A to Z of Psychedelia on 6 Music

Virgos and Geminis are all ruled by the planet Mercury - a good way to name a band? The Rolling Stones take inspiration from African culture and Rocky Erickson's hair cut protest.

Marc's Uncle Chris played the Sgt Pepper album to him when he was 6 so The Beatles were the first band he ever got into, Rob's first was I'm a Tiger by Lulu - enough said.

Can Marc and Rob solve the mystery of Sky Saxon's birth date? Did you know The Seeds coined the phrase Flower Power? Plus Strawberry Alarm Clock on tour with The Beach boys.

Skip Spence's life is dissected as is his album Oar, learn more than you've ever forgotten about legendary studio Abbey Road and hear Marc's Abbey Road anecdotes - tempting.

The Small Faces and their singer Steve Marriott profiled in this episode. Steve was a huge Buddy Holly fan, a prankster and played in the stage play Oliver, much more inside.

Giggles galore as Marc and Rob discover The Smoke were managed by The Krays. Strawberry Fields is put under the microscope and Ravi Shankar too small to dance? - discuss.

Some great names in this Acid Rock episode - Mars Bonfire, Goldy McJohn, Hoyt Axton and Rushton Moreve download to check for other humdingers. Spirit play with Led Zeppelin - wow.

Soft Machine's first single was produced by Chaz Chandler, Jimi Hendrix was very shy and polite, extremely courteous to a Victorian extreme.

T. Rex go from making rock to baroque in a musical career change. The film The Trip, staring Peter Fonda, happily confuses Marc and Rob as to its location.

Marc calls Traffic's Steve Winwood a genius Rob calls him something all together different. While still as school Steve supported the likes of Muddy Waters, BB King & Chuck Berry

Politics feature highly in The United States of America band, courtesy of singer Joseph Byrd and singer Dorothy Moskowitz. Plus The UFO club was a victim of it's own success.

Unravelling the truths from the many claims made about Beefheart's extraordinary & dark life from the LA Zoo to Trout Mask Replica. Marc recounts a story about a Beefheart doodle

The emergence of 'The Velvet Underground & Nico' under Warhol's management, 'Revolver' sleeve designer Klaus Voorman and ground-breaking and gut-busting volume from Blue Cheer.

We explore the psychedelic brilliance and sandpit of Brian Wilson and hear how Woodstock became a free festival by default with Hendrix playing the Monday morning graveyard shift.

A band named The Detours change their name to The Who, write Tommy and sell over 20 million copies - but was it an original idea, controversial - See, The Pretty Things.

Ringo Star sings, Abbey Rd sound effects room is raided and The Beatles Chauffeur performs backing vocals. Marc and Rob also look at the career of the Zombies.

Zappa and the Mothers of Invention 'Freak Out!' and insist 'We're Only In It For The Money'. Plus the ultimate death of the psychedelic Summer of Love at Altamont.

Stories from the notorious Anarchy Tour in 1976, how watching The Sex Pistols inspired Stuart Goddard to form Adam and the Ants and ‘One Chord Wonders’ The Adverts get a deserved mention.

The story of Buzzcocks including the seminal ‘Spiral Scratch’, ‘hardcore’ punk band from Washington Bad Brains, who famously hated the association with hardcore and the band Blondie, not just the lead singer.

The Clash sign to CBS, New York's CBGB venue becomes the home of punk and New Wave and the bard of Salford himself Dr John Cooper Clarke makes an appearance.

Find out how Chrissie Hynde was very nearly in The Damned and what Dave Vanian did before he became lead singer of the band.

Ever wondered who Eddie was in Eddie and the Hot Rods? Wonder no more. Plus learn all about Erics, Liverpool's Punk rock answer to the Cavern.

Tales of The Fall with its 66 members, the phenomenon of fanzines including the bible of the punk movement, ‘Sniffing Glue’ fanzine plus the ubiquitous record label Factory Records, set up in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus.

The story of the provocative Bill Grundy interview with Sex Pistols and the furore that followed. Plus, the story behind why Glenn Matlock wasn’t in the film ‘The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle’, a film accounting the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols.

Marc and Rob take a look at the introduction of Heroin into the Punk scene. H is also a tribute to Buzzcocks frontman Howard Devoto, the influence of the 100 Club, plus Marc reads some special memories from Vic Godard of Subway Sect.

Marc proposes that 1930's band leader Louis Jordan is the godfather of Punk Rock and in some shocking news, reveals Sid Vicious was named after a hamster - true fact.

Marc and Rob discuss how Jello Biafra was influenced by the assassination of JFK and went on to form ‘Dead Kennedys’ with East Bay Ray, plus some of the exploits of Jordan including how she worked for Vivian Westwood and was married to an Ant. Also (spoiler alert) J is for The Jam.

Hear stories about Killing Joke including their manifesto and connection with Kurt Cobain. K is also for Nick Kent and Kevin Rowland, who formed The Killjoys and later, Dexy’s

Marc and Rob champion the letter L including Lux Interior of the Cramps, who was once described as "a cross between Iggy Pop and Lurch". Lydia Lunch meets Brian Eno in New York and No Wave is born. Also tales about the Lesser Free Trade Hall, the venue famous for the Sex Pistols concert credited for the start of the punk rock movement.

Marc and Rob bring you tales of The Ruts singer Malcolm Owen and music promoter and manager, amongst many things Malcolm McLaren. Also, Marquee Moon, a contender for the best debut album by Television.

Marc and Rob have No Future...on their minds at least. They also dip into Northern Ireland's punk rock scene and investigate the punk pasts of Nick Cave and Shane McGowan.

The A to Z of Punk reaches O for outrage, so be warned. It's also for Gene October, Terry Ork and James Newell Osterberg.

P can only be for Punk and its close relative Post Punk. It's also for Pere Ubu, Public Image and the Prefects. Plus we discover just who invented the Pogo and why.

Discover how Freddy Mercury's teeth played a pivotal role in punk and how the Sex Pistols celebrated the Silver Jubilee.

Discover the secret history of the brothers Ramone before they actually became brothers and learn just how John Lydon turned into Johnny Rotten. Plus Rough Trade Records and Rock Against Racism feature.

The Punk A-Z reaches S for the Stranglers, Suicide, Sham 69 and Swell Maps. Plus Marc and Rob investigate the murky question - just who invented spitting? Nice

The second instalment of the letter S, with stories featuring Siouxsie and the Banshees, Patti Smith and the Skids. Learn how Woody Mellor became Joe Strummer and the story of Stiff, "the World's Most Flexible Record Label"

David Byrne's journey from Dumbarton to Talking Heads, "Part Time Punks" TV Personalities, plus The Producers - a whistle stop tour of the men behind punk's finest records. There's so much to fit in there will be more T in the next episode.

A guide to the TV and radio transmissions that brought punk to the nation (or in some cases, didn't) including The Old Grey Whistle Test and Top of the Pops. T is also for Marty Thau, the Boy Looks at Johnny and 6 Music's Tom Robinson.

The A-Z of Punk brings you two letters for the price of one with U and V, for Undertones, Upstarts and Vivienne Westwood. Learn how Sid Vicious was named after a hamster (yes, really) and how Charlie Harper went from hairdresser to punk hero.

Marc and Rob discuss W for lost Pistol Wally Nightingale, 'not-a-punk-band' Wire and the dysfunctional success that is Wreckless Eric. Plus stories of glam rock from Wythenshawe and learn whose middle name isn't Penelope.

Stories about X-Ray Spex' Poly Styrene, The Pop Group's first album 'Y' and Elvis Costello