Sitting here in Texas, where somewhat bizarrely, he started his radio career, I was so sad that the man who reared numerous generations on music beyond the mainstream has died – so young and so far away from home too.
I distinctly remember him playing ‘New England’ by Billy Bragg in about 1984, and turning the light back on to jot down the artist and title thinking, ‘hmm that was pretty good…’
At some point in 1987, Ray and I went to Radio 1’s building near Broadcasting House and left a tape for him to play.
Anyway, we went back shortly after the same night and the receptionist called him the studio. He answered and promised he would listen to it (man, we could be pushy when we wanted to be!). Friends subsequently told us that he did in fact play one of our songs – Razor Blades – one night soon after, but despite our drummer at that time being an engineer for the World Service, we weren’t able to verify that. There was no instant play-lists as there are now for every BBC radio show.
But hey, we spoke to the man at the height of his powers and given our relative position in the music industry, it was very gallant of him to bother. But that open-mindedness is what exposed him to what is continually new and interesting in popular music.
It’s difficult to imagine any other DJ would provoke as much affection as he did. Long may he R.I.P.