For the eighth instalment of Pet Projects, we welcome Dan and Emjay to the show. 

Dan Lever is a musician and wordsmith with a passion for communication. Losing his music teaching role during Covid and having lost his appetite for playing, he turned to another of his longstanding passions – writing. He now runs his own business, Magnify Copy, which provides copywriting and digital services to people and organisations whether local to his base in Hest Bank, near Morecambe, or further afield. He has also, happily, picked up his guitar again and performs for the love of it with family, friends and strangers. 

Two musical contributions from Dan feature in the episode (plus a ‘hidden duet’ you’ll discover on listening!): ‘West Snide Story’ by Islands Lost at Sea (46:39) and ‘Three Line Whip’ by the Two Hats Blues Band (50:25). ‘A Christmas Cat’, a poem by June Newall, and read by Dan’s friend Richard, appears at 24:25. 

Other topics covered in our relaxed, in-person chat range from cleaning up Emjay’s poo to the ‘enshittification’ of the Internet and much in-between – including why cats prefer Kate Bush to dub, novel-planning options, and who rules the roost on Morecambe seafront (clue: it’s not the seagulls).   

Pet Projects is a collaborative project devised by writer and editor Peter Humphreys and artist and filmmaker Ana Rebolledo, who provides the artwork and video content. It is available on Spotify, SoundCloud, iTunes and elsewhere. If you’re enjoying the podcast please like, subscribe and share. As ever, best listened to through ‘phones. 

Links for your purr-usal: 

Dan’s company, Magnify Copy: https://magnifycopy.co.uk 

Islands Lost at Sea, feat. Dan: https://open.spotify.com/album/3tAHTLFXEURPcW3Mx1vTIk?si=7MUVjfluSrmyRdHcenPXlg

Two Hats Blues Band (don't say it fast), feat. Dan: https://open.spotify.com/track/06SAqgrAXjfLpUFBQcrJOm?si=cd1073d72cb941f1

Richard Newall's film accompanying June Newall’s poem, ‘A Christmas Cat’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZvifpQWa7E

Pluralistic, daily posts from Cory Doctorow: https://pluralistic.net/

The ‘enshittification’ of social media platforms:
https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-platforms-cory-doctorow/

Pet Projects - Episode 8 - Dan Lever

I'm a writer and editor based in Lancaster. Check out my podcasts Pet Projects (in which I interview creative types about their pets - and their projects), First Impressions (a surreal slice of literary cheesecake), and Monkey Scribbling (two older blokes reflect on their youth in the '90s through the letters they exchanged at the time). 

Pet Projects is a collaboration with Ana Rebolledo and Monkey Scribbling with Richard Pye. 

The family band I formed with my brother, Decaying Leather, in 1989 continues to write and record. Our music can also be found on SoundCloud and elsewhere.