Prog & Progeny

Mark Kelly & Tallulah Kelly

Prog and Progeny is a podcast hosted by father-daughter duo Mark (keyboardist for Marillion) and Tallulah, exploring his life in music, the ups and downs of being in a band, and the personal stories in between.
Episodes loosely follow chapters from Mark’s memoir Marillion, Misadventures & Marathons, with space for honest conversations, the occasional guest, and plenty of tangents.

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42 episodes
Updated July 22
Explicit

Episodes42

Newest first

July 22 · 1 hr 3 min
Sticking To The Script
Mark and Tallulah deep dive into Script For A Jester's Tear, Marillion's 1983 debut — six songs, forty-six minutes, more chaos than the record lets on. Razor-blade multi-track edits, £1,000 for Trevor McDonald was too much, a secret backwards message meant only for Kayleigh, and stories behind Mark Wilkinson's cover art. Plus: plague pits, a stolen Small Faces melody, and the bass fluff that made the final mix. He Knows you Know early demo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l507pRZEz4
July 8 · 1 hr 7 min
The Final Chapter: Cement Mixer Blues
Mark joins Tallulah from backstage in Bonn as Marillion's German tour begins with the live debut of "Ribbons and Lace." The book's final chapter covers the story behind "Gaza," the Frankfurt cement mixer accident, sudden hearing loss, marathon mishaps, a famous F1 fan, and a Nick Cave encounter.
July 2 · 4 min
Update
A little pre-tour update...
June 24 · 50 min
David Stopps & Marillion — The Friars Aylesbury Story
Mark and Tallulah are joined by David Stopps, the promoter behind Friars Aylesbury, which he founded in 1969 and has run for 56 years. David recalls the club's earliest nights — including King Crimson and Genesis — managing Marillion for 5 short weeks, managing Howard Jones, and the Kickstarter behind Aylesbury's David Bowie "Earthly Messenger" statue. Plus Marillion's hometown return on 21 September. Links: How to make a Living from Music - David Stopps David Bowie "Earthly Messenger" statue, Aylesbury Friars Aylesbury Stagehand (the road-crew charity David fundraised for during Covid)
June 9 · 45 min
Unknown Unknowns: Guy Vickers on Lawsuits, Lyrics and Marathon
Mark and Tallulah are joined by Guy Vickers — barrister by day, musician and lyricist by night — the man behind the lyrics on Mark Kelly's Marathon and the legal brain behind Marillion's battle with EMI. 00:25 — Introducing Guy: weekend warrior, full-time barrister 03:13 — How Pete's dinner introduction kicked off the EMI streaming dispute 06:03 — The dissolved companies crisis: six months to save the pre-'96 royalties 10:05 — Pitching the box sets to EMI, and Fish's pub reunion proposal 13:27 — Marathon begins: number stations, spies and lyrics as relationship code 19:30 — The Anthropocene concept and what makes a human human 21:02 — Writing Amelia and 2051: Earhart, Kubrick, Clarke and Stephen Hawking 23:00 — Finding Ollie and hearing Amelia sung for the first time in New Orleans 29:15 — Why "Marathon"? The Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow logic 34:07 — The lost song about plagiarism (and Led Zeppelin's borrowed blues) 39:00 — Why Amelia crashed: Morse code, blind spots and unknown unknowns 43:47 — Wingsuits, risk and how you'd want to go out
May 26 · 1 hr 2 min
The Queen Nearly Got Our Royalties
This week we dive into Mark's years on the FAC and PPL boards, fighting for artists' rights while Marillion were being short-changed by their old EMI deal. The lawsuit that followed and the after-the-event insurance gambit, the sleepless night when EMI claimed Marillion had no legal standing because Marillion Limited had been dissolved! Plus the Portugal writing session that ended in a tactless row with H over a lyric, and the six-month silence that followed.
May 13 · 1 hr 1 min
How We Learnt to Admit When a Song Isn't Good Enough
This week Mark calls in from Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios — with a quick video tour and the story of meeting Peter Gabriel for the first time. Then into deputising for Adam Wakeman in Travis (with "drink beer" written across half the setlist) and a candid post-mortem on Somewhere Else — the dropped pre-order, the EP that never was, Mike Hunter's confidence taking a hit, and which songs hold up (and which really don't). Plus "Almost a Midwife Mark", and the tweet that got Mark to delete Twitter, tour meet-ups, and a Marillion quiz coming for Patreon members.
April 29 · 40 min
Listener Questions episode (recorded 17/04/26)
This week we answer your questions. If you have a question for inclusion on a future episode ask it on our Patreon "Questions questions" chat.
April 15 · 53 min
Interview with Marillion manager Lucy Jordache
This week we speak with manager Lucy Jordache about her 30-plus-year journey, from a teenage Marillion fan to EMI catalogue manager, band manager, and Ian Mosley’s wife. Along the way, she discusses taking a pay cut to get into the music industry, a rocky first meeting with Fish, and how she and Ian got together. Plus, a frank conversation about what the future might hold for Marillion
April 1 · 1 hr 2 min
All For One: Risk, Royalties & Anoraks
This time we discuss how Marillion took a leap nobody else had dared, and accidentally changed the music industry. Lucy Jordache’s evolving role, and why the band chose not to capitalise on their invention. How sharing everything brought Marillion closer together. Mixing stress and why risk has always been Mark’s default setting. Also: Noel Gallagher delivers a deadpan insult, Mark bets on tripe, and Tallulah arrives with twelve names.
