Presenter
Billy Sloan
Sunday: 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Use the Email form below to contact Billy
Clyde 1's gateway for new music. Each week Billy plays a selection of the best of the new releases and regularly features live sessions by up and coming bands as well as established acts. The Clyde 1 recording studio is a favourite amongst people like Ocean Colour Scene, Bluetones, Gary Jules, Lulu and the Proclaimers.
February 2007 Guest Eddie Reader with Billy
ABOUT BILLY:
WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE IN GLASGOW
The Western Baths, Cranworth Street. It's an old Victorian bath house/swimming pool. It's my real oasis of calm. When things are getting too hectic I can hide away in the Turkish bath and recharge my batteries.
FAVOURITE TV SHOW
The Phil Silvers Show - starring the great man as conniving Sergeant Bilko. It's the greatest TV comedy show ever and I'm a TOTAL Bilko anorak. I once went on a radio show answering questions about Bilko and got a 100% score.
In fact, I even managed to correct one of their answers which was wrong. How sad it that.
FAVOURITE SCHOOL DINNER
Cake and custard. Is there any other?
BEST GIG YOU'VE BEEN TO
Tough one ... but it would have to be the very first show I attended. The Who at Green's Playhouse on October 27, 1971 during the Who's Next tour. I know it sounds a cliche but this show changed my life. It's the reason I
got into music journalism and broadcasting. The noise, the lights, the crowd - it was a life changing moment. And my heroes Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon just 50 feet in front of me. From that moment on there wasn't enough hours in the day to go to live shows. And I'm delighted to say ... I still feel like that 35 years on. On October 27, 2001 I thought I should mark my 30th anniversary as a gig-goer ... so I went to see Soft Cell at Barrowland. I had a ball.
COOLEST PERSON YOU'VE EVER MET
Again, hard to pick just one ... but Muhammad Ali, David Bowie or Mick Jagger spring to mind.
WHERE WOULD WE SEE YOU AT THE WEEKEND
In the turkish baths if you wanted a laugh/fright. In the Shish Mahal ...if you were also waiting on a takeaway curry.
WHAT DO YOU EAT FOR BREAKFAST
I never eat breakfast. Ever. If it's a toss up between an extra half hour in the sack or eating Ready Brek ... give me sleep every time.
BEST BITS ABOUT THE SHOW
The music. I've NEVER played a song I didn't think was brilliant. Not once. Sometimes I talk the most informed sense ... other times I ramble the biggest load of nonsense - but at least the tracks are always great.
WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE OF YOUR LIFE AND WHY
I'd love to say Brad Pitt or George Clooney ... but being realistic I'd plump for Jack Nicholson or Woody Allen. I think they've both got a bit of my neurotic streak.
WHAT IS YOUR PASSION
Music. I'm still as enthusiastic after more than 30 years. I hope that says it all.
WHAT IS YOUR RECURRING DREAM
Don't have one ... but anything involving Felicity Kendal, Raquel Welsh or Mrs Robinson from The Graduate would do.
FIRST JOB
Worked as a checker at King George V Docks in Glasgow. Then worked as labourer on a building site ... before getting into journalism.
FASCINATING FACT ABOUT YOU
Despite my rugged, youthful looks - I'm a grandfather and VERY proud of it. My two grand daughters are fantastic and gorgeous.
WHAT WAS FIRST RECORD YOU EVER BOUGHT
I went to B.B. camp in Rhyl aged 14 and bought the album, The Who: Live At Leeds; and the single: Won't Get Fooled Again by The Who. Not bad for a first two records, eh?
FAVOURITE THREE DRIVING RECORDS
State Of Independence by Donna Summer ... it's my ALL TIME favourite record. Always uplifting and makes me feel better. You can ask no more from a three minute pop song. Others are: A New Career In A New Town - David Bowie. Midnight Moses - The Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
WORST FASHION DISASTER
Too numerous to mention. Where do I start. In 1976, I went to see The Rolling Stones at Glasgow Apollo wearing - wait for it - pair of denim dungarees from Slack Shack in Hope Street and a pair of wooden Dutch clogs
from Liberty in London. I looked ridiculous. When I went to get the bus home in Cathedral Street I had to take the clogs off - because I couldn't run for the bus - and sprint to the stop in my stocking soles. God know what I must have looked like.
