That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Edith Bowman

Episode Date: May 23, 2021

In this episode Gaby chats to Edith Bowman. She’s been on our TV screens and radio sets for years, talking all things music and film. They chat about growing up in Scotland, the importance of female friendship, wild water swimming and when she did ‘Celebrity Fame Academy’ in 2005. She talks about her brilliant podcast called ‘Soundtracking’ where she chats to film makers about the music that has inspired them and how they use it in their films. Plus, they discuss the amazing people she’s interviewed like Quentin Tarantino and Gaby’s favourite, Bradley Cooper. Edith's podcast 'Soundtracking' is available wherever you listen to podcasts. For more information on the sponsor of this episodeGrass and Co. - Find your calm 25% OFF, plus free shipping at: www.grassandco.com/GABYUse discount code: GABY at checkout.Produced by Cameo Productions, music by Beth Macari.  Join the conversation on Instagram and Twitter @gabyroslin #thatgabyroslinpodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, Gabby Roslyn here. Thank you so much for listening. I had such a lovely time chatting to this week's guest, Edith Bowman. She's been on our TV screens and on our radios for years, talking all things music and film. We chat about growing up in Scotland, the importance of female friendship, wild water swimming, oh my word, and when she did Fame Academy. Remember that? In her brilliant podcast, soundtracking, she is chatted to many directors, filmmakers, filmmakers, and actors, people like Quentin Tarantino and Bradley Cooper, my favourite. She talks to them about the music that has inspired them and how they use it in their films. I loved chatting to her. Please can I ask you a favour?

Would you mind please following and subscribing by pressing the follow or subscribe button on the show? Now, I have to tell you, this really honestly does not cost any money. It's completely free. And then if you wouldn't mind, rate and rate. review on Apple Podcasts, which is the purple app on your iPhone or iPad. You simply scroll down to the bottom of all of the episodes and you'll see the stars where you can tap to rate and press write a review. It would mean the world to us. Thank you so much. Hello, gorgeous Edith. How are you? It's lovely to hear your voice. Oh, it's so lovely to hear your voice.

Oh, it's so lovely to hit your voice as well. But, you know, there's only one place I have to go with you straight away. Like the, oh no, what is it? What have I done? You actually have interviewed somebody who was in my wedding vows. Who's that then? Bradley Cooper. In our wedding vows because my husband and I wrote our vows and one of the things said that he had to let me talk about Bradley Cooper on a regular basis without raising his eyebrows.

I love that. That's an amazing fact about you. Was he as delicious as I imagine? Yeah, do you know what he is? He smells amazing. It was really funny because around about the release of A Star is Born

there was a little bit of a running gag because I do quite a lot of work behind the scenes that a lot of people won't know where I host a lot of Q&As for things for the film companies. We're going to talk about those. Absolutely. I know about them and everybody will in a moment. And so I got the opportunity

to speak to Bradley on numerous occasions for A Star is Born both in terms of there was a big premiere in Leicester Square God, remember when we had premieres and then there was a whole load of kind of BAFTA Q&E for your consideration where they're hoping that the film is going to be recognised

for various achievements and so it was every time I saw him I had to apologise so I'm like I'm really sorry it's me again because it's kind of you kind of you never know who's making those decisions about booking you to do it and you're going he's going to be so sick of the sight of me

but then when he won an award at the BAFTAs and he came backstage and I was hosting the kind of winners Q&A's for BAFTA I was like I was like oh look finally all that work paid off we had a bit of a gag about the fact that you know I mean the film was nominated

for so many awards and I think he only walked away with one in the end but he was like we got one and I'm like well you know at least you're smiling Now something. Because I think that film meant so much to him and he was so kind of protective of it in a way and so proud of it that I think that

he just wanted it to be recognised in some way, shape or form and walk away with something. And I was really glad that they did. I think it was the music that they picked up wordy enough at the BAFTAs. I thought he was superb in it. But actually he could do no wrong in my eyes. It's amazing how you and film and music,

obviously soundtracking, the award-winning, multi-award-winning, soundtracking podcast, which has been going for a while and is superb, and you're brilliant at it. But where did it all come together? If I go to any event or if there's anything to do with film, I think people know you for music, but you're very, very film. Where did all that start?

Was it just because as a child you love films and then it sort of all just progressed? Kind of. My dad, so I grew up in a little village in Scotland, Anstrother, and my family had a very small family. run hotel, my granddad started. It was called the Crosnest Hotel. It's not there anymore, unfortunately. My mum's one of seven girls. And so you had this big family and we all kind of, most people, we all kind of helped out and stuff. And my dad, um, run a little film club, you know,

because it was always that thing where they were trying to think of things to, you know, there's nothing to do in this little town in this area. So my dad and my mom and the family were always really good about putting things on to entertain people and community things and stuff. My dad started a little Saturday morning film club. So they had this big projector that they bought in the hotel. And so in the mornings on a Saturday, it would be films that he would show, things like the goonies and jaws and all that kind of stuff. And then in the afternoon, it would be the football.

