From Hyde Park to Portobello Road, Marco and Sean share stories, memories, and some classic punk rock philosophy in this unscripted stroll through London. It’s not about cybersecurity — it’s about being in the moment.
Sometimes, the best conversations happen when there’s no agenda. This is one of those moments. With London as the backdrop — its history, energy, and unpredictable charm — Sean and I sat on the grass in Hyde Park and hit record. No script, no plan. Just two friends talking about music, memories, meditation, and why we still believe in experiencing things without a phone between us and reality.
From yoga poses on park benches to tales of Clapton at Royal Albert Hall and an upcoming Oasis reunion in Cardiff (yes, really), this is a meandering mix of thoughts and stories — like walking down Portobello Road not knowing what you’ll find. We touch on the lost art of being present, why live music changes everything, and how the UK’s cultural influence shaped our creative paths.
Sure, we dip into punk, rock, film, and a few philosophical musings about why Florence isn’t featured more in books and movies — but it’s all under one theme: reconnecting with the world around us. It’s a conversation that could only happen in a place like London — rich with culture, memories, and endless possibility.
If you’re tired of content that’s too polished, too planned, or too promotional… this episode is a breath of fresh (sometimes damp) British air.
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Hashtags:
#storytelling, #london, #musiclovers, #meditation, #unscripted, #podcastlife, #travelstories, #creativelife, #liveinthemoment, #punkrockNew episodes drop when they drop. Expect the unexpected.
Hosts links:
📌 Marco Ciappelli: https://www.marcociappelli.com
📌 Sean Martin: https://www.seanmartin.com
Marco Ciappelli: Look at me, Sean.
Sean Martin: You’re sitting.
Marco Ciappelli: I’m sitting like I’m doing yoga — Indian style. You do yoga? I don’t.
Sean Martin: I do. I do yoga.
Marco Ciappelli: I tried. I’m not good at it. But what makes you good at yoga?
Sean Martin: There’s no being good or bad. It’s: do you experience it or not? If you don’t, then… maybe not. If you do, then that’s enough.
Marco Ciappelli: I try to meditate too. I’m good for a little bit, then I get distracted.
Sean Martin: That’s the point of meditation.
Marco Ciappelli: I know. But here’s an angle: I’ve read that meditating can be anything that takes your mind away from everything — playing music, dancing. But true meditation is about not thinking at all — and I can’t do that.
Sean Martin: Right. My experience is, you focus on your breathing.
Marco Ciappelli: That kind of works.
Sean Martin: You turn inward — not outward. If you’re thinking about your breath, you’re not thinking about other stuff.
Marco Ciappelli: I lost you at “inward.”
Sean Martin: [Laughs] Outward is… Royal Albert Hall. There you go. And then the memorial. There, behind me.
Marco Ciappelli: There you go. We’re in Hyde Park.
Sean Martin: We’re in Hyde Park.
Marco Ciappelli: But we’re not hiding. I think Hyde Park is a famous spot. Wasn’t there a series of homicides? Like… Jack the Ripper?
Sean Martin: He didn’t care where he was.
Marco Ciappelli: He was just… doing his thing. That’s London. And I think that’s what we said — we’re doing an episode. Random and Unscripted.
Sean Martin: Certainly random.
Marco Ciappelli: With one focus: London. We love coming here — together and separately. For different reasons.
Sean Martin: Very different.
Marco Ciappelli: I know you’ve got a story. I do too. But yeah, I like to leave things, experience things. Travel helps with that. We’ve done episodes on it — like your Italy story.
Sean Martin: That was fun.
Marco Ciappelli: You’ll do it again. Not yet, but soon. We’ll do an episode — because we’ll be together, for the first time, in Florence.
Sean Martin: For the first time in Florence.
Marco Ciappelli: So tell me your story about the Hall.
Sean Martin: The Royal Albert Hall. Oh man, that’s gotta be… 20, maybe 25 years ago. Could be longer.
Marco Ciappelli: Let’s say 25, for good measure.
Sean Martin: Eric Clapton reunited with Cream. They played the Royal Albert Hall. I flew from L.A. with my girlfriend at the time. Incredible show. The vibe — the acoustics — amazing.
Marco Ciappelli: That’s the place for concerts in London, right?
Sean Martin: It’s designed for that. Very special band, special place, special moment. And… no cell phones.
Marco Ciappelli: Wow.
Sean Martin: I had a little camera — maybe the size of this watch. Digital, video. I think I still have the clips somewhere in a box.
Marco Ciappelli: But you have the memory — because you were present.
Sean Martin: Exactly.
Marco Ciappelli: We’ve talked about this — how now people watch live shows through their phones. I’ve done it. Guilty. But once, at a Metallica show, I put the phone in my pocket. Much better memory. Be there. Or just watch it on YouTube and save the money.
Sean Martin: And the travel.
Marco Ciappelli: So… whose decision was it to see Cream and Clapton?
Sean Martin: It wasn’t mine. Easy to agree to, though. I didn’t lead the effort, but I’m glad I went.
