Pensioner Peter is a regular presenter at Penistone FM, on air mid week. He shows his age with a selection of 50s songs in Tunes of my Childhood but keeps up to the minute seeking out off-beat news stories.
Q. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
A. I don’t think I ever had a real job that was that bad. But as a
one-off, taking out an old fireplace was pretty unpleasant. About a
century of soot and birds nest and other unspeakables came down
followed by harder stuff like bricks and slabs of concrete. That’s why
these days I always ring a builder!
Q. What’s your favourite website?
A. Well the Huntsman in Thurlstone is quirkily different (and is one of several good-looking sites designed by a local outfit). Nationally the BBC sites are unbeatable, though whether that is what the licence money should go for is another debate. Then there’s The Archers Addicts site (not run by the Beeb) for we people with a radio soap habit.
Q. On my nights off you’ll mostly find me…
A. In the pub. Unless it is time for The Archers on the radio
Q. What was the first record you ever bought?
A. Tommy Steele, Singing the Blues, No 1 in December 1956
Q. What would be your desert island disc?
A. On the BBC they get eight but Penistone fm presumably can’t afford
that much. I thought about Barwick Green (The Archers signature tune)
but no, not as the only music for the rest of my life. Sorry, pop
fans, but it has to be Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony
Q. Where is your favourite place in the world?
A. Amsterdam is exciting, I love the Fall in New England, the food stalls
in Kuala Lumpur are a delight to the nostrils and taste buds and the
Lake District is stunning for walkers. But hey, the Penistone area is
the best place in the world to come back to.
Q. Name one thing you are really passionate about…
A. You mean apart from my wife? How about a pint of crystal clear blond
bitter. And talking of blondes…
Q. If you weren’t doing this you’d be…
A. At this moment, probably walking up a hill somewhere. More generally,
though, doing some other kind of voluntary work. I can’t see the point
of a long aimless retirement doing nothing.
Q. What is your favourite YouTube video?
A. At present, the Roger Federer one where he plays William Tell,
knocking a can off a man’s head with his serve. It may be a spoof but
if not, I’m glad I was not the man with the can
Q. Which celeb would play the part of you in a movie of your life?
A. Yes, I suppose they do have actors that old. How about Charles
Collingwood (Brian Aldridge in The Archers) because whatever he has to
say his enunciation is superb (which is a posh way of saying he never
falls over his teeth like I do). But why would he want to play me?
Q. Best ever gig attended
A. Don’t think The Archers do them, though one year some of their
youngsters went to Glastonbury and had their tent stolen. I never got
there. Or Woodstock either. Sad really.
Q. What song gets you on the dancefloor?
A. Blue Suede Shoes – but with my aging aching back, don’t expect me to
do the Rock ‘n’ Roll gymnastics of my youth
Q. What song gets you on the karaoke mic?
A. I once paid at a charity night not to get on the mic. With my voice it
would clear even the drunkest crowd.
Q.What is on your MP3 player?
A. MP3? Elvis started on 78s. Mind they broke if you sat on them. Come to
think of it, so do iPods.
Q. Who is the nicest celebrity you have met and why?
A. Harry Chapin. He was so relaxed, friendly and just so human. Even
invited me to share the melon he was eating. He’d just been appointed
to President Carter’s poverty commission when we met and was also
helping to fund innumerable charities. He really cared (as in really
really cared). It was such a sad day when he was killed shortly
afterwards. But I still love his records, even if most of them are too
long for Penistone fm’s format (or, as he once complained, for most
radio stations). Still, we spin W.O.L.D and Cats in the Cradle every
now and then and I sneak others in when I think the bosses are not
looking.
Q. Have you ever been locked in/stuck somewhere embarrassing before?..
A. No, but I once got snowed in at a pub in the Lake District for three
days. The only snag was there had been little snow in Yorkshire and I
don’t think my boss really believed me.
Q. If you were on the TV show ‘Come Dine With Me’, what would you cook for your guests?
A. Well I’m told I do a mean veggie curry, and I could also manage a
rather tasty tuna and tomato dish, thanks to Jamie Oliver
Q. What do you like doing when you are not on the radio?
A. Walking, reading, cooking, eating, drinking, watching DVDs, meeting
friends, pretty boring really
Q. What is in your pockets RIGHT NOW!?
A. Keys, wallet, credit cards, phone. Do I need anything else? Oh yes,
and a handkerchief
Q. If you could compare yourself to a chocolate bar, what would it be and why?
A. Green and Black’s Maya Gold. It is a little sharp and not too sweet.
Q. What job would you like to do if you didn’t work in radio?
A. Well for 50 years I had one (or several) ending up in IT. And you know
what? I don’t miss it a bit.
Q. What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
A. Visit the little room and crawl back to bed. It is usually still the
middle of the night.
Q. What are you scared of?
A. Getting a regular 7pm radio show and missing The Archers (still it is
on line now for a week)