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Ah, Kingston Council.
When they’re not busy chopping down trees in public parks so that developers can get better views from their new apartments, they’re harassing local business.
The clip below is from the CCTV camera on the building next door to Radio Jackie, and shows the Royal Borough of Kingston (RBK) officials accompanied by police as they mount a daring raid on . . . a tiny advertising board.
They say it’s obstructing the pavement, despite being beside an area of pavement cafe.
I would do anything for music, but I won’t will do that.
I’ve promised myself that in the next 12 months I’m going to try to do lots of things I’ve never done before, especially ones that push me out of my comfort zone.
So when Hotpress photographer Ruth Medjber put a call out for nude models “of all ages, shapes and sizes” for an album cover photo-shoot, I put my hands up – and my trousers down!
Over the years I’ve done some strange things for the love of music. I’ve carried heavy car batteries through the woods at unearthly hours on Sunday mornings (to get the alternative rock station South East Sound on the air in London back in the 80s) , I’ve risked death climbing onto the roof of a ship in 110mph winds to catch a rogue guy wire threatening to entangle with a 50kw broadcast antenna – still switched on at the time (keeping Radio Caroline on air during the Great Hurricane of 1987 - see Shiprocked for details) and I’ve enthusiastically lent airtime on shows on Phantom to hopeful bands looking for their first first airplay.
So taking my clothes off in a warm theatre, surrounded by other naked people shouldn’t be such a big deal really.
But nudity is linked to so many hangups and vulnerabilities, and there is the whole body image thing – yes, we men do have it too, especially when we are the wrong side of fourty, and the wrong side of fourteen stone to boot. Plus, in my whole adult life I don’t think I’ve ever been naked in front of anyone that I wasn’t about to have sex with.
I approach The Gate Theatre in Dublin full of an old man’s anxieties.
Will I be the only older person here? The only fuller figure? The only person coming on his own? Will that make me look like a dirty old man? Will people be looking at me? How do I avoid looking at other people while not obviously looking away either? Oh God, why do we have to make things so complex?
I am the first to arrive. The first of the “naked people” or models that is – the band are already in situ, and getting groomed for their photo session.
The Red Labels are a great bunch of guys, who carry a good tune, and if this photo shoot helps build awareness of their new EP then I’m all for it. But that doesn’t get rid of the awkwardness.
The photographer Ruth arrives, very professional and calming, and the other models start to arrive in twos and threes, roughly half and half male and female, most in their twenties or thirties, but a few around my age. I am not the only person to arrive on their own, thankfully, nor the only older man. Well that’s all right then.
People mostly stick in their groups, and I chat to another guy on his own, an actor who wants to use this opportunity to get used to being naked on stage, in case he needs to do it sometime for a role. I tell him how I’m trying to stretch myself out of my comfort zone, and observe that I might get some colourful new experience to help me as a writer.
The bright lights are set up, and Ruth tells us that there will be two main poses – one of us all, naked, sitting in the seats of the theatre, around the (fully clothed) band members, with masks to anonymise ourselves. There will then be another shoot on stage, with the band surrounded by a semi-cricle of naked people, all backs to the camera, but wearing the masks on the back of our head, to make us into spooky-faced arse people.
We’re then moved around to get the best mix of people in different positions, and for lighting tests. We’re all still fully clothed at this stage, but the nervous excitement, the joking and the giggling is growing. Two women put sitting together recognise each other – one is married to the other’s cousin. there are squeals of laughter and conspiratorial excitement as this is discovered. We are given the masks – we will wear these in the frontal shots too for anonimity, and then the moment of no return comes – it is time to take off our clothes.
Any initial embarrassment I might have expected to feel is quickly knocked out of my mind by the simple practical problem of HOW to get undressed while crammed into a theatre seat in the middle of a crowd of people. It’s easy enough to get the shirt off and the trousers down, but getting them off my ankles and my socks off too without belting a stranger in the process requires a lot of coordination. Around me I can see a flurry of arms, legs and breasts flying all over the place as my fellow models come to grips with the same dilemma. And then we are all naked, masks on, and sitting giggling in our seats as Ruth takes shot after shot trying to get the right angle.
I think she is having a harder time of it then us – we can see very little with our masks on, we are jokey and giddy, she can see everything, and has to try to get us to settle down and stay in position for the shot.
Then it is time to set up the other shot, and if there was any modesty to be had while sitting demurely in the rows of seating, it is lost in the scramble up onto the stage. There are no steps up from the floor, and there is no way that a naked man or woman can heave themselves up the 4 feet onto the edge of the stage gracefully.
And so we go up in a flurry of arses, which is good, because it is our backsides that are in demand for the next shot.
Ruth wants the semi-circle to be male-female-male-female all along the line, but there are too many men at my end.
“Don’t worry, they probably won’t be able to tell from behind” I say to the guy next to me.
