Welcome back for another week and another new guest, this is episode 252 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T and Yeastie Boys and thanks to you readers and listeners.
Now – as you probably know, as well as the usual platforms (this site, soundcloud, iTunes/Apple) you can get to Sweetman Podcast on Spotify – follow it there and have it saved in your Spotify library. It’s on most of the podcast platforms besides the ones mentioned here.
This one is a conversation with Mike Blue or Dr Blue – he is a poet and musician, a singer and guitarist. He plays originals and covers, he busks and plays gigs in bars and venues – his website in the link above has all of his dates. He’s making his way around New Zealand in a series of mini-tours – and has already garnered some nice press.
Mike is originally from England and moved out here last year, having visited previously to perform a theatre show. He and his wife Sameena Zehra have worked together and alone on various Fringe shows and Sameena was a previous podcast guest. (So check out that episode in the link if you missed it). When Sameena was here for a chat she told me I had to meet Mike. So I did. I’d seen him perform already in fact. And thought he was great. So I got him to read a poem or two and play some music at the launch for my poetry book late last year. And hatched the plan to have a podcast chat.
This, then, is that chat. We talked all things music and poetry. We talked about Covid and lockdown and Mike’s move to New Zealand, falling in love with Wellington and doing his best to meet people and find his space in the scene.
We talked about some of the formative gig-going experiences he had in the UK and he performs one of his poems as well as playing a song live with cicada accompaniment.
Mike’s a great guy and it’s a pleasure to get to know him – we are bumping into each other often at gigs and appearing at some of the same open mics and I’m a fan of his work and I loved the conversation we had here. He and Sameena now join a select club of husband-and-wife creatives that feature individually on Sweetman Podcast. So that’s also cool.
I hope you enjoy this chat also. And here’s Mike’s website again with all the details of what he’s up to (including shows at the top of the South Island this very weekend).
And here’s his Bandcamp page.
This is episode 252 of Sweetman Podcast – my conversation with Mike Blue – aka Dr. Blue.
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