The Liverpool Connection Podcast
The Liverpool Connection Podcast
Football and Music 1:1 with Chris Hawkins - BBC 6 Radio Presenter and DJ
Follow Chris's podcast at podfollow.com/howtodj and on X (Twitter) @chris_hawkins
BBC 6 Radio: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0072l8y
The Liverpool Connection is an LFC podcast that aims to bring the story of our wonderful club to as many fans as possible around the world. The history, the passion, the music, the people, the City – we want to share perspectives on and off the pitch. We're delighted to have you here with us, be sure to Like and Subscribe with Notifications on for our latest podcast.
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Daz O'Connor, Steve Wilson, Nik O'Connor, Glenn Kewley, Julian Lane, Chris Delcros
Hi everyone and welcome to another episode of the Liverpool Connection podcast. I'm Daz. This part of the episodes that I do this is football and music one-on-one, where I bring somebody on to talk about football and also to talk about music. And who better than a radio presenter and DJ for BBC Radio 6 Music, mr Chris Hawkins? He's a lifelong Shrewsbury Town supporter. I know Liverpool have played them at least four times in the past. They've played three times in the past like three or four years in the FA Cup, I know that and then played in like 96 or something. But anyways, we've got Chris on to talk about his musical roots, about his football team and about just what's going on in life. Welcome to the podcast, mate. Cheers for having me, des, so I'm gonna throw it out at you. Uh, shrewsbury Town, um, league one, um, are you, um, you know, lifelong, your lifelong uh fan. Obviously is that to do with, um, your dad, your mom, your, your family. Wise a good question.
Speaker 2:I'm from shropshire, so that's kind of why my uncle um has. He's a lifelong fan and he used to take me to to my first games when I was about five or six I used to go with him to the old gay meadow and for for many years as a kid I barely missed a home game. I became obsessed very, very early on with with football and specifically with Shrewsbury Town. I did the thing that a lot of kids from my generation did. I kept a scrapbook. Every cutting went in the scrapbook. I'd wait at the players' entrance and get all of the players' autographs, and I don't mean just once. I'd get them every game and I'd get the away team as well. And it was great when there was a cup run as well, because it meant like really big clubs and famous players would be there and get their autographs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's crazy to think, you know, I mean it's your bread and butter, really like the FA Cup. You know, I don't mean to disrespect, like if you're not in the Premier League, you know, or Championship Minnows, we saw it with Maidstone, massive win for them against Ipswich, but FA Cup is your bread and butter. I remember capacity for your ground was about 9,000 to 10,000, I think, especially when Liverpool come to town. I remember the 2-2 draw at your gaff and it was just absolutely mayhem to see your supporters just going absolutely ape to draw in with a team like Liverpool. It holds a place in my heart.
Speaker 1:The FA cup, I think it's. It's lost, it's kind of shine in the you know the last, I think five, 10 years Cause I I remember, like the eighties FA cup, you know seventies, eighties was massive and now it's kind of lost its shine because it's usually all the Premier League teams that get to the semi-final, the final. But for you, I mean football's a part of your life and obviously music's a part of your life and the same goes with what were your parents listening to when you were a young kid?
Speaker 2:Nothing very credible. I'm quite respectful, I think, of whatever people's music tastes are. I don't really judge, I think it's each to their own. So I didn't really grow up in a musical household but I grew up listening to a lot of radio, getting into pop music like most kids listening to pop music, going to football. That was what I did.
Speaker 2:And um and the two somehow I mean they kind of felt like they went hand in hand to to a point, I suppose in part because I was so into both and I don't think perhaps I don't think my music taste when I was a kid would be considered very credible. But as I got older I remember at school starting to in art classes, the cool kids in art would be allowed to listen to music in those lessons and I remember starting to hear more credible stuff and the Stone Roses in particular. That was kind of that was a big moment because that was when I think I made a shift in my mind from being a fan of popular chart music to something very different, something bigger, something much more real.
Speaker 1:so the stone roses was a, I would say, a big turning point for me so do you think the manchester scene is is a was a turning point as well? And Spiral Carpets, because for me, you know, I was born just outside of Liverpool, I come from a town called Thornby, it's like posh Scousers, but you know, I grew up like with the Lars, but then, you know, stone Roses, just there was something about the Stone Roses for me, the Lars, but then, you know, stone Roses, just there was something about the Stone Roses for me, the psychedelic, you know, the little guitar licks by John Squire, but also, just, they were just just looked cool, didn't they? I mean, they wore flares.
