Welcome to the the Wind Thieved Hat, a podcast where I explore the creative process - the highs, the lows, the joy and the pain - with some of my favourite artists, musicians, writers, directors & makers.
Click on the thumbnails below to listen to or download each episode, or subscribe via iTunes, Spotify or Amazon.
Dan Nelken is on a mission: he’s passionate about helping creative people create and get over what's stopping them. A fork lift driver - and advertising copywriter - by trade, his book A Self Help Guide for Copywriters was a breakout hit during the pandemic …
Kathryn Mannix is a best-selling author and palliative care doctor. Given that this is a podcast about the creative process she may seem to be a rather unusual guest, but as you’ll discover, Kathryn is a brilliant wordsmith and someone who has a great deal to say about stories; the stories we use to make sense of life and of death …
Byron grew up poor. With the cards stacked against him. He had a tough time when he was younger. He’s the only one of my guests, so far as I know to have been shot and kidnapped. But through the nurturing of his home environment and his own character kooks – he used to bunk off school to go to the library – he managed to navigate those early challenges …
Of all the books I read to my kids when they were growing up, there was one that I loved just as much as they did - ‘The Murderer’s Ape’. In this inspiring and reflective episode I talk to the creator of Sally Jones, writer and illustrator Jakob Wegelius …
It’s rare but every so often a documentary film comes along that transcends the medium, that is in itself a work of art. For me, Garage People is such a film. So I was delighted to talk to Natalija Yefimkina, the film’s director, about her own creative process. Garage People is - remarkably – her first film.
A thought provoking conversation with a hugely inspiring thinker and writer on how to overcome some of the most common challenges we face in making creative work.
John Wood and Paul Harrison are two artistic heroes of mine. They make work that is both simple and complex, profound and mundane; it’s always engaging, often funny and, as you’ll hear, has occasionally ended in disaster …
Just before Christmas I was in the virtual audience for a night of poetry headlined by John Cooper Clarke. There were eight poets on the bill that night. One of them stole the show. And her name was Toria Garbutt. In this conversation, recorded down the line, I talk about writing and life with Toria …
If you ever find yourself on a shoot for a TV commercial then there’s a good chance that the Director of Photography, will be male and white. Deepa Keshvala, one of the UK’s most sought after DOP’s, is neither of these things. And in this brilliantly refreshing and inspiring conversation Deepa gives me her unique take on the creative process …
I first came across Cas Holman through the Netflix documentary Abstract, the Art of Design. My interest was piqued by the fact we share the same surname, but I soon became utterly absorbed in Cas’s brilliantly iconoclastic approach to creativity. For Cas play is a fundamental part of the human experience, shaping the people we become and the world we make for ourselves …
I’m delighted to be able to mark the 21st episode of The Wind Thieved Hat with this very special conversation with poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist and designer Inua Ellams, without doubt one of the most inspiring and eloquent creators I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with so far …
I’m a sucker for a portrait project. And Richard Beaven’s All of Us is one of the most beguiling I’ve seen for a long time. Originally from Devon in the UK, Richard now lives in a small town called Ghent in upstate New York. On the town’s bicentennial Richard set out to photograph as many of the townspeople as he could, one by one …
For many years Guilhem Gallart was a successful record producer and recording artist. Better known by the moniker Pone, he helped shaped the sound of hip hop in France in the 90’s. In 2015 Pone was diagnosed with ALS. It’s left him unable to move anything but his eyes, yet he’s still writing, producing and making music …
It’s often said that you shouldn’t meet your heroes. So it was with some trepidation that I went down to Brighton one rainy day in March to meet Henry Normal. Henry’s name always used to pop up on the credits of some of my favourite TV shows. Paul Calf’s Video Diaries, Mrs Merton, The Royle Family, The Mighty Boosh …
NEON is Mark Nixon and Viliina Koivisto. They work together from their studio in Margate creating fantastical architecture, art and design. Their projects are often large, sometimes very large, and invite people to interact with them, to touch, to feel, to listen, to see …
My first encounter with Nicola Davies was on telly after school in the 1980’s when she was presenting the Really Wild Show, a TV show for kids all about animals. My second encounter with her was at a family gathering when I discovered - with a double take - that Nicola and my wife are related. Today Nicola is a writer …
This conversation with the Emmy nominated and internationally acclaimed creative director & designer Ana Criado was recorded over lunch in her garden in LA. Ana is as generous with her stories as she was with her paella …
Al Murphy is an illustrator. He’s also one of those rare human beings who’s as humble as he is talented. Our chat, which happens to be on the first anniversary of TWTH, is both funny and frank. Al talks honestly about the inevitable insecurities that come with forging a living as a solo creator and much more besides …
When Kate and I first spoke about her practice as an artist in episode 9 I came away from the conversation feeling that maybe we should have talked more about mental illness. But interviewing your wife is kind of a weird experience so I let myself off the hook …
My conversation with Alex begins with the wrongful arrest which led him down his current professional path. We talk about whether ‘creative technologist’ really is an oxymoron or not. And we get stuck into the fascination subject of AI & creativity and whether computers will ever be able to have ideas like humans do …
In one of my favourite creative conversations so far I speak with the artist Ivan Black. Ivan tells his inspirational story with honesty and humility. He talks about his Bohemian upbringing, about the role of rave culture and repetitive beats in his work, and about the travails of living as an artist …
In a conversation recorded just before a gig with her band This is The Kit, musician Kate Stables reveals why for her creativity is a process of untangling and why we all need a little more play in our lives ...
This episode is something of a departure for The Wind Thieved Hat … it’s the first time I’ve been married to the guest. Kate Shooter happens to be my wife, but even if she weren’t I’d have her invited her on to TWTH to talk about her work …
If you’re feeling a little gloomy and that the world has lost its colour then Adam Nathaniel Furman could be just the corrective you need ...
Photo by Johnny Barrington
Dominic began his career as a designer & artist but his practice today defies an easy description. I can say though the only person I’ve interviewed ever to have held the floor at the United Nations …
Is it possible to combine running a fish and chip shop with being an internationally acclaimed photographer? It is if you’re Kazem Hakimi. In this conversation recorded at his home in Oxford, the charming …
A hugely enjoyable chat with the softly spoken but massively inspiring Mr Algy Batten, the man behind the Art Of Ping Pong. Algy shares the lessons he’s learned through a career in design …
I think Jess might be one of the smartest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of talking to. In this chat we get stuck into the value of non-normative brains. And Jess explains what it’s like to live with Tourette’s Syndrome …
There’s nowhere quite like the world of Rob Auton. Paddy Considine called him 'a very funny man'. Vanessa Feltz thinks he's 'just sad'. Our conversation is alternately profound, poignant and bizarre …
I’ve thought for a while that Darby would be an excellent guest on the Wind Thieved Hat and when I found out that he was about to publish a book on creativity and poetry, I invited him to join me. Our conversation roams over subjects as diverse as the losses and wins of getting older, what your sober self can learn from your drunk self, the benefits of hanging out in cemeteries and …