Yes Marks the Spot
During lockdown, Marcus broadcast on community radio station Incapable Staircase FM every Tuesday from 4:30pm to 5:30pm (GMT/BST). The show included an interview with a special guest who had an adventurous story to tell with a few appropriate tunes slotted in between.
Week 31 – Review of Weeks 22-30
Another milestone with 30 weeks in the can so it was a chance to look back at the last nine weeks, pick out a few highlights and hear some choice tunes.
Week 30 – Kim Ingleby
She’s a personal trainer, NLP guru, charity fundraiser, Ted talker, ultra runner and world champion (amongst other things!). This week I had a conversation with Kim Ingleby about the techniques she uses to help people achieve their goals as well as the way she likes to challenge herself in events that have taken her to various far flung corners of the world.
Kim is always happy to help with any of the topics we chatted about in the show so if you’d like to get in touch then take a look at her website: www.kimingleby.co.uk or for her training services: www.energisedperformance.com. She’s also active on Insta, FB and Twitter as @kimingleby.
Plus you can read all about how to feel good with her book: “Kim Ingleby’s Hound of Happiness”
Week 29 – Paul Cheese
I had the pleasure of chatting to sound artist, Musician, producer and cyclist Paul Cheese on the show this week. Sound is integral to his journeys as he uses the landscape, spaces and noises he encounters while exploring the world on his bike to produce unique pieces of music. It’ll make you think about how you record your own travels in a completely new way!
https://www.paulcheesemusic.com/
Its’ worth watching the video for the Big Record Uk to get a full appreciation for how the track was put together:
Week 28 – Phil Richards
There are many amazing running challenges in this world but The Bob Graham Round is one of the most revered and respected of them all. This week Phil Richards talks about the journey that eventually led her to taking on the infamous 66 mile circuit around 42 of the highest peaks in the English Lake District.
Will Holland Anthology
In a break between guests I put together a show all about the very talented Will Holland of Quantic fame. Enjoy an hour of music taking in some of his varied projects with plenty of funk, soul, cumbia and jazz all produced by the man himself.
Week 27 – Phil Collins
Not just a namesake for an 80’s popster, this Phil Collins became the first Irishman to ride on the track at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics. He tells his fascinating story about the trials and tribulations of the journey to get there and also what happened afterwards.
I had to chop out some interesting stuff for the show so if you’d like to hear the whole interview then you can listen to it here:
Week 26 – Zoe Langley-Wathen
This week I chatted to Zoe about her long distance walking adventures on the South West Coast Path (read more about this in the Biggest Book of Yes!) and how it lead her on to more challenges and to set up her website HeadRightOut.com to ducument her antics and encourage others to enjoy the great outdoors.
You can watch her Royal Geographic Society microlecture on 11th March by buying tickets here.
Week 25 – Dave Howard
Dave was brought up in a garage and likes nothing more than getting his hands oily under a bonnet. I had a chat to him about his bargain banger rally to Banjul and driving a taxi cab with 800,000 miles on the clock up to the arctic circle. Apologies in advance for the sound quality, out internet connection was feeling the cold.
STOP. Hammond Time!
A mad week moving house meant I hadn’t had a chance to find an interviewee. Instead I put together a show about one of the my favourite instruments: The Hammond Organ. This was a fun journey tracking the rise of the mighty organ from it’s humble beginnings in the churches of America through jazz, funk, rock and reggae. Enjoy plenty of tow tappers along the way.
Week 24 – Willy Bennett Part 2
Having left you on the edge of your seats last week, now hear the next part of Willy’s incredible story about his round the world ride. Crossing China in winter, finding unfriendly mosquitos in SE Asia then riding the length of three more continents. Will he make it home while riding every inch?
Week 23 – Willy Bennett Part 1
I’ve spoken to a few different cycle tourists over the last few months but Willy is someone who has had the most incredible adventures out of any of them. During his 3 years cycling around the world he encountered a vast array of characters and landscapes, some good and others not so good. Somehow he kept pedalling though on his mission to cover every inch of the route using pedal power alone. This is part 1 of our chat with the second part to follow next week.
