Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Veteran songwriter and composer of light music.
On the island
Eight records
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:28How do you feel about a nice, relaxing time on a desert island?
I would love it. to get away from the noise of London. and get away from stereo grams. And dogs. Where we live we have dogs all round us.
Presenter asks
0:48Did you find it a hard job to choose just eight records?
No, I don't think I did. My intention was to vary the programme, not to make it too serious. But actually I like the high ground music. And I liked good pop.
Presenter asks
1:20Are you from a musical family? Did you start learning music very early?
Yes, yes. About six years old. Piano. Piano. Yeah. But at the same time I found that I was quite good at extemporisation. and decided that I'd sooner become a composer. And I was very impressed with the modernness in those days. Uh people like Paul Ducas, the the French writer.
Presenter asks
4:55What steps did you take to become a composer?
The keepsakes
The luxury
Well, it occurred to me that uh If I wanted to be a symposium. That I should get in on the ground floor and that I would like to get into a publisher. Yeah, do any sort of work. to find out what it was all about. Get to know people.
Presenter asks
11:27Which are your own favourites from that long list of successes?
Well that's a rather difficult question. I should say that if Which you know was. Written in 1934 that never became popular until the 50s when Perry Como started to do. And another one called Unless, which was very, very big.
Presenter asks
17:18Would you try to escape?
No, I don't think I want to come back here. I'd stay where I was. Surrounded by sharks. But good-natured sharks, not like some of the sharks I've mentioned, the music business.
“This particular thing every time I play it gives me a sort of thrill up the backbone, you know.”
“I decided there and then if I wanted to make money, it was useless emulating Monsieur Paul Ducas.”
“He said, Do you know the young man? With this song you could make a lot of money. But don't you go mad. Don't you go and buy a lot of sports cars and live with women? and commit other dreadful sins.”
“Good heavens, in my business the only angling I've been associated with is angling for song hits, I do landing about fish.”
“I'd stay where I was. Surrounded by sharks. But good-natured sharks, not like some of the sharks I've mentioned, the music business.”
“The Earth is the Lunatic Asylum. Of the planets. It's been so true.”