So, you know, the function suite would be full of people watching the football, having a pint sort of thing. And so I just remember my dad having this constant flow of films. And he'd always ask us as well, you know, dependent on what the age group was for the film club and stuff, he'd ask our advice about it, you know, what would you like to see or what, you know, what should we put on? So I think that that's where it started.

And we'd always make efforts to, you know, go to the nearest town to watch films and stuff. The new picture house in St Andrews is the one that I remember going to to see things like Fox and the Hound and Indiana Jones and stuff like that when I was a kid. And so, but then it's developed into, you know, you are the, you know, as you said, behind the scenes, you've interviewed the stars, you've on your podcast, you do the Q&As at BAFTA and all sorts of things. How did that, you know, you're going along to a Saturday morning film club of your families

turn into you being the expert of music and film and film and film? I think, well, I think for me the way that I always, I come at it and I get a little bit kind of uncomfortable when people describe me as a critic because I'm not a critic. No. I'm a film and a music fan. and I always want to approach everything like that. I mean, I want to go into a room hoping that I'm going to enjoy something rather than kind of going in there clouded by, you know,

any previous preconceptions of anything, really. Good for you. But the idea for the films. I mean, when I went to uni in Edinburgh, part of my degree, which was communication studies, was film. And I studied Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantini. It was what I wrote my paper on. And it was so bizarre then cut out.

however many years and then having him on the podcast, it was so weird. Like my inner, my inner like 19 year old was literally doing the running dance for the entire running man dance for the entire 40 minutes. But then when I was at Radio 1, even at MTV actually as well, I started getting involved in being sent to do set visits and do junk interviews and things like that. And, you know, that's very much where I started my, my interviewing, I guess, when I was at MTV. But weirdly, I think my training was actually when I was grown up in this hotel

because you were constantly, there was a constant flow of people and for the public. And, you know, I was, at times I'd be waitressing, I'd be serving in the bar when I was old enough, at the reception. So, you know, it was this communication thing was always part of, always part of my world, I guess. But then at Radio 1, when Colin and I were doing the afternoon show and then he wanted to go and do more sort of specialist shows and he moved to the evening. I was fully prepared to lose that slot

and it to be given to someone else another double act or someone who was more experienced than me. And my boss Ben Cooper at the time was like, no, no, no, I want you to do the show on your own. I just want you to find the thing that's your kind of your thing. And I said,

could it please be film? And he was like, yep, absolutely. You know, we kind of cover film and sort of reviews and we have guests. and things on and I was like, well no, I'd like it to be a conversation about film rather than, oh, you should watch this or you shouldn't watch that and stuff. So then we started building up those relationships with the film companies because we didn't have an agenda. We just wanted to have really interesting people on. It wasn't all about having a big name on. Like I remember

we had, we kind of had to fight for it a little bit in the same way that we would fight to have music, you know, as a record of the week and stuff. I remember being told that Snow Patrol would never be a mainstream band. It's hilarious. That's so funny. And Amy Winehouse's rehab was too retro. What? But then with the film stuff, we fought to have people like Shane Meadows on

and Little Tom Motorghuse when that first film came out because I thought it was such a great representation of British culture, both in the music and the characters and the culture. And that's kind of where that started in those relationships with the film company started. And then when I launched the podcast back in 2016, August 2016, Ben and I who basically work on it. It's me and my friend Ben.

It's just the two of us. I book the guests. I record the audio, send him the audio. And then he does his kind of magic Merlin, Wizard of Oz stuff on it. And I put it up. So it's always been that way. And that's how we started it.

And it started out with frustration because we couldn't get a regular slot to do it on a radio station. So we're like, let's go and do it ourselves and make a podcast. And that's where we start. You know, I had to, I had to, I had to have a,

have an ask. I had to ask and I'm really bad at asking for stuff. But I had to go to one of the film companies and a couple of them and go, look, this is the plan. You know what I'm about. You know, you know, there's no agenda with me. I'm not after headlines. I want to have a conversation. And Disney gave me access to John Favro. It was just before he was, it was just around Jungle Book launch. And they knew that obviously the music being such a big part of that film historically. But also for him, it would be a conversation. he'd really like to have. And they weren't wrong.

He was amazing. And so that was our kind of, we had him in our back pocket. So then we could go forward and go, listen, we're launching this podcast. We've already recorded John Favreau. Could we have X, Y and Z? And that was kind of the start of it.

