The noise of the week is behind us.
The feed is off.
The record is spinning.
It's time to stop interviewing and start listening.
Welcome to Sunday Brunch.
Right, hello everybody.
Welcome to Sunday Brunch.
I'm your guest host today, Aaron of Essex,
and joining me is the Prince of the Valueverse,
the international musical street brawler, the one and only rock and roll hurricane,
which is known by the name of Longy.
Longy, how are you, mate?
How are we doing? Are you okay? All good?
All good, mate. All good.
So I just want to go through the format of today's show just for everyone.
So I've asked Longy to bring five of his songs for the show,
which we will play and discuss thus giving you the listening audience the ability to participate
in the show by boosting the songs and sending us a message i've also brought one song for the end
of the show that means a lot to me which we can talk about um and yeah so on with the show so
then Longy. What's
going on then mate? How are you?
I'm good, I'm good. We're just getting ready for
the show at the
weekend. Me and
Tommy and a few other little special guests
are pretty much just
in the studio and
just getting to it
really, seeing what we've got
and yeah
mate, looking forward to just playing loads of new
material to be fair.
Yeah, heading the books
as they say.
100% mate
100%
I mean at the end of the day
live music will never die
right
so that's surely got to be
the lifeblood of the industry
in 2026 right
I think so
I think it's going to get more apparent
that the ones that can't play live
are going to get found out
and the ones that can
will pull through
I think it's always
I just think it's such a brilliant
playing field
the live scene
because
it really does show
you exactly what you've got
and especially with new songs and stuff like that
so yeah absolutely
I've always loved
playing live
the bands always
love playing
even though
I've not got the full band
with me this weekend I think
you know
those that are playing um they fucking they love it so it's as simple as that
so that's a really interesting situation how does how does today differ from like your early career
like to talk to us about when it all started for you when you had these visions of wanting to play
guitar for a living and your first bands and like take us right back to teenage longy what was it
that got you into it um wearing wearing a blue army top in a garage and pretend I'm Kirk a Bane
that was basically the uh the first mode then um I picked up a guitar because of Buddy Holly I
went to Buddy Holly store when I was a kid so that's where I started and then through there
I suppose you just, I know in school, in school years,
I started to go through musicians and bands and stuff like that.
I think I was kicked out of most of the bands that would happen in school.
Cause I started, I don't know, I suppose I always had a bit of a vision,
but I never sung. I never really sung until I was a little bit older.
So, so I started singing around about when I was about done.
I've always sung, but I've never, I never kind of sat in front.
So I was like a lead guitarist for about six, seven years.
And then, yeah, through bands from a school, we just kind of,
we just, I don't know, we hit it and we played a few shows with,
we just went on tour, Motion Colour Scene, which was, that was unreal.
and then from there I suppose
again like I wasn't
I wasn't at the front
I was never a front man then and then
I suppose I wanted to
come in from the wings and
kind of play out front and just
start really
just properly writing and really
really honing and crafting songs
because that's all I've really cared about since
I was a kid I don't you know
so it was like True Love Ways and
Every Day
and
I Guess It Don't Matter Anymore by Buddy Holly.
Them songs just really spoke to me,
and that was kind of what got me into true,
I would say, pugilistic songwriting.
That's what I would say.
So what age are you then when you go and see Buddy Holly?
Oh, man, seven.
Christ.
Wow, as early as that.
Seven years of age, yeah.
It was just that, you know, straight away.
I just, I was like, right, can we guitar?
And I think that'll be the day was the first, yeah,
that was the first tune I learned.
And I kind of, I think I pissed off my guitar teacher a little bit
because he was just like, man, he was just picking up bad habits
because you're not.
So he showed me a couple of things.
And then, you know, it's like, in the end, you ditch your teacher
because you're just like, well, he's boring me and making me want to do,
you know, pentatonic scours.
and I was like, no, I wanted to go and rip the guitar up.
So in the end, you just start, obviously,
then I suppose the true labour starts there, really,
you know, listening to the greats and just listening to records
and just, you know, I was very, very lucky.
I don't know if kids do even do it now,
but in terms of, you know, vinyl and stuff like that,
I was always just whacking them on.
And I had this little weird karaoke machine
and I'd be able to record me singing with Buddy Holly.
So, like, just through tapes and that.
So that's kind of how I learned to kind of probably get in key
and, I don't know, just to kind of see where my voice sat in all of it.
So it's not necessarily a case of, like, going out and learning
all the theory for you.
It's kind of a case of trial and error, right?
uh yeah i was i was never that i was never that person do you know i mean i was i don't think i've
got the attention span to um probably look at look at um to look at i don't know certain certain
theories of music i think it's more for me it's just feel and color so um i love it because
and although it's taken me years to hone it means what's coming out is is is the purest it can be
for me because you know i'm not i'm not writing i'm not writing it um i'm not writing it into
bars and stuff like that so and i'm not saying you know i'd love to get composing and stuff like
that but i don't think i'm ready for it just yet sure so do you pick up a guitar at seven
and how long was it before you like got into your first band then oh man what 11 12 as soon as i
going to school.
I started to just form with friends.
You used to just go to jamming sessions, didn't you,
and stuff like that.
And then, yeah, and then kind of there was a couple of bands in school
and they kind of verged.
And then kind of coming out of school, obviously, you know,
you're what, 16, 17, and you're like, okay, we're going to carry this on.
so then it was
you know
I was in a band
called Fleet
and by then
you know
Army and Navy
remember that
Chelmsford Roundabout
that was a wicked
little venue
so it was there
man every week
wasn't it
it was just
every band
everyone was there
so that was where
we kind of
we
yeah we honed
honed the sound
and then
and then we were
just kicking
honestly
it was like
it was just
everything that we'd
done through that
period
when I think about it
now it was it was all done by the live thing it was all done by live music because we didn't really
we had a couple of demos but they were pretty shocking uh they were all right though they were
all right for to get us you know to get us to a to a place but again it was all about when people
saw us and we were that kind of band it was more it was more like you know we we it was all right
life we were all right life and um and yeah we said in energy i wouldn't sound as brilliant the
best and best of music but it was definitely it definitely had an energy to it and i think when
you when you see that with in a young band that's that's the most exciting thing ever
it's like it's working on oh sorry no no i was gonna say that's why i'm you know me and you me
and you and the likes of everyone always look at young bands coming through and it's because because
it's you hope that they're holding on to that pure thing 100 100 so let's talk about the timelines
then so like you're leaving school or you're you're you're kind of getting into your first
bands it's probably around the mid-90s right so the the guitar band scene in the UK especially
and America I suppose you know you've got the grunge scene formulating you've got Nirvana
Stone Temple Pilots Pearl Jam you've got MTV haven't you which is obviously you know kind
of a new generational thing for a lot of us kids growing up in the 90s yeah and then in the UK
you've got Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Supergrass, Ocean Colour Scene,
Paul Weller.
Do you know what I mean?
So it really was an amazing period of, like, guitar music, weren't it?
Yeah, completely.
I mean, I'll call the back end of, like, when we were back end of, like,
when was it, our British Babylon tour for the Rolling Stones?
We, yeah, the Verve.
And, yeah, of course, of course, of course.
So it was like Led Zeppelin, obviously, you know, my band.
But obviously once I heard The Verve, I was like, well, that's that for me in the 90s.
And then, yeah, from there it was like we kind of, those bands, I suppose,
in the early 2000s were just dying out in 2001.
So then that kind of indie spring was starting to come over.
And so we kind of just caught the last bit of the, yeah, I suppose the 90s.
managed to jump on a tour
which went brilliantly
but again we just didn't have the right people
around us
and
I don't think it was sad enough at the time
to be as a collective
group to know where we wanted to go
I was certainly breaking away
and starting to get quite selfish
in my writing
and
once you've got someone
that kind of is quite
spearheading
what they feel, I think that's hard for other players and band members to maybe get in with
and get around unless they really understand what they are to the organism,
if you know what I'm saying.
It's got to be so concentrated with knowing of each other's skills
and, you know, where they want to go as well.
You know what I mean?
I was just always new.
I was always like, well, I find it quite easy.
I've always found songwriting and playing guitar and piano just,
I've never found it.
It is literally a beautiful outlet for me.
I'm really intrigued by that 90s period because I think, you know,
when you are teenagers, that really kind of shapes your musical taste,
I think, for the rest of your life, you know.
So when you went on tour with Ocean Colour Scene,
because obviously that was one of my favourite bands,
you know, is it the Molesley Shoals?
Is it that whole album?
So you've got Riverboat Song.
I don't think I'd have had much already as well by then.
So they would have had the second, or sorry, their what?
Their third and fourth albums, I think, they were on by then.
They had a weird first album, didn't they?
And then Molesley Shoals hit, which was absolute killer.
I mean, you listen to them songs today, like,
get away you've got it bad that's I put it on the other day and I was blown away by it so you know I
think that's the great thing about songs in it and a lot of those 90s bands and obviously you know
dare anyone say it but the reason you just had Oasis and Radiohead you know just had comebacks this year or not comebacks but just playing live It because their songs are so fucking good It as simple as that isn it
It really is as simple as that.
