Crossed Channels with Tony Fletcher and Dan Epstein cover art

Crossed Channels with Tony Fletcher and Dan Epstein

Crossed Channels with Tony Fletcher and Dan Epstein

By: A monthly podcast on which a Yank and a Brit clash and connect over music from both sides of "the pond".
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 Join music journalists/biographers/musicians/Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Brit) as they debate and discuss the different ways that certain major bands and artists from their respective homelands have been received on the other side of the pond. In the process, Dan and Tony compare and contrast their own experiences as obsessive music fans growing up in the US and the UK.

tonyfletcher.substack.comTony Fletcher Art Entertainment & Performing Arts Music
Episodes
  • Connecting with the Mothership

    Connecting with the Mothership
    Apr 9 2026
    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.com

    Welcome to the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Limey) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.

    This episode (our 27th!) focuses on an album from an artist we’ve wanted to discuss for ages: the legendary funk maestro George Clinton. The main reason we haven’t covered the good Dr. Funkenstein on the podcast before now is that the sheer breadth and brilliance of his six-decade discography made it difficult to decide how to approach it.

    Ultimately, we decided to hitch a ride on Mothership Connection, Parliament’s 1975 commercial breakthrough. The record not only gave Clinton his first million-selling LP — and his first million-selling single with “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)” — but also introduced the first characters and storylines of the interplanetary Afrofuturist sagas that would dominate P-Funk’s albums and live shows over the rest of the decade.

    In this episode of CROSSED CHANNELS, Dan and Tony discuss why Mothership Connection was the album that finally brought George Clinton mainstream US success after over a decade of funking on the margins. But we also talk about why the album failed to catch on overseas, and why it would take a few more years before Clinton actually landed on the UK charts.

    And in addition to getting into the years and musical milestones leading up to the Mothership’s initial landing, we also touch upon Clinton and P-Funk’s widespread influence.

    To hear this episode in its entirety, along with all of our previous complete CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them! Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Limey)

    By doing so, you will not only get CROSSED CHANNELS every month, but other exclusive posts from each of us, and full-time access to all the good stuff in our respective archives. Plus, your monthly paid subscription will allow us to afford our monthly post-recording repast over at one of our many fine (or at least passable) Asian eateries!

    And remember, CROSSED CHANNELS, unlike most podcasts, does not take ads: we value your intelligence too highly to subject you to that sort of thing.
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    14 mins
  • It's It's a Ballroom Blitz!

    It's It's a Ballroom Blitz!
    Mar 5 2026
    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.com

    Welcome to the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Limey) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.

    This episode (our 26th!) will be our tastiest yet, as it focuses on British glam rock legends Sweet… or The Sweet, if you prefer. Dan and Tony are both major fans of the band, but came to their music in very different ways, Tony in the very early 1970s, Dan in the very late 1970s, and this is unsurprising, for while Sweet achieved significant hits in both the UK and the US, their success in the respective markets was rarely in sync.

    In this episode of CROSSED CHANNELS, Dan and Tony discuss Sweet’s tumultuous yet hit-filled history, and dig into why the American version of Desolation Boulevard is not only far superior to its British counterpart, but may also be the quintessential Sweet album.

    To hear this episode in its entirety, along with all of our previous complete CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them! You will not only get CROSSED CHANNELS every month, but other exclusive posts from each of us, and full-time access to all the good stuff in our respective archives. Plus, you allow us to afford our monthly post-recording repast over at our local Chinese buffet! And remember, CROSSED CHANNELS, unlike most podcasts, does not take ads: we value your intelligence too highly to subject you to that sort of thing.

    https://tonyfletcher.substack.com/

    https://danepstein.substack.com/

    Theme music: "Put It Down" by The Dear Boys.

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    12 mins
  • Dan and Tony Get Their Ya-Ya's Out

    Dan and Tony Get Their Ya-Ya's Out
    Feb 12 2026
    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit tonyfletcher.substack.comWelcome to the 25th episode of the CROSSED CHANNELS podcast — a.k.a. the podcast in which music journalists/obsessives Dan Epstein (the Yank) and Tony Fletcher (the Limey) clash and connect over music from either side of the pond.Dan & Tony Get Their Ya-Ya’s Out is an equally lively continuation of Episode 24, Should I Stay (Home) or Should I Go (Out)? in which we abandoned our usual focus on a particular band or artist from the UK or USA to take on the wide-ranging topic of live albums — official and otherwise. During that previous episode, Tony gave Dan hell for no longer going to see live shows, and Dan pointed out that his hearing is a lot better than Tony’s. And after arguing the positives and negatives of continuing to go out or stay home in one’s later years, the pair got down to answering some of the questions they had set each other: about the first live album they’d heard, or the favourite live cassette/bootleg of their formative years. Then they took a break and figured to stretch the conversation into two halves.And so, Episode 25 continues down this path of lively pub banter, the kind of “best” and “worst” lists that can be toxic on social media but are enormous fun when you’re sitting opposite one of your good friends and debating in real time. The questions we set each other and which we dig into on this episode include:* The best or most memorable bootleg you ever made yourself at a show.* Your favourite live album by anyone, for any reason.* The worst live album by an act that should have known better.* The live show you attended that you most wish had been recorded.* The live album that makes you most wish you could have attended.Does Tony mention every act he’s ever written a book about? Does Dan surprise Tony by referencing albums Tony has never heard of? Does Neil Diamond get a mention or was it edited out for reasons of length? And does Tony succeed in dragging Dan to an actual gig after they finish recording… or do they just go down the road for their usual post-pod meal at Kingston’s Yum Yum? (Hint: we record on a Monday.)Bottom line: we love doing this show, we have a lot more fun for doing it in person, and we know that this shows in the energy of the conversation. (We thank you for your feedback!) But also, we know our music – sort of! – and we love sharing our passion for it with you. So, if you are not yet a paid subscriber to either of our Substacks, maybe you should be, because, as always, the CROSSED CHANNELS episode is only available in full to paid subscribers of Jagged Time Lapse and/or Tony Fletcher, Wordsmith, though a short preview of the episode is available above for all to listen to. To hear this complete episode, along with all of our previous complete CROSSED CHANNELS episodes, just sign up for a paid subscription to one of our Substacks — or, better yet, sign up for both of them! You not only get Crossed Channels every month, but other exclusive posts from each of us, and access to all the archives all the time. Plus, you allow us to afford that post-pod meal at Yum Yum! Remember, Crossed Channels, unlike most podcasts, does not take ads: we value your intelligence too highly.And if you are already a paid subscriber to either of our Substacks, may we firstly say Thank You! And may we follow that up by encouraging you to get your money’s worth and download the podcast, or stream it on your preferred podcast app – info on how to do so is on the right-hand sidebar of this page on the web. We also welcome (paid subscribers’) comments. What is YOUR fave live album, by anyone, for any reason? What live show did YOU attend that you most wish had been recorded? And what do YOU consider the worst live album by any act that should have known better?Thanks so much for being part of our journey. If these “show notes” indicate a different writing style than usual, then you are paying attention. Dan normally writes them, but had some pressing personal matters this week, and Tony stepped in to scatter tradition to the wind. Episode 26 will feature Dan and Tony debating the British pop stardom and belated American fame for The Sweet. Yeah, yeah yeah yeah.
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    11 mins
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