In Episode 19, we are graced with another knowledgable and insightful guest. Courtney had the opportunity to interview a real-life time traveler, Alison Renner, who contacted us out of the blue to discuss some of the subject matter we’ve explored in earlier episodes. It was immediately clear that Courtney was communicating with someone with a true understanding of the Liverpool scene. Over the course of the interview Alison reveals her time bending gifts and offers to take us into the past as we continue our odyssey.

We are so grateful the Bunny gods brought us together through this modern medium of podcasting and we are excited to announce that Alison has agreed to share her time traveling gifts with us, by transporting herself into the Liverpool scene at various points in its history to give our listeners a firsthand glimpse of all the goings on.

Alison Renner is a collector of antique photographs and a lover of the Liverpool scene. As a child, she spent an unusual amount of time sitting by the radio and writing down band names for her future self to find once she had mastered the art of time bending. In one of her notes she wrote the words "THE WILD SWANS" and this band became a portal as she was shot across the Ley Lines into the the dream city of Liverpool where she seems to have taken up residence. When she speaks of this moment in history, she speaks as someone who has lived alongside the individuals who inhabit this scene. She is someone who has lovingly combed through lyrics, interviews, and the small print of liner notes many times over.

In this episode, Alison answers all Courtney's eager questions about the Liverpool scene and gives a sweeping overview of the period we are focusing on in the city's musical history. The inhabitants come to life as she situates each individual's contributions and motivations within the larger context of the scene. We try to cover it all: the genesis of bands, the burgeoning feuds, the lasting bonds, the uninvited American, the collective mourning, we touch on all of it.

You can find Alison Renner on instagram @odpeacock
If you are brave and interested in mysteries and unexplainable phenomena, listen to STRANGE FAMILIARS podcast on iTunes, Googleplay, and all the other podcasty places.
Check out their website at STRANGEFAMILIARS.COM
And check out the STRANGE FAMILIARS shop on Ebay where many of Alison's haunting antique photographs are listed.
In this episode, we play clips of the following songs--
"Charlotte Anne", by THE TEAR DROP EXPLODES (1988)
"Young Manhood", by THE WILD SWANS (1988)
"The Coldest Winter For A Hundred Years", by THE WILD SWANS (2011)
"My Town", by THE WILD SWANS (2011)
"The Culture Bunker", THE TEARDROP EXPLODES (1981)