ME AND MY MATE GRAHAM

 

For whatever reason I keep being asked what it like to appear on the radio...well it's nothing extra special especially when you've been doing for as long as the Aged Rocker. But for those so interested appearing on BBC Radio Lancashire's Breakfast Show with my mate Graham Liver the format is as follows.....

 

 

Alarm goes off at 5:15am with the usual shower and pot of coffee. Out of the door no later than 6:10am and drive to the BBC Radio Lancs studios in Blackburn, a journey that usually takes about twenty minutes. Park round the back and hit the security switch on the staff entrance door, let the production booth staff see the face on their monitors and one quick buzz later you're in!

 

 

Head into the Library Theatre nodding to producers Leanne and Kate before gathering up the morning's papers and a paper cup of coffee. The name of the game is to find about eight stories that can be discuss making sure you lay off politics, troubles or anything controversial. Draw a red ring round them, remove the pages from the paper and sort into order, then wait. With a live feed running throughout the building it's easy to work out the show's running topic, this morning being the first record you bought since its Record Store Day tomorrow. A nob from Kate and it's through the production booth and in with Graham, red lights on meaning you keep as quite as possible since all the microphones are live. Sit down, position the mic where it needs to be, wait for Graham to cue me in and away we go. Ten minutes later the first stint is done with twenty minutes or so before doing it all again. And that folks is how it's done!

 

Alarmingly, Graham was at pains to explain that as soon as he gets home he changes into some work out traccy bottom along with the fact he wanders round the studio in odd socks. Graham's a nice lad but there are one or two things that do cause the old Aged Rocker to worry about him!

The big thing about this morning's appearance was hooking up with a guy called Paul Townsend from Townsend Records in Clitheroe. With vinyl making a serious come back which means turn tables are once again the thing to have, Record Store Day is when real music fans will be able to get themselves some new limited edition proper LP's and EP's such as the Iron Maiden one I've just got for myself. According to Paul, it's these student types who have brought about this retro revolution, mainly because it's the sleeve artwork that gets them going, most of the sleeves ending up displayed on their walls.

Great thing is, is that it's sky rocketed the value of old collections, the old Aged Rocker's original LP copy of Pink Floyds' Dark Side of the Moon now worth about forty quid. This new interest in vinyl also means fewer of those poxy downloads. Vinyl has a warm, more mellow tone and since LP's and singles have to be played on a turntable, through an amp and listened to using proper speakers, no more of this ear piece lark. If you've never done vinyl or real records, get yourself out there and buy a few and listen to the next best thing when it's not live! Better still go visit Paul and start your own collection and do make sure you listen in when the Aged Rocker is on the airwaves!