Lorna Irvine speaks with the multi-talented Vic Galloway.
Broadcaster, musician and author Vic Galloway is the kind of man we would have all loved to have had as an older brother - charming, no-nonsense and with an impressive record collection.
Whether presenting T in the Park on BBC Two, his long-running radio show on Radio Scotland, curating and DJing at various festivals (for example- most recently, a residency at the CCA for Celtic Connections ) or writing a fascinating book on the Fence collective and other Fife-based artists, wittily titled Songs in the Key of Fife, which came out to great critical acclaim last July, he remains an engaging, enthusiastic presence who genuinely loves what he does.
I caught up with him recently to find out all about musical epiphanies, dream super-groups, and much more. The results are, as you would imagine, very colourful and interesting...
Can you remember your first musical epiphany: what was the first piece of music that made your jaw drop?
My first single was Adam & the Ants - Stand and Deliver, and I can honestly say that discovering Adam Ant was a total epiphany for me as a wee laddie - it was music, punk, art, fashion, subversion, two drummers, noisy guitars, pirates, Indians and make-up all rolled up into one!! Before that, I had musical epiphanies to Little Richard - Tutti Frutti, via a cassette my Dad gave me; and Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, which lots of children had on vinyl at the time. If I ever have any children one day, Peter and the Wolf will be first on the turntable for them too.
Songs in the Key of Fife came out last summer. Why do you think Fife has produced such an abundance of talent?
It's something I tried to discover whilst writing the book. Everyone questioned had a slightly different take on it. I would probably generalise and say that being secluded and away from distractions and outside influences was a key factor. Living in the East Neuk of Fife, your imagination was allowed to run wild. You had to make your own fun as well - it wasn't just handed to you on a plate. I think we all had supportive parents for the most part...or at least, they allowed us to just get on with it. I remember never being bored as a kid - there was too much stuff to make up!! I still feel like that. It was a great area to grow up in and I still like going back. Maybe I'll move back one day.
Will there be a follow-up book?
I hope there will be another book... Ha ha! I'd like to start writing something new towards the end of this year, or the start of 2015. I have some ideas, but nothing set in stone as yet. SITKOF has been a success, so I want to write something else that connects with people if at all possible. Probably something music-related again, but eventually in the future I'd like to write fiction.
You are a big festival goer. What is the most interesting/surreal experience you have ever had (that you can repeat?!?)?
I've had plenty of unrepeatable festival experiences...ahem! But chatting away to Joe Strummer for an hour at a backstage bar at Glastonbury sticks with me as a unique experience! I also saw Nirvana twice at Reading Festival and have been to every single T in the Park! I tend to prefer smaller, boutique festivals these days where the music and the experience is the main priority. I love to travel abroad to festivals too. In Scandinavia, Europe and the USA, they do things differently. Also, as anyone who knows me will attest, I LOVE going to South by Southwest in Austin, Texas each year. I'll be there for my 12th time in a row in March 2014. Once I saw Little Richard play a one-off show at SXSW, watching it with Johnny Knoxville from Jackass... that was pretty surreal!
Who would make up your ultimate super-group?
Oh, tricky question... OK:
Vocals - Adam Ant and Little Richard
Backing Vocals - Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares (Bulgarian Women's Choir)
Guitar 1 - Jimi Hendrix
Guitar 2 - Angus Young (AC/DC)
Guitar 3 - Captain Sensible (The Damned)
Bass - Jean Jacques Burnell (Stranglers)
Drums - John Bonham (Led Zep)
Percussion - Keith Moon (The Who)
Keys - Brian Eno
String arrangements - Prokofiev
Songs - Lennon & McCartney (Beatles!!)
Ha ha... That band would probably sound absolutely terrible though!!!
Best press you have read about yourself?
Oh dear... What a question to ask!!! I suppose if I have to answer... A few people have compared me to John Peel, and that is a great honour! I listened to him as a teenager and into my 20's and 30's. I met him a few times when I was at BBC Radio 1 and he was as lovely as you'd expect. To inspire people and turn people onto lots of new music and ideas is a thrill, and to be mentioned in the same sentence as Peel is great.
What is your all-time favourite session from your radio show?
That's almost impossible to say... I have a session almost every week and have been on-air for fifteen years!! I suppose it's great to have aired the first radio sessions for: Franz Ferdinand, Biffy Clyro, King Creosote, Frightened Rabbit, Chvrches, Calvin Harris and Young Fathers. It just shows you - listen in and hear it first with your Uncle Vic!
Finally, can you recommend any new bands for us to check out?
Yes, I most certainly can. Again, there are tonnes. But how about: Casual
Sex, Honeyblood, Turtle, LAW, Prides, The Amazing Snakeheads, Ubre Blanca and
it goes on... Here's a list of 25 artists to watch in 2014. There are
plenty more of course.
Vic's radio show is on Radio Scotland (92-95 FM; 810 MW), Mondays @ 8.05 pm- 10 pm (repeated Fridays and also available online). Songs In The Key Of Fife is available on Polygon Books.
For more information, go to www.vicgalloway.com.
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