Category Archives: Worlds Shortest Radio Show

Back in the 80s, she ran Groove Records in Soho and a more unlikely soul and hip-hop aficionado would be hard to imagine. She was about sixty and would often put down her knitting to serve customers, yet there was nothing she didn’t know about the latest US dance imports. Groove Records was a tiny […]

It’s Good Friday, the day Our Lord was apparently crucified. As a child, I remember any display of happiness being strictly forbidden. The Catholics of Kilburn and Cricklewood would make their way to the sombre 3 o’clock service, all terribly solemn. Or pretending to be terribly solemn. Everyone knew that within 48 hours Our Hero […]

A myth that the BBC are still trying to propagate. They know that it was a scandalous waste of £1 billion to move people and programmes up there so they try to justify it at any opportunity. On the World Service the other night, there was a documentary hosted by a “Proud Mancunian” bleating on […]

Baddies during the Cold War because we were brought up to regard Russia as the enemy. And baddies now because of tales we hear about sinister oligarchs who’ve employed nefarious means to amass obscene amounts of wealth. And this morning we heard about how it’s all kicked off again in Ukraine. Every time we see […]

“George & Lynne” was a hugely popular cartoon strip in The Sun which ran from the 1970s until relatively recently. George was handsome, masculine and successful – Lynne was his beautiful, dutiful and very sexy wife. Their life was the very acme of suburban aspiration. Big house by the river with “all mod cons”, drinks […]

Whatever that means. All I remember is that it’s the Sunday before Easter and at mass, we were each given a frond from a palm tree that had been origami-ed into the shape of a cross. Perfect for pretend sword-fights afterwards, which I’m not sure was what they were intended for. This is the only […]

Better known as Jazzie B, founder of Soul II Soul. 25 years ago this week, their debut album, Club Classics Vol.1 brought him to the world’s attention. But like most “overnight sensations”, his success was far from instant. He worked for years in recording studios and built an amazing sound system. He called it Soul […]

In truth, there was probably only ever one and it was near my school. Such a weird combo that I sometimes think I’ve made it up but no, I spent a lot of time and a lot of money in there – none of it on fruit and veg. It comprised a dusty old greengrocer’s […]

This hybrid hit, percussively produced by Phil and sung by not-the-blonde-one-the other-one from Abba. I have clear and definite opinions about most things: politics, religion, climate change but, strangely, not Phil Collins. My internal jury is still out: On the one hand, he’s a fantastic drummer and when he replaced Peter Gabriel as the frontman […]

Electric Avenue is in Brixton. I drove past it the other night and thought of my old friend Laurie Castelli who moved to Brixton about 25 years ago. At the time I was living in Kilburn and was no stranger to London’s “livelier” postcodes but even I thought a move to SW2 was insane. Laurie […]