Tuesday 24 January 2012

My Desert Island Discs

One of the more bearable things my husband has introduced me to is Desert Island Discs on Radio 4 on a Sunday morning, which we listen to without fail every single week. I love it! I enjoy listening to the choices and the stories behind them, of famous people that we know, and people we don't. Some of our favourites have been scientists, authors and charity workers that we haven't been familiar with.

As I listened to Vikram Seth this morning, whilst doing the ironing, I wondered what my 8 desert island discs would be.

"Well Kirsty, my first disc will have to be "Stop Crying Your Heart Out", and I have chosen the version Noel Gallagher sang on an Australian television show, The Panel. Although I willingly moved to England in 2002 I found my first few months really tough, and this song gave me solace, and hope.

Going back to my childhood, my next disc is "Walking on the Moon" by the Police. As a child growing up in Tasmania, this was on the television and radio often and was the first pop song I ever really heard. It's still a great turne.

I have struggled choosing the obligatory classical piece that I am sure a lot of your guests choose so that they appear more intellectual and intelligent than perhaps they are. I have chosen Pachelbel's Canon in D, and don't care that it has become populist and pops up everywhere. I love the simplicity of the melody and the complexity comes from the way in which it is repeated and other instruments join in.

The next piece comes straight from my teenage years. When all my friends were listening to Madonna and the Pet Shop Boys, I was listening to Australian music. My all-time favourite bank is Hunters and Collectors. This song "What's a Few Men", is inspired by the awesome memoir "A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey, one of my favourite books.

I was brought up on Australian country music, and its something that living here in the UK, I really miss. Whilst you may sometimes here Amercian country music on the radio, the Australian variety is often forgotten. There are so many songs I could include here, but I've chosen Anne Kirkpatrick's "Many Mothers", as I feel its a universal song, and more appropriate now than ever.

Now my sixth track is for my son Joseph. There are many songs that I relate to from Joseph's birth, and as my regular followers and fans know, Wires by Athlete is a very important song to me, and one that I couldn't really omit for this programme. It just happened to be on my iPod, when Joseph was in hospital. It became my prayer "looking at you now, you would never know", I hung on to that song with all my might, and one day - it became true. I will always be grateful for Joseph, and for this song for helping me get me through.

On the subject of prayer, I have chosen a hymn as my seventh song. Now although my regular church going days appear to be behind me, at least for now, church music is very important to me, and I still sing hymns quite often. Perhaps the hymn that I love the best is "Be Thou My Vision" that we chose for our wedding. (Unbeknownst to the current Mr Hodges, it was also sung at my first wedding!)

My final track is one that resonates with most Australians, and it is "Down Under" by Men at Work. Whilst I have lived in the UK for ten years this year, I am still very much an Aussie, and this song still makes me smile and feel proud, never mind that half of Men at Work are Scottish!

So thank you Kirsty for the opportunity to share my tracks with your listeners today. I know you are going to allow me the Bible and the Complete Works of Shakespeare and I am allowed to take one other. I have chosen to take The Vernacular Republic by Les Murray, one of Australia's best known contemporary poets, and want to have the whole thing memorised by the time I get rescued.

My luxury item is a struggle, but I've chosen to take my son's Mucky Coat Blanket. I won't need warmth on the island, but I will need comfort, and I am sure Mucky will do the job admirally.

If all my discs were to be washed away and I could save only one, it would be Stop Crying Your Heart Out, as that song reminds me to keep strong, and not be scared, most appropriate for being all alone on an island."

Do you listen to Desert Island Discs, who is your favourite person who has been on the show? What would your Desert Island Discs be?


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