And I think it's brilliant, you know,
the kids go into them shows and whatever,
but there's just, you know, there's so many 90s bands, isn't there?
When we used to do the Fezzies over at V and stuff like that,
you know, you've got bands like Space, you know,
super furry animals
like
honestly mate
me and you
could go on
and on
for
honestly
and like
little
little songs
as well
like
those
those songs
that
you get one
you know
you get that
dodgy
you know what I mean
like
yeah
the seahorse
yeah
you just get those bands
that's just got like
those
oh mate
it's just endless
I think in the 90s
so
I think
I was incredibly
spoiled
and especially
having
you know
I'm a brother.
It was kind of, he got me into all of that kind of thing.
I was good friends as well that got me into that.
And then obviously my mom and pa has always listened to great music
from the likes of Motown through to rock.
So it's love.
I've just had, I always feel like I've had an amazing upbringing,
a brilliant university moment for me.
Yeah, it's true, isn't it?
Like we were kind of spoiled in the 90s.
for me it feels like that that was really the last scene not saying that no great new bands
have come out since like 1990 of course they have you know you've got arcade fire you've got arctic
monkeys you've got you know some huge huge black keys is another one of my favorite bands that
but that sound 1950s 60s but they're you know the song songwriting is just like excellent
yeah I think the Strokes done that whole
they bridged that whole
they bridged it over didn't they
coming out of
coming out of like the 90s
2000s
and then they kind of bridged
all the new bands that were coming through
I think the Strokes just kind of
don't know
as soon as
I was what 17, 18
when the Strokes come on
we were car surfing
down in Pips Hill Estate
so it was terrible for us
but we just whacked Strokes on
I suppose you'd get stunned
and have a few drinks and that would be that simple.
Yeah, I mean, it was not only a technological change,
obviously because the internet went kind of really mainstream in 94
and then obviously 97 we had Napster, didn't we,
which completely disrupted the industry 100%.
It kind of made music sharing.
To those in the know, I suppose, you know,
all of a sudden we had access to music that you never had access before.
You know what I mean?
You would have to go to Virgin or HMV, you know, the record stores,
and to go and buy the Beatles albums would cost you hundreds of pounds.
Do you know what I mean?
And you couldn't listen.
Like, it wasn't as abundant as it is today.
You know, you've got hundreds of different streaming channels, YouTube.
You can go and listen to any song you want on now.
We're quite spoiled.
in the 90s if you wanted to listen to a song you had to physically get off your ass didn't you go
to the store buy the cd the cd would cost 15 quid and it's always been the same like out of that 15
quid the artist really is only getting probably what 50p pounds of that 15 pound if if that yeah
is that how it all worked i think so i mean i've never i've never obviously i suppose every deal
was different in it i think when prince went on to um the talk show uh probably which one it was
but and he said about how much you actually get i think that's when it all started to open up and
i think that's you know i remember with napster and stuff like that you'd have to wait for the
computer to dial up and shit like that and the thing is i think if you love music like and
especially if you've been born into it like i was then you will always want to feel it you'll
always want to buy vinyl you'll always want to buy a cd in those in those times but vinyl is still
i think like when you see a cool vinyl still oh man i want to smell it i want to rip it apart
so i don't think that can ever leave you and i don't think also you know it's a different i know
it's slightly different when you listen to a vinyl over something like on spotify or wherever
wherever you do it but i just think it's a really interesting time for where all this is because
Someone was telling me the other day, you know, they were selling tape,
and I was like, mate, can I be bothered to, you know, go and buy a tape
and do that again?
I personally probably couldn't, but in terms of collecting vinyl,
I've got loads, and I always will have,
because I just think it's just the most genuinely pure, it's beautiful.
I still find it beautiful.
I still find it just that it comforts me in every way.
And, yeah, I think it's so important.
I just think it's so important.
really do yeah i think with the whole vinyl thing as well it's not just the music is it it's it's
the artwork it's the the the liner notes you know there's literally creative creativity in every
single page of a vinyl album isn't there so yeah so much thought goes into it definitely um i'm
kind of glad that vinyl still exists now you know you can still kind of get vinyl out there whether
many people have vinyl record players anymore um i know my daughter has one um so i can still play
vinyl but in terms of like tape players cd players i mean there's my car's nearly 10 years old it
doesn't have a cd player in it anymore mate well yeah yeah yeah completely barely a radio so yeah
i completely get you anyway let's have a bit of an interlude in our first track now longy this
first track is
Back From The Abyss.
It's a very popular song in the
Valueverse.
It's been on numerous shows, been in the top
10, of course.
Before we play it, do you want to tell us a little
bit about it?
I think it was, I didn't have enough money to get
the train back from Benfleet to
when was that time?
Lee? Christ, it's only like one
stop. It's one stop.
It's one stop, so I had to run it
and that is a horrible,
horrible run
on a
on a rainy day
and
my daughter
had just been born
and
I literally just wrote
all the lyrics
from
Benfleet to
Leon C
where I was living at the time
and
yeah
that was basically
what it's about
so it's just
I don't know
it's quite a
yes
something
you know
a song about hope really
I think
that's what
That's where I kind of bronched it.
Right, well, let's play this one then.
This is Longy with Back From The Abyss.
I know it's been too long, but I refuse to stand aside.
Peer from the rocks as my girl shines a light
Listen, sometimes in life you'll slip but high
You're gonna turn it around
I see endless streams of butterflies
Guiding me in sound
So I just come to tell you
That I found my way
I just come to show you
Climbing out this hole
On to this mountain, trying to find home
Along this mountain, climbing out this hole
On to this mountain, trying to find home
I'm back from the abyss
Out of the shadows I come walking serpentine
Sea vultures circling me above
Trying to catch me blind
Well I cradle by the river
Sharpening my knives
I walk Texas, it's all been said
I'm running like Rocky and I'm waking the dead
No, well let's get straight to the heart
You burn, I'll be done with it
I've wasted enough time talking about it
Crossed heavy terrain
Shame, the demons in me still fucking remain an asshole
I just come and tell ya
Life found my own way
I just come and show ya
Climbing out this hole
Onto this mountain
Trying to find home
On this mountain
Climbing out this hole
Onto this mountain
Trying to find home
I'm back from the abyss
And I know I'm nearly home
Shedding out this skin I'm born
Climbing out this hole into the light
And it's pain when you ever gotta leave me alone
I'm turning this spirit back from stone
Climbing out this hole into the light
So I just come and tell ya
I found my way
I just come and show ya
Well, I just come to tell you
I found my way
I just come to show you
Climbing out this hole
To this mountain
Trying to find hope
Along this path
Climbing out this hole
To this mountain
Trying to find all back from me
Climb in my kiss
Trying to find all back from me
Climb in my kiss
Trying to find all back from me
Climbing at this goal
Back from me trying to follow
Back from me climbing at this goal
Back from me trying to follow
Back from me abyss
Right, so that was Back from the Abyss by Longy.
Remember, you can boost these tracks while you're listening.
90% I think goes to the artist
10% goes to the running of the show
and etc etc
so make sure you hit that boost button
and support original music
this is the goal of what we're trying to create
in the value verse
it is to the longevity of live music
and original artists
so we don't have to endure AI slop
for the rest of our lives
till we're kicking and screaming till the day we die.
So, right.
Okay.
So what I want to talk to you now about, Longy,
is like, can you walk us through the legacy system?
I mean, obviously we're over here at the New Music Nudge Unit.
We are here in Bitcoin.
Because we're trying to change things through technology,
we're trying to decentralize everything.
But obviously the legacy music industry
is one of the most centralized industries probably on the planet.
And I mean in terms of the amount of middlemen,
the amount of reward that the actual creators of the music and the art get
is disproportionate to those running things from the labels and distributors
and radio shows and all that.
So can you go through the whole format of I'm an artist, I've got a song,
I'm going to record it in the studio with a producer,
I'm then going to get it mixed.
Then he gives you the final mix.
What do you do with it then?
What happens in the legacy system, in the theater system?
Like you said, the easiest thing would be to grab your demo,
give it to your A&R man
then obviously
he's got to speak to his boss
so there's another person
so there's two people you're up against straight away
and then
then you got to call it so you go in with an engineer a record producer and then that another two people It four we got so far We not even got that fucking trap yet
So then, obviously, once you've gone through all of that
and you've got the song,
then goes to, obviously, the rest of the label, I imagine.
it's hard because I think some of these
sometimes I've purposely
not gone into some of these label meetings because of
I don't think I'm the best person to talk to
when it comes to
kind of where they see it and where I see it
because I don't know I've always
this is the best
system
any artist could hope for ever
the fact that
we're on I think we're on the first wave
of this happening and the
revolution of it um it's literally here i mean we're in it when we're talking about it right now
um so in terms of getting ice over i think this is that that's what's hard about that
this this because of obviously it because it's a new system people don't they're going to take
a while to get over but yeah in the old system man you had you had so many people to go through
it was unbelievable and i think i just think you know it is as easy now and it you know the
how many people do we see every day uploading their music straight onto
streaming platforms? I get it.
