Dear Mailing List,
Back in the forgotten mists of time, I used to send out regular newsletters… some of you older folk may remember them… But since I’ve put on the blinkers and have caught a whiff of the stables, I’m racing to the finishing line of my book and haven’t got time for such frivolities.
I was startled out of that single-minded pursuit the other day when my wife, Andrea Goertler, summoned me to the kitchen. ‘You have to listen to this’, she said. It was Cerys Matthews on BBC 6Music Radio and she was giving me a shout-out for my birthday. I have, I confess (or possibly brag, depending on the mood) just turned 80.
What I thought was a nice radio moment turned into an extraordinary experience, with my musical life flashing before my ears. Cerys proceeded to play Boyd-related track after Boyd-related track for the next 3 hours, interspersed with some nice messages from friends and colleagues – Mike Heron, Maria Muldaur, Robyn Hitchcock among them – all organized by Andrea, Cerys and her producers behind my back. What a remarkable surprise present!
Here’s a link to the show – it will expire in two weeks, on Sept 5.
Health/endurance warning: it’s 3 hours long and it’s not all Boyd all the time, there’s other great stuff as well. And for those of you who haven’t experienced the unique brilliance of Radio Cerys, it’s a good introduction.
More radio: I’ll be at the ‘Aretha Franklin Proms’ this evening (Monday Aug 22) at the Albert Hall and discussing her career during the interval. It’s broadcast live on Radio 3. I think this link should work, even outside the UK.
Later
Joe