Category Archives: Worlds Shortest Radio Show

..is 69 today. He is, of course, far better known as lead guitarist with the one of the biggest bands in history. But Pete Townshend was possibly an even greater influence through footwear than he was through music. Around 1967, Pete rebelled against the foppish, flowery fashions of the day and started wearing very plain […]

…the reason I was able to write anything that could be seen on TV, radio or in print was David Abbott. He gave me my first job as runner in a small ad agency that grew to become the largest in the UK. And that was largely down to Abbott. Few would dispute that he […]

As they should be because Arsenal are in the FA Cup final this afternoon. Arsenal flags hang from the balconies of council flats and festoon the Farrow & Ball front doors of smart Georgian houses. I don’t know whether this is a good or a bad thing. There is no starker example of the gentrification […]

Friday nights from 6.00-7.00 on Capital, Roger Scott would play an hour of 50s rock n roll. Huge cult following because in the late 70s, there were far more teds than punks. I’d listen to the old 45s he played on a Friday then spend most of Saturday looking for them in in second hand […]

…I just don’t really know what they’re for. Love? Companionship? I’ve always thought it’s probably better to get that from someone of your own species. Someone with whom you enjoy conversation, laughter, intimacy and Breaking Bad. I’ve never owned a dog and never want to, but that didn’t stop me from going on BBC London […]

And this is perfect. I saw Bryan Adams at The Marquee in Wardour St back in the 80s. Not really my type of music but that combination of big voice, big guitar and small venue was fantastic. Then he went and did Everything I Do, I do It For You and became, through no fault […]

It used to be known as The Sonys – the radio industry’s equivalent of the Oscars – and it’s an absolute celebfest. Last night for example, I met Chris Evans, Roger Daltrey, Alfie Boe, Graham Norton, Frank Skinner and Boris Johnson. And that was almost without leaving my table. Had I been an oily networker, […]

But I have an excuse. My daughter’s school were finalists in School Choir of the Year and…… they won. They were fantastic and we were all very proud. Having never watched this dreadful programme before, I recognised the chubby smiling, artificially earnest host. It was David Grant, once one half of Linx who brought us […]

Ray Davies was born and bred in Muswell Hill. He still lives in the area. I do too and can understand why this quirky part of town is so special to him. Unlike The Beatles or The Stones whose early influences came from across the Atlantic, Ray Davies wrote truly original songs – influenced by […]

………………he should turn his Eurosceptic ire on the Eurovision Song Contest. Campaigning for its abolition would net him thousands of votes. Some might say it’s so bad, it’s good. But it’s actually so bad, it’s bad. And nowadays, tarnished still further by certain countries ganging up and voting against countries they don’t like. And yet […]