But also I think you sound the right people around you to tell you,
have a look at that. And are they doing it for the right reason?
Is the song better with that middle eight or a longer middle eight or a
shorter middle eight, short intro? In terms of, you know, a legacy, my God,
well, it literally just does come down to what you just said. There is,
it would feel sometimes that you'd have 20 people to have to go through.
And I don't know.
I don't think that's healthy at all.
You know, people that don't really care about the artist,
don't really care about music, you know.
I suppose it's as simple as if they like a song.
Wicked.
I think that's great.
It goes on radio.
And you've got, you know, radio pluggers, marketeers.
You've got, you know, all of these people that advertise
as it's just an endless, endless.
It feels like an endless trap of middlemen, you know, like you said.
So I think it's just the case of, really, I don't know,
it's just obviously you've got to play the game.
You've got to play both sides.
And I would say, really, that, you know, I don't know,
I just find this way of the value verse, I just find it,
it's so simple as well.
There's not a lot of butter, that's what I'd say.
So, yeah, so currently with the V4V music,
essentially you take an MP3, you upload it, no permission required.
You let people know that you've released a new song
and people have the ability to send Bitcoin payments straight to the artist,
including a little message.
there's no kind of legal wranglings there's no negotiation with a record contract as to like you
know a one-year plan of what date we want to we want to release this record or release that record
and i think with this system as well just getting it out there because there is so little money
in the fiat system like through spotify anymore um there's the you you're i suppose in a way you're
you're basically releasing something out into the atmosphere for free,
expecting nothing.
But now because you're basically giving everybody the opportunity to grab it,
people now can add it to their podcast shows.
People can kind of use it in their advertising and things like that.
And if they're getting value from it, they can reward you directly.
And rather than the old legacy system,
where I suppose you would rely on things like PRS, right?
So if a radio station played your song,
it would take three to six months for you to get a royalty for that song.
Now, because obviously all of your Bitcoin wallet address
is embedded kind of into the song itself,
when somebody sends Bitcoin to that song,
it goes directly into your pocket, right?
That's it, isn't it?
It's just really quick.
It's really transparent.
and it's really, it's just,
surely it's just the way that we should be doing stuff
over anything really, I think.
Yeah, just a logical and fair way of doing things.
Yeah, I think it's important as well.
Like we're talking about, we're talking about,
so we went through a stage, didn't we?
Obviously, in the 90s, there's lots of guitar bands.
There's lots of inspiration.
They're all getting played on the radio.
And then you come into the 2000s where we had the whole pop idol X Factor generation.
And now it was like, oh, in order to get a recording contract, all I got to do is queue up outside the XL all day and hopefully get five seconds in front of Simon Cowell.
And it's a bit like the Julius Caesar in the Coliseum thing, isn't it?
you know, he can put his thumb up or thumb down.
Do you know what I mean?
And he really, like, is one dude that has your entire career in his hands.
And if he wants to destroy you, he can.
And if he wants to promote you, he can.
Do you know what I mean?
The gatekeepers.
Exactly.
So now we're at a situation where you're just putting your songs out there,
and if they resonate with people, if people like them,
they reward you directly.
It's as simple as that.
I mean, it's probably the purest form of connection that you can get to a fan
as you can get because it's a direct line straight from you to them
without being manipulated or corporatized or, you know,
there's no essence of, like, muckiness.
It's like literally you and the fan talking to each other.
and I think you know in this day and age
that's a beautiful thing right
yeah I think you know if you want to
if you want to talk about certain stuff
then it feels like it's more
it's more about the stuff that you like
instead of having to do you know sponsorships
and all that stuff where you know
if you didn't want to do it you were contracted in
with a record label or whatever.
I think with something like this,
when you do do podcasts or you do do stuff like that,
you can literally just go to a company and say,
look, I love your stuff.
Can I bum it on?
And, you know, again, you want them to win as well.
I just think it's, honestly,
I think it's the amount of people that you meet in this game
that for some reason, they still don't believe.
they still don't believe this is happening it baffles me like it literally baffles i speak to
people and they're like they when i start mentioning this side you know the um value for value verse
they they literally they they turn off you can literally i can see them i mean they're they just
go no no no no it's not a real thing it's like oh right okay so then why is it working for me then
why why you know i'm putting songs up and i'm getting a response i'm talking to people all over
across the world it's amazing it's amazing what um you know when people get fair unfortunately
it's going to show a lot of people up in it yeah 100 i mean you know what i'm doing with peggy's
music bar we've just orange peeled a local music bar close to us and they're having open mic sessions
and i was there the other night and uh our friend kate west was performing and on the screen behind
I put her QR code and as there was other musicians in the room,
they're literally seeing me open my wallet of Satoshi,
zapping her some money and they're actually seeing it in action
for the first time.
So I'm not even going on and explaining it.
I'm just doing it in front of them.
They're like, what's going on there?
Do you know what I mean?
I think with a lot of artists, they are so used to this kind of
you know, vampiric legacy system that they can't believe that something like this can exist without having to ask somebody's permission.
You know, so what we're doing with the open mic nights and this is because I've always had this idea that,
yeah, OK, so we're going to have to build the value verse out.
What do we need to do that? We need to get artists in there.
So the artists coming on board and then hopefully when the fans or when the artists start talking to their legacy fans, if you like, they're no kind of fans, they can turn around and say, oh, rather than listen to me on Spotify, I'd much rather you download a modern podcast app and send me your support, send us a message on there because obviously it goes straight to me and it goes a lot further.
because, you know, as a performing artist,
you've still got to fund getting in the studio to record tunes.
I suppose you've still got to fund paying a producer,
paying somebody to kind of master it and edit it,
paying session musicians, backing singers.
Do you know what I mean?
So in order for you to continue to make music
at the standard and the levels you want it,
you've got to have some kind of revenue stream coming in, right?
Yeah, of course.
you just got to try and find a way of doing it.
I think live is getting harder.
I don't know why I've not actually looked into it yet,
because to be fair, the gigs that I've booked up in the next six months,
I've kind of, they're all more, you know,
obviously in the fiat world of just, you know,
turning up, getting a fee and going.
So it's not like I'm on tour or anything.
I think someone like Kate Nash, who has been quite vocal about it lately,
got to Parliament about it.
I think she's brilliant.
I think we need more of it.
But I think, yeah, I've not been out properly just yet.
So this start of the year, when we play on Sunday at Peggy's,
it's going to be a really good kind of call to see how we get on
and see how it goes down.
Because, again, you know, like you said, we've orange-pilled Peggy Sue's,
and we'll see how that works.
We'll see what people are interacting and go from there, really.
I just think it's taken a massive shift.
And, yes, of course, places are closing down, small venues, but I don't know.
I mean, that could just be getting ready for something else that's coming.
So I don't know.
But it'd be an interesting time to see how we get on with playing live.
For sure.
Right, we're going to go into your second song now, mate.
Now, you have chosen Love Schizophrenia.
Do you want to tell us a little bit about this song?
As a side note, this was the very first one we uploaded to the Valueverse.
Love Schizophrenia, it really does say what it does.
however I chose this because
obviously we
we
are bringing out
I'm just doing I'm putting out loads of live music
at the moment and the version
that we did at the railway
it was actually the second
attempt of doing it like to
when we played it live I actually had to stop
because
I messed up the second verse so
we actually had to stop the song
and then go again
it's not a short song
so yeah
that's
it does what it says with Tin
and
I love and hate this song
at the same time
this is Love Schizophrenia
by Longy
They say you only get one you truly know
Don't you stop, don't you stop
I'd sit and watch the bloom, the spot we made to grow
Don't you stop, don't you stop
You tricked the switch, the one I never thought that anyone would find
Now see the color of my poison running through
Don't you start, don't you start
You stormed me to the war in any way You can this love on fire I I try to shelter us from storm So we walk this road together
But the signs, they point in different ways
And yes, I fall apart forever
But no, it's just love, it's a dream
Smashed all the pictures, left them burning in the rage
I even threw the claws you brought and spat into the flames
Did I ever feel the souls I lay by your side?
At least love is like a phantom trying to bury me alive
Well now you're gonna play my game, bitch
And I'll show you what it means to always work the soul
Into every cut that bleeds
Like a rabbit in the headlights
You got it coming true
We'll never trust your instincts
Even they lie to you
You know you stoned me to
The war here anyway
You can, this love's on fire
I, I'll try to shelter us from storm
So we walk this road together
But the signs they point in different ways
And yes, I fall apart forever but no
So we walk this road together
But the signs they point in different ways
And he asked, I fought a bad for never but long
It's just love schizophrenia
Oh, it's just love schizophrenia
That was Love Schizophrenia by Longy.
So going back to the whole legacy system thing then, Longy,
why aren't you famous?