ESSENTIAL FASHION ITEM THIS YEAR
Got a Chevignon black leather jacket I'm rather fond of.
CELEBS YOU MOST FANCY
See recurring dream ... Felicity Kendal, Raquel Welsh or Mrs Robinson. I Once saw Felicity in a restaurant and was so besotted I nearly stabbed myself with a fork.
PET HATES
A tie between:
1. Marks & Spencer's food department. They introduce a new item which you think is magic. You get addicted to it. Then, next time you go in to buy some ... they've been discontinued. Aaargghhh!!!
2. Females who want to share your Indian/Chinese takeaway ... after previously saying they don't want to order anything.
3. People who say: "I'll come down at 10.30" ... then turn up at 10.15 when you're not quite ready.
IF I COULD BE ANYONE IN THE WORLD WHO WOULD YOU BE
Elle MacPherson's dresser.
LIFE LONG AMBITION
I'd like to go up into space. Always been fascinated by the space race.
Also, I'd like to go see gorillas in the mist ... Diane Fossey style. Ex-punk John Lydon did it recently for a TV programme and it looked fantastic.
MUSICIANS THAT SHOULD BE STOPPED
Anybody from Pop Idol, Fame Academy, X-Factor, etc. But calling them musicians in the first place is a joke.
BEST MUSICIANS
Singers - Edith Piaf or Paul Rodgers of Free/Bad Company. Guitarist - Pete Townshend of The Who or Paul Kossoff of Free. Drummer - Keith Moon of The Who.
WHAT TERRIFIES YOU
Enclosed spaces. Crowds. Heights. Rats.
IF YOU WEREN'T A RADIO PRESENTER WHAT WOULD YOU BE
A frustrated wannabe radio presenter.
BEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME
If it's best album - probably Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles. If it's MY best album - probably The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie.
WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO IN LIFE
Look after your family and those close to you.
WHAT WOULD YOU CALL YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY
He Wisnae A Bad Lad ... Really!!!
FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION
New York City - if I want it crazy. Long Boat Key in Florida - if I want t relaxed.
WHAT WOULD LISTENERS BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU
I'm a worrier. Two minutes before going on air or if I'm just about to interview a big star, I'm so nervous I'm having absolute kittens.
IF YOUR HOUSE WAS ON FIRE AND YOU COULD SAVE THREE THINGS WHAT WOULD THEY BE
1. My Cassius Clay v Sonny Liston world heavyweight championship programme. 2. My photo collection. 3. My Sergeant Bilko videos.
BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN
In 1969 when my school career's master said: "Forget journalism ... in 10 year's time there will be no such thing as newspapers". I ignored him. It just made me all the more determined to get a job in the Press.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR IDEAL DAY
Get up at lunchtime ... read the papers ... watch a video ... have a snooze on the couch ... go to the Turkish baths ... go to a gig ... get a curry on the way home ... watch another video ... go to bed again.
WORST ON AIR MOMENT
There are three that really stick out.
1. When I did a link about Ian Astbury of The Cult and had a wee slip of the tongue. You can guess the rest.
2. When Tiger Tim swapped my theme music for a tape of a Chinese woman singing. I thought the airwaves had been intercepted by some Communist militant group.
3. When I hosted a TWO HOUR record review show with guests Culture Club and Haysi Fantayzee. Nobody told me they both hated each other. So if Boy George said he thought a particular single was great ... Jeremy Healy of
Haysi Fantayzee would say it was rubbish. And vice versa. A nightmare.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT ON AIR
Playing my first ever record on Radio Clyde. Musically, I really wanted to set my stall out ... so I chose What Goes On by The Velvet Underground from the now legendary Live 1969 album. A guy I know heard it and was so amazed
he nearly drove off the Kingston Bridge.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE INVISIBLE
Hang out near Halle Berry when she was having a costume fitting.