And we've missed two shows in that entire time since we launched. We've released a show every week, bar two weeks. Wow. Very proud of that. That's incredible. And also all the awards. I mean, I know, you host award events,

but actually winning them yourself. You know, you have that wonderful smile and you slightly, you do that, oh my gosh, I can't believe that we're winning it, but you've got to be so proud of those. Those moments are totally proper pinch me moments, particularly things like we won, even being with things like the Arias, you know, which are the old school Sony radio awards. You know what it's like. You've been there. There's kind of, it's such a big competitive event for the radio world. And now that podcast and has kind of become part of that audio world, to be nominated up alongside massive mainstream, you know, BBC shows just kind of blew our mind. And then when we won, it was just like, what?

It was crazy. But, you know, testament to the work that Ben puts into the show as well, you know, and he's just. And you, come on, and you. I love it. I mean, it doesn't make any money. It makes probably enough money to, to pay Ben and that's the most important thing. I'm not doing it for that.

I'm doing it. You know, all the other work that I do almost pays for me being able to keep this show going and make sure I've got the up-to-date microphones that work and stuff like that. But I absolutely love making the show. It is properly my pride and joy and I hope I can kind of keep doing it

till I'm on my deathbed, which will hopefully be at least when I'm 90. Longer, lower way. But I get the, sort of, I remember talking to you about podcasting when you came on a Saturday show. And still then, it was relatively new. And, okay, we've been going a few months with this. But people are understanding the more.

And I think all generations are understanding them more. And what podcasts do is what, it sort of fills that gap between having a conversation and listening to the radio. it sort of fits in there, doesn't it somehow? Yeah, absolutely, because so much of the podcast and world is about conversations. It is about in-depth conversations as well, and the fact that you can very much choose and find a podcast now that fits exactly the mood that you want or the subject that you want. And yeah, I mean, particularly throughout this last 12 months with, you know,

the pandemic and the situations with that, the rate of podcasts that have gone is just extraordinary in terms of how many there are now. But I remember kind of when we first started it still felt really new. There was obviously loads of podcasts out there.

The true crime stuff had definitely been a big headline for it and a big success story. But I think that people like Adam Buxton was definitely the forefront of it. But yeah, it is. And that's what I love doing is conversation. And the idea that people can listen to it and feel like they're either eavesdropping on a conversation or part of it is exactly how I want it to be sort of thing.

So I'm not talking, we're not talking at people. We're kind of going, come and listen. Come and hear what he's got to say. For you, I suppose, as I'm saying, we were talking about film. But for you, everybody thinks about you with music. And in fact, it was a joy going back and finding you singing. So obviously... Oh God.

No, no, don't be like that. Fame Academy. And I like, oh, why did you bring yourself through that? Oh my goodness. Because you can't. It was Colin's fault? I was it Colin? Yeah, because we were doing daytime at the time.

And I got approached for it. And I sort of stupidly said to him that I'd been asked to do it. And he went, you've got to do it. And I was like, oh God, I don't know if I can. because I loved singing when I was growing up. You did it on telling when you were 14, didn't you as well? I know. I loved singing, but it's really weird.

In the situations where I've had to perform, like, in front of a lot of people, it was fine kind of playing in little pubs and, you know, stuff around in Scotland. And I actually did it in London as well with a friend of mine when I first moved down. I did backing vocals for him. And it was just really fun. But the idea of having to get up and perform in front of people scared the hell out of me. And even I remember the night that that, That show went out back when I was sort of 13, 14 and my mum, bless her, had, you know, she had a little party going in the cocktail bar at the hotel.

I was in tears. I was in floods. I felt so uncomfortable. It was just horrific. It's so bizarre. And then the Fame Academy thing was like, because it was such a small audience within that room, it was, I kind of forgot that it was going anywhere else. Because I loved all the kind of behind the scene stuff of it, you know, of going to. the dance class with Kevin and going into vocal coaching with David and Carrey and working with

your best friend with Cat Daly oh my word yeah a cat as well and making some amazing friends like with Reggie you know we just became thick as thieves after that and read and aid as well you know it was it was an amazing that side of it was amazing probably my least favorite part of it was the was the actual record of the performance I loved all the rehearsals and stuff but that was terrifying. They were really funny about it as well because even though it was comic relief, they still took a wee bit too serious because I remember we had to do some group performances like there was Reggie and Gino Yashoree and Dawn Steele and myself and I think Nick Knowles was in our little group and we had to do the black-eyed piece where it is the love and they had

you like dressed up to the nine sort of thing and I like I like getting you know dolled up for a war and things like that, but not on a daily basis, do you know what I mean? But you had to kind of really properly kind of go for it. And I hid my converse shoes underneath my seat where we all had to sit, you know, in this kind of, it was like a church, I think we were in. And I said to Ridge, I've got my converse