Speaker 2:Flares weren't cool, but they made them cool yeah for sure, and the same for a lot of those bands you know. New order, uh, remain one of my favorite bands. I I adore them and I've seen them live many, many times. Um, so I guess, yeah, the manchester scene, what was a big part of my musical education. I'm from Shropshire, as we've talked about, and it was a county pretty much devoid of live music.
Speaker 2:There was a nightclub called Park Lane that I used to go to when I was nearly old enough to be allowed into nightclubs. Park Lane was, if I say no jeans or trainers, you can probably imagine the kind of place that it was, and it was only in retrospect that I thought about the fact that I loved going there. On a Friday night, you'd go to Park Lane. At the end of the week, you'd go to Park Lane and it would be surprising if you didn't see half the Shrewsbury Town football team there. And it was only as I got older that I realised what the hell were they doing on a Friday night before a game in a nightclub till one or two in the morning.
Speaker 1:It's crazy. Well, I mean, you know, back in the day you'd have football players smoking, drinking and doing whatever you know, you know what.
Speaker 2:I think someone asked me recently what's the best rock and roll book, and I would say it's Paul McGrath's autobiography. Oh, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Well, there's some Liverpool players that, like you know, their autobiography is like wow, you got away with some stuff back then. Times have changed. Obviously, with footballers, I mean they're very well. I mean, unless you're a naughty Marcus Rashford who's in the headlines for going out and doubling to a club. But most of the time, footballers are football as a. Put your head down, stay out of trouble, yeah I mean marcus breastford as a young 20 something.
Speaker 2:Going to a club is a bit different to having three pints at half time.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, definitely in a ciggy while you're on the bench.
Speaker 2:Well, I remember going to Gay Meadow as a kid. Do you remember Gerry Daly? He played for United and he had a lot of caps for the Republic of Ireland and he came to Shrewsbury. A lot of players on their way down, if you like came to Shrewsbury Certainly at the back end of the 80s and in the early 90s, and I remember Gerry Daly. He wasn't on the bench, he was injured and he was sat in front of me and smoked his way through the whole of the game.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it would never happen. Never happen these days, because I remember actually, istanbul and Liverpool played AC Milan and there was a player on their bench smoking. But you know, back then you still didn't really bat an eyelid, but now you're just like. You know. That's the thing with footballers too, chris, is like they're still human beings and they still need a release. But you still think to yourself, like you're getting paid so much money, just just do your football, stay clean. And then you know, at 33 34, you're retiring. You can do whatever you want.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean you're right, but that is obviously a lot easier said than done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is. I want to know also, like you know, when you got into DJing, because I love your podcast, how to DJ Podcast. Please, everyone go check that out. But I mean, you know you've had some of my heroes on orbital norman jade, lauren garnier, carl cox, the the great david homes and one of my favorites um, he got lost for a while, I think, john carter. You know he's one of those other ones that went to abitha and they didn't come back for a while. I'm still trying to look for Derek DeLarge, like he went and then nobody's ever heard of what happened to him. But yeah, I mean, when did you start, you know, really getting into DJing? Was it because for me it was probably around the Stone Roses time as well?
Speaker 2:For me it was probably around the Stone Roses time as well In my mum and dad's garage at home. So I grew up in this tiny little village right in North Shropshire and we had a five-a-side team, but we only had four players. Three of them were my cousins, so my sister always had to go in goal. That was the village fiveiverside team, and I built a kind of disco booth in my mum and dad's garage out of chipboard with a ghetto blaster, double cassette deck on the front. The speakers turn round. You could unclip the speakers, turn them round, and it gets more tragic. Unclip the speakers, turn them around, and this it gets more tragic. I got a torch on either side and I put colored crepe paper over the end of the torches. My sisters would be the only people to ever come and they were forced to to come and dance in the garage as I played music off cassette and flashed the torches on and off by hand. It was it's not a look that I'm particularly bad at, but it's the answer to your question um, I then DJ'd. I wasn't old enough to drive, but my mum used to take me to the nightclub that I mentioned, park Lane in Shrewsbury, and I would occasionally DJ the under-16s night that they had there and then got into radio. My local station was BBC Radio Shropshire and I will be forever grateful to them for giving me two weeks work experience which turned into pretty much a part-time and then near full-time job.
