In which I ask Shaun Panda Nicolson about restarting his hit podcast series 4 Songs and a Dream...
If you look back through my list of "not about art" articles, you'll see a LOT about music. And one of the first music articles I added to this website contains my thoughts on my favourite album, Songs From the Pink Room by Shaun Panda Nicolson. I've been a fan of his work ever since I first heard the album and have followed his creative endeavours ever since, as they have evolved on social media. This includes going back through some of his older podcasts [Stalker! - Ed] so you can imagine that I was intrigued when I spotted a post recently saying he was looking at restarting one of my favourites, called 4 Songs and a Dream. So, ever the opportunist, I took the chance to drop Shaun a message [STALKER!! - Ed] and ask him about it.
Thanks very much for agreeing to chat, Shaun. To start with, and for those that don't know you already, tell us a wee bit about yourself and where the idea for the 4 Songs and a Dream podcast came from initially?
Hi, I'm Shaun Panda Nicolson and I am a Podcaster, sometime music maker and full time theatre manager from the Isle of Skye.
I started the podcast during a period of deep depression where I felt I had lost myself/not yet discovered myself. I did a lot of dog walking during this period and that's where I properly got into podcasts. I started with things like The Adam Buxton Podcast and Distraction Pieces w/Scroobius Pip and then branched out into indie podcasts and that's where I met Jamie Irwin.
Jamie Irwin hosted a podcast called “What’s Your Favourite?” (I make my podcasting debut in episode 67) And it was basically a lovely hour of Jamie asking famous, and sometimes not so famous, guests to tell him their favourite sound, smell, colour etc. It was such a simple idea but I felt I got to know Jamie and his guests better from these seemingly innocuous questions. People opened up and just loved to talk with him. This led me to check out some of his little known guests like the Moviedrone boys, the comedians Darren Dutton and Rich Wilson and many, many more.
Anyway, Jamie basically gave me the confidence and support to give this podcasting thing a shot and so I started my own and it’s one the best gifts I've ever given myself.
I chose 4 Songs and a Dream as a format as I wasn’t confident I could maintain a conversation, so if I was ever floundering I could go “…..ok time for song number 2!”
I know you started 4 Songs and a Dream a few years ago now. Where can listeners find previous episodes to listen to and what can they expect to hear in a typical episode?
All the previous episodes still exist on Spotify, Apple Music etc. https://open.spotify.com/show/6HEXhlmqNJJTXSXhDTpqvc (Spotify Link)
A typical episode will play out this way:
1. Waffling Intro by me
2. Introduction of this week's Guest and a quick chat about who they are and what they do
3. We delve into the 4 songs they have picked for the podcast that are special to them (not necessarily their favourites)
4. Outro and a song/sample of the guest's work.
When I write it out like that it seems boring but I think it’s anything but! Some of the song choices are really surprising and some of the reasons behind them are touching, funny or just plain interesting. I suggest you start by listening to a guest you know and go from there.
So who has been your favourite or most surprising guest so far? Any unusual music choices?
Honestly, I've loved them all (all 138 episodes!) for different reasons but, purely for personal reasons, Sue Tompkins from Life Without Buildings was the one that really got me. I had recently got into the band (like 20 years too late) and was instantly obsessed. I'd never heard lyrics that were so abstract yet could convey such immense feelings in me.
If you haven’t heard of them, they released this one perfect album (Any Other City) then disbanded. I’d had been speaking with the guitarist Robert Dallas Gray (he still makes sensational and life changing music btw) and asked if he would ask Sue to come on the podcast and she did and it was amazing. We talked for about 2 and a half hours and I actually had to leave so much on the cutting room floor for brevity but it felt like a major achievement for me. Getting someone whose art touched me so deeply was everything I wanted from this podcast and more.
I also have to say Stuart Braithwaite from Mogwai was massive for me (although I had really bad anxiety on that ep so I can’t listen to it without reliving it) and Emma Pollock from the Delgados was another incredible “get” from a personal standpoint. James Walsh from Starsailor was another big one for me as he was one of my teenage heroes but, again, the conversation was marred by major technical problems that stressed me out so much I had a 30 minute cry before it started and I think I’ll always associate the episode with the bad stuff sadly. I'd like another run at that one. I wonder if he’d do it again?
As for unusual choices, the one that always took me by surprise was Jasmin Reid who picked Haddaway’s What is Love? Full disclosure, I always make sure I don’t know the reasons why the songs are picked before chatting to guests so it's a genuine surprise and Jasmin had chosen this song because her Gran was apparently obsessed with Haddaway, which always makes me smile when I think about it. Most of the time you can think “oh this sounds like a wedding song” or something but this was so out of left field and I would never have guessed it so it's definitely “up there” for me.