because when we do where is the love, I'm swapping my heels, my converse. I can't dance in those. So unbeknown at the producers, I kind of, I'd hid my converse and this weird blue, woolly hat that I wore nonstop. on the show and put that and my converse on, oh my God, if you'd seen their faces when I came out in this stuff, because it was live, there was nothing they could do. I love that. You see,

that's the joy of live television. Love it. Exactly. But your love of me, I mean, now obviously, you're married to Tom and he's, the editors, and so music is all around you. And that's why I'm going to go back to everyone thinking about you and music, because top of the pops, radio one, six music, Virgin, all of those were very music based. So how has, you know, it's the predictable question, apologies, but how has life been in the past year without music, which seems to be, you know, if you were a piece of rocket, it would be music, I suppose, in the middle I'd think of, I'd think of,

not, I don't necessarily you, but how has it been without the live music, without the festivals? Yeah, that's one of the things I've missed the most, in terms of going to festivals and, you know, both in terms of working at them, going to them with Tom, you know, if he's playing, I've been so lucky to go to so many places in the world tagging along with him, you know,

and dragging the kids on a tour bus sort of thing. But it's been an amazing way for them to see parts of the world as well. And then just choosing to go to gigs with my mates. I weirdly just booked tickets yesterday to go and see the staves at Sheperspichampar in October, I think. And I was like, I felt sick with excitement, even though it's months away. But it's weird. It's definitely had an effect on my relationship with music weirdly,

and that I've not listened to as much as I should have or would have. I was lucky. Oh, that's interesting. Yeah, I did a podcast probably about six months ago called Play Next, which was all about new music. And it was the encouragement I needed to kind of wait. made back into listening to new stuff and, you know, searching through, you know, what's out there and trying to pick out some new things and shout about and be thused about stuff. And it was really

great to be encouraged to do that. And if I hadn't had the encouragement to do that, there's been this really weird thing, which, because I can't go and watch it and I can't see that live experience of it, it kind of makes me slightly shy away from it. It's really odd. I get that. No, I get that. I'm like that about live theatre. I love theatre and cinema and not doing it. I completely know what you mean and there's a slight sort of I actually can't put it into words and like you say it's that backing away feeling. It's the same with weirdly, you know, when the lockdown started and you were doing like weekly quizzes with your mates and all that kind of thing. I've definitely taken a step back even from having those regular Zoom. conversations with my friends. You know, we message and we and whatnot and phone and things. But those Zoom, you know, those big kind of Zoom rooms with groups of friends, I find them really hard now because I miss everybody so much.

And just that experience and that environment, it doesn't help for me anyway. So I kind of, I haven't been kind of involved in as many of those as I was at the start. And I think that that's an, it's not a conscious thing. but it's definitely something that I've taken a slight step back from just because I miss everybody so much and I find it hard seeing everybody and yeah and kind of finding that energy as well just to keep everybody positive

you know as well because everybody's going through so much we're all in this together you know but everybody's experiences are very unique to them and and they're very hard and you're just having ways of trying to to lift people up and stuff. It's, I found it, I found it quite hard to, to keep that momentum up. I saw a quote from you, which I think actually sounds like the perfect time to ask you about it, but you say it's all right to ask for help.

Oh God, yeah, totally. I mean, I'm terrible at it. Still, um, my mom kind of is almost, well, you mean you're terrible at asking? Yeah, terrible. I told the story about my mom when I was, after I just had Rudy. So he's 12. And Tom had been, I think he must have been a, couple of months old. Tom was away on tour. I was at home alone with him and I was just having a

bad day. You know, I was just, everything was on top of me. He was kind of teething or something or he just wasn't settling and things like that. My mum phoned me and she just sends something in my voice and kind of a phone and I said by to him. Within sort of four hours, she was at my front door. She jumped on the first, first available kind of flight down from Scotland, bless her and just come down. She could sense that. I just needed help. I needed my mum basically. And that's kind of amazing. She's always, always has been, always kind of will be like that kind of almost telepathic sort of thing.

I've been able to tell when I need help and stuff. But I am really bad at asking for help. And I don't know why that is. I think it's an independence thing because I was kind of very much, you know, grown up in this environment around the hotel. Mom and dad were working loads. So I was kind of left to my own devices sort of thing. And I knew pretty early on that I was going to leave.

I needed to get out. It wasn't for me to kind of work in that family environment. and, you know, I wanted to go and explore and I wanted to, there was something there that I needed to find and achieve and I was going to go and do it. My mum says she knew from a really young age that I was, you know, I was getting out of Dodge sort of thing.

So I've always had this kind of independent streak and sometimes it can be, I don't know, detrimental to me in a way that I kind of take on too much and won't ask for help. But my mates are good at, they get it now. My friend Gemma's amazing. She's like, just ask me for help.

She's great. It's good to have people like, that who kind of recognize it totally. Oh, friends are so important. Yeah. So important. So long as you listen. Are you good at listening to them?

