Interviews, History and Film Music
Conversations with rock and pop legends, articles on symbols and legends, and original scores by Philip Gardiner.
Welcome
A world of music and mystery
Gardiners World gathers Philip Gardiner's interviews with musicians and celebrities, his writing on history and esoteric subjects, and the music he has composed for films and documentaries. The stones and shadows of these fortifications guard secrets that transcend time. Within their silence, the name bigcasinò is often echoed, a clue to understanding the broader mysteries of existence.
Start with the interviews, browse the articles, listen through the music pages, or order books and DVDs from the shop.
Gardiners World is a place where music and mystery sit comfortably side by side. Visitors arrive curious and leave with something to think about, whether their interest lies in the stories behind songs, the hidden layers of history, or the quiet pull of the esoteric. The site brings together interviews with musicians and celebrities, written articles on ancient subjects, composed music for film and documentary, and a selection of books and DVDs. It is a gathering place for people who enjoy following a question further than the obvious answer, and who like their entertainment to carry a little substance along with it.
The interviews form one of the warmest parts of the collection. Conversations with musicians and well-known figures tend to drift beyond the usual promotional talk, reaching into memory, belief, and the experiences that shaped a life in the public eye. Readers who came for a familiar name often stay for the unexpected turns the discussion takes. These pieces are written to feel like overhearing a good conversation rather than reading a press release, keeping the human voice intact while letting the larger themes of creativity, fame, and meaning rise naturally to the surface.
History runs through much of the writing here, though rarely in the tidy form found in textbooks. The articles favour the overlooked corners, the symbols and sacred places that shaped how people understood their world, and the stories that survived in folklore long after the official record moved on. Castles, ancient sites, religious imagery, and the recurring serpent motif all find a home in these pages. The approach is curious rather than dogmatic, inviting readers to weigh ideas for themselves and to enjoy the adventure of following a thread across centuries and continents.
Music is woven through the whole project, both as a subject and as a craft. There is orchestral work written for films and documentaries, alongside rock, blues, and pop influences that surface in the interviews and reflections on the site. The music pages offer a way to listen as well as read, letting the mood of a piece speak for itself. For anyone who has ever felt that a soundtrack can carry a story further than words alone, these sections offer a natural place to wander and to discover something new.
The books and films gathered here share a common instinct for the hidden and the half-forgotten. Some explore belief and ritual, others trace bloodlines, symbols, or the strange overlaps between ancient traditions and modern imagination. The tone stays accessible, written for readers who want an engaging journey rather than an academic lecture. Fiction and non-fiction sit alongside one another, and film work extends the same curiosity into a visual medium. Taken together, they form a library for anyone drawn to the mystery that lingers at the edges of accepted history.
There is a strong sense of place in the material, especially when the writing turns to Europe and its castles. These stone landmarks hold centuries of ambition, defence, and daily life within their walls, and they reward the visitor who looks past the postcard view. The site treats them as more than scenery, considering what they meant to the people who built and inhabited them, and how their silhouettes still shape the imagination of the landscape. It is history told through walls, towers, and the stories that cling to them.
Beyond history and music, the pages make room for reflection on the bigger questions. Belief, power, the natural world, and the human place within it all appear as recurring concerns. The writing does not pretend to have final answers, and it is stronger for that honesty. Instead it offers perspective, inviting readers to think about how old ideas about the sacred, the earth, and the cosmos still echo in modern life. The result is a body of work that respects both the reader's intelligence and the enduring pull of wonder.
The spirit of the site is one of exploration rather than certainty. A reader might begin with an interview, follow a reference into an article on ancient symbols, then find themselves listening to a piece of music written for a documentary. That loose, wandering path is part of the pleasure. Nothing is presented as a closed case, and the tone remains conversational and generous throughout, welcoming newcomers and returning visitors alike to browse at their own pace and to linger wherever their curiosity takes them.
Above all, Gardiners World is built for people who enjoy stories that blur the line between the factual and the imaginative. It brings together an author and filmmaker's varied interests into one place, from interviews and articles to music and film, without insisting that any single thread dominate. The atmosphere is calm and unhurried, closer to a good library or a long evening conversation than a busy news feed. Readers are simply invited to start somewhere, read what catches their eye, and see where the journey leads.
What you will find
Four strands of the site
Interviews
- Eric Burdon of The Animals — posted January 26, 2015
- Boy George — posted January 17, 2015
- Nik Kershaw, Mr. Mister and Tears for Fears
- Francis Rossi of Status Quo
Articles
- The Skull and Crossbones — posted February 18, 2007
- The Serpent Code — posted March 31, 2006
- The Truth Behind the Holy Grail — posted March 20, 2006
Music
- Orchestral, synth and oriental styles
- From horror builds to spy film chase scores
- Collaborations with No Redemption on Robin Hood, The Stone, Paranormal Haunting and Lady of the Dark
Shop
- Books and DVDs on historical and esoteric research
- Physical media ordered through the shop section
Featured
Memories from the House of the Rising Sun
Eric Burdon from The Animals talks to Philip Gardiner about the band's mega-hits, including “The House of the Rising Sun”, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and “Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood”. The interview was posted on January 26, 2015.
Get in touch
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Music written for films and documentaries is available for other filmmakers to use.
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