How Mowtown made British Indie

Indie music didn't start in a damp Manchester rehearsal room with a bunch of miserable lads wearing oversized raincoats. It was pinched straight from Motown.

In this episode, Andrew Culture and Dr Sam trace the line connecting Detroit's assembly lines, Peckham bedrooms, and sweaty, talcum-powdered floors in Wigan to show how Northern Soul accidentally birthed British indie, Britpop, and baggy culture.

We cover:

The Peckham militant who ran a Motown fan club, bought records for Paul McCartney, and told Mick Jagger to jog off.

Why Barry Gordy tried to destroy every copy of a song that later sold for £100,000.

How The Smiths, The Charlatans, and Soft Cell basically owe their entire careers to American soul B-sides.

7:50AM end-of-night rituals and the birth of UK music tribalism.

Amazing additional voice clips provided by Voiceover Artist Martin Whiskin - https://www.martinwhiskin.co.uk/

CITATION LINKS

Dave Godin, Northern Soul & His Legacy

Dave Godin's Guardian obituary detailing his civil rights activism, founding the Tamla Motown Appreciation Society, coining "Northern Soul," and his ashes being scattered at Wigan Casino:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/oct/20/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries BFI documentation on Dave Godin and the history of the Northern Soul movement: