# What makes a rock star a ‘ledge’ & the daft rituals of the ‘70s disco

An episode of [Word In Your Ear](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1567029088), 16 Nov 2025, 51 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/5ff0586154e2a73589267809/e/6919dcc7c66f88b092b7f284/media.mp3

Five decades of rock and roll with none of the names redacted. In the despatches this week … … Kevin Rowland? Adam Ant? Toyah? Morrissey? Which Smash Hits cover stars are now ‘legends’? … a classic encounter with Van Morrison down a Bristol alley … the boy who mailed dead rodents and Boomtown Rats singles to radio stations became Pope Leo XIV! … 25 recent big-name Hollywood films all flopped. Are robots the new movie stars? … was Sticky Fingers the last Stones album with songs? … best nights out for a tenner … RIP Gilson Lavis and Donna Godchaux ... the daft rituals of the ’70s ‘slow dance’ … when Percy Sledge was a hospital porter … “Run for your life, it’s Eater!” … Tom Waits’ on-brand luggage, Boo Hewerdine and birthday guest Mike Sketch on the joy of gigs on your own (and in a scout hut in Staveley). Help us to keep The Longest Conversation In Rock going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Help us to keep The Longest Continuous Conversation In Rock'n'Roll going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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