The Giddy Carousel of Pop

The Giddy Carousel of Pop•giddypoppod.home.blog

Welcome aboard The Giddy Carousel of Pop!

We are a Smash Hits appreciation podcast dedicated to the swingorilliant British pop magazine which ran from 1978 to 2006. In each episode, we take an old issue of Ver Hits (usually from the 1980s but may slip a year or two either side of that) and discuss what’s on its pages, looking at who’s riding high on the carousel and who’s heading down the dumper.

We always have a guest to help us along the way, so we’ll be talking to the readers, the writers, and who knows, maybe even the odd pop star who appeared in its pages. Hang on tight!

Last refreshed: August 25th, 2025 at 2:42 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Smash Hits - 25 March - 7 April 1987 with Barry McIlheney

Buy us a coffee and help keep the Carousel spinning: ⁠https://ko-fi.com/giddypoppod⁠ Welcome aboard The Giddy Carousel of Pop. Hold tight for a top pop ride! Simon and Gavin chat to former Smash Hits editor Barry McIlheney about his time at Ver Hits (October 1986 to January 1989) and the 25 March - 7 April 1987 issue in particular. In just three years, Barry went from being a library assistant living with his mum in Belfast to editor of Britain's brightest pop mag, via spells at Hot Press and Me...

May 05, 2020•2 hr 20 min

Smash Hits - 4-17 November 1987 with Catherine Sked

Welcome aboard The Giddy Carousel of Pop. Hold tight for a top pop ride! In this episode we go back to the Smash Hits of 4-17 November 1987 with pop kid Catherine Sked. U2 grace the cover and other artists featured include T'Pau, Marillion, Communards, Blue Mercedes, Pet Shop Boys (again!), Heartbeat, Sting and Wet Wet Wet, not to mention Billy Idol's 'perv breeks' and Rick Astley's ruddy big pig. Find scans of the issue here http://likepunkneverhappened.blogspot.com/2017/11/november-4-17-1987.h...

Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 23 min

Smash Hits - 23 March - 5 April 1988 with Hannah Verdier

Simon and Gavin welcome you once again to The Giddy Carousel of Pop! In the first of two parts, we have a good look through the Smash Hits of 23 March - 5 April 1988 (the Easter hols!) with the help of our special guest, freelance pop culture writer, contributor to The Guardian and former Smash Hits deputy editor in the late 90s/early 00s, Hannah Verdier. Hannah tells us about her time at the mag including a rather awkward encounter with Jon Bon Jovi and pop larks with Ash and Boyzone, as well a...

Mar 04, 2020•1 hr 40 min

Smash Hits - February 1979 (issue 4) with Simon Philo

Simon and Gavin welcome you aboard The Giddy Carousel of Pop! In this episode we go all the way back to February 1979 to dissect issue 4 of Smash Hits. The last of the mag's initial monthly issues, it only takes a moment to realise that this actually hit the streets in the January of 1979, tying up the loose ends of 1978 with its mix of pop, punk and disco before moving to fortnightly publication the following month, clearly marking out its future musical territory along the way. Academic, autho...

Feb 05, 2020•1 hr 6 min

Smash Hits - 4-17 March 1982 with David Hepworth

Former Smash Hits editor David Hepworth joins Simon and Gavin on The Giddy Carousel of Pop, looking at the Smash Hits of 4-17 March 1982, in a wide-ranging conversation that takes us behind the scenes of the magazine, the people who worked on it, the pop stars who appeared in it, and the invaluable part played by its readers, including David's proudest professional moment. Artists discussed in part one include ABC, Gary Numan, Paul Weller, Orange Juice, Toni Basil and Vice Squad/Beki Bondage, Th...

Jan 07, 2020•1 hr 39 min

Smash Hits - 6-19 December 1984 with Patricia Caliskan

Simon and Gavin welcome you aboard The Giddy Carousel of Pop! In this third episode of the Smash Hits appreciation podcast, we have a good look at Ver Hits from 6-19 December 1984, with our guest, author and journalist Patricia Caliskan lending a helping hand in this rummage through the highlights of a very festive edition from the biggest Christmas of the 1980s and in pop music history. Among the regular fortnightly features (Bitz, Singles Reviews, lyrics and letters), artists discussed include...

Dec 24, 2019•1 hr 5 min

Smash Hits - 17-30 May 1989 with Rachael Galletly

Simon and Gavin welcome you aboard The Giddy Carousel of Pop! In this second episode of the Smash Hits appreciation podcast, we have a good look at Ver Hits from 17-30 May 1989, with our guest Rachael Galletly lending a helping hand in this rummage through the back issues of pop. Among the regular fortnightly features (Bitz, RVSP, Singles & Albums Reviews, lyrics and posters), artists discussed include: Roxette, Kylie Minogue, Queen, Fuzzbox, Sam Brown, Stefan Dennis, Bros, Debbie Gibson, Ja...

Dec 10, 2019•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Smash Hits - 6-19 November 1985 with Tim Robinson

Simon and Gavin welcome you aboard The Giddy Carousel of Pop! In this first edition of the Smash Hits appreciation podcast, we have a good look at Ver Hits from 6-19 November 1985, with our good buddy Tim Robinson (of Manchester-based production/DJ outfit Nightdubbing) lending a helping hand in this rummage through the back issues of pop. Among the regular fortnightly columns (Bitz, Get Smart, Singles & Albums Reviews, RSVP, Black Type), artists discussed include: Simple Minds, Siouxsie &amp...

Nov 26, 2019•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 1

Series Trailer

Simon and Gavin bring you a little taste of what to expect on The Giddy Carousel of Pop. Beware the dumper! First full episode coming on 26 November 2019. Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - just search for The Giddy Carousel of Pop or GiddyPopPod. CONTACT DETAILS: Twitter: https://twitter.com/GiddyPopPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GiddyPopPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giddypoppod/ Website: https://giddypoppod.home.blog/ Buy us a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/giddypoppod...

Nov 06, 2019•1 min

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