Join “A Drink with the Idler” as we chat with legendary producer Joe Boyd about his journeys through global music

Legendary producer and record label boss Joe Boyd has spent a lifetime travelling the globe and immersing himself in music. He has witnessed first-hand the growing popularity of music from Africa, India, Latin America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe since the 1960s and was one of the protagonists of the ‘world music’ movement of the 1980s.

In And the Roots of Rhythm Remain, Joe documents a decade of encounters with the most extraordinary musicians and producers who have altered the course of music history. We’ll be chatting to Joe about his life in music and how sounds and artists from across the world have shaped jazz, R&B and rock music.

The discussion between Joe and Idler editor Tom Hodgkinson will be followed by a live Q&A, and the Idler Academy’s Head of Philosophy Dr Mark Vernon will present a short “thought for the week” to get our brains fizzing. The event will be hosted by Idler Academy director Victoria Hull.

This is an online event. It should be like meeting up in the pub for an interesting conversation. We leave the meeting open at the end so you can carry on chatting.

Joe Boyd is a record producer and writer, known for his memoir, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s. Artists he has
produced include Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, R.E.M., Fairport Convention, ¡Cubanismo!, Toots and the Maytals, Toumani Diabaté and Taj Mahal among many over the course of a nearly sixty-year career. As a film producer, his credits include the Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace, Scandal, and Jimi Hendrix.

Tom Hodgkinson is editor of the Idler and author of the best-selling manuals, How to Be Idle and How to Be Free. Other publications include a book on parenting, the Ukulele Handbook and a manual for creative entrepreneurs, Business for Bohemians.

Dr Mark Vernon is a psychotherapist, writer, broadcaster, and teacher. He presents several Idler Academy online courses. He has a PhD in philosophy, and degrees in theology and physics. His most recent books include The Idler Guide to Ancient Philosophy (Idler Books), Love: All that Matters (Hodder) and Jung: How to Believe (Guardian Shorts) – and he has books on friendship, belief and the good life too. Mark can often be heard on Radio 4’s Moral Maze. He began his professional life as a priest in the Church of England. For more, visit markvernon.com.

Victoria Hull is director of the Idler Academy, producing the Idler’s live and online events and courses.