got dropped. Yeah. Made the record.

Yeah. Got dropped and had to make the record again with V2 and then put it out. And then it was Mercury. And then Ireland regretted it. Well, I think we've ended up with all the same people, you know. Yeah. We've done a few tours.

Are you with the record label now? Yeah, with Polydor. Would you go on your own i don't know really i'm not sure we would i very defiantly our very first tv appearance was on granada about three o'clock in the morning and it was it was a program called g spot save me oh my god Granada's G spot. Box sets on there? Box sets. Box sets on G spot. I remember the only prop the crew came with was an inflatable letter G. And otherwise it was in our rehearsal room.

Old school regional music TV. And I very, very firmly said that we'd never signed to a major record label and now we've almost got a full set I mean elbow is elbow and you just kind of keep going and you do amazing things and then you've also in the last year forgive me if I've got the wrong timings but you've been on select committees I've seen you everyone watching in the reception whilst you're in the select committee via Zoom, about trying to get better rights for songwriters and artists

on the streaming platforms and with the labels. Yeah. One of the benefits and the sadnesses of having been putting records out for 20 years is that we've seen the way it was and we know the way it is so there's lots of money being

made and it's not getting to the people making the music so today is a big day for a letter that went out to Bojo yeah it ended up being to Boris a letter that went out to Bojo. Was it Bojo? No, who was it? Yeah, it ended up being to Boris. A letter with loads and loads of musicians.

I mean, we got about 160 names or something, and you'd know every single one of them, and, you know, thanks to Jess. Oh, no, I did nothing. He already had Kate Bush, Sting, Macca. I mean, he was doing perfectly fine already. So this is the Musicians Union and Broken Record campaign which is

started by a contemporary man called Tom Gray, he was the lead singer of a band called Gomez who won the Mercury Prize so Tom's concerned himself with, he's also got a political background which is lucky that

one of us knows what they're doing, you know, in Westminster. And yeah, and he's just been about getting everybody together and say it's a bit broken for anybody wanting to start in music. The really frustrating thing is that in this whole problem, you've got artists, you've got labels, and you've got streaming platforms. The labels admitted that they gave too much of a good deal to the streaming platforms

because they didn't believe it was going to work. I know. So they said, if you can shift our back catalogue, you can have a third of it. And so this is, you know, something they've got to find back, where the artist gets shafted. But the artist somehow has missed out. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

It's got to the point where they can't afford to live. And let alone... And the crazy thing is, these are artists that would be invested in if they had a dollar value attached to their name, which they haven't got because the people that would invest in them aren't paying them enough.

Do you like that? I do like it. That's my invention. Very good, Mother. It's really yummy. It is really good. It's just really nice. I mean, what would you usually be having today at the dairy? Get a little Nando's, wouldn't you? Or the place across the road. Which one's the place across the road which one's the place across the road

San Marino oh god those sandwiches yeah so it's a San Marino chicken coriander wrap it's all wrong and it tastes so right

as it would be Guy Garvey we ask every person what their last supper would be. You're about to go to a desert island and you are not going to have the food that you love. And so you've got starter, main, pudding and drink of choice. So you can have whatever you like.

Okay. It's your last supper. It's the solemn bit, is it? The last supper? Yeah. Okay. What popped into my head for a starter was um what do you call it when you've got like flat bread yeah and you fry cheese in the middle

like quesadilla quesadilla i'd have that to start from any particular place um mexico i hope actually the best mexican i've had was in Austin in Texas. And it was really good. Really good. I can't remember the name of the place. I could guess at it, but it would probably come out mildly racist. So the quesadilla from that great place. And then I'd have my dad's spaghetti bolognese, which is really easy.

Tom, what does he do? Well, it's a jar of Dolmio. Yeah. And minced beef. Yeah. And after my mum and dad split up when I was 12 and my brother was 10, the two of us went to his house every Wednesday and Friday. And he made you a spare bowl.

