SUGGS : Desert Island Discs (Radio Show) 19/5/02

Blurb below from the Beeb Web Site :

Suggs made his name as front man of 80s pop phenomenon Madness and impressed a whole generation with his unique style of singing, silly dancing and fondness for making the mundane the subject of his songs, such as Baggy Trousers, inspired by memories of school.


Although his cockney accent is part of his singing style, he was actually born in Hastings and moved to London as a child. His singer mother was perhaps a subconscious inspiration, but Suggs didn't have any particular ambitions in his teens. He dropped out of school and did what a lot of teenage boys do - formed a band with his friends.


Madness, a seven-piece gang of friends, became a huge success. Their first single The Prince went to Number 16 in 1979 and three years later they had a Number 1 with House of Fun. In seven years they had 20 singles in the top 20 UK chart and travelled the world playing to large audiences.


Now Madness occasionally meet up and play their hits list, and Suggs has launched a successful solo career and is also working in TV: hosting Night Fever on Channel 5 and captaining a team on BBC1's A Question of Pop.


1. Cry Me a River
Performer: Julie London
Composer: Arthur Hamilton

2. Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll
Performer: Ian Dury
Composer: Ian Dury/Chas Jankel

3. London's Burning
Performer: The Clash
Composer: The Clash


4. On a Portrait of a Deaf Man
Performer: John Betejman accompanied by Jim Parker
Composer: John Betejman and Jim Parker

5. Al Capone
Performer: Prince Buster
Composer: C Campbell
6. Is That All There Is?
Performer: Peggy Lee
Composer: Lieber/Stoller


7. Village Green Preservation Society
Performer: The Kinks
Composer: R Davies  


8. Cleaning Windows
Performer: Van Morrison
Composer: Van Morrison

If Suggs could take just one record it would be No 6, Peggy Lee singing Is That All There Is?.


His book, apart from The Bible and the Complete Works of Shakespeare, would be a concise book of Italian verbs.

His luxury would be a nucleus of bees.

A quick note for overseas visitors - Desert Island Discs is a long running (since 1942!) BBC Radio Show. Every guest can choose 8 records, a book and a luxury item.