1995

                 Corby Radio

I was involved with the Corby Town F.C. programme, editor for a season in which I won the ward for best programme in the Southern League, much to my surprise. My friend Bip Wetherell was Chairman at the time and kept this a secret up until the night of the Awards at the Rushden and Diamonds Football Centre. 

Bip was also a presenter of Corby radio which had established an annual month long licence from the BBC. It would later be granted a full licence but these were early days. One match day at the Rockingham Triangle Bip asked me if I’d like to come along as a guest on his morning 10-12 show. I was quite excited about it but also nervous. “I’ve never done anything like this before” I said, “I don’t know’. Bip, a local legend through his disco days and as an entrepreneur in the town assured me it’d be fun. ‘You’ll be on in the second hour, I’ll ask a few questions, you select ten or twelve records you’d like me to play, memories they give you etc. Nothing to worry about.’ ‘OK’ I said not knowing really what to expect. I’d never even spoken through a microphone which scared me a bit but I thought ‘well I can only make an arse of myself’ and decided to get over my nerves and try to be interesting. After all choosing music you’d like to play on the radio sounded like a dream for a music nerd like me. The following Thursday morning I arrived at the station housed beneath the block of flats opposite the Strathclyde Hotel in the Town Centre. Bip was already on air and preparing to introduce me to the Corby public as some sort of celebrity. Not sure about the celebrity bit, all I was known for, relatively, was being a contributor to a local monthly magazine I worked on with my friend David Black which was very popular, and as the editor of Corby’s football programme. 

Memories Bip asked me and I spent the week leading up to Thursday going over various events I could connect with music. Easy!

Putting my headphones on I heard Bip go through his routine sitting right opposite me on the console. ‘This morning I have a very special guest, a lifelong friend of mine blah blah..’ I heard myself respond with ‘Morning Bip’ and wondered what the hell I sounded like! You can hear your own voice and I didn’t particularly like it, do I sound like this? I’d never thought about how people perceive you and your accent. Mine was a cross between Welsh and more prominently, Scottish, a hybrid of sorts. 

Well I was here and I thought I might as well enjoy it, the main thing I was worried about was slipping up and coming out with swear words or saying something crude. 

Fancy a bit of Alma Bip?

What I remember was I started off with The Shadows’ ‘Apache’, a classic early British instrumental which was the inspiration behind many up and coming musicians all over the country. Bip had suggested this as he knew the story behind my family’s association with the Shadows who were the biggest band in Britain in the early 1960s. Also that the drummer Brian Bennett had married his wife Margaret who used to live in the house I lived in, 15 Teesdale.

That was a good story worthy of telling I decided and thus started rabbiting on air  about it. The Shadows stopped over at number 15 when we were kids as they criss crossed the country on tour. Often parking their car in our driveway which gave us something to crow about. One day in 1962 when their massive hit “Wonderful Land’ was top of the charts Hank Marvin and Brian stayed the night with Brian’s in laws, and news rapidly spread. The Corby Leader turned up for an interview and photograph as over a hundred excited kids parked themselves outside by the hedge with autograph books. A photo was taken of Hank and Brian by the fireplace which I have a copy of to this day. 

Thinking about this I told the story, hoped it wasn’t boring and concluded by telling Bip and the listeners I was thinking of getting a Blue Plaque up in my house. Blue plaques explain who lived here or something however innocuous happened here. Bip looked on wondering what I was going to come out with. ‘I”m thinking of getting a plaque above my toilet with an arrow pointing downwards, with the words, Hank shat here!”

I thought it was funny and Bip did too, despite nearly falling off his chair! Taking his headphones off he cried ‘you’ll get us taken off the air!’ He was laughing his head off as well as shitting himself! I had no idea there was a protocol and everything was monitored  or whatever.  Never mind, I ploughed on. A postscript to this was later when my mate, Stuart Allen, told me he was listening in as he was riding his bike to work at the Royal Mail Office in Rockingham Road, and nearly fell off when I came out with ‘Hank shat here!’ He thought it was hilarious. 

I can’t remember what else I played but there were a few more stories to tell and one concerned a date I had in December 1965 with a girl called Babs. She had been going out with my mate George who I was working with in the offices at the steelworks. George was a charmer, full of himself and pulled the girls no bother. He told me one day, almost bragging, that he was going to finish with Babs, knowing full well I had a crush on her. Babs had blonde hair, was petite, gorgeous, everyone fancied her. I took the bull by the horns and called in on her on my way home to inform her of his intentions, and to ask her out myself! She didn’t believe what George had said but after a little more chit chat I asked her if she fancied going out with me instead, to the pictures, the Odeon on Rockingham Road the following night. To my surprise, and delight, she said yes! Next day at work I told George he was finished with Babs, and that I was taking her out! He went mad. Called me everything. We fell out for a bit, but it’s a wonder he didn’t take a swipe at me. 

Anyhow, what film was on at the Odeon? ‘The Early Bird’ starring Norman Wisdom. Not a fan, and neither I guess was Babs but we spent the best part of the film snogging in the back row anyway. A success it was and on the way home I asked her if she fancied doing the same the next week. She said yes once again, I was thrilled  and I thought I was on a winner. Can’t remember the film that was showing that second week, except that it was Norman Wisdom again! More slapstick rubbish. That was disappointing but nonetheless, afterwards, in time honoured fashion, I asked her the immortal question, ‘will you go with me’. This was the 1960s, we were 15, naive as hell. She said no!! I couldn’t believe it, I was distraught, and for ever afterwards, I blamed bloody Norman Wisdom on ruining what I felt was a blossoming romance!

I told this story on air to the the tune of ‘The Story of John Hardy’ by the Sir Douglas Quintet. (They were on Top Of the Pops night before I took Babs out the first time and I loved it).

It was another good yarn I thought and for the life of me I can’t remember what other tales I came out with, or selections I chose for Bip to play that hour, except one, Alma Cogan and ‘The Train of Love’. It wasn't a favourite of mine or anything but I had this idea about playing something quirky. Being self indulgent if you like. Alma was known as the ‘girl with a chuckle in her voice’ and I thought this record was gormless enough to maybe surprise a few. Think it did! Crap record and I did wonder what Bip made of it! I thought it was quite funny. 

The hour flew by and despite my nerves I enjoyed it. Think Bip did as well but he’s always known my sense of humour and penchant for bullshit!