Speaker 2:Before I did my A-levels I carried on doing voluntary work and occasional paid shifts at Radio Shropshire, went to university and went to Nottingham and worked at BBC Radio Nottingham and by the third year I was presenting Drive Time on Radio Nottingham, was presenting drive time on Radio Nottingham. So during my finals I had to leave two exams early to get to do my drive time show on Radio Nottingham. So I'd fly through the exam and then get to the studios to do to do the show and stayed in Nottingham for another year after finishing university and then moved to London and and got a gig on BBC Radio London. It was called GLR at the time. It was a station that I always wanted to be at, the most incredible lineup Chris Evans, danny Baker, chris Morris. The lineup was unbelievable and I got to do a show there before Six Music started and I've been at Six Music since it started back in 2002.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's crazy. You know your little musical journey. I mean, how is it being on the radio? You know, obviously we have so many social media aspects of it. You know YouTube and everything and you do the morning show, you know. So my first question is are you a morning person?
Speaker 2:You know what you can imagine. It's a question I get asked quite a lot and no, I'm not. No, I mean, how do you do it? Because I'll tell you how. Because I believe that Six Music is the greatest radio station on the planet and I get to do a show a day on that radio station. So how do you get out of bed at 4am every single day? Well, the motivation is that you're doing a show on this station that I absolutely love, probably more now than I did even when I got the job in the first place.
Speaker 1:I absolutely live for that show every day one of my favorite uh things that you do is the, the name and the music. That is absolutely brilliant just because, like you know, I listen to you and you, just you just look, you sound like you're having a ball, because it really is funny. Some of these names because it's out of nowhere, you know, and it's all the viewers, right, just sending it in, just going. I've heard my mate's name in the song and then you literally you wouldn't have thought it, but then you actually like listen to it and you're just like. I think that's what he just said, yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's mental.
Speaker 1:It's, it's just, it's. It's a fun, fun, like you know, segment that you do.
Speaker 2:It's um, you know what it's, it's just silly. You know it's a ridiculous way. Yeah, once a week it's Names in Songs, and you're right. Listeners send in the songs where they think they hear their name, a family member's name or a mate's name, and you know what. You've heard those songs thousands of times, but somehow they've heard a name in it and from that point on you can never unhear it. You know it's got so out of hand that we're actually going to do it at a festival this summer a live stage of names and songs. And a promoter has asked me about doing merch with the the best names on on t-shirts it's not going to be one of those where the crowd shout, shout out, is it?
Speaker 2:it's kind of in that world we had a brilliant one not so long back, where it was like next level rather than just a first and a surname. So dennis bradley is one of the best. Um, whitney, houston, um, and I love you, dennis bradley, um. But there's a recent one. That's Keith the Graphic Designer, and that is, oh, it's mind-blowing, it's unreal, keith the Graphic Designer. And it's clear as hell and you can't unhear it?
Speaker 1:No, it's stuff like that. If you're an early morning person like myself, I like to listen to. You know this world is is you know? Obviously you turn on the telly and it's just bad news after bad news. So having a, a radio show that you can rely on every morning to just make you laugh, and that's what you do, you know. You know you play good music and you make people laugh and I think that's it's got to make you laugh and that's what you do. You know. You know you play good music and you make people laugh and I think that's it's got to make you feel good mate, um, that is such a kind thing to say.
Speaker 2:um, that means it means loads. To me it means the, and you know I'm waking up with you, with everyone listening, and we're all in it together. Who knows what the day is going to hold? I've got a friend who said to me the other day that he loves to listen and listens for about half an hour 45 minutes and then he puts the Today programme on. You know he does the nonsense and then listens to something grown up.
Speaker 1:Well, that's what you do, I mean for me. You know, I get to listen to you and then I get to, you know, get the four kids up ready for school. So yeah, I appreciate you giving me laughs and good music.
Speaker 2:It's funny that you should mention the kids With the names in songs. That seems to have become a kind of family moment, like an old-fashioned family moment gathered around the radio, where mums and dads tell me that they get the kids round. You know, they get them ready for school early on a Wednesday, which is when we do names in songs and they all have a bit bit of a laugh, a bit of a giggle before the kids go to school oh, that's brilliant.
Speaker 1:Well, for me, you know I'm I'm up very early. I'm six hours behind UK time, so, yeah, my kids won't be around any radio that early. Yeah, I'm just a morning person, but, um, I do want to talk about, yeah, how how to do dj podcast again, though, but um, as I've said, you've had so many amazing guests who would you like to be on there that you haven't had already that's a big question, so I've been really lucky.