I don't think that.
I've never even thought about it.
And it's not something I don't think about.
I don't think it's for other people to look at
and then kind of judge of where it's at, I suppose,
once I'm starting to fill out venues.
I mean, I'm 25 years down the line and probably, yeah,
and I still can't fill places out.
Don't know, couldn't tell you.
I mean, I'm, you know, I do everything myself in terms of when it comes
to having someone to sort out recording and obviously having to organise
gigs in the bands and all that.
So, yeah, that's just a strange question for me to even take in, to be fair.
I don't really, I don't know if I'm the best person to, you know,
I'm sure there'll be people along the way in the industry that have said,
well, you know, I've been signed a couple of times and stuff like that,
and it's just never, I don't know, you know,
it's certainly not down to the amount of songs that I've wrote and stuff like that,
because I'm always writing.
It's certainly down to consistency of putting them out.
But then I've always, you know, I've always wanted to do something
where there was something around it, around the music.
Like, you know, when we've done 500 shows in one year,
I kind of wanted that to blow up, and it didn't go the way I planned it to.
um i don't you know we still got ding walls and stuff like that which is what 500 capacity so
it's you know that that can all work but i don't know i think it's after that it's that consistency
of putting music out and stuff like that for me i think i just i just don't think i've been
consistent enough in actually um putting the music out there well it's good that you're taking that
perspective you know you're not blaming others you're not you know saying record label this
record label that i mean to be famous or to be successful maybe famous is the wrong word but to
be successful but i know me like many others listening to this show now that have seen you
play live that have heard your songs have digested your songs over the last couple of years
we all look at each other and we all talk about you and we say i've got no idea why he's never
never made it like is back in the early days like 20 years ago when you was first getting into this
this bandwagon are the record companies that powerful that unless you have a backing of a
record company you've got no chance you know unless you start do that deal with the devil
and hand over all the rights because i mean talk to me about the the contracts that you've signed
Like, did they give you money up front to record?
Did you already have recordings?
You know, was there percentages?
I don't know if you can divulge any of that, whether you remember any of it.
But ultimately, my question is, does someone get famous because of Bloodlines and who they know and record company?
Or is it talent?
because I look at the halftime Super Bowl show the other day,
which was Bad Bunny, and you're like,
that's kind of everything that's wrong with the industry today.
Like 20 years ago, you had Prince, multi-instrumentalists,
prolific songwriter, like just dripping with talent in the rain
doing a halftime Super Bowl show.
And now you have, you know, different genres coming up.
but to me they just don't feel as if they're as talented as a bygone era.
Do you know what I mean?
Yeah, completely.
I think it's been a bit of a massive, I love Kendrick Lamar,
and I think his producer, when he was coming up, Derek Ali,
he said how because of all the genres emerging,
all the genres now are just falling into each other.
So we don't really know what, you know, I think, you know,
certain artists that they play a rock song,
then they play a folk song and they play a country song and they play a hip,
a hip hop song.
And they,
I mean,
it's like,
it's endless of what they can do,
which is brilliant.
But I think,
you know,
through the nineties and certainly through every decade that me and you have
loved,
certainly from,
you know,
all the times we've,
we've,
we've heard our,
our,
our heroes and,
and bands,
they've always just stuck to just one thing and they've done it really,
really well.
and then obviously where you grow with that person,
obviously, you know, you then see the growth of where they're going.
But I think now it's just I don't really know what I'm looking at anymore.
I don't, and I certainly don't, you know,
I still listen to the likes of Nina Simone and put those records on
and lose myself.
I don't really listen to a lot of stuff that's about now.
And it's hurt me on.
I'm sure there'll be, you know, there'll be a song here or there.
definitely um but yeah i don't i don't know i mean our record labels of course they're powerful
that's exactly that's exactly you know they are the gatekeepers that is you look at the brits
it's guaranteed it's good it's that's the that's the record labels that's basically a record labels
night night in a room where everyone just you know says well we've got a bigger artist than you
it's as simple as that and and it is i just think it's um it's it's easy to see of course when you've
been in it for so long but yeah i think i think you know you can blame people all day long about
why you haven't i think i always just look at the things that i've done wrong in the past and then
go right how can i how can i put it right or how can i do it differently this time that's all i care
about now i don't i don't i'm certainly never look at um look at anyone to blame because i just
think that's that's a it's a silly game and you're plus you'll beat yourself up you know you can beat
yourself up a thousand times over it you know i mean so no there's no bit of this um here at all
if anything i just want people to win if they're really really good it's that simple yeah it's
interesting what you say about like the award shows for example like the brit awards um it does
feel like you know it's almost like wwf wrestling where you know a script's been written you know
for adele to take home seven brit awards and you know not taking anything away from her but it does
seem like it's a little bit kind of scripted for these things to happen to like push certain people
along the line but um yeah no it's quite it's quite interesting it literally is scripted
to the point where it's not like, I don't think it's like, you know,
everyone knows where, you know, the 1%,
getting to the 1% of the music industry is, of course, the hardest thing.
But you're normally, you know, you've got to go look this way
or you've got to look that way or you've got to have this
or you've got to have that or it's like, I don't know.
I just find it, you know, remember when NME Awards used to be exciting?
You'd be like, oh, mate, it's going to kick off this year.
and now you're just like
Christ
take that again up
my God
like
it's just
it's just gone
for me
it's just that
that
and so that's why I hold on to it
to be fair
that's why I tried to
you know
not try and do
too many things
in terms of
I love talking
on podcasts
and stuff like that
but I don't
you know
in terms of
God
I don't know
I just think it's
the way
where
where the youth is with their music today,
I just,
they're worried about saying the wrong thing and they're worried about who's
listening to it.
And it's just like,
that's never going to,
it's never,
it's never going to get your blood rushing ever,
you know?
Yeah.
So going back to the awards,
do you know who the British male act who's won the most Brit awards is?
No.
So considering like the amount of musical artists this country's produced,
from Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Paul Weller, Sid Vicious, Johnny Rotten.
Robbie Williams has won 18 Brit Awards.
He's the record holder.
Well, I mean, maybe it's his ridiculous outfits.
I've got to pull him through.
I don't know.
he really is the albanian version of um what's his name norman wisdom
brilliant so yeah so i mean i can imagine like you know it's it's one big club you know it goes
back to that george carlin thing doesn't it the music industry is one big club and you know you
ain't in it it's as simple as that um i mean i find that quite offensive the fact that i mean
as you know I'm a hairdresser by trade and we have the British Hairdressing Awards every single
year and I always find it really really difficult to look at awards for art because obviously it's
all subjective how can you say one song's better than another you know how can you say one hairdo
is better than another so I've always found it like quite um what's the word just a bit hypocritical
do you know what i mean you know you're looking at like one person's but one person's opinion over
another um so yeah when it comes to awards and things like that it does seem like i say very
scripted a little bit like wwf like yeah we're gonna allow this person to win this year you know
and they're gonna get fame that's right i suppose there's a bit of that in the mercury awards as
well isn't there the mercury awards is kind of something that is a little bit more supposedly
industry based you know like from the journalist's point of view isn't it the mercuries but you still
get some like random albums and random acts in there and and you just feel sometimes oh they're
just putting this this act forward because they're edgy do you know what i mean like once again like
not based on talent it just seems to be based on like an agenda filling or something like that
yeah I mean it just
it just feels like a toy shop
for the big fat kids
that's what it feels like to me
there's a toy
the toy shop or sweet shop
and
and they all just want to eat the sweets
and get the biggest toys
and leave
I don't know
just leave maybe
you know
there's so much amazing music
that never gets
to see the light of day
and
yeah
it's a sad state of affairs
but
I don't think it's ever been different
any different
and I don't think
you know
So I think it's going to take a hell of a long time for that side to catch up on here of where we are.
And I think as long as we keep on listening to great music and put it forward, then I'm in a good place.
I know you are, so that's all we can do.
So currently, yeah, the system we're talking about for those people who are joining in,
with the show and don't really understand what we're talking about.
So basically, let me give a quick rundown of what it is.
When we talk about Spotify and we talk about YouTube
and we talk about basically Amazon Music and all of those kind of things,
we're talking about them being centralized systems.
You have to adhere to those kind of rules and those platforms
and they have the ability to kind of throttle your content if necessary.
Those are platforms.
Now, basically, what we're building over here, the Valueverse,
it runs on top of three protocols.
Now, the difference between a platform and a protocol
is a platform is essentially owned by someone,
whereas a protocol is just a rule set which anybody can take part in,
and it's open source and free.
So basically the three protocols that we are using in the value verse is obviously our favorite, Bitcoin, because that's the monetary layer.
That's the monetary protocol of the Internet.
We have RSS, which is essentially the media catalog protocol of the Internet, which is decentralized as well.
And then the third one, which is obviously a new invention, is called NOSTA, which is a decentralized communications protocol, which essentially is the first iteration of it has really been social media.
So for anyone that is listening to this show, don't know what NOSTA is.
