In this special bonus episode, John chats to Mima Merrow, an alternative folk artist from Glasgow, about the song she wrote in response to the podcast.
Mima’s debut EP Good Grief is out on the on the 4th of December. One of the five tracks on it, John Loves the Dump, was written as a love song to all things out-of-town recycling. It’s both mournful and hopeful, and perfectly captures the wonder, loss and renewal contained in piles of thrown out treasure.
Episode 5, John Loves the Dump – featuring Mima Merrow
We discuss how she came to write the song, Mima’s thoughts on the podcast, and how she now sees a trip to the recycling centre completely differently. As well as having a listen to some of her other tracks, we talk about what it’s like being an artist and putting your work out there into the world – and why, till very recently, Mima didn’t think she was allowed to.
We are very thankful she has. And we think you’ll agree.
And you can attend the album launch by clicking through her Facebook page or by going to You Call that Radio on December the 4th at 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/youcallthatradio
This is the final episode. In it, I speak to Maureen about how difficult leaving the manse was for them – Ron’s health was deteriorating, she had a new home to set up on the other side of the country, and they were awaiting a diagnosis for his early onset dementia.
It’s little wonder a bible, no matter how much loved it was, got lost in the process.
Maureen speaks candidly about dealing with a loved one’s dementia. She is warm and open throughout. The interview can be a difficult listen in places, espiecially for those going through a similar process, but Maureen’s understanding and kindness shines through.
I will be forever grateful to Maureen for agreeing to do the interview and for agreeing to its subsequent release at a difficult time for her.
More information for anyone dealing with dementia or those worried about a loved one can be found at: https://www.dementiauk.org/
Thanks again to everyone who has helped with the making of this series. All my friends who listened before you guys did and gave valuable feedback. Sadie for helping throughout. All the people in Hamilton who answered the phone and offered help. Ruth Oliver for being a pal and coming along with me. Tommy McKay for giving his time so kindly and setting me on the right path. Everyone in the Church of Scotland who answered my various questions and queries. Paul at the dump in for not only not shouting at me for taking the bible, but for being so good as do to an interview. And most of all to Maureen Stitt. Thanks Maureen.
Stay subscribed. Not only is there a bonus episode coming up – my very talented friend Clare has written a song inspired by the series. She is doing the post production on it just now, but as soon as it’s ready I’ll share it with you guys. Clare plays in a band with my partner Sadie, you can check them out here: https://www.facebook.com/OtherStoriesGlasgow/
There will be series two of Retold with an entirely different set of stories, so stay subscribed for the that and keep an eye on Telt Media’s website for future details. https://telt.media/
If you enjoyed it, please leave a review. It really helps. I enjoy reading your comments. And also, tell a pal. This was made on a budget of petrol money and squeezed into my spare time. So any help spreading the word is appreciated.
All the music was licensed under a creative commons license. In this episodes, it’s quite straight forward, you heard:
The bible is already back and Maureen, Ronald Stitt’s wife, has agreed to talk to me about it. It turns out the bible was not only significant to Ron but to her, too.
This is the first of two episodes where I speak to Maureen. We attempt to work out how the bible landed up on the dump and I get to a learn a lot more about Ron and Maureen’s life together.
Thanks to everyone who helped with the making of this episode. To Sadie for her ear, her story telling advice, and for coming along with me on this adventure. Thanks to all my friends who listened before their release – your help and advice was invaluable. And thanks most of all to Maureen Stitt, who welcomed me into her house and spoke so warmly, wisely and candidly at a difficult time for her and her family. I owe a debt of gratitude to Maureen not only for agreeing to speak to me, but for agreeing to the release of these episodes despite the delay in getting them out.
The next episode is out on Monday the 22nd of June.
All the music in this podcast is licensed under a creative commons license. The tracks used can be found here.
It feels like I’ve made loads of progress and no progress at all. I have the bible I found on the dump, I have the name of the person whose bible it is – The Reverend Ronald Stitt, I have spoken to someone who knew him when he got it in 1974, but still, I am no closer to tracking him down.
I have a few good leads and this week, I chase them up. The information I’m given leaves me shaken, and doubting whether or not I should have undertaken this at all. Should I just have left the bible on my shelf. Or better still, left it where it was, on the dump. Who am I to go poking about in someone else life?
It feels, many times over, that this could be the end of my efforts to reunite the bible with its rightful owner.
Thanks to everyone who helped with the making of this episode. To everyone who answered the phone and went over and above what’s required to assist me. To Sadie for her ear, research skills, and story telling advice. Thanks to Ruth for being a good pal and driving companion. And to my many friends who took the time to listen to each episode and give me valuable feedback.
The next episode is out on Monday the 15th of June.
All the music in this podcast is licensed under a creative commons license.
This time round you heard Action by Monplaisir, that’s the theme music. And Ending 1, also by Monplaisir
When you find a bible on the dump, you only have a few options. Firstly, you can throw it back or take it home? I’m not religious, but I wasn’t for throwing it back. Whatever your persuasion, a bible is a sacred object.
So I took it home. It sat there for a while, gathering dust. I’d had a good look at it, inside and out. It was clearly once someone’s prized possession – it was immaculate and had been kept that way since 1974. It has someone’s name on the inside but I couldn’t quite make it out. Why would anyone throw away a bible? Especially one that clearly been treasured for so long.
So that’s where we start. With a bible, a load of questions and not many answers.
By this point, I’d decided to try and return it to it’s rightful owner. It feels too important to sit on my shelf. Among the self doubt, a lucky break sets us on the right path. But will it be enough to reunite our bible and its mystery owner of nearly 50 years?
Thanks to everyone who helped with the making of this episode. To everyone who answered the phone and went over and above what’s required to assist me. To Sadie for her ear, research skills, and story telling advice. And to my many friends who took the time to listen to each episode and give me valuable feedback.
I hope you enjoy listening. The next episode will be released on Monday the 8th June
All the music in this podcast is licensed under a creative commons license. In this episode you heard:
The first episode will be released on Monday the 1st of June, then every Monday after that.
When I left my job at the BBC, this is the first thing I undertook. I had time, a lot of curiosity, and a leather bound bible with someone’s name on it. I found the bible among boxes and boxes of bibles – or what I took to be bibles – while unloading old windows at a recycling centre in Glasgow’s east end.
Bibles don’t normally end up on the dump. Do they? It felt very odd, kinda eerie. I’m not religious but I couldn’t really throw it back. That would be like me throwing it out. I went to a gig once. The band were Satanists. Part of their thing was getting the crowd to shout Hail Satan back at them. Not me. I’ll stick in the middle, thank you very much. Not hailing satan and not throwing other people’s bibles back on the dump. So I took it home.
It’s not an ordinary bible. It’s a fancy one. One you get and keep for life. Yet there it was, on the dump. What makes someone throw a bible out? Did they mean to? Do they want it back?
So many questions. Zero answers. Just a name on the inside page. A name I couldn’t quite make out.
Armed with a cheap recorder and some journalistic nous, I set about trying to reunite the bible with its rightful owner. I recorded my conversations, car journeys, missions, failures, worries – the lot.
That became this. A podcast. Retold: A Bible story.
The first episode will be released on Monday the 1st of June. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to find out how I got on.
Let me know if there are any problems getting the podcast and I’ll try and sort them from this end. Head over to http://www.telt.media/contact to get in touch. All episodes will also available on the website.
All the music used in the podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons license. The tracks used in this trail were Action by Monplaisir and Scenery by Kai Engel
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