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Mark Whitby is a DJ on Dandelion Radio and FSK Hamburg, and honestly, the guy is a walking music encyclopedia. Dandelion Radio started right after John Peel died (they literally named it after Peel’s own record label from the 70s), and Mark’s been behind the mic there for almost 20 years now.
He also wrote a book on Peel’s Festive 50 chart, which turns 50 this year, and he actually mailed a copy to Peel himself just weeks before Peel passed away. Wild timing.
We get into all of it: how Dandelion Radio got started, what it’s like carrying on the Festive 50 tradition, his punk awakening as a kid, a deep dive into blues, reggae, and the Madchester scene, and his other whole life as a football obsessive. He even wrote a book on women’s football and uses the proceeds to sponsor amateur players in the North West of England.
It’s a long one, but a good one, with someone who’s spent his whole life chasing new music and just giving it away for free. Enjoy my conversation with Mark.
Mark on BlueSky:
@markw01.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/markw01.bsky.social
Mark’s Blog: https://rabidunderdog.blogspot.com
The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.
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Created by Alexei Shishkin
Associate Producer: Alivia Stonier
Booking: Jamie Halliday
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⏱️ Chapters:
00:00 - Intro to Mark Whitby
00:52 - Founding of Dandelion Radio
04:10 - How Mark Got Involved
08:39 - 20 Years Of Change
14:10 - The Festive 50 Explained
21:24 - Football, Fandom & Passion
31:02 - The Mixtape
32:56 - “In A Rut” by The Ruts
42:21 - “Death Letter Blues” by Son House
52:14 - “Eine Symphonie Des Grauens” by The Monochrome Set
58:27 - “The Spangle Maker” by Cocteau Twins
1:04:53 - “Mother Nature and Father Man-Made” by The Venopian Solitude
1:12:35 - “Strength” by Fikir Amlak & King Alpha
1:18:20 - Honorable Mentions
1:21:03 - Game: Call and Response
1:29:31 - Plugs & Outro
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