It’s been a little while since the last episode. Why is now the right time for you to kick the podcast off again?
Thankfully not a deep depression. No, well I stopped because I finally got the confidence to apply for a dream job of Theatre Manager and, well, I got it and it was a crazy amount of work so I felt it was time to put the podcast on the back burner while I learnt the ropes and put my energy into making it a success.
Then I started doing a podcast called 3 Men and a Mixtape with two of my good friends Ben Murray and Peter Marshall and it reignited a spark in me. I just want that connection again and, even though it’s a constant in my life, I feel I’ve kind of fell back in love with music
It just feels like it’s the right time.
So, I guess you’re looking for interesting people to come on the show as guests. What kind of people are you looking for and how can they get in touch with you?
Honestly, if you look through my guest list I have had everyone from Musicians, to Authors, to comedians, to filmmakers, to even fellow podcasters. Basically, if someone sparks an interest in my brain, I will have them on. All I really want is open people who like music and who want to tell their story.
They can email me at shaunnicolson@googlemail.com and I’ll do my best to respond to everyone. If you email and I don’t reply, just email again after a month or so. Also, if I don't “pick” you, I promise it won’t be anything personal. No-one connects with everything. I have an insane amount of respect for anyone who puts themself out there creatively and does it with honesty. I'm sure there's people out there who cannot stand stuff I do. Most of the time it’s me haha. Anyway, it's a fun podcast, it's done over Zoom, you don't have to do video if you don't want to and you get final say on what goes in or stays out of the finished product. Even if you say “I hated it all” we just won't put it out. Simple.
Hi, I'm Shaun Panda Nicolson and I am a Podcaster, sometime music maker and full time theatre manager from the Isle of Skye.
I started the podcast during a period of deep depression where I felt I had lost myself/not yet discovered myself. I did a lot of dog walking during this period and that's where I properly got into podcasts. I started with things like The Adam Buxton Podcast and Distraction Pieces w/Scroobius Pip and then branched out into indie podcasts and that's where I met Jamie Irwin.
Jamie Irwin hosted a podcast called “What’s Your Favourite?” (I make my podcasting debut in episode 67) And it was basically a lovely hour of Jamie asking famous, and sometimes not so famous, guests to tell him their favourite sound, smell, colour etc. It was such a simple idea but I felt I got to know Jamie and his guests better from these seemingly innocuous questions. People opened up and just loved to talk with him. This led me to check out some of his little known guests like the Moviedrone boys, the comedians Darren Dutton and Rich Wilson and many, many more.
Anyway, Jamie basically gave me the confidence and support to give this podcasting thing a shot and so I started my own and it’s one the best gifts I've ever given myself.
I chose 4 Songs and a Dream as a format as I wasn’t confident I could maintain a conversation, so if I was ever floundering I could go “…..ok time for song number 2!”
I know you started 4 Songs and a Dream a few years ago now. Where can listeners find previous episodes to listen to and what can they expect to hear in a typical episode?
All the previous episodes still exist on Spotify, Apple Music etc. https://open.spotify.com/show/6HEXhlmqNJJTXSXhDTpqvc (Spotify Link)
A typical episode will play out this way:
1. Waffling Intro by me
2. Introduction of this week's Guest and a quick chat about who they are and what they do
3. We delve into the 4 songs they have picked for the podcast that are special to them (not necessarily their favourites)
4. Outro and a song/sample of the guest's work.
When I write it out like that it seems boring but I think it’s anything but! Some of the song choices are really surprising and some of the reasons behind them are touching, funny or just plain interesting. I suggest you start by listening to a guest you know and go from there.
So who has been your favourite or most surprising guest so far? Any unusual music choices?
Honestly, I've loved them all (all 138 episodes!) for different reasons but, purely for personal reasons, Sue Tompkins from Life Without Buildings was the one that really got me. I had recently got into the band (like 20 years too late) and was instantly obsessed. I'd never heard lyrics that were so abstract yet could convey such immense feelings in me.
If you haven’t heard of them, they released this one perfect album (Any Other City) then disbanded. I’d had been speaking with the guitarist Robert Dallas Gray (he still makes sensational and life changing music btw) and asked if he would ask Sue to come on the podcast and she did and it was amazing. We talked for about 2 and a half hours and I actually had to leave so much on the cutting room floor for brevity but it felt like a major achievement for me. Getting someone whose art touched me so deeply was everything I wanted from this podcast and more.
