[Dr T]

Often think about this...
Some tracks are always in the 8, some vary wildly

anyways thought it might be fun - always thought it was an interesting insight
if others want to join in cool, if not just let the thread die...

So my eight, in boring chronological (of importance/significance in my life not release date) order

Epic - Faith No More

 The first "proper" piece of alternative music I was ever aware of - saw it whilst in the USA aged 11 or so on MTV back when MTV still played music videos and my taste in music was pretty much set....

Smells like teen spirit - Nirvana

 Clearly remember the first time I ever heard this coming out of a sixth form common room after someone in the sixth form had bunked off school to buy the 7" - already played guitar (classical) but this made me want to be in a band.

Three Days - Jane's Addiction

First track on a mix tape that the son of a my parent's friends sent to me from the states when I was about 13 - it blew me away then and still does

Fear of the Dark - Iron Maiden

The track that closed almost every Friday night at the Gloc' when the future Mrs T and I frequented it as star crossed lovers - she used to take the piss and sing along with "fear of the dog" but soon came around 

Always on my mind - Elvis Presley

The track I played at closing time at the college bar whenever I worked there - which I did when Mrs T and I first met 

Baby I love you - The Ramones

The track Mrs T and I had playing as we walked out of the registry office as Dr and Mrs T 

The Rip - Portishead

The track that was playing when Jr T made his first appearance in this world.

My songs know what you did in the dark (light em up) - Fall Out Boy

Jr T's favourite song - whenever it plays he rushes into the room and alternates between striking poses and pogoing like a nutter - my boy 

As for my books
Well the complete works of Shakespeare come with which is great - always had time for the Bard - which is weird because I'm not really a theater fan - Mrs T complains the only theater I'll ever go and see is Shakespeare

The religious work - well not the Bible, went to a CoE school so have had more than enough of that - you're allowed a piece of philosophy instead so I'd take the collect works of the British Empiricists Locke, Berkley and Hume - always meant to read them but never have.

As for the 3rd book I probably should go with Catch 22 which is still on the shelf and still unread after I bought it over a decade ago but instead I think I have to agree with Mrs T's selection and go with one of the first books I ever recommended her which is The Master and Margarita - a book that can stand being read and re-read repeatedly

As for the luxury - well I'd like to take Jr T but he's definitely not inanimate as per the rules (also has to be "of no use in escaping the island or allowing communication from outside") so I guess I'd take my climbing kit (which has nail clippers in it which, lets face it, life would be miserable without...)

[fried]

I've been pondering this all day and so far I haven't managed to choose anything. We're not ignoring you!

[SA Chris]

+1

[slackline]

Sod taking a handful of tunes, I'd just take andy_e's mp3 player with me.

[andy_e]

Damn slackers, beat me to it!

[Dr T]

Sod taking a handful of tunes, I'd just take andy_e's mp3 player with me.

Is that the one that hasn't been made yet

I've been pondering this all day and so far I haven't managed to choose anything. We're not ignoring you!

Take your time - as I said this is something I geekily think about from time to time, that and my ultimate one day, one stage festival line up.... (there's another thread in that)

[andyd]

I would say I'm envious of the time, but I'm really envious of the motivation. Good job.

[johnx2]

I'd always taken 'disc' to mean album rather than just track, but let's go with the latter.

Trouble is that lists of all time favourites/personally significant tunes bear little resemblance to what I'd actiually listen to now (it's all old skool Wu Tang, Frank fucking Ocean, Steely Dan and Japanese math rock / Torro y moi / tjhe Kindness one of my kids procurred for me in the car at the moment), whereas any list is going to look a bit mid 80s student disco/wedding disco. Hey ho:

1. Complete control /WMitHP, Clash. Saw them a few times from second tour onwards. This was the first single I bought and I didn't buy many (honest. First album was the Goodies mind you, and prior this I listened mainly to Flanders and Swan. Not saying I was middle class, like.)

2. Belle, Al Green. Nice tune.

3. probably something like Old Rockin' Chair, Louis Armstrong from Town Hall Concert Plus. The solo, under the right conditions, burns through into another, higher, dimension.

