Wednesday 6 March 2013

Bazza and Mayo

Barry Cross is a talented designer who runs his own Hot Cross Designs.
You're about to see his work as the cover of the forthcoming Miracle Mile album 'In Cassidy's Care'.
He is seen on the right at his 50th birthday party where Miracle Mile's present to him was to let him join the band for the day. 
Frankly, it didn't go well. 
Bazza's drumming might best be described as an enthusiastic mix of Phil Collins and the sound of R2D2 falling down a mine shaft.
His response to my latest 'Chicken Skin' is just too good to reside in the 'comments' box so here it is below.
Personally I'm a little uncomfortable with his use of 'Mayo' and 'masturbation' in the same sentence but I'm sure that he couldn't give a toss...

Barry writes:

I worked from home during the nineties. There was an overwhelming urge to spend the morning watching Richard and Judy in my pants, but with bills to pay and deadlines to meet I managed to stay computer bound on most days. Part of my routine to stay at the computer and prevent the inevitable recreational activities associated with being in an empty house (eating cereal, masturbation) was to fax my '11.33' to Simon Mayo. I wasn't a personal friend of Mr Mayo, this was his Radio 1 morning show, which included an item whereby listeners phoned or faxed 3 records to be played just after the 11.30 news - hence the 11.33 (things weren't just thrown together in those days). I'm not quite sure of the categories for the 11.33, it may have been an 80s song, a 90s song, and a 'current' song. I do remember though, the day my choices were aired. I remember the end of the news being heralded by the stunning synth stutter of New Order's 'Shellshock' (12 inch version - yes I was that pedantic!). This was followed by 'The Sound Of Crying' by Prefab Sprout, and my final 'current' choice - 'Family Life' by The Blue Nile. It was the longest 11.33 that had ever been aired, so Simon says! I don't think I'd ever heard The Blue Nile on the radio before, in fact - at the time, I was quite sure I was the only person they were making music for. I still believe I am the only person to own the vinyl single 'I Love This Life'. Paul Buchanan's dulcet tones certainly created a reaction from the Radio 1 listeners. These ranged from 'thank you for finally playing The Blue Nile on national radio' to 'I've just taken a left turn and I'm heading towards the nearest cliff…' It probably wasn't the usual Radio 1 listeners fare - this wasn't The Fugees or Gina G, and possibly not the best time of day to be confronted by such an emotional piece, but I'd like to think a couple more people found The Blue Nile as a result. I have a C90 of the show somewhere, probably titled 'the day Simon Mayo read out my name'. I never bothered faxing in to the radio again, I'd had my moment of radio fame and - along with a new box of Coco Pops, there were more pressing matters at hand.

1 comment:

  1. that's a great piece Barry and although I can claim no radio one playlist contribution I do also have the single of I Love This Life

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