Every Wednesday and Friday. But he would say, Lance, don't you want something different? And we were adamant that we didn't because we loved it. And actually, I think it was the chaps together, you know, in the way kids are with a newly divorced parent. He'd never looked after himself before. Oh, shame.

Bigging up his spag bol was a way of empowering him. Yeah. so bigging up his spag bone was a way of empowering him yeah but actually spaghetti bolognese is fabulous of any grade isn't it yeah i love it do you make i can make spaghetti bolognese yeah and i can make it from scratch as well it's perhaps the only meal i can do uh from scratch does your son like your spaghetti bolognese he loves your he loves it what's your secret little bit of instant coffee in the sauce who taught you that

my friend Bob Breer who's Bob Bob is one of my oldest pals and the biggest idiot I've ever met in my life and just you know one of my brothers instant coffee and when he said it

the first time he said it I was like what do you want about and I'm really low-grade like Nescafe sort of instant granules why it just gives it a texture a little bit of bitterness it's really good I'm gonna try it okay what's your purton I've kind of, I've brought it as an additional pudding. You've made a pud, have you? I've made a pud. Do you think you can handle food? If I'd have known, I wouldn't have bothered. I'm sorry that I

didn't, she'd already done the meringue last night. I've done roasted plum pavlova. Oh my god. Amazing. Yeah. I feel like we can still fit one of these in. I think we'll have one of those as well I brought some natto yeah your children will like them

Jesse well they may not be able to get them we may finish them before they get to my children you must take some more I think I've got six

I think we can manage we can share so would that be your put yeah or some some version of so pastry

we knew it was a custard yeah you bake custard we always used to have. I don't think they do them down in London as much. With a bit of nutmeg? Yeah. Do they do them in local bakeries? Yeah, maybe, but not on my one, I don't think. Baked egg custard with that nutmeg on.

So if I was off school ill, and I never was, you know, it was sort of war constitutional. All the kids, you know, were a pretty hardy bunch. But if I couldn't bear school, my mum would occasionally let me have a day off sick because I didn't really enjoy it. Did you not? No.

Did you go to uni? No. Or did you leave and you went? So what did you do when you left school? I went to Sixth Form College. I went to Stand College in Whitefield. Stand, where Elizabeth lives. Oh, really?

Yeah. Right, so yeah, so I went there. Apparently, Lawrence of Arabia went there when it was a grammar school. Are you kidding? Yeah, Lawrence. I can't really... It's funny because I would have always imagined you being kind of... Maybe you were, like, the popular person at school

that kind of hosted everyone, was um a bit of a clown but like he probably was popular he just didn't you just didn't like the academics died there's i don't know you romanticize your childhood don't you like i i you know i've always said sort of automatically that i could never give my respect to people who didn't deserve it you know and and definitely some of my teachers were dicks. Yeah. You know, and actually those are the subjects I didn't do very well in because I just didn't work.

So what was your best subject? Weirdly, physics. Oh, wow. Oh, wow, you're clever. But I had this old school enthusiastic teacher. Yeah. If you imagine Norman Wisdom, but like, yeah, just never stopped talking. He was called Derek Singleton, and he was left over from when it was a grammar school.

And he was just so enthusiastic about it. I used to channel him if we were doing a particularly crappy gig, like deep into a tour and everyone was tired. I'd do my impersonation of him, which is he'd walk into the room and he'd say, stand up straight, away from your desks, you're not students at St Monica's High School, press which you are, and you'd have to shout, scientists.

