Vespas, Villains and Radio Before Algorithms

Tim ‘T-Spurs’, Mod Marty and Lord Ward return with another international sweep through style, music, film and modernist life.This episode begins with genuine heartbreak as Marty’s newly restored 1964 Vespa disappears from outside his home, prompting tales of stolen scooters, terrifying motorway journeys and the unexpected strength of the international mod community.The chaps also debate whether cricket, boxing and ten-pin bowling qualify as modernist sports before heading to the cinema to discuss the films that best capture the character of a city. From Bullitt’s San Francisco and Roman Holiday’s Rome to The French Connection’s New York, Breathless in Paris and the many cinematic faces of London, they explore how films turn streets, architecture and atmosphere into characters of their own.In The Master Debaters, the subject is notorious music manager Allen Klein. Was he a brilliant negotiator who rescued artists from exploitation, or simply another operator who replaced one form of control with another?There is also a discussion about dressing smartly to think smartly, new music from The 44s, The Bellboys, The 745s and Moisés dos Santos, plus a defence of human-curated radio in an age increasingly dominated by playlists and algorithms.Add scooter insurance, mod fiction, Steve McQueen style, Montreal bagels and the usual amount of disagreement, and it is another packed meeting of The Internationalists Club.Hosted by Tim ‘T-Spurs’, Mod Marty and Lord Ward.