Speaker 2:You've listed some of the lovely guests that have been on um and their stories are all inspiring, fascinating, hair raising um. Pete Tong hasn't done it yet, so I'd love to get Pete Tong on um. I'd like to get the chemical brothers on. Oh yeah, that's been in the offing for a while, so hopefully that's going to happen soon. Who would you like me to get on? Sasha yeah, sasha's lined up, actually.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's, he's just. You know, sasha and John's agreed for me are just the pinnacle of of, you know, djing. Um, I've been a massive fan of both of them since day one. Um, actually, one of his mixes he did on BBC uh six music. It was probably about four years ago and it wasn't like a club set and it was in a beater, but it was more and more like down tempo and breaks and it was just amazing that. I think that's where his, you know, with Sasha, his ear for music is just absolutely unbelievable.
Speaker 1:And yeah, chemical Brothers. I actually saw the Chemical Brothers when they were the Dust Brothers, actually in Orlando, because I moved over here a long, long time ago, and they were at a club called the Edge and they played outside. And yeah, that's when they were Dust Brothers and it was their first appearance in America and I was just first appearance in America and I was just blown away by them. And then obviously they had to do the name change because Dust Brothers are over here as well. But yeah, they've just gone strength to strength. You know, they're one of the best electronic live acts. Them and Underworld would be another one which I would love for you to get on.
Speaker 2:Well, stay tuned because, yeah, Underworld's coming soon. It's been a real journey. You know, I love getting to talk to each of these DJs, all with all amazing different stories. Like I said, all of them inspiring, in some cases hair-raising. All of them inspiring, um, in some cases, hair raising um. But you know that they all, I think, pretty much have one thing in common, and that is and it's the same as the radio DJs that I speak to, who are also on, so it's it's club DJs and and radio DJs, and it's all about the 10,000 hours you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like you know, for me, I, you know, I'm obviously like a Liverpool football club podcast. But lately, in the last six months, you know, I've been doing this football and music episodes and I've been bringing in, you know, djs and musicians that support other teams. You know, just, just like yourself and I'm just it's just great to hear these stories because, like like you said, you know, in the beginning, football and music go hand in hand. Same with clobber as well. Like I, I had brandon block on and boy, you know, we didn't even talk about, like you know, his crazy, crazy times, you know, because he had some crazy times but it was just about him being a, you know, football supporter and how, how he started djing and it and is everyone's kind of unique. They have different stories, you know to tell and I I love that. And same with the bands as well. Like you know, there's some bands that one's a liverpool supporter, one's an evertonian, you know, one one's a spare support. I'm like, how, how do you manage that in a band, you know, and they're all, like you know, when they tour, you know, one of them all run off. They've got a little telly by by the side or a radio so they can hear, like, the scores and stuff, and I'm like that's what it's about. You know, I I love stories like that and um, you know, and and same with yourself, I, I love to hear that they're not just musicians, you know, they're human beings, they, they have, you know, mental health issues.
Speaker 1:You know, I think we put djs on pedestals these days. You know the, the edm thing, especially over here, the superstar dj, like gets to travel the world and, you know, gets to stay in these hotels and but you know the traveling gets to them. Being on an gets to stay in these hotels, but you know the traveling gets to them. Being on an airplane gets to them. But you know, people just like footballers, we put them on pedestals and just go. You know they make so many millions a year. These top DJs make so many millions, but they're still human beings and they still have day-to-day you know the family they've have day-to-day. You know the family they've got to still do that, you know. And what's your thoughts on all of that? Because I do. I think in in today's society, you know everyone looks up to, to footballers and and musicians and they're just like us, but they just make a bit more money.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I think you've pretty much said it all. I remember once, when I was, I guess, about 10 years old, I'd just been mascot for Shrewsbury and ran out onto the pitch with a player that you'll definitely know Nigel Pearson was our captain. Yeah, and I ran out with him and it remains one of the best moments of my life. And then, soon after that, a friend of my dad's had something to do with Liverpool Football Club and he took us to Anfield. We went on a battered old coach and we went to do a tour of the stadium before a game and we we did the kind of official tour, but I wandered off from everybody else and they left without me and I was left at Anfield and my dad stayed because obviously he needed to find me, and a really lovely security guy said do you want me to take you onto the pitch? So I got a picture of me touching the this is Anfield sign. So I've got that picture still and um, and went out onto the pitch and then held the trophies, of which, um, there were plenty. Um, a very different trophy cabinet to the Shrewsbury, one which only ever had the Welsh cup in it and, yeah, I know, not even Welsh team and I think back to and I met Alan Hanson. He was arriving, so he was still playing at the time and I met him.