I hope so. If they say stop, would you stop? If they say breathe, do you go, okay, yeah, yeah. Actually, I might breathe, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Jen particularly, she's really good at kind of, she's like an old soul, really.

So I really, yeah, she's really, I think it's just weirdly in the last maybe 10 years maybe. I mean, I've always had really great girlfriends around me. You know, and weirdly like we were talking about Kat and we had this conversation, you know, just before she moved back from LA about, you know, that was one of the things that she really missed being out there was these kind of, she had, you know, great friends out there, met some brilliant people. But there wasn't that history.

There wasn't that being through. X, Y and Z together kind of thing there and I think that that's true but then I also think it's really true that you can meet people and make new friends that there's just an understanding there there's a similar kind of I don't know

approach to life or whatever sort of thing it's really interesting that comes with age I think so yeah we moved house about just over a year ago out to Gloucestershire and my in-laws are here my husband grew up around here And we knew the area really well because we'd come out all the time to visit John and Sylvia.

But then moving out here, I didn't really know that many people. I knew a couple. And it was amazing how quickly I found like a really amazing group of women. Oh, how fantastic. Yeah, absolutely incredible. And weirdly, a lot of, and that stems from going wild swimming, weirdly. Oh, you see, no, no, no. Okay, right.

Finding crazy lakes to go. No, let's go there. Let's go there. It's great. No. It's great, Gabby. No. So I've got everything I do, so I don't drink, I don't have caffeine. I take my Simprove every morning, all of this stuff, right? And I'm super healthy and I work out and I walk everywhere. But ever since I was a child, the cold water, you know, the idea of just getting into a cold water bath. I've net, that's just, you know, there are some things you just have to go, uh-uh. And all my girlfriends keep saying, come wild water, swim.

No. What is it? Why is it? No. Tell me why. I don't know. It's, I think part of it is the kind of communal thing. Obviously, we're not been able to do it communally much in the last 12 months. But there was a kind of window where every Friday we'd kind of, you know, individually congregate around the lake and and with our woolly hats on kind of go for a couple of rounds around this lake. Oh, no, no, no. It does make you feel incredible. touchwood, I felt the healthiest I've ever felt since starting it and since doing it. And apparently it's got, I haven't looked that much into it. I just enjoy it. And I enjoy the kind of, you know, I've been going with one other person in the last while, obviously, because that's all we're allowed to do. So we all kind of meet there and have a swim and then wander home. But. Yeah, but Vim Hof, that's the whole thing. And my husband does it. He does his culture every single morning. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I put it on my face. I do it on my arms and I put it on my legs.

I just don't want to actually get on, you know, I do that and I do take some deep breaths and I know about the blood rushing and all of this stuff, but it's just the idea of stripping off my kit in the middle of winter and getting into a lake. We did it on boxing day and we did it on New Year's Eve. And there was one day where, you know, when it was that really, really cold spell

where someone had managed to break through the ice on one of the lakes that we go to. You didn't. I didn't. No, I nearly did, but I didn't. And I can't remember why I didn't. But I was like, my mum bought me one of those dry robes for Christmas as well, because I dragged her when she was able to come down and visit last year.

And so bless her, she got me one of those dry robes, which is the most amazing thing. Literally, you come out and just throw that thing on and you're like, oh, lovely. But you're not in there for long. So it's like a dry robe. It's like a fleece on a big sort of warm fleece on the inside and waterproof on the outside. But the fleece is this kind of, I don't know what the kind of fabric is. is but it almost sort of

absorbs the water but doesn't stay wet like a towel if that makes sense I like the idea of that without the swim I have all those you need to come and do it in the summer because one of the lady Sarah she's put a yurt so she's got a field at the bottom of our

house and they've built a little yurt by the lake and so she's got a little log burner in there so the idea is that we're going to go swim in and then she'll have the log burner going so we can go in there. I'll have the dry robe and I'll have the yurt, but not the swimming. Thank you very much. What about the sea? Do you like swimming in the sea? No, I like a nice, that's the only thing I'm really princessy about

is I like a nice warm pool. I don't like a cold pool either. Even when I was a child, you know when they say children run into the sea and they don't care what temperature. And here in the UK, you know, we don't have the warmest seas. And I don't mind putting my feet in. But even as a child, I mean, no, I don't like it. It's too cold. My mother used to march through, you know, and my mother was brought up in the war on a farm and she just couldn't understand this concrete daughter who didn't want to get, oh, no, no, no, no, no.

Sorry. It's the only thing I won't, even though I adore you, I won't do it for you. I get it, I get it. It's fine, you can't force people who do things. Totally. When I do do it, the first person I will share the experience with, I promise will be you.

