MICHAEL PARKINSON, CHAT SHOW HOST
‘I was never
IR Michael Parkinson may be 83, but retirement is still far from his
anxious before mind.
He has endured a “rough four or five years” with regards to his health, but one of the things that keeps him going is his love of work.
an interview...
More than a decade has passed since
Parky stepped away from his iconic chat show, but the Yorkshireman has continued to busy himself with a variety of projects.
except with
“I think it’s terribly important to keep working and if you’re in a job where you can do that – and get paid at the same time – then you are very blessed,” he mused.
Muhammad Ali’ “There is a tendency now for older people to get old and be old. But generally speaking we are healthier and live longer.
“I wouldn’t know what else to do. If you’ve done it from the age of 16, it’s a lifelong habit and one which becomes difficult to break. many of my musical heroes on as I that he would still be involved,
“I can’t think of anything I would could.” although he says the industry has replace it with that could give me as Scotland is very dear to Michael, and changed so much he probably much pleasure. one reason is Billy Connolly. wouldn’t try to get a foot in the door
“When my son Michael and I go out It was thanks to Billy’s appearance today. on stage in front of a crowd and have on Parkinson that the Big Yin became “A guy used to come round every that contact, there’s a shared a household name throughout Britain. Monday for details of the local cricket commonality of purpose. “We gave him his first chance. He team from my father, who was the
“They are happy to be there and it’s and Dame Edna Everage were on the captain, and I thought it looked good,” very gratifying to know you can still most – 15 times each. he smiled. bring that kind of pleasure. It’s very “I get the odd email from him – the “It wasn’t the journalist I envied, it satisfying indeed.” last was about six months ago. was his bike. He had this big rally bike.
Michael is referring to his new stage “What’s happening to him now is “Eventually that’s the job I did, local show, Our Kind Of Music, which very sad, one of the saddest things to correspondent. Those were great days. comes to Glasgow and Edinburgh this happen in my career. Learning your trade, learning to month. “We were great mates. At one point interview people – including those
Musical clips from the Parkinson he lived next door but one to me. who didn’t want to be interviewed – show archives are shown and “We went through everything but the job as I knew it has discussed as he chats with his son together and had great times. disappeared. about his love of music, specifically “It’s a huge sadness that his “The industry has changed so the Great American Songbook. immense talent has changed.” radically I don’t think I’d know where
“I’ve probably gained more As for his own rough period of to start.” satisfaction from music than any other health, he was diagnosed with prostate Coming from a working-class art form,” Michael explained. cancer in 2013 and last year had a background, he admitted to often not
“From the age of seven or back operation. feeling like he belonged in the career eight I became aware of He insists such health issues positions he reached, but learned to artists like Louis do not make him consider his turn those negatives into positives. Armstrong and Billie mortality. “I don’t think anybody from my Holiday. “I’ve never dwelt too much on background who went to Fleet Street
“When I did the that, I just deal with what did it nonchalantly. talk show it was my comes.” “You would be aware all the time of policy to get as Michael could never being in the company of people who have imagined when he you thought were more intelligent or started in journalism better educated, and all of that might more than 60 years ago be true, but what you soon have to
S▼ Michael with his wife, Mary.