Tim Booth from James – “Sit Down? I’d rather keep dancing.”

Tim Booth from James – “Sit Down? I’d rather keep dancing.”

August 9, 2026 · 1h 3m · Season 1 · Episode 55

About this episode

Tim Booth from the band James shares his incredible journey through the 90s music scene and personal challenges.

Diving deep into all things ’90s… It was impossible to miss anthemic Manchester groundbreakers James’ monster hits in the ’90s, like Sit Down, Laid and She’s A Star. Huge communal singalongs with a melancholic beauty that struck a chord on both sides of the pond, they put James right into the mainstream (and on thousands of t-shirts too). Away from the charts it was even more of a rollercoaster story. After blagging his way into a Manchester acting school, Tim Booth went out one night, narrowly avoided a fight with some blokes who were trying to steal his drink, and found himself the lead singer of their band – the group he’s now been fronted for nearly 45 years. From ending up in a cult to near death experiences, band addictions, breakups and makeups, collaborations with Brian Eno and Angelo Badalamenti, and an appearance in Batman Begins, Tim’s story is astonishing. He joins Miranda to discuss how Eastern philosophy saved his life… how an incident with a maraca nearly sank the band… and why despite never quite cracking America, he has no regrets. • Live photo by Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images • Find out if you’re owed on car finance…

Sponsors

Refund Club

More episodes of Talk ’90s to me

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Talk ’90s to me podcast page.