About Me

Podcasting happened quite by accident.

All I originally wanted was to create a review site for the movies that I thought were being overlooked from the 1930's and 40's. Films like 'Pursuit To Algiers' and 'The Brighton Strangler'. You had to really know how to wield Google in order to find people talking about those movies.

It always made me wonder why...

They're great pieces of entertainment, and okay they were never going to win Oscars, but somewhere in time a group of individuals put their hearts and souls into bringing them to the masses, and creation always deserves recognition.

A little way into the review writing I suddenly thought, 'Why not speak these reviews instead of writing them?' and the Attaboy Clarence podcast was born.

At Episode 6, I decided to go a bit more in depth, and thus began the "specials", which for a while, sprang up every fifth episode. At Episode 30 I decided that the specials needed their own home, and they now appear exclusively on 'The Secret History Of Hollywood' podcast. One week after the creation of TSHoH it had surpassed AC's subscriber numbers, due, I am sure, to it being featured on iTunes (which does work apparently!).

I have no official background in sound editing or sound production. I started doing this and wasn't happy with the way it sounded, so I experimented with different environments, microphones and software until it sounded the way I wanted it to sound. That's basically it. I am always being asked about which mic I use, or how I edit etc, and I have no problems about chatting technical, so if you have any questions of that ilk, just drop me an email on the contact page, and I'll be happy to answer them.

If you would like to know which equipment I use, then I've put a list at the bottom of this page.

I'm not an old man, although many people think I must be, because the podcasts are about black and white movies. I just enjoy them. I love the fact that they tell their story and get out of there (the irony… considering the length of some of my episodes..). That's not to say I don't enjoy modern cinema. Of course I do. I just prefer my stories to take 80 minutes.

I have been very, very lucky with my listeners. They/you have been a constant source of encouragement and inspiration. You may not think that when you write an iTunes review, or mention me on a blog somewhere, or tell your friend at work that they should listen to my show(s) that it matters very much.

You're very, very wrong about that. Sometimes, looking through past iTunes reviews has re-ignited my energy after a week of painstakingly editing out clicks in a ten minute recording, so thank you, thank you to anyone who ever leaves an iTunes review, or enthuses to a friend. You're the cream in my coffee.

If, for any reason, you'd like to know even more, you can read an interview right here

You could also read The New Statesman's piece on how I make my shows

You could even listen to an interview I did for the '60 Minutes With...' podcast

I would say that...

...my favourite decade for movies was probably the 1930's. I watch more B-movies than is probably healthy. The best hours are the ones spent making dinner with a movie on, and a glass of wine handy.