How sweet. He was amazing, absolutely amazing. I remember there was a fire in one of the school labs down the corridor, and I won't name him because he was a gentleman but another teacher, he wasn't a very good teacher came screaming into the lab

Mr Singleton! because there was a fire in his lab and Derek, tearing his shirt off, ran into the lab and took two of the big lads with him and we were all kicked out into the playground and when we came back he's like Superman

Derek Singleton but little in like normal wisdom why did he have to take his top off I guess he wasn't damaging his shirt I guess it wasn't his first rodeo he had kids to teach so when we came back in the three of them were drinking milk

and as I walked in the door Mr Garvey why are we drinking milk and I didn't know and the next person was it smoke inhalation yeah acidic smoke inhalation

oh Jesse remember that yeah and he was drinking milk for the alkali but the fact that he was teaching us literally the moment we came back in

as he was saving lives as he was saving so what I remember of him is in a vest and I suppose I've exaggerated this in. As he was saving lives. As he was saving... So what I remember of him is in a vest, and I suppose I've exaggerated this in my head, he's got the cartoon smoke smudges all over his face and he's triumphantly drinking cold milk while educating. What an advert for milk.

And physics. Derek Singleton. And Mr Singleton. And finally, what is your drink of choice? Well, he's not drinking very much. No, drink up, guy, come on. Scotch. Oh, okay.

I can get you one of those if you need one. I'm going to go back and pretend to do some work, and then I've got to see Jack later, Lenny, but thanks. Jack who? Oh, Jack. Oh, you're Jack. So, okay, which scotch would you have? For years

I very casually said at bars an Irish whiskey of your choice and then Rachel pointed out what a dick I sounded when we were in Vancouver It does doesn't it? And I think when I came up with it

when I was probably about 19 I think it was probably somewhere along the shaken, not stirred route. Do you know what I mean? I don't think it sounds that dicky. Thanks, Jess. I think when you serve, I don't mind an Irish whiskey, but not an Irish whiskey of your choice. All right, Mum.

Jesus. No, go on, Lenny. I'm sorry. Yeah, let's just fucking demonise our maybe I've watched too much Mad Men oh right

so how would John Draper ask for a well he wouldn't even he'd just know what he wanted yeah but he kept on

drinking it but Guy is a nice guy that's why he's saying oh what would you like to give me you see Rachel read it as a flirt

and I was like yeah I think it is a bit of a flirt. What if the bartender's a guy? And she went, well, it's still kind of a you and me buddy over familiar flirt. I think that's okay. I immediately stopped doing it. Okay, so now what do you choose?

Jameson. Black Bush, actually. Black Bush? Is it a verb? That's not Irish is it? Yeah I don't know it I never knew that

I thought Blackbush was Scottish No and it's just reliably lovely Have you got Irish in your background being a Catholic boy? Yeah apparently and Garvey definitely Irish Yeah and we've got I think it was Patrick Garvey

getting off a boat as a lone infant a couple of hundred years ago and then in Manchester since then until yeah Where are some of your favourite spots in Manchester to eat or drink at? Well there's a place called the Creameries in South Manchester

which is amazing and all the crew there are celebrated chefs. And then bars-wise, a friend of mine who very sadly died a couple of years ago owned a bar called Big Hands, which is next to Manchester Academy. And that's amazing. It's got a roof terrace with an incredible garden on it, which he started. And then down the road, the Temple of Convenience, and it's got a roof terrace with an incredible garden on it, which he started. And then down the road, the Temple of Convenience,

which is a converted Victorian toilet. Temple of Convenience. Oh, that's good. Yeah, and that was opened by a friend of mine, going back 25 years or something. 30 people in its full, but an amazing selection of beers. Do you miss living in Manchester? I do but I mean aside from the last couple of years

with Covid etc I was there often enough not to miss it and that will be the case again when it's open So would you like some pudding? Yeah I'd love some yes please That was absolutely delicious Would you like a coffee?

Would you like a cup of tea? Would you like... I'd love a cup of tea actually. Yeah? Yeah, thanks. Strong, no sugar. One sugar. Yes, please.

