Ricky & Tony: Pop Detectives

Ricky and Tony take their Pop Detectivism very seriously, however during those long days and nights at the office, conversation can drift…a lot! We were going to call this the Best Of Pop Detectives but we thought that was pushing it, especially when no pop mysteries were solved in the making of this episode…so that must make it the Worst Of Pop Detectives.  Here’s what you didn’t hear in previous episodes, expect topics such as...world record for time spent up a tree, church bells, cheese phobias, Coronation Street and socks. Find your calm, get 25% OFF the entire CALM, EASE and REST CBD ranges plus free shipping at: https://grassandco.com/pages/pop  Thanks to Wooga - Download June's Journey for free from the App Store or Google Play here If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans at EighteenSixty  Creative Producer: Will Nichols

Bowie was a master of reinvention and was streets ahead of the curve...but did he really predict the future too? In the final case of the series of Ricky & Tony, the Pop Detectives are investigating a theory which in some ways seems feasible but in other ways just plain bizarre! Some of the comments that David Bowie made during in a Newnight interview in 1999 about how we’d use the internet in years to come are spookily accurate, that music streaming would be normal and the internet would give us “windows into our idols' lives” (Twitter, Instagram, TikTok anyone?). Coupled with more unusual theory that the great man tried to tell us about the birth of Kanye West five years before his birth, some people seem to believe that Bowie was some kind of modern day Nostradamus, could this be true? Ricky and Tony yet again have experts on hand, David Robson, a science writer who’s an expert on people who can accurately predict world events, and for a window into Kanye West’s world, Chris Lambert, host of Watching The Throne, the Kanye West Podcast. Watch the Newsnight interview here and more about the Kanye theory here. Thanks to Wooga - Download June's Journey for free from the App Store or Google Play here If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans at EighteenSixty  Creative Producer: Will Nichols

WARNING: This episode contains strong language and references to drug taking. It’s a Happy Mondays Special as Ricky & Tony are joined by the one and only Shaun Ryder to help get to the bottom of this legendary pop myth. At the height of ‘the second summer of love’ in 1990, the Happy Mondays headlined Glastonbury festival, but not content with the number of passes they were given, the 24 hour party people decided to knock up a few of their own by taking their own laminator with them. The chaos they brought to the festival that year is said to have caused Michael Eavis to be mad at the band ever since, and even may have been the reason Glastonbury took a year off in 1991! To get to the bottom of this one, Ricky & Tony are going straight to the source. Nathan McGough managed of the band throughout their heyday and the legendary Shaun Ryder shares what he remembers (which is more than you’d think). As the Pop Detectives discover, there’s a lot more to this story than a few fake passes! If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans at EighteenSixty  Creative Producer: Will Nichols

Ricky and Tony are back on the case of another superstar-based pop myth. One of their stool pigeons has tipped them to a demand by the Goddess of Pop, Cher, for a special room wherever she goes for the sole use of her wigs.  Rumour has it that when on tour the room is furnished with just a table and three chairs, along with other demands of white and milk chocolate fountains, a slush machine and mountains, Walkers Thai sweet chilli crisps and no air-con! For this one the sleuths need to get to the heart of Hollywood and close to Cher’s inner circle. They track down Cher’s former dancer and famous choreographer (and one of the original kids from Fame) Bubba Carr who lets Ricky & Tony in on the secrets of what happens on tour and what Cher’s really like to work for. And someone who knows Cher’s wigs better than most, world famous wig maker to the stars Renate Leuschner shares her stories of working on those famous dos. She’s also made wigs for most of Hollywood including Robin Williams (The Mrs Doubtfire wig), Bette Middler, Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell, Halle Berry and many more. With so many strands to this story, there’s a lot of evidence for Ricky & Tony to comb through. If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans at EighteenSixty  Creative Producer: Will Nichols