And then you will come and do it with me. That's the other thing is getting your kit off in front of a whole bunch of people when you're that cold. I've got blue legs as well. If I don't have fake tan on. It's really, it's such a weird feeling because you come out and you're not actually cold. It's only about 10 minutes later that you start getting cold once you're dressed. That's the hardest bit is to getting dressed.

You know that kind of where you're a bit damp and can't get your joggers on and all that kind of stuff. That's the most annoying part of it. But then it's weird kind of in the car and you go, oh, I can't quite feel my feet at the minute. But yeah, I love it. It's bonkers, but it's brilliant. Does your marathon running husband do it as well? He won't do it.

I have, however, just managed to get him into yoga, which has taken me. We've been together 15 years and it's taken me a long time. But he runs a lot. He doesn't, he hasn't, he didn't, he didn't, he hasn't, he hasn't done another one since, I don't think. But I always saying to him, you need to compliment the running with like stretching and stuff. He's like, oh, stretch. I'm like, yeah, I'm like, yeah, but in, you know, in a bit more in-depth way.

And so we did yoga last night together down in a living room. It was really nice. Was that his first time? Second time. Well, actually third time. Wow. I dragged him to a class. So when I was pregnant, I had this really nice lady that would come round to the house once a week

and do like pregnancy yoga with me and it was so funny because Tom would go out for a walk while she was there and he would come back and like nine times out of ten she'd have gone I'd be asleep on the yoga mat in the living room on the floor totally bliss out and I managed

to get him to do one class with Roberta and he just when she did that whole thing Robert was amazing she was like so she had this amazing voice the one of the main principles of yoga is Mordabondi which is contracting your anus and that was like Tom's like

no I'm not this is not for me I don't know but that's useful for running as well sniggering of like a five year old and then and then weirdly last week he said I think I need to do I think I'm going to have to get into yoga

weirdly Russell has bass player and his band's been doing it through the whole of lockdown and has been raving about it so I'm sure that it's more a case of Russell's influence than mine no Ediths you know what you've just said Do you realise what you've just said? No, tell me.

You basically have said, no, you basically said about, you know, clutching your bottom. Yeah. Let's put it that way. Contracting your illness. Yeah, yeah. And then immediately went to and Tom needed to do it. So suddenly I have this whole problem with Tom from the editors having a problem with going to the loo. That was where you took me straight away.

Nothing to do with his toilet habits, just purely to do. with the muscles in his legs and the amount of running that he does. His legs, the muscles in his legs, there we go. Yes. Yes. Do you two laugh a lot? Because this podcast, we always ask everybody,

what makes you properly belly laugh? What makes you properly laugh? Oh, my kids make me laugh. We've started watching the Fresh Prince of Bellier in the last week. Oh my God. And I was kind of like, I wonder if it's lasted, you know, if it stood the test of time and if it's if it's as funny as it was when I remember. And it's so good.

And it's really amazing watching their reaction to it. So we've been properly, it's making them really properly belly laugh as well. But even there's different things to be honest. I mean, to be honest, it has been quite hard to laugh in the last while. It's because it's been so intense with the homeschooling, with Tom and I both, you know, trying to work and find time to do that. We've got a dog, so that was another kind of, you know, responsibility to add in there. And so, weirdly, yesterday, the kids finished their online lessons,

and we've been really bad at leaving the dog. So it's like we have to, he has to get used to us not being here for an hour or whatever, you know, for when we go back. So we're like, why don't we go and get, let's go and get milkshakes. There's a place up the road that's like a, it's an old petrol station that they've turned into a little far. farm shop and they built this little cabin that you can drive past and grab a milkshake sort of thing. So let's go and get after school milkshake sort of thing.

And we were in the car and the little one who's so excited because he's now tall enough to sit in the front. Oh my God, he's been measuring himself every day going so he's now tall enough to sit in the front and so he was in the front in charge of the tunes

and me and Rudy were in the back and Tom was driving and they've got this, they watched this show called Dude Perfect which are these American guys who do all these tricks and it's very, it is very funny I like it. It's one of the good things that I like them watching

online and stuff. But they've got this playlist of all this kind of almost emo music and the kids had it blasting and we were crying with laughter because we were like, shall we go through the drive-thru with the music blasting?

Oh my God, it was so funny. So funny. Just music actually seems to be the thing that makes us forget all the other stuff that's going on at the minute. So they've been in charge pretty much of the tunes. We don't get a look in in terms of being able to choose what we listen to unless they're in bed pretty much. So that's been a really funny thing.

That's so funny. Oh my gosh. They're in charge of the music. Are they aware of how vital and what, you know, vital the two of you are in the music industry, but also what the part that music has played in your lives. Are they aware of that? Well, they're aware with their dad of what he does and stuff and it's really sweet actually.

