The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Tom Russell: The Godfather of Rock
AK Bell Library, Perth, December 1 Over the course of a 36-year broadcasting career, Tom Russell has enjoyed life in rock’s fast lane.
The former Radio Clyde DJ has got up close and personal while interviewing megastars like Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Metallica and Guns ‘N’ Roses.
Last year the former paratrooper published a memoir, The Godfather of Rock, and he’s in Perth tonight to talk about the book. “I’ve done about 40 free library talks up to now and they’re great fun,” says Tom, 69.
“The chatting part is a skoosh, to use an old Glasgow expression. I could blether for three hours probably, and sometimes I’ll do that.”
Tom admits he had no real qualifications to be a DJ – apart from attending record company bashes as a record shop owner. “We’d go to a hotel and they’d have a band there who had a new album out,” he explains. “It could’ve been Kate Bush, the Bee Gees or Dean Friedman, and I would goodhumouredly castigate Clyde’s boss, Richard Park, about the lack of rock music played on the station.
“I’d tell him I sold as many records by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath or The Who as the big pop acts, and after a while I must have worn him down.
“Out of the blue he phoned up and said he’d give me a couple of hours on a six-week trial up against Tommy Vance on Radio One. I must’ve done okay because I ended up doing (it for) 24 years.”
In the ‘80s and ‘90s regional jocks would enjoy junkets to London or even Barcelona, Germany or the USA. “You’d see a band, do an interview overnight then fly home with a bit of a hangover,” Tom recalls.
“It was wonderful but nowadays (there are) ISDN lines, which means you can do an interview here with somebody in Tokyo and the quality’s as good as if they were beside you, so that saves money.”
The grandfather-of-four insists a lot of myth-making still surrounds rock. “No doubt, lots of mischief goes on but I was never into drugs,” he says.
“I’d like a pint but I’d say 99 per cent of the time I was with bands, they weren’t getting wasted. When some were 19 or 20 they maybe used to over-indulge but they learn their lesson. In my experience, most bands tend to be a bit more professional.”
Despite praise for his debut, Tom has no plans to write a follow-up. “I’ve had a fantastic life and hopefully I’ve got a few years left in me,” he says.
“It’s a lovely feeling, knowing that my great-grandchildren might read about all my adventures. I’ve done film acting, television, been at parties in Ozzy Osbourne’s house – all great times but I’ve told most of my stories.”