Week 22 – Véronique Bourbeau
Vero is an ultra running legend who channels her positive energy into some extraordinary, long distance challenges. A run across Japan started her on a journey exploring her limits through races lasting hundreds of km and on to her ultimate ambition to run the length of Africa later this year. You can follow her adventures and support her challenge on her website: www.veroniquerun.com
Week 21 – Review of shows 12 – 20
After broadcasting for 20 weeks it was time to take a look back at the last 9 shows with a few highlights and some musical gems. Can you work out the theme that links the track?!
Week 20 – Yule Marks the Spot Christmas Special!
An extended 90 minute show giving me the chance to share a few alternative christmas tunes, some stories, a poem or two and an interview with Angie Nelson who happens to be Santa’s #1 reindeer handler for the UK. Pull on a christmas jumper, pour a glass of mulled wine and enjoy.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Week 19 – Ingrid Kvale
You may well have seen some of Ingrid’s work while watching BBC natural history programs. She has had an exciting career working on wildlife documentaries all around the world with the likes of Sir David Attenborough and Sigourney Weaver. But she also likes to undertake her own adventures and was part of a crew attempting to row around the coast of mainland Britain and was a member of the first successful, all female crew to row from California to Hawaii.
You can catch one of her programs on Netflix with the Dark Seas episode of Night on Earth.
Week 18 – Phil Plume
This week I’ve been chatting to Phil Plume about his stand up paddleboard exploits including his journey around Majorca in the fastest known time and the first to be done self supported. He had some interesting camping spots along the way and got to know the island from a unique perspective following the coastline.
You can read more about his adventure in the Biggest Book of Yes available from Amazon, Waterstones and Blackwell’s.
Week 17 – Zoe Grimes
How do you combine adventure with work? I chatted to Zoe about how a big bike journey helped her come up with new, creative ideas that then set her on her way as a fully fledged digital nomad (or free-range thinker).
We chatted for a lot longer than the 40 mins I normally allow so a fair chunk of interesting stuff had to be edited out. If you want to hear the full conversation then you can listen here.
Week 16 – Dr Robert Ridgway
There are few people I can think of who have had such a varied and interesting career as Robert. He has worked in over 30 developing countries on land use projects to help improve their sustainability and productivity. From living through a civil war, watching volcanic eruptions and visiting nuclear test zones Robert tells the story of how his work has taken him to some fascinating parts of the world.
Week 15 – Justin Mumford
Fresh from a run along the River Nene, I had a chat with my brother Justin about the power of the thumb as a form of transport. He’s hitchhiked across three continents and encountered kindness and surprises wherever he’s been. His experiences led him to take on a position working with gorillas in the Congo and helped shape his career.
Week 14 – Helen Russell
Helen is a force to be reckoned with in the world of multisport and her trophy cabinet is bursting with medals from National, European and World championships in various combinations of swimming, kayaking, cycling and running. But she’s always on the look out for new challenges which have included riding the full Tour De France route and also a stint in politics while being a keen ambassador for sport in Worcestershire.
Week 13 – Tara Weir
This week I’ve been chatting to Tara Weir, a Canadian cycle traveller who has ditched the normal 9-5 routine to live simply and travel frequently. She has explored much of Asia, Australia and the Americas on her bike and recently featured on a list of 40 adventurous solo female cyclists. https://www.cyclingabout.com/solo-women-cyclists-epic-bicycle-touring-experience/
Bisco Adventures 31-10-20
I joined fellow Incapable DJ Matt Bisco for a journey from the source of the River Frome in Dorset down to (nearly) the sea. We pedalled for some of the route then took to the water in packrafts for the last few miles into Wareham. We were hosted by the amazing Happy River retreat with new friends and old before a return trip via the Piddle valley.
Bisco documented the trip and this show tells the story through words and music.
Week 12 – Oliver Tic
Oli is Solvenia’s most famous long distance walker having walked across his own country 4 times, across the USA in 6 months and is currently trying to complete the length of the Americas, from Argentina to Alaska. In my interview he reveals why he enjoys these huge expeditions, what keeps him going and what happened when he adopted a stray dog in Peru!