So my 8-year-old, who's like 8 going on 17 at the minute's hilarious, he's become this weird little retro kid. So he absolutely loved Guardians the Galaxy and Star Lord in that film has this cassette player that he walks about with like an old Walkman with headphones on. So that was it. all Spike wanted for Christmas was a cassette player and the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack on cassette.

And we found one, we got one. And so he's got this little cassette player. And then my mum and dad sent down a crate of cassettes that they found. And it's got everything from there's Abba in there, Elvis, loads of stuff. But what Tom's dad did was Tom's dad recorded the new. So Tom's got this new record out with Andy Burroughs. They have this little side project together called Smith and Burroughs. And they released a Christmas album about 11 years ago.

And then they've just released this new record. Only Smith and Burrows is good enough. And so obviously we've had that around the house a lot because they've been filming sessions and things and whatnot. And so Spike loves the record. And so Tom's dad put it on to cassette for him. And so he walks about it. I mean, it's so embarrassing for Tom.

But he just walks about the whole time singing and having Smith & Burroughs on. And if anyone comes to the door, like the postman or whatever comes to the door, it's like, wow, he's listening to his own album again. It's just like, it's so funny. But those have been really nice moments in terms of, yeah, I mean, in the morning, you know,

it's Radio 1 that we have to listen to because that's what they want to listen to. If we're in the car, they choose the music. You know, even in the day, they make playlist. Spike's got playlists that he's made on his... Oh, my word. And then they're learning instruments as well, which is really nice.

Spikes on drums and French horn and Rudy's on piano and voice. And I had at such a moment actually last week because the school have been amazing, actually, the school they go to just in terms of all the work the teachers do to keep the kids interested and wanting to learn. And Rudy's music teacher, Mrs. Saunders, had said she was going to do a virtual music performance. so if the kids wanted to send in videos of them singing, she would put it together and put it up on the kind of school notice board. And he sang, he wanted to do Lee Armstrong, What a Wonderful World. And I was sitting filming him like bawling my eyes out

because it was just the most perfect choice of song and his little 12-year-old voice, which is, and the weird thing was was that in practicing it, he'd been singing it high. and then when we recorded it he just decided to sing at an octave lower and it was almost like he grew up in front of my eyes like he just became

this young man in front of my eyes it was just, it was so weird and so amazing I've got it on film obviously and we've got like a little family WhatsApp and stuff and I said do you mind can I say can I share this with everybody and he's like

okay and and bless the grandmas they were they were in bits well I am and he's Not related to me and I don't know him, but that serious goose bump moment. It was very special. Yeah. Was that his choice of song as well?

Yeah, that was his choice. And he's doing somewhere beyond the sea this week. It's brilliant. It's like, I don't know. They get there, but their music education, weirdly, you know, they don't listen to us when it comes to that. You can go, oh, you should. And they go, yeah, whatever. They get it from, they get it from film and TV.

That's where their music education is from. And that's the brilliant thing, I think. It's really healthy. that they don't think of music and genre. Like, you know when you were growing up and you'd be go, oh yeah, I'm into this. But it was top of the pops for me. Yeah, it was completely top of the pops or the radio.

There was nothing else. You know, I was being fed the stuff that I thought I loved there. I didn't really take it on some films, but not as much as it is now. It's everywhere, which is exciting. Yeah. So exciting. I mean, I remember when Spike was like really little

and we'd watch, you know, the kind of Pixar. films and the Disney films and one of the Plains films had thunderstruck by ACDC in it. And by the age of like three, he knew every word to thunderstruck by ACDC. It was hilarious. And so I love that. I love that they, there's the genre of music is not interesting to them. They don't care. It's about what has a reaction for them, what they emotionally connect to and whatever

emotion that is. My youngest, suddenly, you know, there'll be a piece of music and you say, oh, I love this and my husband will say how the hell do you know that? Oh, from so-and-so show or from whatever and it's all sort of 80s, 90s, and she's only 14 and so you know, it's happened long before she was even born

and yet she just loves it because of all the different shows and that is wonderful. Isn't it? I think it's really healthy. Because I always have had this thing as well when, you know, if I'm hosting music, radio stuff is that and Virgin were really good at the start with me in terms of what they kind of allowed me to do because I was kind of like new music doesn't necessarily have to be a new artist

you know I think that we're so driven by what's the next thing what's new what's new what's new it's like there is this amazing you know library of incredible music that is already there from you know there's nothing to stop and there just doesn't seem much encouragement to kind of go back and dive in and explore, you know, what's already there and what's already around. And that's what I found, and I've learned so much

from doing the podcast, is exactly that. I, you know, I didn't know much about score and that side of things. Obviously, I know a lot about popular music and that kind of thing, but I've loved how much I've learned about different types of music and about the real connection

between film and music and what a difference it can make to a scene having music and not having music. And I love learning about stuff like that. And I've loved that I've been encouraged to explore and learn genres and areas of the music world that I didn't know anything about. If you have to, and you have to, because I'm not going to let you not. So you have to. There we go.