I also have to say Stuart Braithwaite from Mogwai was massive for me (although I had really bad anxiety on that ep so I can’t listen to it without reliving it) and Emma Pollock from the Delgados was another incredible “get” from a personal standpoint. James Walsh from Starsailor was another big one for me as he was one of my teenage heroes but, again, the conversation was marred by major technical problems that stressed me out so much I had a 30 minute cry before it started and I think I’ll always associate the episode with the bad stuff sadly. I'd like another run at that one. I wonder if he’d do it again?
As for unusual choices, the one that always took me by surprise was Jasmin Reid who picked Haddaway’s What is Love? Full disclosure, I always make sure I don’t know the reasons why the songs are picked before chatting to guests so it's a genuine surprise and Jasmin had chosen this song because her Gran was apparently obsessed with Haddaway, which always makes me smile when I think about it. Most of the time you can think “oh this sounds like a wedding song” or something but this was so out of left field and I would never have guessed it so it's definitely “up there” for me.
It’s been a little while since the last episode. Why is now the right time for you to kick the podcast off again?
Thankfully not a deep depression. No, well I stopped because I finally got the confidence to apply for a dream job of Theatre Manager and, well, I got it and it was a crazy amount of work so I felt it was time to put the podcast on the back burner while I learnt the ropes and put my energy into making it a success.
Then I started doing a podcast called 3 Men and a Mixtape with two of my good friends Ben Murray and Peter Marshall and it reignited a spark in me. I just want that connection again and, even though it’s a constant in my life, I feel I’ve kind of fell back in love with music
It just feels like it’s the right time.
So, I guess you’re looking for interesting people to come on the show as guests. What kind of people are you looking for and how can they get in touch with you?
Honestly, if you look through my guest list I have had everyone from Musicians, to Authors, to comedians, to filmmakers, to even fellow podcasters. Basically, if someone sparks an interest in my brain, I will have them on. All I really want is open people who like music and who want to tell their story.
They can email me at shaunnicolson@googlemail.com and I’ll do my best to respond to everyone. If you email and I don’t reply, just email again after a month or so. Also, if I don't “pick” you, I promise it won’t be anything personal. No-one connects with everything. I have an insane amount of respect for anyone who puts themself out there creatively and does it with honesty. I'm sure there's people out there who cannot stand stuff I do. Most of the time it’s me haha. Anyway, it's a fun podcast, it's done over Zoom, you don't have to do video if you don't want to and you get final say on what goes in or stays out of the finished product. Even if you say “I hated it all” we just won't put it out. Simple.
That all sounds very easy to do and, if I wasn't so awful at speaking out loud, you'd definitely have had an application from me. [Instead, there will be an article next week with MY four songs!]
Final question then – if YOU, Shaun Panda Nicolson, were going to be the guest on 4SAAD, what would one of your four song choices be and why?
Well on my 101st episode I did do this but I will try and pick a different one for this interview. Ooh it’s hard. How do people do this?
I think I’ll go for You and Everybody That You Love Will One Day Die by Slime City because it's my ultimate comfort song. Anytime I am stressed or overwhelmed with life I will pop on this song (available from all good record shops and here https://slime-city.bandcamp.com) and remind myself that life is kind of ultimately pointless so don’t sweat the small stuff. We are all gonna die and so let’s just embrace life and try and get everything we can from it. Is that a little too wanky? I don’t care, it’s pretty true. It’s also a banging song that I'm so surprised hasn't been in the end credits for a teen horror movie. It’s perfect for it.
Final question then – if YOU, Shaun Panda Nicolson, were going to be the guest on 4SAAD, what would one of your four song choices be and why?
Well on my 101st episode I did do this but I will try and pick a different one for this interview. Ooh it’s hard. How do people do this?
I think I’ll go for You and Everybody That You Love Will One Day Die by Slime City because it's my ultimate comfort song. Anytime I am stressed or overwhelmed with life I will pop on this song (available from all good record shops and here https://slime-city.bandcamp.com) and remind myself that life is kind of ultimately pointless so don’t sweat the small stuff. We are all gonna die and so let’s just embrace life and try and get everything we can from it. Is that a little too wanky? I don’t care, it’s pretty true. It’s also a banging song that I'm so surprised hasn't been in the end credits for a teen horror movie. It’s perfect for it.
Thanks very much to Shaun for taking the time to tell me a bit more about 4 Songs and a Dream and to answer my questions. Remember to listen to previous episodes of the podcast here and, if you fancy taking part in the podcast, Shaun is recording his latest series now so get in touch.
Title image - courtesy Shaun Nicolson, album cover - Amazon