4. Say a little prayer, Arethra Franklin. Nice tune, intimate lyrics. Reminds me a bit of Turkey and meeting a girl.

5. Christ I never knew I was this radio 2 but I'm thinking something o'jays. Summertime? Nah. Backstabbers.  Not  right lot to dance to here.

6. Odysey. Native New Yorker. Tune!

7. already. A long way without any velvet underground. Beginning to see the light? Ocean? Lisa Says? Lisa Says. Sort of thing would still be playing on my valve radiogram on repeat when I work up. Sorry everyone.

8. Cameo, Candy? You can have the world? More memories.


Can't believe how old all those are. And how unrepresentative of what I mainly listen to. Obviously if I was on the radio doing this there'd have to be a couple of token classical tracks and some opera but there you go.

Book? Difficult again. Lucky Jim, Kingsley Amis? Witsun Weddings, Phillip Larkin? Jesus a theme is emerging. Or something by Iain M Banks - The Excession? Lucky Jim gets it.

Luxury? Bottle of malt, don't make me choose I'll have whatever. Or a geetar. With regret, the latter.

I'm deeply disconcerted what is, and more by what is not, above.

[duncan]

I don’t think Kirsty Young will be giving me a call any time soon so here goes. In true desert island stylee I’ve chosen pieces with a bit of a story behind them as well as being personal favourites.


Somerset lad

I started climbing as a schoolboy in the 70s on tottering choss v. diffs. at Cheddar Gorge and Brean Down. At that time and place, a boy could like either Queen or Led Zeppelin but not both. I made the correct choice.




Sheffield student

I went to Uni. in Sheffield (before it was trendy) which did the usual things for my climbing. I also joined Steel, Peech and Tozer in Rotherham, part of British Steel, as a management trainee. What on earth was I thinking? It was both horrific and fascinating: the sound and heat of the electric arc furnaces were Dantean. All a very long way from rural Somerset. My tastes were broadening, music didn’t have to be made by hairy white blokes. This is a 70s highpoint; 35 years later it is my son’s favourite tune.




California dreamer

I didn't know it when I joined them but British Steel was imploding like the rest of UK heavy industry. Studying and working for them didn’t work for either of us so I took my redundancy money and escaped Thatcherism to Yosemite. There didn’t seem much to come back for so I stayed on for a while. I saw Talking Heads in Los Angeles in 1984 during the Stop Making Sense tour.





Bristol climbing obsessive

I spent much of the early 80s overseas but between trips I scraped a living working on building sites, in climbing shops and in proto-rope access. Reggae was the local music and I enjoyed both Jamaican and home-grown versions.





Injury and unemployment

After 6 years climbing I got bad elbows.  No one had a clue about such things then and I stopped working and climbing completely and moved back in with my parents. This was not a great time but I got to see a lot more of my Dad which, in retrospect, I’m really glad about.  He was an early adopter of CDs and this was his first purchase. He’d come a long way from his working class east-end youth.





Climbing comeback 1

Back at college in Bradford in the late 80s I regained sufficient confidence to try a little climbing again. House music was blossoming and I had a splendid time jumping up and down to things like this.






London trendy

I moved to London in 1990.  I had had a recurrence of the elbow problems and was not climbing but I had a proper job now, some money, a little social confidence, and I thoroughly embraced all London has to offer. I saw a lot of live music and one of the more memorable events were this lot at Brixton academy.





Climbing comeback 2

By mid-90s I knew a bit more about sore elbows and got back into climbing seriously.  Living in London meant long drives to Wales or Devon listening to Afrobeat.





Climbing comeback 3

Shoulder issues slowed me down again the the late 90s but I’ve been gradually building back up again recently. I must be getting old as I now mostly listen to classical music. Tristan und Isolde is a notable discovery. These ancient clips are the great Carlos Kleiber in the pit at Bayreuth.  I’m thrilled to be making the pilgrimage this summer.






I’d like War and Peace as my book.  It sounds pretentious but it’s ace and might keep me occupied for a bit.  It’s like climbing El Capitan: intimidating being so big and famous and foreign but, page by page, it’s not difficult and a really enjoyable read. And it’s usually cold, which might be refreshing on a tropical island.

For my luxury I’d like a mask and snorkel. Kirsty might construe flippers as escape equipment so I’ll leave them out.