SCHOOL NICKNAME
Sloaney
DREAM DATE AND WHY
I'd like to have gone for dinner with Marilyn Monroe to Muso And Frank's steakhouse on Hollywood Boulevard. The food would be great. Marilyn would be gorgeous. And she was such a complex, fascinating character ... I'd love to have seen what made her tick. Equally, I'd like to have hung out with the Rat Pack. Going on the razz
with Frank, Dean and Sammy in Las Vegas would have been a no holds barred experience.
IF YOU WERE A SUPERHERO WHO WOULD YOU BE
As a kid, I was really into DC Comics ... Superman, Batman, The Flash, The Justice League of America, etc. So I'd choose Batman. I loved the whole nimagery of the comics ... the Batmobile the Batcave, Alfred the butler,
Commissioner Gordon flashing the Bat-sign up into the sky. I bought the
Corgi Batmobile. I even had a Batman outfit ... (and I was only 37). I
attached the TV shows with Adam West and Burt Ward faithfully every week.
It lost a bit of the magic for me when they made Batman into a movie.
Basically, any superhero who wears his pants outside his tights is okay in my book.
WHAT CAN'T YOU DO WITHOUT
My Sergeant Bilko videos.
WHAT'S THE ONE THING YOUR PARENTS STILL DON'T KNOW
My mum once bought me a pair of "tan" trousers. They were PINK. I told her I wasn't wearing them. She told me I was - and ordered me to put them on to go to the Boy's Brigade. I knew if I turned up in pink strides I'd
get pelters from the troops. So I went a walk into town for an hour then returned around the time I'd have got home from the B.B. She thought she'd scored a moral victory getting me to wear them. I stuck them in the bottom of the wardrobe and never put them on again. She eventually forgot all
about them.
WHAT'S THE WORST THING YOU'VE SAID OR DONE IN PUBLIC
I once interviewed Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt of Status Quo. As usual, I tried to act professional. I succeeded until I went to sit back down. Unknown to me, my cameraman had unwittingly pulled my chair away. I went a*** over tit with a clatter in front of the Quo. They looked at each other as if I was mental.
WHAT CAN'T YOU DO BUT WOULD LIKE TO DO
I'd like to be able to dance. I'd be happy to even have two left feet. Watching me attempt to "dance" is NOT a pretty sight. At a wedding a while back a pretty girl asked me on to the floor. While I was flattered to be
asked ... I was mortified when the music started. She probably thought I was a total dipstick. I'd also like to have a go on a bobsleigh.
DREAM CAR
I know nothing about cars. As long as a car gets me from A to B and has a decent CD player I'm happy.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO RADIO
Dougie Donnelly used to host a programme called The Boozy Woogie Rock Show. He was going off on holiday and Clyde asked me to guest present one show. They seemed to like the stuff I played and asked me back. I used to do midnight-2am every Thursday playing new music. I also hosted the Music Week - a record review programme - from 8-10pm each Thursday.
WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO BE STUCK IN A LIFT WITH
Tommy Cooper ... so he could keep me laughing.
YOU'RE COOKING DINNER FOR 4 ... WHO WOULD BE YOUR GUESTS
Nelson Mandela. Groucho Marx. Howard Hughes. Muhammad Ali.
WHO'S YOUR BEST FRIEND AT THE STATION
Tiger Tim. He's a legend ... and one of life's good guys. I recently went to a gig with him at the Clyde Auditorium and we were beseiged by women shouting: "Tiger ... Tiger". I'm gonna try hanging out with him some more.
DO YOU KNOW ANYONE FAMOUS APART FROM YOURSELF
I'm not famous ... but Jim Kerr of Simple Minds is a good friend.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF
On his day ... he scrubs up well.
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