NOSTA, once again, it's a decentralized protocol where you control the content you put out,
you control your audience, and you have the keys for it.
So this is the kind of the future that we're trying to push.
I'm trying to nudge new musicians into this ecosystem
so that we can build it out.
So when I'm listening to the radio, I often think of,
I think, how does this song get radio play?
Do you know what I mean?
I hear a lot better music in the value verse than I hear on the radio now.
this is what we're trying to do so basically because all of this music gets put in the value
verse for free people are now able to create their own music shows and music podcasts and
they have the ability to go through a curate an hours long show where they're playing all this new
music and generally this is music that you've never heard before it's multi-genres as well
so i'd implore any of you that doesn't know about the value verse we've got plenty of shows
in the V4V space now.
Go and check them out.
If you've got the Fountain app, they're there.
I'm just going to run a few of my favourites off.
We've got Upbeats.
We've got Homegrown Hits.
We've got Radio Detox.
We've got Mutton Mead and Music.
They are essentially radio music podcasts,
music radio podcasts, whatever you want to call them.
But what I've noticed lately, Longy,
is long-form podcasts, you know, where they have guests on and they have two-hour chats.
They are now starting to use Valueverse songs as like little interludes, you know, in between
like one segment of the show and the next segment of the show, or they'll play a song.
So they're giving spotlight to musicians as well. So we are in a really good space at the moment.
We just need to get more people aware of this space, this ecosystem, and more people participating in it.
And like I say, I think the timeline is artists on board, get the material.
The material will speak for itself.
Then the fans will come on board.
And then hopefully the fans will then become Bitcoiners and they will start seeing Bitcoin in a really positive light rather than all the negative press and fub that has accompanied Bitcoin for the last, you know, seven, eight years.
years like it murdering babies and you know causing cancer and all those kind of things and
boiling oceans so anyway that's that was that i'm going to go on for the third song now longy if you
don't mind now this is a little bit of a treat for me because i've not heard this song before this is
called hamlet court blues now hamlet court road is a famous street in west cliff in essex that we
both know very, very well.
Do you want to tell us a little bit about this song?
It's my undying love for Margot Robbie if she lived on the streets of Southend.
Well, there you go, mate.
So this is like a love letter to Margot Robbie.
Yeah, which is amusing for obviously the fact that we've just gone past Valentine's
and obviously her new film's out.
But no, she, I suppose you just get certain people that you look at and you go, okay, I can put their stick, their name in.
And they're kind of full front.
But no, there is real, it's a real road.
There's real, there's real character.
It's a brilliant, it's a brilliant place.
And I suggest that everybody at least goes and has breakfast down at Madeira.
This is Hamlet Court Blues by Longing.
Thank you.
She look like 74, shuffling past the old snooker hall, trying to catch the light from the sun.
Her dreams come in tin cans, cell phones after her old man would knock her until she's black and blue.
You think that's easy? This ain't easy for me
And I don't want to put myself on anybody
On the surface you can hide, but it don't match what's inside
The chameleon on the street is to be
With a cigarette in hand
Try to understand
You wanna go
You're just running for tomorrow
Well you can cover up the lies
You have to face in time
When you wanna go
You're just running for tomorrow
She looked like 54, with leather skin and eyes that tore right through you
She lies in a cherry shop, ancient store
She once was the glam and glitter that I haven't put up Hamlet call
It was no one that didn't know her
She smiled and you were born
She finds a no-foot jack in Victoria Road
Dances in the moonlight, falls and goes
Shots like Michael Robbie
In a reflection of a window
And a straightened catwalk from freaks to show
And they don't stand where they go
So vote without the money
As you try to find the exit though
With a single rain plan
You try to understand
Where you wanna go
You're just running for tomorrow
You cover up the lies
Yeah, after passing time
Where you wanna go
You're just running for tomorrow
Thank you.
When you see you're raging
You try to understand
Where you wanna go
You're just running for tomorrow
In cover of your eyes
You have the best in time
Where you wanna go
You're just running for tomorrow
When you see the rain in
You're trying to understand
Where you wanna go
You're just running for tomorrow
You can cover up your eyes
You have the best in time
Where you wanna go
You're just running for tomorrow
So that was Hamlet Court Blues live by Longy.
Really stunning track, mate.
I did hear the Margot Robbie shout out.
That would be incredible.
You saw Margot Robbie walking up Hamlet Court Road.
It'd be quite amazing.
Sean, how would react to that?
But Southend is quite famous.
We do welcome the odd Hollywood celeb.
I know Danny DeVito and Liv Tyler were at the end of the pier one year
in Jamie Oliver's restaurant, weren't they?
Yeah, there's quite a few people down there.
Yeah, I heard that.
I heard that.
I heard that as well.
There's quite a few people down there.
But it should be.
It's a brilliant, vibrant, colourful, uncolourful, crazy, messed up place.
And there should be more places like this because I think that's where
all the stories are.
you know it's our very own blackpool 100 100 so looking at your like style you obviously play
guitar you tinkle the ivories um but the horn plays quite or the trumpet i mean what is that
is that trumpet yeah the trumpet plays quite an important role in uh quite a few of your tracks
why is that is there something that inspired you to use that i mean tell me
uh before i met the feral child um his real name is adam foran and he's now in the army
um he's in the army band that's why he's gone there um
i when i was well i can't remember when what was i doing i was doing i was i was there was
some song that I had,
oh man,
I wish I knew it,
I can't remember what it's called anyway,
and I just remember,
I don't know,
I don't know what,
I don't know where that has actually come from,
that,
I think it's the Go Team,
when I was a kid,
I was in a band called The Go Team,
from Brighton,
and they always had this real,
this big,
they'd always play the,
you know,
they'd always play big brass parts,
but I suppose just from,
you know,
just Phil Spector,
Phil Spector,
as a kid,
you know,
all those,
all those great songs of just big brass Motown and just,
there would always be those moments that you just go,
oh,
mate,
that sounds amazing.
Springsteen's,
you know,
Clowns Plements on the saxophone,
I suppose that had a part of it to do with it,
I suppose.
So yeah.
And then obviously once I,
once I met,
met Adam,
then we just really started to cement a good,
a good music form.
They had an amazing friendship.
and then
yeah so it just kind of
become a pillar of the music really
because it just adds
so much to it and it's just
an amazing instrument
yeah I miss the boy, I do miss it
I'm just so
glad the feral child didn't play
the banjo that would have affected that would have affected me yeah I figured it would affect most people to be fair right okay
alright well look
let's go straight
into another track
this is your
fourth choice
and this is also
a live track
as well right
you say you're a
warrior yeah
I don't
yeah it's just a
bit of a funk
honestly really
to be fair
we just wanted to
I don't know why
I don't know where it comes from.
I can't remember what I was listening to at the time.
It would have been like, I don't know, again,
it would have been kind of listening to a bit of James Brown
or something like that where you just get those, I don't know,
those sly guitar nicks and stuff like that where, I don't know,
everyone loves a bit of funk.
So that's where this comes from, really.
Okay, well, this is You Say You're a Warrior.
For a long week.
But if you dance to the end like a hurricane
Staring at your pain, shadow of pain and grief
I can with me
Still swimming in the deep, crawling
Say what you feel is to be an amenity pouring
Sometimes it feels you can't move on
You say you're a warrior, I, yeah
Yeah, on your feet, may I choose from a factory
On Monday morning, a car in a 72
Ain't got time to realign, to redefine
I'll change what you've got in mind
And breathe, are you with me?
Be the one who find this goal
Be the one, beat the one, be good
And breathe, are you with me?
Look through the constellations
Higher vibrations
And the only way to do it
Be bare and to prove it
Be the same around what do I go
Sometimes it fills you
Yeah, move on
Sometimes it fills you
Yeah, move on
You say you're a warrior
Higher
You say you're a warrior
Higher, higher
Rock, rock!
This is where the seaside sounds like to child
Three o'clock in the morning brothers and sisters
Intro
To say you're a warrior ah
Ah yeah
She said you're a warrior
Ah yeah
She said you're a warrior
Ah yeah
Yeah
She said you're a warrior
Ah yeah
Uh
She said you're a warrior
Ah yeah
She said you're a warrior
Ah yeah
Oh
She said you're a warrior
Ah yeah
Do you...ogi do you say you're a warrior.
you say you're a warrior are you are you
that was you say you're a warrior by longy so then longy talk to me a little bit about the
value verse how you see it what the next 12 months 18 months are going to be like for you
i'm just i'm just going to be putting out loads and loads of records um i've got a little trick
up a sleeve for that a little bit of a um just yeah i just i just want to get i just want to get
really really consistent in releasing so i think it's more a case of um of
just pushing it out there
as much as I can
and
you know
saying how I feel about it
I think it's that simple
I think the songs are pretty evident
that they
you know
they talk
they talk for themselves
I always think it's
it's pretty bad
when you have to talk a song up
so
that's what it's looking for
for me
for next year
literally from about
I'd say from June onwards
there's going to be
a hell of a lot of music
and
hopefully loads and loads
touring as well because you know we've got some you know i know obviously i don't know how much i
could say but with what we've got coming up abroad and uh some of the things that are coming up but
you know it's an incredibly exciting time for for for us to be doing this um and it's just that it's
just a brilliant platform i think just to just to uh iron out the creases of of how it should really
be that's how i look at it so obviously with um publishing your music into the value verse you're
obviously picking up new fans from different parts of the planet which you know if you was to rely on
spotify for example you know they would never have never have heard you in a million years do you know
what i mean so talk to an artist a musician out there that's listening to this um that's completely
like wet around the ears doesn't really know how much this can affect like would you recommend
a new artist with their first ep to just self-publish yeah i'm saying it takes it takes so
long on on all the um all the mainstream um platforms it takes so long for you know when i
say so long all right 14 days i think the most it can take on it by the time by the time they're
trying to distribute it out to all the streaming platforms,
all of that palaver.
