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MusicInOxford.co.uk podcast interview: Jon Spira, ‘Anyone Can Play Guitar’

Posted on by simonminter

Mark Wilden caught up with the director/brainiac behind Oxford music documentary Anyone Can Play Guitar recently, and the result is this special half-hour podcast special. Listen to Jon Spira speak in depth about the film, the process of making it, and exactly what it takes to collate several decades’ worth of a town’s music scene into a coherent and entertaining movie – including why some stuff was left out. Thanks Jon for taking the time, and good luck with the film, which will ‘go on tour’ with screenings around the country in the coming months, and be released on DVD very soon! Find out all about the film at the Anyone Can Play Guitar website.

Download an MP3 of the podcast here: MusicInOxford.co.uk podcast: interview with Jon Spira

  • Anonymous

    That was great listen, thanks.  Having missed the premiere, I’m now doubly excited about seeing the film – altho he has definitely made a different film about Oxford than I woudl have, I can;t think of a better person than Jon to do this, it’s going to be very good.

    The only disappointing thing to hear was 2 people in their early 30s talk about how they were too old to go to gigs (esp from Mark, who I know goes to one  a week, roughly, so he’s still definitely involved).  I could rant and rave about how you should support the music, and make an effort, and all that guff, but my real feeling is that if music lovers don’t go to gigs because they’re worried they might be to old, or too young, or to hot, or some other rubbish, I feel sorry for them. Don’t live in fear, grasshopper! Come on, go to a gig, even if you might be a whole decade older than the average person, you’ll probably enjoy it: you could be the next Jeremy Hughes.

    As for feeling too old to dance because everyone else is younger…well, come on, when do you two fuckers ever dance anyway?

  • Mark Wilden

    That’s sadly untrue, Rich; my gig attendance is about half that these days.  I still support an awful lot of music on record, plundering the Truck local section, and probably spend more on music that way.  There are certainly gigs I don’t go to because waiting around in e.g. the Cellar on a busy Saturday night when it’ll probably be heaving, I won’t know anyone else who wants to go and the bands probably won’t be on until 10pm isn’t an appealing idea, particularly when my feelings for the band extend to pleasant curiosity and no further.  Which is why I love coming to your gigs: I’ll know at least one person there, there’ll be drinkable beer and it probably won’t be unpleasantly rammed…

  • Anonymous

    Well, even so, 2 gigs a month is all many people do. 

    And, not going to certain gigs/venues because you don’t like the timetable/beer/sound/decor is valid, we all do that (compare number of Gappy visits to the O2 compared to Zodiac and it woudl tell quite a story), but what you guys said was “my gigging days are behind me […[ I’m too old”, which is just silly.

    And, yes, GTI is rarely unpleasantly rammed…or even pleasantly…

  • Theknaggs

    hope you good folk of oxford come  see me sing and play  the oxford bars  all the best james knaggs lead guitarist singer native roses brighton