“Are you saying I have a bird’s arse?” he asks me good naturedly, before calling out to the group “Hey, do I have an arse like a girl? Do I?”
Ruth is on hand to redistribute the sexes, and I find myself standing close in line between two women, as naked as I am, and forced into physical contact, arm brushing arm as we stand together.
They are warm. It seems strange to me, and yet it shouldn’t. All people are warm, its just that we don’t normally come into contact with the bare skin of each other as we rush through the crowds in town. There is something very bonding about that warmth, it takes away any last nervousness, and I can chat happily to them without any self consciousness. Perhaps, I wonder, there might be more peace and equality in society if we all had to go about naked, and regularly hugged each other. Can’t see it catching on in the Irish climate (geographic or moral) though.
Someone slaps the redhead beside me on the bottom and she looks around.
“That wasn’t me” I say.
“Oh I know” she says “but I wouldn’t blame you if it was. There are some things so wonderful and sexy you just have to touch them them don’t you?
“Like breasts” she adds, and starts making the hand gesture for cupping breasts “You just have to touch breasts”
“Oh yes” I agree, with never a truer thought to come out of my mouth “you have to touch breasts”.
Well, so much for me being the shy one was wasn’t going to look or talk. Far from the disrobing being the difficult moment, it seems that when the clothes came off, the barriers came down. Some of the people in the photo-shoot have taken part in other art-shots of naked groups in Dublin in the past, and I can see now why they are so relaxed about doing it again.
We seem to be standing there arm to arm for a long time while the shots are taken – we can hear but not see what is going on, though as the masks are now on the back of our heads, we can at least give each other the odd smile and have some degree of eye contact.
Getting down from the stage is easier than getting up, and now it is time to don clothes, and become somehow more anonymous again.
Leaving the building, I can’t help but think that maybe the clothes are a heavier disguise than the mask.
(photo to be added later)
Steve
Former lightship LV18 at Harwich for the Pirate BBC Essex event at Easter 2009
Interesting piece in the (Harwich local) press about the LV18, the lightship that has been used for a number of radio-related events over the years. Apparently there are some objections to plans to bring it to the quayside in Harwich permanently.
http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/local/harwich/4770247.Harwich__Disagreement_over_ship_plans/
Radio aside, I can’t think of a better attraction for a town whose existance is so entwined with British maritime history than a marine/lightship exhibit/museum.
I’ll watch this one with interest.
By the way, although the article says this is the only remaining lightship, there are examples of very similar lightsship still complete in Ireland – currently located at Arklow, Co. Wicklow, Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford, and Dublin’s North Wall Quay.
I’m on Phantom 105.2 this Sunday 6th December 2009 covering my old show Random Access, with all your requests, plus I will be giving away a pair of VIP Oxegen 2010 earlybird tickets!
The Oxegen competition runs from Friday through to Sunday this weekend – listen in for chances to get yourself into the draw from which I will be pulling the winner.
See phantom.ie for details, Random Access the all-request show is Sunday 7-9pm.
Steve
Have just come back to Dublin after spending a weekend with my family in co. Kerry, including my brother Chris.
Chris and I both worked for Radio Caroline at the same time in the 1980s, and indeed were often on the ship together. In fact, there was a time in December 1987 when acute staff shortages after the collapse of the big mast meant that ours were the only two voices on air for a period of about two weeks!
Sometime during the autumn of 1987, John Burch got a photo of the two of us together, which he published in the Caroline Movement Bulletin under the title “Brothers In Arms” (referencing the best-selling Dire Straits album which had been huge a couple of years before.
More recently, I was pleased to be able to borrow the picture from John for use on the front cover of Shiprocked – Life On The Waves With Radio Caroline.
This weekend, Chris and I decided that it might be good fun to recreate the photo – the 1987 and 2009 versions are seen below. It will be noticed that a few changes of physique and hair colour have taken place over the years!
Brothers In Arms 1987 - Chris Kennedy (left) and Steve Conway at sea on the Radio Caroline ship Ross Revenge (photo: Caroline Movement)
Brothers In Arms 2009 - Chris Kennedy (left) and Steve Conway safely on dry land.
Though not an iPhone owner yet (waiting until they are on Vodafone) I’m pleased to see the below news from my friends at Phantom 105.2.
This will be one of the first apps I get when I do get the phone!
Steve
The new Phantom 105.2 iPhone app is now available free for iPhone and iPod Touch devices worldwide!
It allows you to:
- Listen to Phantom in crystal clear 48K AAC+ stereo sound
- See the name of the song “Now Playing”
- View our Twitter Feed (great for latest music news and Phantom events)
- E-mail your requests directly to the Phantom studio!
You can download the app now from the App store on your iPhone or by clicking on the App Store logo below (you need to have iTunes on your computer). Alternatively you can search for “Phantom 105.2″ in the App store on your device.