Like with,
with,
with V2B,
you're literally uploading and it's like,
we're doing the same,
we're doing the same tonight.
Wait,
me and you are literally just going to get you and bang,
bang it straight up.
It will be up in five minutes and you put it up.
Like,
surely that's the way to do it.
It's like,
surely that's the easiest and the most,
just,
there's no,
there's no bollocks involved.
And that's what I think is,
is the best part about it all.
there's no one
getting in the way of it
it's like
it's pure
it's raw
and it's just
such an easy way
to do it
so yeah
any artist
any band
absolutely anyone
your first EP
or single
or you know
who cares
500th
500th EP
just bum it out there
don't be too precious
get it out there
and you'll be
you know
you'll be ready to go
and if people like it
they'll
they'll support it
it's like anything
isn't it
100%
I mean we've got
Tottenham are still shy
yeah I'm still supporting them
so there's not a lot
I can say about that
but the good thing is that with music it's incredibly
subjective and you know
if you like it you're always going to
love it I think it's I really do
think it's that simple and I just think like I said
it takes so long for
you to get on those
platforms it just takes too
the time it takes for you to upload it, you know, it's got to then be certified.
Someone's got to give it a yes.
What is that about?
Just put it out there.
Just get it out there and go.
100%.
Yeah, I mean, we did it the other day, didn't we, with Healing Hand.
You was like, oh, can you get this out for 8 o'clock?
And I think I pressed publish at 7.57.
I'm like, we've just got to wait a couple of minutes.
And then like literally within three minutes, it was there on Fountain and I sent you the link to it, didn't I?
Do you know what I mean?
So that's the one thing that most normies don't understand.
They think, you know, once you've got your distributor, once you've got your song and you've got your distributor, which, you know, you have to pay a distributor, right?
That's how the legacy system works.
You have to pay them an annual fee.
and sometimes over the course of the year,
the amount of money you actually get back from Spotify,
YouTube barely covers the fee of the distributor.
Yeah.
It is ridiculous.
You know, like, of course, I don't want to,
no one wants to bore everyone about numbers and all that,
but the numbers are, they, you know, they're 20x.
It's ridiculous.
On this kind of thing, it's like, I just find it madness,
this but you know
that's the whole
point of being here
isn't it and
obviously getting
out there and
speaking to bands
and artists to
tell them what
we're doing
because I
honestly can't
see it going
any other way
and it will be
so interesting to
see what how
labels do this
when labels get
hold of all this
and see where
they take it all
but I feel
incredibly honoured
and lucky to be
in a situation
where I feel
like I've just
got a huge
canvas so I
can go and
let loose on
yeah fantastic so what do you think about some of the controversies that spotify have been involved
in i mean i was talking to 2140 music the other day you know our mutual friend nat shout out nat
if you're listening um and he was obviously he's he's very um adept and he keeps his finger to the
pulse and all that and he he was sharing a story with me about spotify how drake um drake has
essentially had his numbers inflated so much so that essentially it means that they're basically
posting fake numbers for drake so that drake is going to get more streaming money and hence he's
essentially that streaming money is being given to drake rather than given to all of the other
artists you know every single other artist what do you feel about these kind of things that spotty
fire involved in uh they're gatekeepers so you're either you either you know you're getting with
them and you and you nod your head politely or you or you don't um that it's just none of the
stories ever surprised me and i just think he's going to keep on going until it um kind of implodes
because that's all it can do.
How is that good for anyone else?
You know, what is that even about?
Like, I don't know.
Again, it's the 1%.
And that's where I suppose everyone's trying to,
I don't know, I always get this sense that that's what,
you know, of course you want to try and be as big as you can be.
But I think it's for the public to always decide
if the souls are brilliant and they catch a moment
and they relate to you,
and that's what it should be about but I think you tend to try to you know inflate your numbers
just so it's just I just find it it's madness me like I said it's a toy shop for kids really is
yeah once again it's the fiat legacy system being able to be manipulated by the 0.1% so basically
how I understand it is normally when a new artist or any artist will release a song the numbers will go up steadily over the first few days first week or so
But then obviously after, say, a week or so, the numbers will start tailing off
as people have listened to it and there'll be new music coming out.
Whereas Drake's songs, he releases them and literally the numbers just carry on going up and right forever.
so basically what that means in a streaming platforms royalty is that because they're
inflating his numbers he's essentially taking money out of the pockets of every other artist
that's on that platform so that is essentially why it's so egregious which is hopefully as people
learn about these little stories you know these um these manipulators are up to you know this is
why this system over here where I'm sending a direct boost straight to the artist with a message
and I know 100% that that money is going directly to the artist and it's not being siphoned off
anywhere else to be paying people that basically don't deserve it. That is where value for value
comes from. I'm providing value by giving you a song. Give me some of your value so I can keep
giving you more songs.
Do you know what I mean?
It's a beautiful thing.
Yeah.
And so it's just so easy.
I think because it's so easy
and because obviously, you know,
it's something new and fresh.
People just don't believe, you know,
artists and bands are scared of it
and they're just not going to it.
I was lucky enough to have, you know,
someone like you to talk me through it.
And to be fair, even when you talk me through it,
I've still got to get the logic of it.
And the logic for me is, like you've just said,
it's value for value.
I just don't understand how you can't.
If you don't get that, I don't understand what other way it can be explained to you.
Sure.
Right, let's go on to your fifth choice of song.
This one is Pent Houses and Pavement.
Now, I'm going to play the live version from our Fickle Pickle gig,
which, as you know, Longy, was the first ever Bitcoin-powered gig in the UK.
took place last May.
We got a full video as well as the whole live album.
You might want to give a shout out to Joe Martin and Nathan Abbott
who were also performing on that set that night.
But is there anything you want to say about this song,
Penthouses and Pavements?
What was the headspace you was in?
Who's it about?
And is there any other beautiful blonde Australians that feature in it?
There's not, but there's the greatest female artist, I think,
of all time
it's about
the chorus is about
anyone else
and
I was in LA
just doing some writing
for someone
over in LA
at the time
and
we were walking down
Homewood Boulevard
and
obviously
Scientology
is a
is a real thing
in
that strip
and
we got bombarded
into this
hilarious
cinema
and they wanted to see
if we wanted to become
Scientologists
or sorry
me my mate
wanted to see
we wanted to
we wanted to see
what it was all about
so we walked in there
and then
I don't know
I can't remember what happened
obviously we went out
a couple of beers
and then my mate said
it's literally
from the penthouses
to the pavements
because of
I was waiting for someone
that had a penthouse
at the time
and
he was
he's a
he's
I think he's a crazy wolf
but that story
is for another time
so did you actually
meet Ron Hubbard?
thankfully no
Tom Cruise
any of them
Tom was there
we had a few beers
with Tom after
no not at all
but I just love that
I just love how
wacky and mad
LA's crazy
it's a crazy
crazy
that was
right well this is
Penthouses and Pavements
by Long E
live from the
Fickle Pickle
I cannot say it's been the best of times
Trying to hold on my hand whilst looking for the signs
I'll save you from this darkness
Your self-destruction body
Seems it just don't work no more
I've been psychosomatic
The comeback of a maverick
The reoccurring dream I had last night
Your self-destruction body
I've walked this in a station
Where those trains don't walk no more
I'll resist me
Don't listen
You already know
Your eyes are caged, you cannot grow
You have to bury those memories
You won't let go of now
Life you shine, lives on forever
In time you find, we'll make this together
In line you find, we'll back to
Mark or Tommy, wait a minute, I'll go there, boy
It's for too many times now
A scam now, a cardinal scene
It's a clockwork to the end, my friend
And something's dying
There ain't no teardrop, no pecking
I could not say again
It's a life you'd get just once
The cold in my till, no
I've got no feeling
It's a clock right to the end
Something's dying, it probably means I need to find you the more things you want
I've a system, don't listen, you're already home
Your eyes are cage, you cannot grow
You have to bury those memories you won't let go of now
Now
The light you shine lives on forever
In time you'll find we make this together
The light you shine lives on forever
In time you'll find we make this together
Thank you.
guitar solo
It's over, it's over
It's you that's given in
I am your soldier
It's blacked off
It's locked as shorty skin
When the wind is just barely starting
The light you shine
Lives on forever
In time you find
We make this together
The light you shine
Lives on forever
In time you find
We make this together
The light you shine lives on forever
In time you'll find we make this together
The light you shine lives on forever
In time you'll find we make this together
Make this together
We make this together
That was Penthouses and Pavements by Longy, live at the Fickle Pickle.
