Shadowing Practice: UFO - 1985 Phil Mogg interview (Music Box) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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I've seen an awful lot of bands getting back together.

Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Who reform especially for the Live Aid event.

And other bands have got back together too.

There's been Aerosmith and The Gods.

The one band who are back together as well is UFO.

And with me today I have Phil Mogg, the singer of UFO.

Phil, the line -up today is kind of different to the UFO I remember, what people might consider the classic UFO line -up of many years ago.

Why did you decide to keep the UFO name?

um it wasn't out of kind of choice the original choice it's just one of those things that um

we looked around for a name at the time and it was suggested that we said ufo it wasn't

any particular reason it was the easiest thing to do um

but having used the name it's kind of a double double -edged sword

that it sort of goes against us as for you know we we have to deliver the goods

or not you've got quite a lot to live up to

people have very fond memories of UFO yeah they're possibly retired now

and now it's not that long no no no

but it was just one of those things it was the

easiest thing for us to do at the time was just viable to do

that sort of thing

but as you say it has put you under a certain amount of pressure it means you can't go

and play the marquee because the name is

so strong you've got to go

and play much larger venues these days well we could play the marquee

but they haven't offered us a gig really it's closing down soon

so you better help you want to get in there poor old jack um

it was just one of those things we needed a name and

that was the easiest thing to you know for us to

do we've gone through all the other combinations of names

and um i don't know ufo just seemed all right i

just thought as long as we deliver the goods above and beyond the previous

ufo

that will be fine well that's what i was going to

say how do you feel this lineup compares with past lineups

i think i think it's very good i think it's far above what we've previously done from 1978 onwards

and um with the lineup we've got with tommy

and uh paul gray jim simpson blah blah life it's a

very hot band it seemed to me there was a time

when you became very disenchanted with the band and weren't taking it all

that seriously how do you feel about ufo today is it much more exciting for you now yeah sure um

that towards the end it was um it was a bit kind of glib and

album tour album tour no time off

and you lose you tend to lose the essence of what

you're supposed to be doing whereas we've got this perfectly in place with this line up at the moment

because you've just been on tour in the UK you played Hammers with Odeon quite recently how's

that show did the audience respond as you thought they would

oh unbelievable it was like Chelsea playing on top on a

Saturday afternoon no it was real good no I went to

the show it was like being at a football match there was lots of chanting

and singing along must be very pleased with the way

that show went yeah because but the the tour before the year before

which was kind of a build -up tour and what we're basically doing is

structuring rebuilding a kind of thing

and it's a step beyond from the year before I thought

I enjoy it now we're right at the end of 1985 now

when you look back on the year what's your fondest memory recording the new album misdemeanor

or doing this UK tour I think getting the album out basically is finishing the album, getting it out

because things were in the dark for quite a while for about a year and a half so actually doing the album, getting it out and everything, doing the tour it was great,

it was a bit like coming back Yes, a resurrection you might say Well you could say that I suppose,

yeah Let's say resurrection, it's a nice word, let's say it Now you've played the UK, are you going to be touring Europe fairly soon?

Hopefully not No, apparently in January, I think we're going across Europe,

but only a few places, and then straight off to America.

Do you know which countries you'll be visiting in Europe?

Has that been decided?

It's kind of maybe Ireland, maybe Scandinavia, all that.

It's all the maybes at the moment.

But hopefully we should do that thing through Germany, Scandinavia, Germany, couple of dates in Italy, back to England and then off to America.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “UFO - 1985 Phil Mogg interview”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: ufo, tour, album, band, easiest. This video has 66 sentences and 845 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:32. The speaker talks fast, about 186 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
lineup noun	/ˈlaɪn.ʌp/	A physical or photographic queue of people allegedly involved in a crime, allowing a witness to identify them.
bind verb	/ˈbaɪ̯nd/	To tie; to confine by any ligature.
fond adjective	/fɑnd/	Having a liking or affection (for).
resurrection noun	/ɹɛzəˈɹɛkʃən/	The act of arising from the dead and becoming alive again.
awful adjective	/ˈɔːfʊl/	Very bad.
compare verb	/kəmˈpɛɚ/	To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it…
gray adjective	/ɡɹeɪ/	Of a color between black and white, having neutral hue and intermediate brightness.
whereas	/(h)wɛɹˈæz/	In contrast; whilst on the contrary; although.
sword noun	/soɹd/	A long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack.
venue noun	/ˈvɛnjuː/	A theater, auditorium, arena, or other area designated for sporting or entertainment events.
unbelievable adjective	/ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/	Not to be believed.
retire verb	/ɹəˈtaɪɹ/	To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness.
essence noun	/ˈɛsəns/	The inherent nature of a thing or idea.
viable adjective	/ˈvaɪəbəl/	Able to live on its own (as for a newborn).
rebuild verb	/ɹiːˈbɪld/	To build again or anew.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
get back verb		Return to where one came from.
build up verb		To erect; to construct.
close down verb	/kləʊzˈdaʊn/	To stop trading as a business.
come back verb		To return to a place.
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
line up verb	/laɪnˈʌp/	To align; to put in alignment; to put in correct adjustment for smooth running.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've seen · There's been · has put
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was suggested · been decided

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 21 contractions and reduced forms, such as we've, you've, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: resurrection /ɹɛzəˈɹɛkʃən/, combinations /kɑmbɪˈneɪʃənz/
Long words — get the stress right: resurrection /ɹɛzəˈɹɛkʃən/, unbelievable /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/, combinations /kɑmbɪˈneɪʃənz/, misdemeanor /ˌmɪsdɪˈmiːnə(ɹ)/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like lineup, bind, fond.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: UFO - 1985 Phil Mogg interview (Music Box) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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