Smoke Hole Sessions

In the season 1 finale of the Smoke Hole Sessions, Martin talks to music legend and icon, John Densmore, drummer for one of the greatest bands of all time: The Doors. They dive into the last year and the publication of John’s new book The Seekers, where he pays homage to artists that have fed his creativity over a lifetime. They discuss their own encounters with musicians and artists of all sorts, including when John ran into Bob Dylan, lost on his way to The Doors’ induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They dive into Martin’s latest book Smoke Hole, and how the story of the Handless Maiden, who has to ‘grow her hands back’, is the perfect metaphor for coming out of the pandemic and greeting the world again.

In the next episode of the Smoke Hole Sessions, Martin Shaw chats with Bat for Lashes singer songwriter and musician, Natasha Khan. Natasha talks about her move from the UK to California four years ago and her evolution as a mystic artist, explorer and new mother. They discuss the joys of parenthood and how the experience of sharing art, be it music or mythology, is changing as the world slowly emerges from the pandemic that has gripped it.

Martin has a wonderful, lyrical conversation with Academy Award winning actor and friend, Sir Mark Rylance. The pair discuss everything from the global shutdown to Shakespeare. They speak candidly about loss on a global and personal level, the interconnectedness of life and happy accidents in art; and the challenge of thinking about craft by not ‘reheating’ what has come before and allowing actors and performers to get lost in their work to provoke positive change. Mark shares is passion for that area between the land and sea - the wetlands - and their critical importance in regeneration and Martin muses on not being good at being a young person, the deliciousness of growing older and the benefits - if any - of losing memories as you age. Robert Bly, Billy Connolly, Shakespeare, dogs and cats and breaking into the Globe with pint in hand: Enjoy this unforgettable chat - you won’t want it to end.

Martin Shaw talks to rabbi, artist and author Dr. Ariel Burger, who reminds us that 'there are certain kinds of madness that really do constitute sanity in a world gone mad.' Ariel explains that this has been a theme in many of the Jewish mystical teachings that have inspired him, and he and Martin delve into how ancient stories help us to think about what is missing from the current conversation. They suggest that in times like these we must be open to the marginal and pay close attention to the periphery. When the conversation turns towards the current events in Gaza, Ariel asks that we consider one question: 'Is what you’re reading in the news going to help the peacemakers or not?'

Martin Shaw talks to publisher, author, podcaster and smallholder, John Mitchinson about the most powerful, precious and provocative objects in the world – books. More than simply content, more than print on paper, books are repositories of knowledge and a portal to anyone and anything, anywhere. John and Martin discuss the feeling of finding a kindred spirit in a book and extending the life of a book beyond its pages, passionately articulated and shared in John’s (and Andy Miller’s) podcast, Backlisted. Martin says, ‘There is very little in the world for me that is more magical than books.’ This one’s for the bibliophiles out there.

In this episode renowned storyteller Jan Blake recounts her journey into storytelling as a young woman growing up in Manchester. Jan has been performing worldwide for over twenty-five years, specialising in stories from Africa, the Caribbean and Arabia; she is both dynamic and generous in her storytelling. Both Jan and Martin have spent decades honing their craft and have learnt over time what it means to be true masters. They ask at what point do you call yourself a storyteller? Everyone can tell a story but what makes one an expert? Jan explains that there is a responsibility to storytelling and that one must 'recognise the responsibility to stand in true authenticity' before an audience.

Author David Keenan and Martin Shaw are true kindred spirits. Steeped in the music scene as a journalist and drummer respectively, their experiences have many magical parallels that they explore in this engrossing meeting of minds. From punk rock to poetry, they discuss writing, art and music, cultural amnesia and sonic spirituality. Dive in.

Martin Shaw chats with author and Boudicca incarnate, Jay Griffiths. They discuss their calling to the creative arts and Jay’s new book, Why Rebel. As they look back to lockdown and the ensuing pang of melancholy that comes with solitude, they realise that melancholy can make us self-forgetting and look beyond ourselves. This episode is for those seeking compassion in compassion-less times.

Welcome to the Smoke Hole Sessions, a series of vital conversations with some of our most admired writers, musicians, artists, comedians and more. In this first episode, Martin Shaw chats to longtime friend and Irish comedian Tommy Tiernan. They discuss what sorts of stories, performances and practices have helped them get through the last year (often without an audience) and in turn, how we as a society can use stories to emerge from the pandemic and learn to grow our hands back again.

Author and master storyteller Martin Shaw brings us the Smoke Hole Sessions – a series of vital conversations with inspirational people, in the hope that in the crackle of the thinking, the fire of the language, the visioning and the wildness of the exchanges, we may find breadcrumbs that lead us out of the forest again, and into a deeper life. Inspired by his new book Smoke Hole, Martin speaks to some of today’s most admired writers, musicians, comedians, activists and more about their own work and what the last year has meant to them.