In 1987 Freddie Mercury turned 41 and decided to throw the mother of all parties at Pikes beach club in Ibiza. With myths a-plenty for this party, it even features in the Bohemian Rhapsody film, it’s hard to know what’s legend and what’s the truth!  350 bottles of champagne, a six-foot cake, three days just to inflate all the balloons and also a firework display that could be seen from Majorca, almost 100 miles away! Ricky and Tony investigate by chatting to Andy Hubble from one of the country’s top fireworks display companies to find out if fireworks could have been seen from that far away or whether it’s just hot air. Next the pair track down someone who was actually at the party, and not just anybody, the man who took all of the photos and was Freddie’s personal photographer at most of his parties, Richard Young. Richard captured loads of shots of Freddie over the years and shares his memories of the party and what it was like to be Freddie’s go-to photographer. See some more photos from Freddie’s party here. If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans at EighteenSixty  Creative Producer: Will Nichols

Ricky’s been lucky enough to receive some gold and platinum awards in his time. However, he once noticed that the grooves and tracks on one of his Kaiser Chiefs gold records didn’t match the ones from the actual vinyl. What’s going on? Are all Gold/Platinum records actually all the same record? If so, what record is it? If not then who on earth’s record does Ricky have? To try and crack this case Ricky and Tony need to chat to those in the know, like Gennaro Castaldo from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) who are the ones who give out the awards, as well as going straight to the source, to the man who actually makes them, Bryan Barns from Award Framers International.  Is there a perfectly logical explanation here or have we got a case of Fools Gold? If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram Vote for Ricky & Tony in the British Podcast Awards. Enter our podcast name in the Listener's Choice here: https://www.britishpodcastawards.com/vote Get your free case (plus shipping) of craft beer worth £24 from beer52, using this link: https://www.beer52.com/POP Find your calm, get 25% OFF the entire CALM, EASE and REST CBD ranges plus free shipping at: https://grassandco.com/pages/pop From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans at EighteenSixty  Creative Producer: Will Nichols

Something’s been puzzling Ricky for a few years and he wants the help of Tony and their experts to get to the bottom of it. On the day that actor Gene Wilder died in 2016, Ricky was moved to post a tribute on Twitter, only to find out that Gene was following him! However, what’s even more strange is that the account only follows 13 people, Ricky being one of them, along with a few Hollywood stars. Why and how did this happen? To get to the bottom of this one Ricky and Tony want to go beyond the grave, luckily they’ve got the contact details of Patrick Keller, host of ‘The Big Seance’ Podcast who knows all about contacting dead celebrities and even tries to make contact with Gene for them.  And to get some cold hard facts on whether Ricky’s famous follower might have been the victim of hackers (if so, why only follow Ricky?), the pair chat to their social media security expert Drew Benvie.  Can they find the golden ticket that will give them the answers? It turns out things aren’t quite as easily explained as you might think!  If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram Get your free case (plus shipping) of craft beer worth £24 from beer52, using this link: https://www.beer52.com/POP Find your calm, get 25% OFF the entire CALM, EASE and REST CBD ranges plus free shipping at: https://grassandco.com/pages/pop From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans at EighteenSixty  Creative Producer: Will Nichols

It’s a brand new series and Ricky and Tony have got everything they need, including the all important rubber ‘case-solved’ stamp, to safely crack an in-tray full of new cases from home. This week’s tip-off is that Barack Obama allegedly hired Miley Cyrus as a political distraction tool to avert the public’s gaze away from new legislation that some say wasn’t going to go down well with the American public. Was her infamous performance at the 2013 VMAs all an elaborate case of smoke and mirrors orchestrated by the then president to fill the media with stories about her antics rather than his policies? Ricky and Tony as always have the very best experts at hand. They speak to Lance Price, former spin-doctor under Alistair Campbell during Tony Blair’s time at No. 10 to find out if this stuff really goes on in politics; as well as speaking to a doctor of pop, Dr. Adam Behr who knows a thing or two about how pop stars use the media. The Pop Detectives are back in the thick of it with this one! If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram Get your free case (plus shipping) of craft beer worth £24 from beer52, using this link: https://www.beer52.com/POP From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans at EighteenSixty  Creative Producer: Will Nichols

Pop Detectives is back in business! Recorded live from lockdown, from their home detective offices, Kaiser Chiefs’ frontman Ricky Wilson and radio royalty Tony Blackburn continue to debunk pop myths and solve musical mysteries. Episode 1 coming soon...