Do you ever sing karaoke? Yeah. You see, Jessie? What? Each to their own. Okay, so what is your karaoke song? I've got a few. I love karaoke

am i the only well no you're one of few musicians that like it it's not so much the doing it as i mean i do really enjoy it but it's but it's it's it's everybody else doing it that i love and i actually it's it's my it's all of elbows sport of choice we've done it all over the world and we always involve everybody in the bar and it's just great so what's one of your most memorable karaoke nights this is delicious man good done and I have to say I think the amaretti biscuit was the fuck is delicious dogs so what's a really memorable elbow karaoke moment? We arrived in Australia, and we'd left 24 hours to acclimatise before the show started,

and our sound engineer, Danny, has got a very deep voice, and he's got the brain of a supercomputer, so his nickname is Deep Blue. Deep. And he's, you know, very, very dry and very funny. And he said to me, if you find a bar, I'm going to bed for a while, will you give me a shout?

So we found a bar around the corner from the hotel, and like a bad friend, a jet-lagged bad friend, I forgot to phone Danny. And when I eventually did, we were all absolutely arsehole. We were so drunk. We were up the wall. And it was a really successful karaoke night. And I phoned him and I didn't get him.

So I left him a message. Danny, I'm so sorry we're in this place. You know, if you get this, we'll be here for another hour. Didn't expect him to turn up. And literally as we were deciding to leave the door flew open and there was Danny with bed face and bed hair and Tom knew he was coming his best friend and our tour manager and he'd lined up China girl and Danny with a scathing look on his face yeah with a scathing look on his face he did China Girl an octave below like oh wow little China Girl and it was the most celebrated

performance how's the gig the next day I mean we have we've done it I love it so I'll do dance the night Away by The Mavericks. Oh. Just because no one's ever expected it. No, The Mavericks. Yeah. And it's kind of ridiculous. I want to know, what's it like?

You've been together for so long. You're one of those bands that are in a strong relationship. It's so delicious. It's really nice, right? It's really delicious. Would Rachel like a slice later? would Jack eat this kind of thing? he would yeah

so you're in this steady relationship how many albums are you on now? working on our 9th fuck and then like it's the 20th anniversary of your first one yeah 2001 so you've been doing it

for over like 20 years 28 years 29 years so you were a band for wow okay we've had one one member leave

and that was after 25 years that was after a bad karaoke session yeah his Neil Diamond was for shit you're out

I would ever choose Neil Diamond actually do you know what I totally would which one? the one where you can I am I said I am I said

again it's so ridiculous it's such a take yourself seriously song I am I said I am I cried it's terrible it's awful I detect the presence of accelerants

in every stage of the writing and the recording I am I said to no one there could you sing to Barry Manilow to him? would you sing one of his? are you asking?

I'm doing it I'll wear an appropriate shirt when you have the karaoke at your bat mitzvah one of his. Are you asking? Yeah. I'm doing it. I'll wear an appropriate shirt. Jessie, when you have the karaoke at your bat mitzvah, we're definitely having... You can do head,

smile, with a... Is that Barry Manning? Yeah. Oh, brilliant. Could it be magic? Mum, I'm not having karaoke

at my bat mitzvah when I... We can have a karaoke corner. Oh my God, you're not taking all the cool kids to the karaoke room, Mum. I would be in there.

Me too. Singing at the Copa, Copa Cabana. What was going to be your song? Well, it was going to be Sex on Fire. This sex is on fire. Yeah, you need to just say... But I think I'm not going to do that. No, really?

I think I'm going to go for Whitney. Oh, okay. Sure. Okay, so you've been together forever. It's still going strong. You're recording your new record. You're about to finish recording the record. Yeah, we're going to finish it because we've written it apart,

sending files between us. Yeah. So we thought when we get back together, it should be somewhere that you could only make a record under these circumstances rather than thwarted by it. So we're going to set up the studio on the stage of Brighton Theatre Royal for two weeks. That's such a lovely idea.

How gorgeous. Yeah, and sort of finish it in an empty room, given that we're not allowed to play to anyone. Why aren't you allowed to play to anyone? I mean, COVID. Now? Did you know what's happened? No, but you will be allowed to play.

