SIXTY SECONDS
THE DJ, 70, ON HIS LOVE OF JAZZ, MEETING DIANA, COPING WITH PARKINSON’S AND HOLIDAYING WITH THE McCARTNEYS
I watched the interview with both shock and awe. Meghan, every bit the actress, was smiling and laughing while discussing things such as depression and racism.
Then Harry appeared and my heart nearly broke. You could clearly see he had been crying – his eyes were bloodshot. You could see clearly his love for his grandmother, the Queen, and that he was genuinely hurt when talking about certain issues.
I’m not saying the couple deserved how they were treated but even the utterly, disgustingly shamed Prince Andrew was better protected by the royal family. The young Sussexes, in contrast, were thrown to the lions.
Harry’s father, Prince Charles, isn’t so innocent either, with all his carry on
with Diana and Camilla, yet he was also protected by The Firm.
I used to think highly of William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but now I think they are completely fake in every way.
I’m not saying I’m all for Meghan – I think she controls Harry – but my heart breaks for him and the situation he’s in, and also for the Queen. As always, she handles things with sensitivity and grace.
S Smith, Paisley
I hope the press will no longer print anything else about Harry and Meghan. They want privacy so grant them their wish. There’s more to print about in the real world.
Brenda Manchester
What can people expect from your new Jazz FM show?
We do some features and get some headline guests in a magazine-type format. It’s great to be able to play songs I like, talk about people I’ve interviewed over the years and tell stories from the book I wrote during the first lockdown. I get a great response from people saying they haven’t heard me for a long time.
Didn’t your dad get you into jazz?
Yes, he used to be a late-night DJ playing jazz on the radio and he was also a jazz musician. I always used to hear it coming up from his recording room downstairs.
Jazz FM have teamed up with Parkinson’s UK, for which you’re an ambassador…
They do a terrific job in making . people aware of the condition because it does change a lot between people. No two people seem to have similar symptoms and there are more than 90 different symptoms you can attribute to Parkinson’s, which makes it difficult. I’ve had it for ten years and the thing I like the least is the anxiety and depression that will kick in with no notice whatsoever. But now, especially with Jazz FM, there are reasons to be cheerful.
You had more than 50,000 messages of support when you announced it.
That’s right. The neurologist told me not to tell anyone, not even my wife or children, otherwise I’d spend the rest of my life telling people that I’m fine, thank you. I thought, what’s wrong with that?
I told my family but would someone want to listen to someone who has Parkinson’s? Would it affect my work? It turns out that when I told everyone five years later, my work’s not been affected at all. It was fantastic to get those good wishes to have fun and carry on. I don’t want to be gone but not forgotten, I’d rather be remembered and alive!
Did fellow sufferer Billy Connolly inspire you to tell people about your diagnosis?
It was more Muhammad Ali – he was a fantastic role model. Billy Connolly is very funny and in Parkinson’s there aren’t many laughs. You want to stick close to people who have his gift.
Have you gained a lot of friends in the industry over the years?
Paul Gambaccini I’ve worked with a lot and Paul Burnett is the funniest guy on radio, he doesn’t get the exposure he merits. Jools Holland is a good friend too, he’s very talented. Chris Tarrant is the person I’m closest to from my radio days. He’s like a stand-up comedian.
You facilitated the careers of so many artists. Could you tell who was going to make it?
I thought The Smiths were absolutely great. One of my sons was a Formula 3 driver and whenever he was racing, he would always have The Very Best Of The Smiths playing! One of those with the most charisma was Bob Marley when he did Top Of The Pops with a song called
Satisfy My Soul. He was mesmerising.
You’ve holidayed with the McCartneys, played football with the Rolling Stones…
Isn’t that amazing? I joined the Stones as their special guest on their tour promoting Exile On Main St in New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. There was never a dull moment. With the McCartneys, Kenny Everett gave us a tip to go to Peter Island in the Caribbean and we were walking along the beach when I heard this voice on a minibus shout ‘Oi, Kid!’ It was Paul, Linda, Mary, Stella and James, also on holiday at this isolated beach resort. Paul’s very easy to talk to and he loves giving you advice.
You once sat next to Princess Diana – what was that like?
That was extraordinary. It was during her heyday when she was going all around the world doing good deeds. She often dropped into Capital Radio and on this occasion she and I were sat in the studio when in came a security guard and whispered to me, ‘Don’t mention she’s here!’ I said, ‘That’s fine!’ I thought, ‘If only my pals back in British Columbia could see me now…’
I joined the Stones on their Exile On Main St tour and there was never a dull moment
Did Michael Jackson teach your wife Gudrún to moonwalk?
That’s true. Michael was with The Jackson 5 and they had come over to do a gig at the Hammersmith Odeon. There were only a dozen of us at this party and Gudrún isn’t afraid of anything so, when no one was talking to him, she went up to him and said, ‘Will you show me how to Moonwalk?’ He did but she only took a couple of steps before she gave up.
You began on Radio Luxembourg – how has radio changed?
That was quite a ride. It’s changed for the better in the sense there’s more radio around. I remember hearing Joe Le Taxi [by Vanessa Paradis] on the radio in France [in 1987]. We were so insulated in the UK. I said, this is the ideal song to be a hit, I was so enthusiastic about it. It did become a great pop hit in the UK so that was nice.
David Jensen’s Jazz on Jazz FM every Sun in March, 9pm to 10pm, jazzfm.com For free support visit parkinsons.org.uk