At the age of 18, and after four years of trying, I got a job with Radio forth. But my biggest break was getting into Radio 1.
Interviewing U2 around 20 years ago at the release of Achtung Baby was memorable and scary. one of my questions features on from the Sky down, the new U2 film – you hear me on audio. Listening back reminds me that that album was the soundtrack to many people’s teenage or maybe university years. It was a good time.
I often use TuneIn Radio on my iPhone and head out into a journey of adventure. I’m a radio guy, and I love to hear how people in other parts of the world do it. I’ve just been to the Radio Festival, where Elvis Duran (from new York’s Z100 station) spoke.
I’ve gone off Spotify a bit; I used to use it a lot, as a search tool. I don’t know why I’ve gone off it. I was always on the basic service. To me there are only so many subscriptions you can have in life before you don’t get any value out of them.
I use iTunes a lot, actually. It’s revolutionised the consumption of music and proved that people still want to buy music. It’s true that there’s a lack of A&R in the music industry at the moment but you can’t lay the blame at Apple’s door for that. the record companies have had about 15 years to distribute their music to a future audience but they were basically junkies fixing on a £4 profit per CD, which is how it was until the supermarkets started selling CDs cheap.
I use Dropbox all day, every day. It’s brilliant, not just for audio stuff that needs to be portable, but also for distributing single bits of content to people. I also use FiRe on my iPhone – it’s a remarkable recording device. I record straight from the iPhone with FiRe, send it as a wav to Dropbox over 3G or Wi-Fi, and then share it via a link. within half an hour of an interview, it’s with the producer.
I love the Financial Times web app. I think web apps might be the future. and Algorithm DJ is absolutely amazing – you can queue tracks from your iPhone, vary the pitch… DJs could literally do a whole gig with them. It’s revolutionary.
I tried to resist initially, but then it became embarrassing. I’ve had the 1, 3G, 3GS, the 4 and now the 4S… I’ve had them all, and in between I’ve even tried to wean myself off. I’ve also tried lots of Nokias and the HTC Desire, but the user experience can’t come close to iOS.
I don’t feel cheated but I’m not loving it. Siri’s fun, rather than essential, even though Apple is great at providing things you didn’t know you wanted but actually love. the expectation of iPhone 5 meant I wanted more development.
Mark Goodier has embraced the iPhone so enthusiastically, he just can’t help getting the newest one
Dusty Springfield – Son Of a Preacher Man I can’t get over how remarkable she is.
Paul Simon – Dazzling Blue If you’ve been to the Hamptons, these lyrics amplify what you feel.
Glen Campbell – It’s Your amazing Grace I have a daughter called Grace so I home
in on songs with her name in the title.
Coldplay – Paradise Even though it’s not cool to like them, this is very good.
U2 – Until the End Of the World a rock ’n’ roll monster – a great celebration of Achtung Baby’s 20th anniversary.
Chic – My Forbidden Lover Nile Rodgers is one of my heroes – he’s the architect of so many types of music.
Glen Campbell – a Thousand Lifetimes It’s remarkable for someone of 75 to have put out an album of such clarity.
Faith No More – We Care a Lot I’ve been playing this over and over recently. It’s one of a kind.
Sting – love is the Seventh Wave He’s an extraordinary lyricist, a self-made man.
Julian Lennon – Looking For Love His new album Everything Changes is great.