March 18 · 44 min
Before Crowdfunding Was a Word
This week we chat with Erik Nielsen. He was a 22-year-old help desk worker in Cleveland, Ohio when a woman he was seeing dragged him to a Marillion gig and changed his life. He ended up as Marillion's keyboard tech, moved into Mark's spare room, got deported, and — almost by accident — helped invent a model of direct-to-fan music commerce that the whole industry now takes for granted. Hear the inside story of the Freaks mailing list, the yes@marillion.com inbox, the Guinness logo rip-off, and why Erik eventually swapped the Marillion kebab hut for working for Elton John.
March 4 · 1 hr 1 min
The Freaks Who Funded a Marillion Tour
This week we cover Marillion's short stint with Rod Smallwood (Iron Maiden's manager) and the Sanctuary empire, how Mark met Tallulah's mum and the origin of the song Rich. Also, the birth of music crowdfunding: how a single post on the Freaks mailing list led to fans raising $60,000 to fund a US tour. Also featuring: Neil Armstrong at a soundcheck, a phone call from the International Space Station, and a Delta Airlines domain name dispute. Next week: Eric Nielsen joins to share his memories of his time working with Marillion.
February 18 · 40 min
Episode 27 - Listener Questions
This week, Mark and Tallulah answer some listener questions. Covering everything from the choices they might have made differently in life to a fight that almost broke up the band.
February 4 · 1 hr 1 min
Down But Not Out: The EMI Years End
This week Mark and Tallulah talk through a difficult chapter in the band’s past: being dropped by EMI, ongoing money problems, Mark nearly ending up homeless, and the lack of support from their manager who suggested day jobs for the band might be the way forward. The conversation stays surprisingly light, including stories from Mark’s tumultuous love life.
January 21 · 50 min
"Do You Want a Record… or a Work of Art?"
In this episode Mark and Tallulah sit down with producer Dave Meegan to explore the making of Brave. Dave takes us inside the long nights, impossible standards, and creative tension that shaped one of Marillion’s most ambitious albums — from a French château to Liverpool over more than 7 months. We talk about why Brave took so long, the danger of rushing creativity, and the fragile moments where everything finally locks into place. An honest look at what it really costs to make something that lasts.
January 7 · 1 hr 1 min
Fortune Favours the Brave
In this episode Mark and Tallulah dive deep into the making of Brave— Marillion’s most ambitious and uncompromising album. They discuss creative freedom, financial uncertainty, and the quiet decisions that laid the groundwork for the band’s independence.
Dec 17, 2025 · 34 min
BURIED CASH, SCUMBAG CREW
In this episode Mark & Tallulah chat with Smick, Ian's drum tech from the mid 1980s and later the crew boss. Smick recounts how he started working in music and his first meeting with Marillion - and the cool reception from Ian. He also describes the chaotic management style of John Arnison, including when he buried the band's takings in bin bags and forgot where he buried it.
Dec 2, 2025 · 1 hr 12 min
Pop vs. Prog: Holidays in Eden
This week Mark and Tallulah dive into the writing and recording of Holidays in Eden. They get into how much a producer can steer an album, as Marillion discovered with pop-tastic Chris Neil. They talk through Marillion’s move to Hit & Run Management and the promises that never materialised. They also get into the origins of the Racket Club. Tune in for plenty of laughs and a few exciting announcements for Patreons. Tallulah's video that we talked about in this episode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYaBINqTvVE Simon's Car - the How We Live song that became Cover My Eyes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhZ2ZiwiDqg
Nov 19, 2025 · 1 hr 8 min
Fish Quit and Served us a Writ!
Enter H and Sea-son's End (see what I did there?) In this week’s episode Mark and Tallulah look at Chapter 13 - A Man for All Seasons. They explore one of the most pivotal points in Marillion’s history—when Steve Hogarth stepped in to replace Fish. Mark recalls the race to finish Season’s End before Fish released his solo album and Fish’s attempt to throw a spanner in the works with an injunction delivered poolside, their surreal debut gig as The Low-Fat Yoghurts in a village pub, and how a homemade hot air balloon nearly caused a fire. They also discuss AI in music, with Tallulah offering an unfiltered verdict on Mark’s recent experimental track. Also Mark reads Chapter 13 of his Autobiography
Nov 4, 2025 · 45 min
In Conversation With Steve "H" Hogarth
In this week’s episode, Mark and Tallulah chat with Marillion’s lead singer Steve Hogarth. They talk about his career before joining the band and what it was like stepping in to replace Fish. After initially not being keen to join - having decided to give up music altogether and become a milkman - H explains what eventually changed his mind. Mark and H look back on recording their first album together, Seasons End, and how the chemistry and creative energy were there right from the start. They also discuss their very different working styles, with the band being far more laid-back than he was used to, as well as their shared passion for keyboards. It’s a funny, honest and upbeat chat, especially after the heavier conversations in previous episodes about the band’s more difficult times. Side note: Tallulah occasionally drops off in the episode due to poor internet connection.