PODCAST
The Extended Version

JOURNEYS INTO HIP HOP

Jon Saxon was born six months before hip hop, in 1973, and was raised on Bromyard Road in the rural-England market town of Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire – 5539 miles away from hip hop’s Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx. The two would eventually meet in front of the high school bike sheds 12 years later. This podcast charts Jon’s musical journey towards that very day, and celebrates the relationship that endures nearly 40 years on with the help of old radio recordings, a living room full of vinyl, and a raft of ridiculous childhood memories.

EPISODE 004: We say hello again to 14-year-old Jon – this time for the second half of his 1987 – for yet another 12 months of firsts: from hearing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang being cut over the top of a 1986 rap track, hearing the alarming ins and outs of LA gang culture aired by King T on John Peel’s programme, to the exciting launch of a brand new Friday night radio show packed full of hip hop.

RECENT EPISODES

  • EPISODE 003

    “Jon fails to excite a school-disco-DJ to spin a Marley Marl track, and goes on a walk across the fields with 2 Live Crew”

    1987

    LISTEN

  • EPISODE 002

    “Being strong armed into hip hop over ravioli, recording RADIO HIP HOP and going fishing with Doug E. Fresh”

    1985-1986

    LISTEN

  • EPISODE 001

    “Join me, aged 1, in a hairdressers in Worcester, and aged 11 at a pub jukebox in Govilon playing the same song 16 times”

    1974 to 1984

    LISTEN

Meet the host – JON SAXON

Born in March 1973, Jon Saxon would go on to successfully promote The Specials and Elvis at primary school (aged 6), Otis Redding and The Delfonics outside Tenbury cinema (aged 16), and American scratch DJs Vinroc, Roli Rho, Mista Sinista, Shortkut, Sugarcuts, Excess and IXL in 1999 (aged 26). Spent the rest of his life (thus far) writing about cars and coming up with endless ideas to showcase UK hip hop

Jon’s also written a book . . .

Quarter Mile and Then Some
(written: 2002, published: 2023)