On the way to solving all the mysteries in this series and as new colleagues, Ricky and Tony had a lot of acquainting to be done, and during those long late nights at the office, it’s easy for conversation to drift to other matters.  Here’s what you didn’t hear in previous episodes. No pop mysteries were solved in the making of this episode. If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving in a future episode get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans Creative Producers: Will Nichols, Geoff Lloyd

Did Billy Bragg and the Manic Street Preachers ever make up and get over their toilet differences after the Welsh rockers brought their own toilet to Glastonbury once.   It was at Glastonbury 1999 when the Manics came up with their own take on BYOB (Bring Your Own Bog), Billy Bragg accused them of going against everything the festival stood for and forgetting their socialist values. He took particular issue to the handwritten notice on the door, "These facilities are reserved exclusively for the Manic Street Preachers." The case for Ricky & Tony is to find out if they ever got over the spat so as ever they have the experts at hand. Will Orchard is the organiser of Kendall Calling festival who booked the Manics in 2019, are they still in the habit of bringing their own toilets? And to find out how celebrities get over their differences, mediator to the stars, Gig Kyriacou in LA gives the inside scoop. Never ones to get bogged down in the detail, it’s another case to solve for the Pop Detectives. If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans Creative Producers: Will Nichols, Geoff Lloyd Researcher: Eloise Carr

Did Avril Lavigne die and get replaced by a clone who’s been fooling fans for the last 17 years?         The theory claims that Avril, struggling with fame having been thrust into the limelight at only 18, began using a body double named Melissa Vandella hired for her striking resemblance to Avril. At some point, the real Avril is said to have died, so the record company replaced her with Melissa full-time.  The evidence is certainly intriguing but as always Ricky & Tony’s rolodex is on hand to get an expert opinion. Avril superfan Mika Itkin-Weinstein has spent an unhealthy amount of time looking into this case already having set up a petition to unite Avril and her clone Melissa for a photo, and to find out how cutting edge technology could help solve this case once and for all Ricky & Tony chat to the founder of face recognition app YOTI.  A complicated case but for Ricky & Tony it’s another day in the office and no case goes unsolved...ever! If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans Creative Producers: Will Nichols, Geoff Lloyd Researcher: Eloise Carr

The latest case for Ricky and Tony involves the crazy world of SIlicon Valley and whether rapper Azaelia Banks was asked by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to make an amulet to ward off evil spirits, specifically, ISIS.                  The story goes that in 2016, the Twitter boss sent some of his beard shavings to Banks so that she could make him an amulet that would protect him from ISIS in return for her promoting one of his apps. Firstly did this actually happen and if so does Azaelia Banks actually have the necessary magical powers? To try and crack this strange case Ricky & Tony need some real experts, who better than an actual witch, ‘witch-for-hire’ Katrina Rusbold and someone who knows all about the strange goings on in Silicon Valley, undercover reporter and author Corey Pein. It’s one of the more unusual cases to land on the desks of the Pop Detectives but if anyone can solve it, it’s these two! If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans Creative Producers: Will Nichols, Geoff Lloyd Researcher: Eloise Carr