Please note: You should be aware that the Phantom app may download a significant amount of data while it’s running, so please make sure that you have an appropriate data plan if you connect through your mobile network or on a public wi-fi network.
I’m taking part in two readings this week, one of which is very special for me.
On Wednesday 25th November Seven Towers will be holding their usual “Last Wednesday” open-mic at Cassidys of Westmoreland Street, with poets and authors including Oran Ryan, Ross Hathaway, Eamon Lynsky and Bob Shakeshaft.
I’ll be reading a newly-written short story, my first real piece of fiction.
Doors open 7pm, admission free.
On Thursday 26th I will be going back to my roots, with a special reading at Dundrum Public Library, at 6.30pm. I’ll be reading excerpts from SHIPROCKED – Life On The Waves With Radio Caroline.
Dundrum Library is where, at the age of 5, I was taken by my mother for my first introduction to the world of books, over the years I borrowed hundreds of titles there as I was growing up, so to return as a published author is a special treat for me.
Again, admission free, and signed copies of the book will be available.
Steve
Phantom and it’s staff are up for two awards on the Entertainment.ie website: Sexiest Radio Voice (Charlotte Flood) and best breakfast show (Pure Morning).
Here’s the link if you want to give us a helping vote!
http://entertainment.ie/pages/AnnualAwards/
Have just come back from my first ever visit to Amsterdam where I was a guest at the wonderful annual Radioday run by the Foundation for Media Communications. At least a couple of hundred former offshore pirate staff and listeners attended, making it both a reunion with people I haven’t seen for years, and a chance to put faces to names of people who have been buying Shiprocked.
There were some great panel discussions, including a very interesting one on Laser 558 / Laser Hot Hits, an interview with Keith Skues and a talk about AFN.
I spent an hour on stage in conversation with Nigel Harris, who also has a book out about his radio days (review here when I manage to get hold of a copy – it was sold out on the day). Nigel is such an easy and interesting person to talk to, the hour just flashed by.
A great day, very well organised – can’t wait for next year’s one!
Nigel Harris (left) and myself on stage
An hour chatting to Nigel just flew past
Radioday at the Casa400 Hotel in Amsterdam
Sad to hear that the economic situation has resulted in a high-profile casualty in the radio industry, with the announcment that INN is to go out of business at the end of this month (October 2009).
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1001/breaking48.htm
Most importantly this is very bad news for the 16 full and part-time journalists and newsreaders in INN. I know some of them personally, and know the others by voice, and my thoughts are with them at this difficult time.
This news will also come as a fresh worry to many radio stations around the country, unless some other group steps forward to provide a similar service. Irish commercial radio stations are required by law to provide 20% news and current affairs content in their daytime output, and the 4 minutes per hour INN bulletin (6 minutes if you take the sport) is a big help towards this.
The station I work for, Phantom 105.2, has its own news staff during daytime hours, but takes INN evenings and weekends. Many stations around Ireland rely on INN at all times.
I wonder if someone might step forward to fill the gap. The national commercial speech station Newstalk is one group who would already have the resources to offer this, and indeed the already provide a news feed for at least one other station. It is also possible that an overseas media company may move in to fill the gap.
The INN guys and girls are a great bunch, very professional, and I wish them all the best for the future.
Steve
It’s JNLR (radio audience figures) day here in Ireland, and I’m pleased to see my friends at Phantom 105.2 continuing to do well and grow the station, as per the press release below.
(Note: I stepped down from regular programmes on Phantom earlier in the summer due to other demands on my time, but I remain associated with the station, and fill in on shows from time to time).
Steve
Station increases reach by 15% …
20th August 2008 – Phantom 105.2, Dublin’s indie rock is delighted to announce that the latest listenership figures released this afternoon confirm that year-on-year we have increased our daily and weekly reach by 15%*
“Phantom continues to grow in the increasingly competitive Dublin market” said Ger Roe, Phantom’s CEO, “We’ve increased our average quarter hour listenership for Pure Morning, our breakfast show, and are looking forward to further growth in 2009”
Phantom 105.2 plays the best in indie and modern rock and is available in Dublin on 105.2FM, nationwide on Chorus/NTL Digital channel 935 and online at www.phantom.ie
* Source: JNLR-July ’07-June ’08 (Published Aug ’08) V JNLR- July ‘08 to June ’09 (Published Aug ’09). All adults weekly reach and listened yesterday (year on year).
I’ll be appearing on Newstalk this morning (Mon 13th July 2009) as a guest on Tom Dunne’s show, in to talk about 90s Britpop.
Steve
This weekend looking busy.
On Friday evening (3rd July 2009) I’ve been invited to present the Best Band award at the Balcony TV Music Video Awards.