Speaker 2:So, in terms of what you just said about footballers and djs musicians, you know the ones that are making the millions. They're the the ones that, um, that kind of come through are I'm I'm so respectful of, because it's so much, so much pressure in the spotlight to deliver In footballers' cases in a pretty short period of time. I live near a footballer now who plays in the Premier League and you know what? He is 110% dedicated to his life as a footballer. He totally gets that. He's incredibly well paid and will be for a short time and he gets it, but he's been able to handle it.
Speaker 2:But that's not all footballers at 20-something. Why would they know what to do with £100,000 a week paychecks? How would they know what to do with 100 000 pound a week paychecks? How would anyone know what to do? Um, and and the same goes for bands that have sort of overnight success and the same goes for for the big djs and I, I suppose, coming back to what you talked about in your question, you know, look at avicii. Maybe, certainly at the time the best DJ, most sought after on the planet, and it was just all too much in the end.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was a sad case and obviously, you know, and same with football, as some of these really good 16 year old, 17 year old kids then don't get picked. We heard about the man City kid that took his own life because he didn't continue with it. They are human beings and we've got to look at it like that. I want to end on a good note. I always ask my um football and music guests who would your ultimate festival lineup be for? A friday headliner, saturday headliner and sunday?
Speaker 2:wow, okay. So I've got a piece of paper and a pen here.
Speaker 2:I'm going to write alive, or or dead okay, so headliners for each night, yeah, yeah, um. For the friday I'm gonna say talking heads. I love talking heads and Once in a Lifetime is one of my favourite songs ever, and there's kind of talk about them getting back together. Whether it would be the same, I guess not, but still one of, to my mind, the greatest bands of all time. So they would headline on the Friday. I'm going to say for the Saturday night it's going to be the Chemical Brothers.
Speaker 2:Yeah nice one. And then, sunday night, you know who, the greatest songwriter of all time, john Lennon.
Speaker 1:Brilliant. I love it. I love all three of those. Well, what more can I say? Yeah, I'd go to that.
Speaker 2:Mate, we've kind of come full circle in the conversation and you talked about the last time that you played us and we drew two all and it was an FA Cup fourth round replay. Yeah, and you beat us in the replay and I was there for that game and man, it was an own goal.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was. Yeah, I forgot what. I think his first name is David maybe I don't remember his last name, I just know it was an own goal and like we were quite lucky, so yeah, but Tr chris, it's been an absolute pleasure. Um, you know, good luck with with both the radio show, keep making people happy, keep making people smile, and then the how to dj. I cannot wait for you know the upcoming guests because again, you, you're on what? The 74th episode, 75th I um getting there.
Speaker 2:By the way, roshan williams was the own girl. Um, yeah, mate, so, um, I can't thank you enough for having me on on the podcast. I love listening. It's it's you do what I love about podcasts, um, and just make it a conversation, kind of like that. There's a structure with no structure. Yeah, it flows and it's just like it feels like being down the pub, which is what I think any great broadcast should, should feel like, and that's what I think when I listened to you. Um, so you've been really kind about the show. Thank you very much, um, for those that don't know yet, it's every weekday morning on bbc radio six music and the podcast. You know, I think it's obvious. I'm really proud of of the way it's kind of turned out. We've only been doing it a couple of years and actually maybe you're the first person I'm telling now is that it's about to go. Instead of being in series, it's going to to be once every two weeks. So some great names lined up, including Brandon Block.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you'll have a laugh with him. I mean, you'll have a laugh. You'll have probably a little cry, you know, because he's been there, he's done that and it's just again. You know, we both, like I said, we both love football, we both love football, we both love music and obviously I have a problem with trainers, um, but that's my problem.
Speaker 1:But I appreciate your kind words because you know that that's all I ever want to do with this podcast is make it just like a chat. I mean, I have a few notes down, but but it's basically, you know, off the cuff. You know, whatever way it's going. But I appreciate your kind words because I think sometimes hosts get lost in their own, you know bubble, and you know I started this podcast because of my granddad. He used to try and tell me stories back in the day the Shankly stories and I wouldn't listen. So this is my ode to him. I'm listening to everybody else's story. So that's, you know, god bless him. He finally got through to me. But again, you know, chris, thank you. Thank you so much. It's been an absolute pleasure cheers T.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you so much. It's been an absolute pleasure. Cheers Tess.
Speaker 1:Thank you, ¶¶, ¶¶. We'll go again On. We'll pray For the dream he taught and won On On, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh you.