Yeah, but they're recording the album. They're finishing it. Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry. He's a romantic mum. God's sake. Got lost. And you didn't fancy Manchester? Well, it's not so much that.

When we were planning it, we were thinking about yeah we we were thinking about the fact that we'd have to bubble because it wasn't looking quite as rosy as it is at this point so I thought well let's not bubble in our old studio in Manchester because you'll be upset that you can't go home to your own bed and your family's same if we were in London so I was like let's go by the coast and we had a great big list of old theatres sort of beautiful old theatres so we picked that one

I think it'll be something cathartic and all the songs have been written they're all really wistful they're all about being apart from people and being you know the kind of bruised bewildered feeling that everybody's had over the last couple of years Is it when you're back together all of you together the kind of bruised, bewildered feeling that everybody's had over the last couple of years.

Is it when you're back together, all of you together, have you got any rituals that you do as a band? We're exactly like we were when we met. We met when we were 16, 17. So everybody sort of turns up and gives each other sort of manly hugs and then you immediately start dicking about but when you recorded your most famous song it's one day like this one day like yeah who did all the orchestral bits well i did that lennie and on your own yeah did you can you play

i don't know i didn't play you it, but who was the orchestra in the background? Well, on that one, who was it? No, it wasn't the ballet orchestra, that one. We laid up a string section, I'm ashamed to say. Oh, it was so gorgeous. I can't remember who was on it. But that was kind of the song of the millennia. I mean, it was just because of the Olympics and everything.

And they used it all the time. Yeah. I would have thought you'd have to work again after that. Well, here I am. I know. Poor Pavlova. Dinner with us. To show you about the street.

This is my work. This Pavlova is a hard day in the office. And it's delicious. So, before we tuck into our second pudding, have you got a good table manners, Guy Garvey? You tell me. He's fabulous. You're great company.

You are very polite. I mean, we don't care about table manners, but do you think that... Yeah, yeah. I was kind of told what to do and what not to do and uh yeah and what can't you stand about somebody else who when you're at the dinner table with them well going back to restaurants if people are too dismissive about the waiter or the waitress or or indeed deliberately rude you don't like that no i don't like them it can really end a friendship for

me but i i understand some people have told me that they see it's part of the evening what to be rude to staff no i know i couldn't possibly name him no it's not they're not cool if they do it's not cool so yeah anybody being rude to anybody that's serving. I feel a bit intimidated by wine ponds. Yeah, me too. Do you know what you like when you're drinking wine? Yeah. What? I like it to be not too fruity.

One way or the other. Not too dry. Not too, yeah. So I rather, I know what I don't like. Do you drink mostly red or white? Yeah, mostly red, yeah. Me too. I've gone off red a bit since lockdown. I'm not drinking as much. You don't like. Do you drink mostly red or white? Yeah, mostly red. Me too. I've gone off red a bit since lockdown.

I'm not drinking as much. You wouldn't notice, but I haven't been drinking very much. And I find it just a bit heavy sometimes. I think now that, you know, the blooms are... What did Michael McIntyre say? I don't know. As soon as he says the sun comes out, people go... Rose?

Let's have rose. Yeah, that's Rachel's family, actually. Yeah. Yeah. I do love Rose, actually. I like it more and more. Diana had the same internet guy as us. He's a lovely chap.

Do you need, like, a regular internet guy? Do I need to be getting a regular internet guy? We've just got an overcomplicated set-up. Okay. you need boosters darling you need a different modem it's also we're both rachel and i both crap at it you know yeah yeah so so you and diana have the same internet guy yeah and i haven't i hadn't seen him since she died and he was round and i'd forgotten that they knew each other you know he said I'm sorry to her about Diana I was like yeah she was great so he said that he'd been round and he said I need your password is that okay and she said I've forgotten it so he says can I see if I could try

and find it she said yeah and he said make make visible on her last attempt at the show password. And it said, fuck off. And he said, oh, right. Is it this or one case? And she went, you're right. There's a capital F. He changed it. He changed it.