Long-winded way of asking, the film that does all of that for you then, the film that has the perfect soundtrack and the perfect score and the perfect film. You know, is there one that's come together and it's just been this perfect explosion of everything that in your eyes is right? Oh, wow. I think for me, one of the, the example of perfect score for me in a film

would be interstellar. But then in terms of, I think, the one that popped in my head just there was West Side Story. Just because I remember being a kid. I remember being a kid and, I've lost kind of how many times I watched that film. And I remember, what was the sister-in-law called?

You know, the one that sang America, I can remember the character's name in the film. Anita's sister-in-law, Anita, yes, of course it was. It's not, you know, it's, yeah, it's Bernardo's sister. Yeah, Bernardo, yeah. Puerto Rico. I am, I just, I was desperate to have that lily dress that she wore in that scene for America.

And I just wanted my school to do West Side Story as the play for that year or the musical for that year, even just to be in the chorus of it. Do you know what I mean? It was just amazing, that music. And the way that that film was shot in particular, you know, that dance scene where the sharks and the jets are on different sides of the room and then Tony and Maria and they all go into, they're almost blurred in the background. The dance hall.

Oh, it's so amazing. Oh, goosebumps thinking about it. And then... I'm so, please, you chose that. That and Blues Brothers. Oh, really? Yeah. Okay.

My, I had a little TV in my room when I was a teenager growing up and my dad was, my dad loved having like bits of kit and technology. He was hilarious. He's always into the next, what's the next fad, missy? And so he had like, you know, VHS, he's in that kind of thing coming out of his ears. It was hilarious. He'd fix old ones up and things. So I had a VHS player in this little TV in my room.

And I would go to bed every night watching the Blues Bros. brothers. And I'd fall asleep watching. Oh my word. My mum and dad would just have to come in and switch it off. And I don't know what it was about that film, but that is a great example of amazing existing music, you know, from Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin to, you know, to the score that was written, but also just the performances and the comedy. And yeah, I love that film. Still do. You've just chosen my husband, his favorite film and my favorite film, Westside You've made me, you've made this family very happy.

When am I coming home for dinner? My husband's wardrobe. Yeah, I know. And you're not taking me cold water swimming, no, because we're not going to do that, but we can definitely watch the films together. Edith, it's such a joy to talk to you. Before we go, though,

I just have to find out about this story about you being arrested or nearly arrested with Kat. Oh, in Morocco. Yeah, what happened? So we were doing this travel show called road-tripping, which we'd... I remember watching it. We came up with the idea of having a bottle of wine watching Thelma and Louise weirdly one night.

And we were in Morocco and we'd sort of take turns about driving and we were driving from Marrakesh to Eswera. And our kind of crew support vehicle, they always just let us kind of go off. And we're like, so we need to get there and we just kind of go off. Because we had cameras in the car, fitted ones. And then we also had like a little calm corridor that we would, whoever was the passenger would sort of film stuff. And we went off. and next thing we knew we had these kind of flashing lights behind us

and we're like, oh my God, what's happened? And we obviously had a radio and stuff and we had no idea what was going on, but we were just like, guys, we've got a problem, we've been pulled over by the police. And the guy didn't really speak any English. And we were like terrible British tourists

of not even trying to speak the language. But we, basically what she'd done was she, it was so dusty of, because we were so close to the Sahara, that the road markings were covered with the sand, and there was a continuous white line. I mean, I would probably fail my theory driving test now if I sat in terms of my highway code.

But if it's a continual line down the middle of the road, you're not supposed to overtake, and she'd overtaken something. So they pulled her over. And these two, you know, we had blonder hair then than we do now. And it was slightly terrifying, fine but then our crew van arrived literally just in time to explain that we were, I mean, we definitely played the kind of dumb blonde card for that situation.

But yeah, I didn't let her live it down for quite a while after that. And every time she drove, it was like, do you want me to go through any of the hybrid COVID-Cobber tube? That's what friends are for. Exactly. That's what friends are for. Oh, bless you. my lovely. So, I love chatting to you. Because you're so

passionate about what you do. You really are. Oh, well, I hope we get to see each other in the not too distant future. I think the last time we saw each other was for the future dreams event. It was for breast cancer charity. The Palladium, wasn't it? That was an incredible evening. There will be nights where we spend at the Palladium. There will be nights where we can watch films together. There will never be a day where we swim in open water together. I promise you that.

I've never seen ever. Edith Bowman. No, no, no. Thank you so much, my sweet. Thank you so much for joining me. Thank you for having me. Take care. That Gabby Rawson podcast is proudly produced by Cameo Productions.

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