So let's take you back to May the 23rd, I believe it was, wasn't it, May, when we managed to pull off the first ever Bitcoin Powered Live show.
It was live streamed on NOSTA, on Zapstream.
It went all around the world, our friends in America.
We had people in Australia tuning in, Holland, South America, Venezuela even we had people tuning in from.
what do you remember about that whole gig um and yeah what what have you got anything
interesting you can tell us about that gig um i'm pretty sure that that's the first time i've ever
ever played that that venue and it was i'm sure it was was it club rega it was what it
it used to be club rega yeah um and i swear it didn't i mean i never saw it so i wouldn't know
but it was more like literally what it says,
like a bit more kind of like tables and chairs out and all that, didn't it?
I don't know.
I swear, like, I've not known a lot about that place,
but what a venue.
There's only a couple of venues, I'd say, around South Bend
that you fit to yourself.
They're good places to play.
And, of course, all gigs, they're brilliant to play.
But when you get on stage and you've got good, you know,
you've got good foldbacks and stuff like that,
and you can hear a lot.
so yeah it was a good it was a good gig um joe martin um he he played he was brilliant nathan's
always good obviously a good good friend of ours so he's always he's always brilliant um
i can just remember going through the smallest stamp i've ever gone through
it was literally just i plugged into a machine no bigger than my phone and uh joe lamb who's always
done sound down there
he just said
listen to how funny this amp is
so I learned a lot
that night and
I'm pretty sure we went to
a ridiculous house party
next to the chapel where we rehearse
so yeah
it was a good night for all
but in terms of the first night for what we did
around the world
I think
it done what you said it out to be
and that was make sure that it kind of just gets out to as many people as possible.
People still ain't doing enough of that stuff, I don't think,
but it will come round.
It will come good.
Yeah, this is something I hope to change this year
with there being so many Bitcoin conferences
and Bitcoin-focused events happening, not just in the UK,
but in Europe and the rest of the world.
I do hope to create more of these proper gigs
that are connected to the Bitcoin conferences around the country.
Because I think music really has the power not just to connect,
but it really has the power to get your juices flowing, right?
It's full of passion, emotion, all of these things.
And everyone loves a live performance.
You look at we've had 10 years of Bitcoin conferences,
and they're all largely the same.
They're people, macro finance guys, tech bros.
They're all on stage. They're talking, talking, talking, talking. Whereas, you know, connecting the live show to these Bitcoin conferences, I think will get people to, you know, discover their inner animal and let their hair down.
And do you know what I mean? And dance and just feel a bit more primal. Do you know what I mean?
So, yeah, we hope there's going to be more of those. But yeah, like you say, the Fickle Pickle, fantastic venue.
I mean, I learned a lot that night as well.
Shout out to INPC as well, who, bizarrely, I mean, because do you remember what happened?
So basically, we was talking to the Costellos, weren't we, about doing a big show at Dingwalls in London or Water Rats, you know, one of the big venues in London.
And obviously, for one reason or another, Ainsley Costello and all those guys, they couldn't get over from America to the UK.
You know it was just financially just impossible to do And I was kind of hoping they were going to come over because you know these were the guys that did the first show in Texas in six months before we did our show because I was really hoping just to give Jim jim the microphone uh jim could you know emcee it the her their crew their team would deal with all the live streaming aspect of it you know
and all the sound i was hoping to just oh well my job is simple i just got to get longy in the room
which is you know no mean feat but for example just getting longy actually in the room where we
needs to be at the right time uh that's um harder work than it looks but no for me um when they
turned around and said oh you know we're not going to be able to come it was like
fuck do you know what i mean i was a bit like well i've told people we're going to do it now
so i'm going to have to like figure all this out i then put a shout out on nostra basically saying
has anybody got any kind of live streaming experience we want to put on the first gig
and there was a INPC.
He miraculously saw my note on Nostra and he says, well, yeah, I'm in Kent.
I'll come down and maybe we can figure it out.
And basically we just figured it out.
And from a technological standpoint, Longy, it worked beautifully.
We was having messages coming through all night.
It live streamed on Fountain as well because we had Oscar Mary
from Fountain there as well, didn't we?
them and Azteco they donated um you know a couple of hundred vouchers with five pound of bitcoin on
so everyone that turned up they could basically get fountain on their phone and load it with some
bitcoin so they could support the artist but we had all the american our american brothers and
sisters like heather boo berry chad f all of them got they all turned up in the live chat
and yeah we managed to turn one night into essentially three revenue streams didn't we
because we had the the bitcoin that was earned on the night that obviously went to all the performers
we had the ticket money on the door which barely covered the venue to be honest the ticket money
on the door covered the venue but not only that we managed to then create a live album from it
which we then uploaded, which still to this day,
all the crew that was involved and the artists,
including the photographer, the sound guy, the tech boys,
are still getting paid to this day.
So essentially we're putting on – this is why I love this technology
because we have the power using NOSTA, using Bitcoin,
to not only save music venues but actually make them thrive.
Do you know what I mean? Just like a musician on a Bitcoin standard, a venue can be on a Bitcoin standard too.
Using Bitcoin that they make through these shows as a buffer, as insulation from the legacy system that's constantly adding more rules and regulations to their operating costs every single month.
Do you know what I mean? So I was really pleased that we did it. And the fact that it was the first one obviously made it historic.
but the fact it went so successful,
it led on to us going to perform, didn't it,
at Factory last year as part of the Bitfest conference in Manchester.
Tell us a bit about that, Longy.
How was that for you?
Brilliant night.
Different genres.
I think we were probably getting mildly too drunk on the Saturday afternoon,
but we had been probably drinking for the last 24 hours.
But it's Manchester.
and it should be that way
and
unfortunately
Manny Boy
out of Stone Rose
has just passed
so it was
I think it was
literally
the day after that
I think it was
he died on the Friday
didn't he
and then we
we played on the Saturday
so
just a
just a great
I miss Manchester
so it's just
you know
they're always up for
a good night
and
they're always looking
to find something
you know new
the fact it was in factory
even better
what a venue
good people
solid people
a lot of good people you were hosting that night which i thought you'd done a superb job considering
that i was running up and down the streets of manchester trying to find my guitar effects um
so apart from that it was yeah it was good it was very very good and then
and then it's just the only yeah i mean obviously it's always running in manchester but that was
that was that was probably my only my only soreness about it but yeah apart from that
Yeah, it was a unique occasion.
I've got to shout out to Nat and Nind, Nathan Day,
all the organisers of BitFest.
They put on a fantastic show during the day conference.
And like I say, the after party itself had the desired effect
of people getting out, letting their hair down,
watching great music, just experiencing it all.
And some people say that Liverpool is the capital of culture
and music in this country.
I disagree.
I think it's Manchester.
When you look at the calibre of the bands that have come out of Manchester,
all the way from Joy Division to Happy Mondays to Doves to Oasis,
do you know what I mean?
It's like the scene in Manchester is so, so strong.
The Stone Roses, just incredible, incredible bands came out of Manchester.
and I made a point on the night to say that, you know, obviously R.I.P. Manny,
but this show is really dedicated to someone called Tony Wilson.
And if you don't know who Tony Wilson is, he was somebody that was,
he was quite a fiat normie.
He was somebody that would promote local music and Manchester music.
He was a TV presenter and journalist,
but he really was the driving force behind that Manchester scene
and getting these bands out there.
and not to mention the Sex Pistols, even though they were from London,
they played that ultimate gig, didn't they, in Manchester?
They were kind of really discovered in Manchester
and the Sex Pistols inspired all these bands to come out of Manchester
at the time.
So, yeah, Manchester was a beautiful, beautiful thing.
Bitfest, I believe, is going to go on again this year.
So, who knows?
Factory Part 2 could happen.
Beautiful.
Let's make it happen.
Indeed, indeed.
Right, let's go on to the last song.
Right, you've had your five songs, Longy.
So this is my song of yours that I've chosen to bring to the party.
First of all, we're going to play the song,
and then I'm going to tell you a little story
about why I've chosen this song after the song.
So The Underclass, can you elaborate?
Tell us where you was, what you was thinking when you wrote it,
and why did you write it?
What's it about?
When was I about that tune?
When was I?
You put me on the spot.
But, yeah, I think it's, mate, it's, you know, it's a diehard, you know,
call to arms, get out there, and you've just got to, it'll turn around.
As long as you stay in there, it will turn around 100%.
It might hurt, but it will definitely turn around.
So that for me is what it's about, you know, fundamentally.
And I just love the first line.