And her Sainsbury's account opened. And there was three bottles of Prosecco. And she said, I like Prosecco. That was her order. Oh my God. That's the best password I've ever heard. Fuck all. Yes, you're the capital word.

I thought about it. Genius. That's a fucking great one. But no, she was great and sort of our friendship revolved around new words, old songs, bits of poetry. She'd sing a line and I wouldn't know how, but I'd know the next line.

And we shared the same taste in poetry and in music and stuff. And then her and Rach just cackled endlessly. And when the telly was on, who did she have an affair with? It was da-da-da-da-da. Oh, no, no, of course it wasn't. It was that silly bitch da da oh no no of course it was it was that silly bitch it was like that you know constantly an amazing thing to be around

yeah she was great it's been such a pleasure to have you over thanks so much for having me it's been lovely to meet you honestly I mean I kind of feel like we need to do round two with Rachel at some point in the future Rachel's always welcome

and good luck with the new record are you back on Six Music yet or has Loyal Karner still got your no I'm back in he was a bit too good bit too young bit too good looking

bit too tasteful he played loads of really interesting music. He had to come back. And is that just a lovely gig to have? Yeah, the programme's amazing. I've been doing it for 14 years. When is it? What time's it on? It's Sunday at 2 o'clock and then repeated at midnight on BBC Six Music.

There you go. And it's just me playing records and telling the same stories you've already heard now, Lenny. Oh no, I'm sure there's loads more. Well, Mum, didn't I tell you that you'd love him? I'm getting love. And he's very wonderful.

He's very charismatic, fun and makes you feel a bit special. And he's got a good appetite. Yeah, I just, I really, I say that round two will be with the wonderful wife, Rachel, that we need to have over. And... Is she beautiful? She's very, very, very attractive. Anyway, I want to say a shout-out to my friend Laura Dockrell, who wrote a really important... I read her article yesterday, the article in The Guardian.

Yeah, and she's done a lot of advocacy about postpartum psychosis, which she suffered from after the birth of her son. And she's got a new podcast out. And she's got a new podcast got a new podcast zombie mum yeah and i wanted to give it a little shout out because she's my friend and she's doing amazing things to kind of raise awareness so i said come on give me a bit of a spiel to just say to everybody zombie mum is a brand new podcast normalizing conversations surrounding parenthood and mental health featuring guests from both parenthood and child perspectives and lived experiences her first guest was ploma faith she's got candy spray on she's doing great things she's out the other side of it and talking about it and i think that's helping so many so many people so go and give it a listen

it's a new podcast and i'm really proud of you laura and i think it will help lots and lots of people but yeah so um that pavlova was really good with roasted plums. It's kind of nice. I potentially like it even more than having strawberries. Well, there was more of a bite of fruit, wasn't there? No, I think the softness, it was more interesting. It was kind of the caramelised. What did you do them in?

Just roasted them with what? I roasted them with star anise, which I crunkled up. So not any masala wine or anything? No, because I made them too wet on top of the thing yeah that's what they were nice they weren't wet they were in place and I a little bit a sprinkle of sugar but I roast them quite

a long time I think it's quite a good way to do it rather than just fresh fruit worked a treat thank you for listening to everybody thank you for listening to everybody thank you everybody for listening thank you everybody for listening and everybody. Thank you for listening to everybody. Thank you, everybody, for listening. Thank you, everybody, for listening. And I hope you're all OK.

And enjoying the sunshine. Thank you so much, table. Oh, look, here he is. Yeah, he's a cat that wants attention. No, even Alice said that there's something not right. He's an attention seeker. No, Jessie, it's gone beyond a joke. The music you've heard on Table Manners is by Peter Duffy and Pete Fraser. Table Manners is produced by Alice Williams.