Our guest today is a maverick of music, an agent provocateur whose visually arresting image, razor sharp humour and mentally challenging music helped forge that most enduring of sub-cultures; 'Goth'. Back in the early 1980s when the post-punk counter culture embraced film noir and turned the technicolor of glam into a more sinister monochromatic look, festooned with spider webs, skulls and too much eye-liner Nik Fiend was one of the original bad-taste makers at London's The Batcave club. 'Alien Sex Fiend' along with 'The Specimen' and 'Sex Gang Children' made regular appearances at the infamous Batcave. Together they helped establish the look and feel of the early Goth scene in the south, where the likes of Nick Cave, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Bauhaus, Foetus, Robert Smith and even a freshly crimped and spiked Elizabeth Hurley were all regular attendees. The world has of course never been the same, and while music and fashion constantly evolve there is alway the reverberation of the gothic asthetic. Mr & Mrs Fiend continue to create and celebrate chaos around the world, finding success on US college radio, getting 'big in Japan' and spreading their tendrils throughout continental Europe. Uncompromising, often hilarious, always a little bit shocking Alien Sex Fiend are a national treasure who have been hidden in the basement for far too long. 

Before we talk to Nik we do that thing we love to do, we talk about a completely different type of music! This month we are very pleased to speak to Alex Coles about his excellent book on Jazz Fusion. It is beautiful object and a fascinating discussion about how Jazz can be fused with all manner of musical styles and add to the overall effect. The discussion takes in Sinatra, Joni Mitchell, Charlie Mingus, Kendrick Lamar and Neneh Cherry.

We also set aside a few minutes to discussing the giant hole in Deb's flat.

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