Week 11 – Review of the 1st 10 Weeks
After broadcasting for 10 weeks I thought it would be fun to look back at the first set of guests that I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing. It was also a chance to play some music that might not necessarily fit with the usual theme.
Week 10 – Rick Paulus
Rick joined me from his home in California for a chat about his time working in the White House in the calligraphy department before escaping to forge a new life as an artist with more time for adventures. He and his wife Julie have had some fantastic journeys on the Pacific Coast Trail, cycling round France and (nearly) kayaking to Canada. It was an absolute pleasure to catch up with him 7 years after we first met while he was living on Cape Cod.
You can see some of his beautiful work at rickpauluscalligraphy.com/.
Week 9 – Matthew Bisco
Not just an Incapable Staircase DJ, Matt Bisco is also a very accomplished athlete competing in the realms of triathlon and ultra running. He’s taken on some of the biggest challenges in endurance sport including Ironman, Marathon De Sables and the Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc. I had a chat to him about all these events and also his involvement with the Mount Edgcumbe parkrun.
Be sure to check out his show, Disco Biscuits and Gravy at 6pm on Saturday evenings only on Incapable Staircase Fm.
Week 8 – Drew Buck
A legend in his own lifetime, Drew Buck has been a familiar site on long distance Audax cycle rides for many years and has taken part in the 1200km Paris – Brest – Paris event 8 times. He has also had many touring adventures by bike and by 1938 Morris 8! I had a very enjoyable chat with him this week and gathered some handy advice for tackling long distance events and embarking on a big tour.
Week 7 – Glen Pilkington
Glen describes himself as the everyday adventurer, finding little chunks of adventure within his day to day life. He’s had some large adventures in some large hills too so we got to chat about mountains of all shapes and sizes during the interview.
His story about hiking to Everest Base Camp features in the Biggest Book of Yes, available on Amazon and supporting the Teddington Trust.
Week 6 – Aly Grout and Dave Mitchell
This week I had the pleasure of speaking to two runners from Evesham Vale Running Club who have taken the idea of “going for a long run” to the extreme. Aly Grout has progressed from starting running in 2016 on a couch to 5k course to running 100 miles three years later. While David Mitchell is the only man to have run the entire Cotswold Way there and back: a 204 mile epic.
This was my first attempt at a face a to face interview and I’ve learned that microphones need to be a lot closer to mouths! Apologies for the quality of the sound but I hope that you can make out what is being said. Click below to have a listen.
Week 5 – Kerry O’Neil
Kerry took an unusual decision to go on a cycle tour round Ireland without a bicycle! We had a fun chat about this and some of her other madcap adventures this week.
If you need help from her for marketing/website/adventure planning services then take a look at her website: https://www.websiteoclock.com/
Week 4 – Nahla Summers
I had a chat with Nahla Summers about her attempt to break the world record for a longest ride on an Eliptigo by riding through every city in the UK and Ireland.
Along the way she is encouraging people to be kind to each other as part of her Sunshine People initiative. Have you done a good deed today?!
Week 3 – Matt Edwards
A new format for the show this week with more time to spend chatting to my guest and a few musical interludes. I was joined by Matt Edwards who is currently walking the entire length of the South West Coast Path.
This is just a warm down after over 2 years cycling through the Americas.
Click below if you want to hear the uncut interview.
Week 2 – Claire jenkins
Gremlins in the system means this one wasn’t the smoothest of shows as my connection kept dropping out. This week’s guest was Claire Jenkins who, amongst other things drove a solar powered tuk-tuk across India.
Click below to listen to the full, unedited interview.
Week 1 – Jon Doolan
A nervous start to my broadcasting career. This week’s guest was Jon Doolan – editor of The Biggest Book of Yes who explains how this collection of short adventure stories came together. Click below for the full interview.
You can buy the book from Amazon here.
Broom My Zoom
This is where it all began with my appearance on the Incapable Staircase Broom my Zoom show. It was a fun interview with station boss James where I got to choose my 10 Desert Island Disks. During the course of the show he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse which eventually launched my own show!