319. Shawn Ryan on The Beautiful South 'Welcome to the Beautiful South' (1989)

<p><em data-stringify-type="italic">Note: This interview was recorded before the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests.</em></p> <p>This week, TV legend <strong>Shawn Ryan</strong> (creator of <em data-stringify-type="italic">The Shield, SWAT, Timeless</em> and more) takes me back in time 30 years to talk about the debut album by <strong>The Beautiful South</strong> ‘Welcome to the Beautiful South’.<br /> Shawn talks about discovering music in the pre-internet age, the lineage of the Beautiful South in cult heroes <strong>The Housemartins</strong>, the contradictions between the albums’ sound and lyrical content, the controversial album cover and how the album served as a bizarre soundtrack to the Rodney King police brutality and aftermath in 1991.<br /> Plus we talk about how Shawn has used music in his TV projects, discovering new music through his work, the music he loves to write to and why <strong>Coldplay</strong> earned his respect on <em data-stringify-type="italic">The Shield</em>.</p>