It's my favourite line to sing a song.
So, yeah, love it.
Love that you chose it.
Thank you.
Well, this is The Underclass by Longy.
I can't believe that you believe these fucking fake hearts
Time to stir me up and cook these very headaches
What goes around will come around in time, believe me
They say you play to live your day and live it well
They've got you tripping cause you're part of the underclass
They've got you tripping
Like I know in time
I'm making it right
And these cracks are healing
Life, I know in time
I'm making it right
And these cracks are healing
You choose to lose, it's up to you to turn it round
Think you could win your boy or play the same one sound
Flash is the punch, she hits the bed and now you're naked
Time that you took to rewrite the book that you waited
They've got me tripping cause you're part beyond the glass
They've got me tripping
Love, I know it's hard
I'm making it right
Oh, these cracks are here
Love, I know it's hard
I'm making it right
And these crabs are boundaries
Yes, yes I want it
Yes, I feel it rising
Inside of me
Keep, keep on moving
Just keep your head above those troubled waters in life
Yes, it's on and yes, it's not
Just keep moving in life
Yes, it's on
Keep your head above those troubled waters in life
I'm ready to die
I'm making it right
And these cracks are healing
Laurie K先 두부
Okay, that was The Underclass by Longy.
And that was my choice in this little collection of Longy tunes that we're talking about today.
Now, the reason why I wanted to bring that one to the party,
and I was kind of quite glad that you didn't choose it in your five, to be honest.
I think overall, looking at the charts,
I think The Underclass has possibly been your most successful V4V release so far.
Would that be right?
I'm pretty sure it is, isn't it?
It was one of the first ones we put up as well.
Yeah, I think it was the second tune we put up.
And we put your first song, Love Schizophrenia, that went up, I believe, in June 2023 now, can you believe?
So that's like over two and a half years ago.
but the underclass we put up and you know when i come to you and i said well just give us one song
we'll put it up i'll show you how it works and we'll just see what happens but then we got on
this you know you're talking earlier about like consistency and releasing and i just said to you
we you know you've got so many songs let's just release one a week for the next however long do
you know what i mean yeah and um so we we started on this um kind of schedule of dropping a new song
into the value verse every Friday. And I think the second one was the underclass. Now we have to take
our hats off to people like Dave Jones and Adam Curry, because they have really been two of the
leading lights of developing the RSS protocol to enable music to be shared on the same podcast
players that, you know, their podcast shows go out on. Now, I remember you saying to me,
yeah I don't know what's going on Aaron but my wallet's just been going off all night and I was
like I don't know mate I you know I don't know and you know what it's like when you you listen
to podcasts they can be in a queue and you might not actually hear them for a week or so because
they're backed up and you don't get a chance to listen to them anyway so I was listening to Adam
Curry's podcast in 2.0 show about a week after you told me that your your wallet was blowing up
and I realized what had happened.
Basically, Adam Curry was talking about V4V
and the wallet switching technology
and all of these little developments to the protocol
which enabled this ecosystem to appear.
He had basically played that song, The Underclass, on his show,
and that was essentially why you was getting so many boosts
because Adam Curry was like, we're going to play this song.
This is a really upbeat song.
I think you'll like it.
Do you know what I mean?
And then obviously it came on.
I immediately got goosebumps, mate.
Like literally the hairs on my arms, the back of my neck was standing up
because I was like, holy shit.
Do you know what I mean?
It was like everything I had...
kind of said to you and promised to you in kind of blind optimism
and blind hope from my perspective, like, fingers crossed,
let's hope something good happens, happened within, like, the first month.
And Adam Curry basically showed that his podcast essentially had the ability
to put your track number one on Wav Lake, and it did.
It went straight to number one on Wav Lake.
The amount of, like, Satoshis that were streaming through was insane.
So, yeah, that's why I wanted to bring this because it really was the concrete proof that this is the way this could go.
You know, podcasts can play songs.
You know, the wallets will switch in the background underneath.
You know, you don't even know it's happening and it just works.
And tacking that onto the extension of doing the live show and doing the live stream, the technology just works.
Do you know what I mean?
Once they've written this code, it just seems to just keep working and working.
We've got a phrase in Bitcoin, nothing stops this train.
And I believe anything that Bitcoin touches gives it that potential energy to a snowball rolling downhill.
Now, basically, we have literally just started forming a snowball at the top of the hill.
We've not reached escape velocity yet. We've not killed Spotify just yet. But who knows? 5, 10, 15 years down the road, why would people upload to Spotify? You know, I sincerely believe Spotify is probably somewhere you would go if you want to listen to the Beatles.
but how many people are listening to you know beethoven and mozart and you know rock and roll
start well not that rock and roll was a thing a hundred years ago it probably just ends up
kind of fading and dying do you know what i mean like what that line from neil young song um russ never sleeps you know it better to burn out than to fade away Well I think Spotify will fade away
What's your thoughts?
Can't see it for a while, but let's hope so.
Because of, you know, it's the 0.0000001p that people get,
and I just don't understand how that's fair
how you can survive on that.
And, you know, it doesn't bode well, I don't think,
for youngsters to come through on that platform.
It's just as simple as that, really.
It really is.
Yeah, we'd just be stuck in this perpetual loop of AI slop.
For those that have ever watched the movie Demolition Man,
have you seen Demolition Man?
I have many moons ago,
but I don't think I can even remember the story anymore.
yeah well sylvester salone basically hygienically frozen and because everything's got so woke
and so kind of weak um that a criminal comes back and he basically takes over the place but obviously
all the they've not had to deal with any kind of criminality or any kind of like testosterone for
quite a while so they have to ask sylvester salone come back and basically take charge of this guy
They have to fight that fire with that same era's fire.
And basically there's a scene in there where they're driving in the cop car
and there's no music anymore.
It's just radio jingles and they're singing along to a radio jingle
because the only music that can exist in that time
is music that's being paid for to advertise some muck.
Do you know what I mean?
And, yeah, this is why we're doing what we're doing
because we don't want to be at the behest of corporations and bigwigs.
And we want music and original music to live forever, right?
I'm certainly going to re-watch that film tonight, I think,
just to fire up some burning light that might have tilted slightly in me So yeah Is Wesley Slugs in that film That the one yeah Yeah beautiful Yeah I can wait It a great movie
They've got a lot of things right in that.
They've got...
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Is it one where someone swears in the street
and literally someone comes up to you and gives you a fine?
Yeah, you know, that's where, you know,
they're basically two-tier society.
You've got those that live in the utopia above ground.
They're not allowed to sort on their food.
They're not allowed to, you know, they're not allowed to procreate with a woman.
There's machines that do everything.
And then you had Dennis Leary below ground, you know,
where you could get your rat burgers and your things like that.
Well, I think, you know, if there's an anthem for the underground,
I think the underclass is it.
The underclass, that last song, it basically goes out to all those people
that are living below ground because they don't want to,
they don't want to exist in a
in a beige society
that's just
you know
devoid of emotion and personality
do you know what I mean?
and also
I took that
the front cover of the underclass
is a
it's a real picture
I literally walked past KFC
and I saw these three hoodlums
and they were just bogging at me
so I thought
get my camera out
and then obviously what you see
of them sticking their fingers up
is
is really real
so
yeah
it's for them as well
it's for them
you know say something can stay true i think that's the uh that's the way it's got to go
fantastic fantastic right well we're gonna um wrap this show up thanks so much for joining us
thanks for having me and we can talk into you as ever hopefully we can get your music out to a load
more people around the planet and people can discover you now obviously um how can people
like learn more about you
how can they reach out to you
are you on NOSTA
I think I am
but to be fair
I'm on Damason
I should know all my tags by now
but best thing
just to go on Fountain
look under
Lommie
and then go from there
and I'll be on there
with most
I think
Christ
my library my library starting to get quite big on Fountain so yeah yeah just get on there DM me do what you need to do and let go Indeed
Right.
Well, thanks for listening, everyone.
We're going to call it a wrap now.
Is there anything else you want to tell people?
You got any gigs coming up soon?
Weird enough, Pickle Pickle on March the 28th.
We're back there, aren't we?
so um yeah march the 28th um friday night west cliff on sea get down to the pickle pickle um
and let's get a beer down us and watch some brilliant brilliant music i'm pretty sure
we're gonna live stream that as well around the planet so people can enjoy that all right well
that's fantastic yeah so all right well wicked nice one longy i've been aaron of essex
It's part of the New Music Nudge Unit,
decentralising music without labels, without Spotify, without permission.
So check us out.
We're all on NOSTA.
New Music Nudge Unit.
Long is on NOSTA.
Go and check out the new music that's entering this scene.
Yeah.
And thanks to Avi for letting me hijack your show.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Hopefully this is the first of many.
if you want me to interview
any of the other artists in the space
about music
then obviously give us a shout out
remember to boost the show
so we can kind of
spread the love and spread the value
across the value verse
to everybody
thanks again for listening
everyone, over and out
cheers Longy
speak soon
bye mate
Thank you.