This project came about when I was sorting through my father’s estate after he passed away in 2005. I discovered six audio cassettes that I instinctively knew contained something special. As I moved from Dublin to the UK, and subsequently around the UK over 12 years, I always carried these tapes with me, even packing them for a long journey to New Zealand. No matter where I moved, I always knew I would eventually do something with them.

In 2023, I finally got around to digitizing them. One challenge was finding a tape deck to play them on without a budget to buy a quality player. After a false start with a faulty machine from a marketplace, I posted on r/chch, the subreddit for Christchurch, New Zealand, where I currently live, asking if anyone had suggestions for where I could hire or borrow a tape deck. I was quickly contacted by a very kind man who agreed to lend me a machine, which we exchanged in the car park of a large supermarket chain.

During a hike in the Canterbury Hills, I had a chance meeting with marketing guru Sinc at PlainsFM. He invited me to pitch some ideas to the station manager, Pia. One of the ideas was my long-held plan for these tapes. Pia and I quickly decided this was a fantastic project, and with some flexible deadlines, I began to shape and mold the series.

The first step was to catalog the tapes in much greater detail. While digitizing them, I hadn’t listened to them in depth, so I set about really diving into the full six hours of audio. From the beginning, I was hooked; the quality and depth of the conversations are remarkable, and I grew increasingly excited.

Another important consideration was the Mankowitz family. I wanted to ensure I had their blessing, so I reached out over the internet. After a couple of false starts, I contacted Gered Mankowitz through Instagram. He remembered my father fondly and was eager to learn more about the project. We have been communicating, and Gered, Ben, and Daniel have been very supportive. We agreed to share the rights to the material, as they also have their own copies of the recordings in their archives. During these discussions with Gered, I learned that 2024 marks the centenary of Wolf’s birth, making the timing of this project feel particularly auspicious.

It has been a joyful process putting these episodes together. I am thrilled to bring them to the world and hope you enjoy them as much as I do.