I went for a meeting a radio station in Manchester yesterday. While I was waiting in reception you could see what was going on in the studio. It was a local radio station, but a big one, on in every shop, bar and taxi wherever you went. So the people behind the glass were rather well-known. Needless to say, I never heard of them, but I only listen to Radio 2.
Anyhoo, I was fascinated by seeing into the studio. The last time I was in a radio station was when I was on Radio 1's Newsbeat with the booming Richard Evans in 1996 to talk about Sarah Lancashire's exit from Coronation Street. I didn't get a glimpse of whoever the DJs were.
At yesterday's radio station, there were for all to see. Standing up in the studio, checking emails as they arrived, chatting with the others in the studio - four of them! - scribbling down notes as Sky News broke on the TV in the corner, and queueing records up at the touch of a button. No one was popping the needle onto Flowers In The Rain here. It looked like enormous fun.
When I was 12 we went to see a friend of dad's who worked at Southampton hospital radio. I was allowed to read out a dedication to a woman from Guernsey and pick the record. I picked Float On by the Floaters, because it was No.1. I thought then how nice it would be to play your records on the radio all day long. Still do. My friend Matt is a DJ. I know work can be hard to come by at times, but when it does it really must be the best job in the world.
Sadly, playing what you want is not an option anymore, but I still have my fantasy of being Clint Eastwood in Play Misty For Me, without the attentions of a crazed psychopath in lounging pyjamas. Then again, that's showbiz.
