Date for your diary: Symphony for Singing Bicycles: 7 July 2007

Posted on April 30, 2007 by Jack Thurston

The Bike Show is organising a performance of Godfried Willem-Raes’s second symphony for ‘singing bicycles’. It will take place in the morning of Saturday 7 July, starting outside Scooterworks Cafe, 132 Lower Marsh, SE1 This is the day of the Prologue Time Trial of the Tour De France, in Central London, so it will be possible to take part in the Singing Symphony in the morning and watch the Prologue in the afternoon! Continue reading →

Off air antics

Posted on April 19, 2007 by Jack Thurston

I’ve been enjoying some time not making The Bike Show. This short and potentially humiliating film gives a flavour as to what I’ve been up to. Filmed on Easter Monday in the hills of Taragona, Catalunya. That’s me on the bike and my friend Ferran with the goatee. Fifi on hidden camera…

12 March 2007: The word from San Francisco and a singing bicycle prototype

Posted on March 12, 2007 by Jack Thurston

We test out Andy Cox’s prototype singing bicycle, for use in the performance of Godfried Willem Raes’s Second Symphony. Down the line from San Francisco, Jon Winston fills us in on Bay Area cycle culture and his own Bikescape bicycling podcast.

This is the last in the current season of the Bike Show. Thanks to everyone who made it happen, and to everyone who’s tuned in. We’ll be back in the early summer.

Update (November 2007): The Symphony was performed in July 2007. You can hear a recording in this show.

MP3 Download

Ogg Vorbis Download

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

5 March 2007: Green London?

Posted on March 7, 2007 by Jack Thurston

A look at London Mayor Ken Livingstone’s ambition for London to be the greenest major city in the world. Host Jack Thurston and Erica Jobson of Futerra, the London-based sustainable development communications consultancy discuss the role of government and the part that individual lifestyle choices can play in reducing the emission of climate change causing greenhouse gases.

MP3 download

Ogg Vorbis download

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

26 February 2007: Calling All Bicycle Filmmakers!

Posted on February 27, 2007 by Jack Thurston

Looking ahead to the 2007 Bicycle Film Festival, which has plans for screenings in 15 countries including a third year in London. In the studio is the BFF’s London coordinator Roxy Erickson. We discuss how to make a great bicycle film, even if you’re not an experienced filmmaker. We also tap our feet to the all time grooviest soundtrack of a cycling film: a half hour film about the London-Holyhead road race, at the time the world’s longest single day race.

Two great British-made bicycling short films that ought to be featured in this year’s Bicycle Film Festival are:

Four Minute Tour, a stunning look at the Tour de France, featuring audio from The Bike Show.

Country Commute, a hilarious and charming ride across the Cornish countryside, featuring plenty-o-helmet camera.

MP3 Download

Ogg Vorbis Download

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Vote for The Bike Show

Posted on February 21, 2007 by Jack Thurston

I have to confess that I’m amazed and delighted at the success of The Bike Show’s podcast edition. Most listeners will be aware that The Bike Show is made for broadcast on Resonance FM, an experimental art radio station in London. However, thanks to podcasting, it is reaching a much wider audience, right around the globe.

So first of all, thanks again to Jon Oates, who first encouraged me to get my podcasting act together and held my hand while I flapped around trying to do it. This was back in May 2005, in the early prehistory of podcasting, before iTunes podcast directory, Ricky Gervais and all.

Since then, The Bike Show’s podcast has grown in popularity to a point where it is downloaded each week by between 1000 and 1500 subscribers! Almost all of this has been through word of mouth. I have done zero promotion as I’m too busy just making the show itself every week.

But I’ve been told that a good way to spread the word about The Bike Show is to vote for it on Podcast Alley. You can do that in a flash by clicking here. So far there is a grand total of 7 votes. The show deserves more than that, doesn’t it?

12 February 2007: More experimental bicycle music

Posted on February 14, 2007 by Jack Thurston

Pipe cycle Another thrilling dip into the world of experimental music involving bicycles. With guest in the studio Andy Cox, guitarist in The Beat, Fine Young Cannibals and Cribabi, who is known to play the occasional bicycle. We feature Frank Zappa’s first ever TV appearance (see below) – playing a bike! Plus music made by Sylvia Hallett, the Portland Bike Ensemble, Jon Rose’s Pursuit Project and Jab Mica Och El. Andy shares a few exclusive fragments of his own bicycle music.