David Beckham interviewed by Kirsty Young marks 75th Anniversary of Desert Island Discs . The BBC Radio show was created by Roy Plomley in 1942, and the format is simple: a guest is invited by Kirsty Young to choose the eight records they would take with them to a desert island. From Dame Nancy Rothewell (Vice Chancellor at University of Manchester) to David Beckham the full castaway archive is here. I could split my life into events before appearing on Desert Island Discs and events after. I Tom Cruised the sofa when they called me. But then I realized pretty quickly that I was in trouble.
I had no vinyl and no playlists. Basically I was under resourced. I felt I was not good enough either. Nerves. It took a while but I found my mojo and the eight tracks to take to the desert island. This happened by the gentle cajoling of a really experienced team at the BBC. It was the greatest list I’ve ever made thanks to The Desert Island Team.
Tell me one track that would make it on your list? I will make a spotify playlist with your choices. You can hear my Desert Island Discs by clicking here.
Yours is definitely up there in my top 10 Desert Island Discs , Mr Sissay. Soooo beautiful.
Thank you for sharing.
‘Going back to my roots’ – FPI Project feat one of the three Soul Divas, Sharon D Clarke, who sang it with my cousin’s string quartet upstairs at the Slug and Lettuce a week before Christmas 1994 as my wife/mother of my sons to be walked in. ‘I can’t live for nobody else’.
Ka Boom!
OK, I will choose two, because I cannot drop either: ‘Mutoto’ by Lokua Kanza (https://youtu.be/W7fmu8xnQ2k) and ‘La Misteriosa’ by Santiago Auserón and the Original Jazz Orchestra/Taller de Músics de Barcelona (https://youtu.be/FqS89aKUTIo). Happy Sunday! X
So tough to choose just one. Blue in green from Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. Just a beautiful melding of colour and sound for me. What an amazing thing to put together. Love the thought.
So tough to choose just one but such a great concept. Miles Davis’ Blue in Green. Perfect fusion of sound and colour and sensitivity to music. Blew me away on first hearing and ever since. Love the playlist – Shame we don’t make mix tapes in the same way we used to.
Black Boys on Mopeds by Sinaed O Connor.
Apart from loving Sinaed O Connor’s amazing voice I think the lyrics are so relevant today. We don’t seem to have moved on much from 1990.
Good luck with the list, it’s going to be huge!!
Catherine
Hi Lemn
I’d have to go for Marvin Gaye
“What’s going on”….
Thanks for asking
Carol
Actually Lemn
It’s changed to Van Morrison
Cypress Avenue…
A song that simultaneously gives me permission to stand tall as my own unique self and also recognise that I am in the company of others doing the same. First time I heard it in concert, it reduced me to tears. Spoke to my soul, is how I later referred to it. Eric Bibb – “Connected”.
Layla by Derek and the Dominos, it’s a song of pain and longing ostensibly about Claptons love for Pattie Harrison but when you read his life story I think his pain came from the fact that until he was 9 he thought his grandparents were his mum and dad, he never knew his dad but eventually got to know his mother.
I think it’s safe to say he had attachment issues for a very long time
He took to heroin around this time 1970 and in the 70s was full of horrible demons.
This song just drips with sadness and longing and loss.
Apart from that the band is cooking, the guitar work inspired and the coda a work of beauty! And it’s 7 minutes long so good value too.
“thank you for the days ” by Luke Kelly because I really do feel grateful to all who have enriched my life.(you are one of them )xx