'Man, it's so boring in this flat since we stopped being able to nick free WIFI from Costa Coffee next door'

We talk to Campbell from The Courteeners about being big in Japan, being in Belgium and being beaten by Big Brother...

Back in the late 70's, everybody who was anybody had a Ford Cortina. It was, by far, the coolest family hatchback that money could buy. If your dad picked you up from school in one of those babies, you were instantly one of the coolest kids in school, even cooler than Zammo from Grange Hill, and he was taking heroin at 13. But then Ford went and ruined everything by introducing a new model with a tarpaulin roof.

Almost over-night the cool Cortina kids were treated as lepers and were... [More]

'Watch yourself son, that hand of yours is a bit too low for my liking.'

The final part the magnificant Strachan interview is finally here. Ok, need to go and start preparing that Pulitzer Prize acceptance speech...

After a rather guarded beginning, Strachan’s mood seems to have lifted and I seize the opportunity to steer the conversation back to his days at Celtic. During his time in Scotland, he was often critical of the ‘product’ of the Scottish Premier League, bemoaning the lack of quality. Does he think this a real problem facing the game in Scotland? [More]

'Why is this fanny dressing like a cowboy when he comes from Scotland?'

Ok, you can stop holding your breath, part two of the Gordon Strachan interview is finally here...

During his managerial career in England, Strachan viewed the press with some suspicion but his off-the-cuff answers to questions posed on camera directly after a game often provided moments of real hilarity. ‘A quick word Gordon?’...’Velocity.’ ‘This might be a stupid question Gordon?’…’You’re right, it is.’ Two examples of the many one-liners he delighted football fans with over the years... [More]

A deranged Scotsman. And Gordon Strachan...

In the first of our 'interviews we did for other magazines that never got published' features, we speak to everybody's favourite Ginja Ninja...

Hard as it may be to believe, working at ToePoke is not a full-time gig. We have other day jobs which include freelance writing and pot-washing. And just as the pots don't always get really cleaned, sometimes our interviews don't get published. This, may we add, has nothing to do with our writing skills but everything to do with bad luck and editorial decisions made above our insignificant heads. And maybe occasionally to do with our writing skills... [More]

"Did you not get the memo? It was leather jackets for this shoot, not denim..."

We ask Northern Ireland's The Answer some questions and they, er...answer...

There was a time when Belfast was not the most desirable place on the planet to spend some time. Not so these days. In recent years Belfast has re-invented itself as a happening city, its thriving music scene testament to its new status as a great place to be. We speak to Cormac Neeson, lead singer of one of Northern Ireland's most successful acts, The Answer. He gives us the lowdown on touring with ACDC, waiting for a Gladiator and kicking the ass of the good old US of A...
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Ok, who is going to go back down stairs to pick up that pound I dropped?

We talk to The Chemists' Wayne Jones about the other Kevin Bacon, under age darts and Howard Marks' poems...

When you think of the west country images of cider, tractors, and er, cider probably pop into your mind. Such a generalisation is perhaps a little unfair. Ok, nobody is denying they love their cider - or tractors - down there but in recent times the west country has become a happening place. Bristol, especially, has produced some great bands like Massive Attack, Portishead and Slade. Or was that Birmingham? Anyway, The Chemists are the latest band to emerge from Bristol and bass player Wayne Jones found time to talk to his (potentially in the future) favourite website. [More]

The shits who'd robbed the primary school library had finally been caught...

It's a ToePoke exclusive - these boys will be big, mark our words...

We're miserable, cynical bastards here at ToePoke. We'd struggle to get excited if we learned that we'd won a free foot massage from that cheerleader from Heroes. So you wouldn't think that a confident and quirky new band from the North East would have us nodding our heads in enjoyment.

But, we're not ashamed to say that's the effect Little Comets have on us, as we've been fortunate enough to have seen these chaps on several occasions already. Without wanting to sound like a poor man's Zane Lowe, we reckon they're gonna be big. So we got lead singer Rob on the blower before they want nothing to do with annoying goons like us ever again...

I am not sure about this t-shirt, I want my money back

We shoot the breeze with the US stand-up who also does a few bits for some show called The Simpsons. Sure it will catch on soon...

Here at ToePoke, we think we are quite funny (no laughing at the back). But even we must bow to the comedy genius of The Simpsons and Family Guy. So when we were offered the chance to interview Pablo Francisco, a regular voice contributor on both shows, we said yes pretty quickly. Turns out, the guy is also one of the Unites States' most popular stand-ups, one routine alone has over six million hits on Youtube.

Now he is bringing his anarchic brand of comedy to Europe, a mix of  jokes, impressions and beat-boxing that will dazzle audiences across the continent. He has also starred in a ad with Elton John, but we won't hold that against him.
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