The James McMahon Music Podcast
BONUS EPISODE! James McMahon on OCD on BBC Radio 6 Music
Hello! So, you might have noticed that I talk about OCD quite a lot on the show. It’s a condition that I’ve lived with all my adult life, and sadly, it’s been as pertinent to my career as a music journalist as music has been. In fact, it’s something I’m writing a lot about right now, so stay tuned for that - though you should really join my Substack!
But it occurs to me that some of you might not know exactly what OCD – or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder – is. It is, after all, one of the most misunderstood anxiety disorders, often used as common parlance for a bit fussy, or tidy, or obsessed with cleanliness. If you listened to my recent interview with Danny McNamara from Embrace about our shared experience with the disorder, then you might have clocked on that it is much more than that. It is hell. But I made a commitment to myself in recent years to talk as much about OCD as possible, because if there’s anyone like my 19-year-old self out there – confused, scared, without a clue what is happening to them - then they might need to hear the stuff I have to say. If there’s something I’ve learned in recent years, there is hope, and I’m not alone in my experiences, not at all.
Earlier this year I spoke to Chris Hawkins on BBC Radio 6 Music, during the station’s Mental Health Awareness week coverage, about my life as a music journalist with OCD. I thought it might be nice to share that conversation on the podcast here, because it dips into my time working at NME and the like. It’s music adjacent content, a bit like the episodes of Shame I published on this feed last month.
If you’re interested in OCD, then know that I do a podcast all about just that. It’s called The OCD Chronicles, and it’s available, blah blah blah blah.
I hope you find this episode interesting/useful.
- Twitter - @jamesjammcmahon
- Substack - https://spoook.substack.com
- YouTube - www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Vf_1E1Sza2GUyFNn2zFMA
- Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/jamesmcmahonmusicpod/
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En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.