Marco Ciappelli: I’ve been dragged before. And I’ll be dragged again — not to London, but Cardiff, for the Oasis reunion. Thanks to my wife. It’ll be fun.
Sean Martin: You gonna bring your phone?
Marco Ciappelli: Maybe. But I think the Gallagher brothers will hate that. Probably cancel the show if people pull out phones. Hopefully, they stay together long enough to perform. First and second night — that’s the kickoff. It’s gonna be huge.
Sean Martin: Half of the UK will be there.
Marco Ciappelli: An excuse to be back in London. You know, growing up in Italy, London felt like the New York of Europe. Culture happened here — music, books, theater, movies. I mean, Peter Pan flying over Big Ben? Iconic.
Sean Martin: And today we went to Portobello Road.
Marco Ciappelli: Which is in so many songs. And you mentioned — there’s a recording studio there?
Sean Martin: Yeah. A bunch of famous people recorded there. I remember looking out the window and seeing fake snow — they were filming Notting Hill. We saw a piece of that today.
Marco Ciappelli: And Abbey Road is just a mile and a half from there.
Sean Martin: We went there last year.
Marco Ciappelli: We could go again, cross the crosswalk.
Sean Martin: Someone told me they saw Paul McCartney crossing it.
Marco Ciappelli: There’s a video of him crossing. People were taking pictures — not realizing it was him. He’s a cool dude. Always joking around. He’s been on Fallon — funny guy.
Sean Martin: So what is it about London for you?
Marco Ciappelli: For me, growing up, it was the most exotic European city. Culture everywhere. Music, literature, film. But for you, as someone from LA, living in NYC?
Sean Martin: Hmm. I don’t compare it to New York. NYC is condensed. London’s more spread out. But it’s got history. We’re in this beautiful park, and I can imagine knights in armor riding through here.
Marco Ciappelli: Like Monty Python?
Sean Martin: [Laughs] Exactly. Funny enough, though, I haven’t experienced much local pub music here — unlike Ireland, where every pub has someone with a fiddle or whistle.
Marco Ciappelli: Good point. I’ve seen a lot of live music — but never in London. The upcoming Oasis thing will be the first.
Sean Martin: In New York, there was one week I saw six different small shows — all different styles, different venues. I’d love that here.
Marco Ciappelli: Me too. Especially being a fan of ’60s and ’70s British music — Beatles, Stones, Sabbath, Motorhead. Jealous of anyone who saw them in small venues.
Sean Martin: Sex Pistols.
Marco Ciappelli: Yep. Maybe the Ramones inspired them, but still… it’s all here. And you can’t talk London without talking music. But literature too. So many stories are set here.
Sean Martin: And your dad likes Notting Hill, right?
Marco Ciappelli: Yeah. I called him from in front of the bookstore. But you know, Florence — it’s considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Yet it barely shows up in books or movies. Rome does. Paris does. But Florence?
Sean Martin: Write a book.
Marco Ciappelli: Maybe I will. There are many historical books about Florence. But not much fiction, or stories for kids. Maybe I need to fix that.
Sean Martin: Do it.
Marco Ciappelli: Anyway — we’re here for a reason. But this conversation wasn’t about that. It’s a secret. You’ll see in the videos before or after this one. But we’re guilty of trying to do something outside cybersecurity and tech. That’s how Unscripted started. Random and Unscripted. Go to the website and check when we did the last one. Probably months ago.
Sean Martin: We did one last week.
Marco Ciappelli: Right, we did. But we get busy. Still, a little chat like this — I enjoy it. And maybe someone listening will be inspired — check out a book, a band, a movie we mentioned.
We’re not into the TikTok “like and subscribe” thing, but… yeah. Do it. We have a lot of podcasts. One about music.
Sean Martin: I have a few music episodes queued up.
Marco Ciappelli: Me too. Some good stories coming. But for now — subscribe. Next one will be from Florence. I’d subscribe if I were you.
Sean Martin: There’s music!
Marco Ciappelli: Live — on a bike!
Sean Martin: See? The park is full of music. You just haven’t been to the right places.
Marco Ciappelli: Let us know where to find it.
Sean Martin: Yep. Where’s the music in the parks?
Marco Ciappelli: I’m done meditating.
Sean Martin: When you reach the point where nothing else matters — and come out of it — everything feels more profound.
Marco Ciappelli: I already thought of Metallica.
Sean Martin: There you go.
Marco Ciappelli: I’ll try. I’ll do a Marco-style meditation.
Sean Martin: Stay tuned.
Marco Ciappelli: Next time, meditation.
Sean Martin: Or punk rock.
Marco Ciappelli: Nevermind the queen.
Sean Martin: Nevermind the bollocks.
Marco Ciappelli: Am I just sitting here? You’re pointing at stuff. You brought your guitar.
Sean Martin: Are you gonna play it?
Marco Ciappelli: I brought it to take it to Italy.
Sean Martin: Let’s bring it tomorrow.
Marco Ciappelli: We’ll play.
Sean Martin: I’ll carry it. It’s a little heavy, but all right.
Marco Ciappelli: Peace out, everybody.
Sean Martin: Enjoy. Peace.