I’m also on Phantom 105.2 this Sunday, covering the 3-6pm slot.
Steve
Publicity and promo work on Shiprocked has continued to occupy me recently with readings and signings in Galway and Dublin. The Galway event, as part of the Volvo Ocean Race celebration, was a particular success, with a large crowd attending the reading at Galway Museum, many of whom were from the yachting and maritime world – they particularly enjoyed hearing the grounding and rescue sequences!
A large number of other readings and events are being planned for later in the summer, through to November, when I will be doing a reading tour in the UK. In addition to this, I have also started work on my second book, which is also non-fiction, and is aimed for publication in the second half of 2010. I’m keeping the topic under wraps for now but will update here as the writing progresses over the months ahead.
With this workload, and my frequent need to be travelling around the country, I’ve had to scale back on my broadcast duties with Phantom 105.2, for the time being. The station management have been remarkably uderstanding about my frequent absences due to writing and promotional commitments, and have given me every help with my various outside projects, but I can’t ask them to do this forever.
Phantom stalwart Sinister Pete takes over the Sunday evening request show Random Access, and the Saturday hours are filled by an extended Phantom Anthems.
Broadcasting is still a passion for me, and I will still be heard on Phantom from time to time, filling in for regular presenters if I am in Dublin at the time.
Life has changed in many exciting ways for me over the past 18 months since I signed up with the Seven Towers Agency, and I have a feeling that in the next year it is going to get more exciting still.
Steve
After a very hectic last three months, I’m taking a long weekend off this weekend (23/24 May 2009), so my shows on Phantom will be covered by others.No shows, no phone, no internet for three whole days 
I’ll be back online, batteries recharged,on Monday night!
Steve
Many years ago, on leaving school in the early 80s, I was interested in Journalism as a potential career. The only college offering a course in Dublin at the time was in Rathmines, but the applicants that year greatly outstripped the places on the course, and I didn’t get in. I forgot about journalism for a while as I got involved in the world of computers, until fate, and Radio Caroline, intervened.
I had almost forgotten this when I got a call this week from a friend of a friend who teaches one of the media courses there, asking if I would like to come in and be interviewed on the college radio station, which is running on 97.3FM until Friday 24th April.
Rathmines College Radio 97.3fm - with Robert O'Connor and Jessica Riley interviewing me on the Drive programme
It was really enjoyable visiting the college, and finally getting to play a part in one of their media courses, 25 years late, but better than never!
Listening to the station on the way over, I was impressed with the effort that had been put into the news and speech programmes, and the variety of guests who were participating.
Many Thanks to Jessica and Robert for a great afternoon.
4fm studio looks out over the Dublin skyline
Publicity continues for SHIPROCKED this week, with a review due to be published in the RTE Guide and a forthcoming interview in Hotpress.
On Tuesday I was on 4fm’s breakfast show for a second time, with Gareth O’Callaghan, himself a former Caroline presenter. Gareth is very helpful about the book, and his team on the breakfast show are a nice bunch, including former Sunshine newsreader Cathy Creegan. Lovely studios with great views across Dublin too.
This weekend I will be on Phantom 0800-1100 on Saturday, and in my normal Sunday evening slot 1900-2100.
Just two weeks to go now until Shiprocked – Life On The Waves With Radio Caroline hits the shops.
It’s already available for pre-order from Amazon and also the Radio Caroline web shop.
I’ve had so much last-minute stuff to do that I’ve been short on updates here recently, but I will keep this page updated regularly now as we head towards publication week.
Normal stuff continues too – I’m still on Phantom 105.2 every Saturday (1700-1900) and Sunday (1900-2100) and am also doing a special show on Patricks Day march 17th from 2-5pm playing the best of Irish rock.
Steve
Just a note to say that I’m also updating regularly on twitter as we head towards publication day
http://twitter.com/steveconway
Steve
Came across a mention of my strange nowhere accent on a thread in the boards.ie radio section this evening.
Although I was born in Dublin, and lived here until 19, I seem to have picked up a sort of English accent while living in the UK between the ages of 19 and 35. But it is only noticable to Irish people, who hear me as British, while British people hear me as Irish!
Personally, I don’t mind where people think I come from, and find it quite funny when people ask me “why did you decide to come and live in Ireland?”
Listening back to recordings of my various jobs on radio, I can certainly hear how much my speech has changed – I listen to a clip of myself on South East Sound in 95, or my early months on Caroline in 87 and think “what a strong Irish accent”.
By the satellite Caroline era of 98/99, and particular my sojurn at SUSY Radio in Surrey in 2000, I was sounding much more Home Counties, indeed, far more so than I do now, as I seem to be gradually reverting back to Irish again in the years since I came home.
I guess, for now, I am somewhere in the middle of the Irish Sea accent-wise – International Waters I hope!
Steve
“that English bloke on Phantom”
