FEATURE:
Station to Station
Part Eighteen: Matt Everitt (BBC Radio 6 Music)
___________
I think the last edition…
of this feature I did was in July. I featured Georgie Rogers in Station to Station. I love her work on Soho Radio and BBC Radio 6 Music. Whilst I have featured a fair few broadcasters from BBC Radio 6 Music (including Lauren Laverne, Craig Charles and Shaun Keaveny), I wanted to spotlight Rogers’ music news colleague on the Shaun Keaveny afternoon slot, Matt Everitt. I have written about him several times – usually relating to Keaveny. As Keaveny is leaving the station after more than fourteen years, I wonder how that will impact Everitt. Whether he remains with BBC Radio 6 Music indefinitely or, in a while, looks at other projects and horizons. There are a lot of strings to his bow – which I shall focus on soon. Aside from being a former drummer with the bands, Menswear and The Montrose Avenue, he is an author, writer and podcast producer (his company, Cup & Nuzzle, are ones I am eyeing up to do a podcast in the future). It is his fabulous music news reporting on Keaveny’s show in addition to his excellent long-running series, The First Time with… that are especially noteworthy and relevant. Although we do not hear Everett spinning tunes and acting as a main presenter, I feel his contributions to stations like BBC Radio 6 Music are invaluable and incredible. Just before I move on, here is some biography from his management company:
“Matt is an integral part of the Shaun Keaveny Afternoon Show on BBC 6 Music, researching, writing and presenting The Music News and co-hosting with Shaun. He has been at 6 Music since 2007, and he presents its major series, The First Time, which he also devised and produces, interviewing major artists such as Kate Bush (her first interview for 5 years), Ringo Starr and Quentin Tarantino. Matt regularly crops up on Radios 1, 2 & 4 and on BBC News/Sky/MTV and he has become the go to interviewer for music related live events. He has a book deal with Laurence King Publishing and so far he has written and published The First Time and Where's My Welly. Prior to joining 6 Music, Matt worked at Xfm and was a music journalist. Before all this, he was the drummer in Menswear”.
In this feature, I am dropping in interviews and bits Everitt has been involved with. Aside from his incredible and must-hear music news reporting, he is an author that I hope we hear more from. I feel, as he is a lover of Glastonbury, he could write a book about it – maybe why it remains such an institution and hallowed festival? If you have not bought the book of his series, The First Time with…, then go and get a copy. Containing a selection of interviews with guest through the years, it is informative, illustrative and revealing. This website provided their take on Everitt’s book:
“Originally, a semi-regular documentary series on BBC Radio 6 Music, also hosted by Matt Everitt, within this new book release, Everitt interviews 40 stars about those seminal First Time moments in their lives such as their first gigs, first musical memories and the like.
Curated and interviewed by Everitt, the book is organised and laid out in a simple yet efficient fashion. Let’s take ex-Orange Juice lead singer and successful singer-songwriter, Edywn Collins as an example.
Each section begins with a specially commissioned piece of art featuring the interviewee set within a piece of colourful graphic art. After that is a brief introduction of a page or so and then there’s six or so pages of simple Q&A. Actually, there’s a bit less than that. Around half of the final page is occupied with that interviewee’s playlist, available on Spotify, of “songs that are discussed in the interviews.” Well, that’s not strictly true but it provides a flavour of the interviewee’s work and the music that person enjoys.
These lists can, in themselves, be enlightening. John Lydon’s includes tracks from Can, Miles Davis and Roxy Music but also Kenny Rogers, Hawkwind and Abba.
What is nice is the array of small vignettes that accompany each answer. So, Collins’ first remembered awareness of music was Donovan’s single Jennifer Juniper. A small picture image of the sleeve can then be seen adjacent, in the margin, adding a minor visual treat. The sleeve art is a regular visitor to each interview. Collins has 16 of them, Kelis has 13, Michael Stipe has 12 but each offers an insight into the interviewee.
But back to Collins, questions include: What was your first emotional connection in music, your first band, did you enjoy your first single success, first musical influence and the like (Answers: Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, Onyx, yes and Creedence Clearwater Revival.)
Possibly my favourite is Ex-Specials/Fun Boy Three man, Terry Hall and his dry humour. As a child, his departing sister left him her record player and collection of David Cassidy and David Essex records, “…you can never go wrong with a David,” he said. Although Hall first immersed himself in Bowie, “…another David but different to David Cassidy. I remember reading an interview with David Cassidy in Blue Jeans or Jackie and refused to do a photo session because he had a spot. I thought that sounded a brilliant job. It’s like, ‘How do you get to do a job where you can refuse because you’ve got a spot?”
I am going to round off in a minute. Ahead of his birthday on 13th September, I wanted to spend some time saluting the great work of BBC Radio 6 Music’s Matt Everitt. As a broadcaster, journalist and interviewer, he has this style that is very much his own. It would take me too long to list all the legendary artists he has interviewed through the years (suffice to say, his great 2016 chat with Kate Bush is among my favourites!). It is sad that, soon, he will not be on the same show as Shaun Keaveny. The two have been working together for so many years, one can hear that bond and tightness. Matt Everitt will continue on and not only provide us with the music news; he is involved in some great podcast series and all sorts of other things. A multi-disciplined talent who seems to always be busy, you can follow him on Twitter and Instagram. I am a big fan of his work. In many ways, Everitt has inspired me to become more involved with music (the aim is to work for the BBC) and, hopefully soon, start up a podcast – no prizes for guessing who that will be about! One of the very best broadcasters around, many people will look forward to seeing what comes next for him. If you require music news and content delivered by a professional who, when interviewing musicians, brings out the very best in them, then Matt Everitt is…
THE one you tune into.