Stan By Me

In the first episode where the artist fully “gets” and understands fandom - after waiting around stage doors himself in the early 2000s - we unite the hilariously frank Fred Macpherson with the hilariously honest Marie Oleinik. An emo girl taken off course, Marie’s accidental establishment into the ‘indie scene’ was anything but desirable. Now a healthy, music-loving journalist and photographer, Marie recounts how her days as a Spector stan (in the truest sense of the word) unfolded into all sorts of lies, drama and an eventual mental health breakthrough.

With host Katie Craik playing referee during what feels more like a therapy session than a re-uniting of fan and artist - our longest episode yet leaves no aspect of fandom uncovered, with no end of hot takes from the man who describes his own fans as a ‘small group of people with big problems’. As well as hearing Fred’s own fanboy memories from the heady days of The Libertines, we also explore what it’s like for bands as they pass through their eras, witnessing fans moving on... only to later reappear in their life as their biggest critics.

An exceptional good sport, Marie uses this opportunity to take her crown as the ‘Moth Boys’ era most legendary anecdote provider, truly baring her soul on her experience in the Spector fandom - and how she’s “glad it’s over” but “glad it happened”.

🎙️ Host - Katie Craik

🖼️ Artwork - @creaseillustration

🎵 Music - Blinkus B Booth

🎧 Post-production sound - James Simpson

Update: Can confirm Marie now has closure after the release of this episode.

After over a decade of Reuben’s ‘indefinite hiatus’, cult legend Jamie Lenman discusses how his initial scepticism of having “fans” developed over the years, as he considers unwanted fan forums, missed Christmas number ones, burgled houses, burnt records and the annual meeting of Reuben followers at his “tombstone”.

Possibly the most thought-provoking episode yet, we get surprisingly existential on the celebration of death, the dangers of technology and how crushed up beer cans sum up the magic of life. Most importantly, we find out if Jamie ever plans to visit 2000 Trees’ ‘Camp Reuben’...

🎙️ Host - Katie Craik

🎧 Sound - Daniel Huddlestone

🖼️ Artwork - @creaseillustration

🎵 Music - Blinkus B Booth

Put 3 Welsh natives on a call together, and they end up talking a lot about Wales. In this episode, we've got in Eggsy (fka John) of Welsh icons Goldie Lookin Chain to chat with the Chief (fka Paul) about their two decades of friendship. Proving wherever you go in the world, you will meet someone from Cwmbran, Paul quickly made the transition from fan to mate after showing GLC round the Oslo clubs back in 2004. Fast forward 10+ years and Eggsy is jumping on a track for Paul's own rap act Subway Safari, as well as sharing "exclusive mixes" via a strictly underground audio-based Whatsapp group...

Tangents aplenty, we discuss wrecked TV studios, unconventional crowdfunding campaigns, the bizarre tradition of the Christmas goblin and also find out who the hell 'Uncle Daddy' is.

Nadolig Llawen, God Jul and see you on the Christmas walk! 🎄

🎙️ Guest host - Izzy James

🖼️ Artwork - @creaseillustration

🎵 Music - Blinkus B Booth

🎧 Post-production sound - Hugh Fielding

In Stan By Me's first episode back, we speak to Brendan B. Brown of the teenage dirtbags that are WHEATUS. 

When the frontman of Joey's favourite band offered her the position to help out on tour aged 19, she was working part-time at Gloucester's Woolworths with little sense of direction. Joining the Wheatus touring family via the merch table, she subsequently met the people who would become her closest friends and... married the current bassist(!)   

Now living in New York, Joey finds herself in the same band that she had posters of when she was a teenager. INCREDIBLE.

🎙️ Guest host - Izzy James

🎧 Sound - Hugh Fielding

🖼️ Artwork - @creaseillustration

🎵 Music - Blinkus B Booth

In Stan By Me's fourth episode, we speak with The Midnight Beast’s chosen stan and “good luck charm” Eleenor Keefe, who became better known as @elzeyabingdon after adopting Stefan’s surname a decade ago.

Revealing the start of their career was mostly thanks to a plank of wood, we look back on how a group of friends dicking about online ended up with their own TV show and subsequently a boyband's fanbase, and what that felt like for a superfan that first found them with only a few hundred plays on YouTube.

Join Stef, Dru and Els as they uncover the dark(er) side of fan fiction, safe sex ads taken out of context and why you should definitely make sure you don't accidentally reveal your parent's house address in your most viewed viral video.

🎙️ Host - Katie Craik

🎧 Sound - Hugh Fielding

🖼️ Artwork - @creaseillustration

🎵 Music - Blinkus B Booth

In the first recording since critical acclaim (see: The Guardian), we cross the Atlantic Ocean to unite Lizzy Plapinger of NYC-based pop duo MS MR with Stan By Me collaborator and music journalist Matthew Kent. Shining the light on a very different kind of writing than he professes now, we cover the best bits from the early days of his Twitter account (he tweeted them every day for two years) and the moments that gave him “heart plapingerations” - a potential MS MR fan term that sadly never got off the ground.

As home truths are spilt and names are checked (Charli XCX.. Bloc Party.. Lorde..), we discuss everything from unfulfilled promises of eyelid tattoos to popping up on live German TV.  Basically, this is the story of how within a few years you can go from desperately DM-ing your number to try and meet your faves, to taking a walk around New York with them on your first trip to America.

🎙️ Guest host - Isobel Williams

🎧 Sound - Hugh Fielding

🖼️ Artwork - @creaseillustration

🎵 Music - Blinkus B Booth

In this episode, we unearth the ridiculous, hilarious and heart-warming tale of Charlie Barnes turning from "fan to man”... told via approximately 568 swear words and his heroes, Mike Vennart and Steve Durose of Oceansize.

Due to Charlie’s relentless dedication to the band, a whole host of unbelievable occurrences have taken place over the past 17 years; from playing onstage with a member, being signed to the same label, even having one of the band produce his album, and finally reaching career equilibrium as touring musicians respectively for chart-toppers Bastille and Biffy Clyro.

As well as a hell of a lot of ‘pinch me’ moments, we explore the profound effect fan and band have on each other, still to this day. Turns out sending that letter to your idol could actually change their perspective on a song, and getting that tattoo of their lyrics might just end up making their day 15 years later, while they watch you on-stage at Glastonbury... Wild!

🎙️ Guest host - Ed Wetenhall

🎧 Sound - Hugh Fielding

🖼️ Artwork - @creaseillustration

🎵 Music - Blinkus B Booth

In the stan hot seat herself, Stan By Me’s mastermind Katie Craik kicks off the podcast, tumbling deep down into her teenage past with frontman of The Hoosiers’ Irwin Sparkes. Turns out her obsession with them unexpectedly influenced every aspect of her life. Dress sense? Sense of humour? Her entire career? The Hoosiers are to blame.

We discuss the treasuring of Irwin’s discarded food packaging, tabloid reports on plans to cook and eat his girlfriend, the band’s horror movie moments with stalkers, unfortunate national radio degradation, the impact of fame and what happens when you notice a particular fan no longer turns up to your shows...

🎙️ Guest host - Matthew Kent

🎧 Sound - Hugh Fielding

🖼️ Artwork - @creaseillustration

🎵 Music - Blinkus B Booth

This episode was recorded pre-COVID.