Did Jimi Hendrix really conceal LSD beneath his famous bandana so that it seeped into his skin to get him high when on stage? It’s a new case for Ricky and Tony as they attempt to open their third eyes on the evidence. As well as being part of his signature look, did the legendary Jimi Hendrix have another use for his bandana? Ricky and Tony receive a tip off that he used to use the headgear to conceal LSD when he played on stage and that it would actually keep him high as it seeped into his forehead. Being committed pop detectives, Ricky and Tony are a bit in the dark when it comes to psychedelics and Tony was out in the North Sea for most of the 60s so have as always enlisted the help of experts in their field.  They chat to Amanda Feilding, founder of psychedelic research group The Beckley Foundation who has spent her life researching drugs about how LSD works (and about the act of trepanation), and Dr Christian Lloyd, a Jimi Hendrix academic who knows a thing or two about the great man. There’s a lot to get their heads around with this case but that won’t deter our pop detectives! If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans Creative Producers: Will Nichols, Geoff Lloyd Researcher: Eloise Carr

Did the famous rivalry between Prince and Michael Jackson get so heated in the early 80s that it could have changed music forever? It’s a new case for Ricky and Tony and naturally they’re on a mission to solve it!   The word on the street is that at a James Brown show in 1983, Prince felt he’d be made to look a fool on stage by MJ and got so mad that he asked his limo driver to try and run him and La Toya down. You can watch the YouTube footage for yourself here!   Luckily, Ricky & Tony’s intelligence web stretches deep into Hollywood and they have the experts on hand to shed more light on the situation. Ricky has Prince superfan Casey Rain on hand to give his side of the story and biographer and fountain of MJ knowledge Steve Knopper shares his intel.    Could a moonwalk, a few body pops and some killer riffs have resulted in a pop showdown with a tragic end, or has the rumour mill gone into overdrive? The Pop Detectives are on the case! If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving leave a review or get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com   Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans Creative Producers: Will Nichols, Geoff Lloyd Researcher: Eloise Carr

It’s rumoured the world-round that Jennifer Lopez insured her backside, but is there truth in it? Can Ricky & Tony: Pop Detectives, get to the bottom of this one? The evidence first surfaced in the tabloids (The Sun and the New York Post) in 1999 when they reported that Jennifer Lopez took out an insurance policy on her famous backside for up to $1 billion!  Luckily, as the world’s leading pop detectives, Ricky & Tony have the experts on hand who can help them crack the case. Their man in insurance, Charlie Boyd from Lloyds Of London knows all about insuring famous body parts and if there’s anybody who can give them the inside scoop on J.Lo, it’s the world’s most famous J.Lo impersonator, Connie Peña, direct from LA. Could J.Lo really put in a claim for a billion dollars if she sat on a cactus? Ricky & Tony are on the case! If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans Creative Producers: Will Nichols, Geoff Lloyd Researcher: Eloise Carr

It’s Ricky’s first day on the job as a gumshoe apprentice and there’s a lot of evidence to go through. The story goes that one late night in Manhattan, Harry was picked up by a creepy but handsome man driving a VW Beetle but found she couldn’t get out. She luckily managed to make a run for it but years later was convinced the driver was none other than the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy.    Ricky & Tony’s black book is the envy of the pop detective world and to crack this case they need the best experts. An informant from the Alcatraz East Crime Museum who now own Ted Bundy’s car is sure to know the gritty details of that VW Bug and if there was ever an expert who could give the inside scoop on Ted Bundy, it’s self confessed ‘Bundyphile’ E.J Hammon.   Was the pop world very nearly deprived of Blondie, or was it a creepy case of mistaken identity? Ricky & Tony will find out, one way or another...   If you have a pop mystery you’d like solving get in touch at rickyandtony.com or email podcast@rickyandtony.com   Tweet and follow the podcast @rickyandtonypod. See the office on Instagram From Globe Productions  Producer: Gareth Evans Creative Producers: Will Nichols, Geoff Lloyd Researcher: Eloise Carr

Coming Soon: Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson has taken up a new role as broadcasting legend Tony Blackburn's apprentice in Ricky & Tony's Pop Detective agency. The pair will be debunking pop myths and solving musical mysteries from their office just above a takeaway on the Holloway Road.