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Roger 'Twiggy' Day chats with Moody at BayRadio
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Jan 13, 2025
Legendary DJ and one time pirate Roger 'Twiggy' Day is now part of the regular line-up here at BayRadio in Spain. Catch him LIVE on the Sunday Brunch from 11am - 3pm CET every weekend. Moody took him aside for a brief chat about his life and career, more of which will be in the autobiography that he assures us is on the way 🤨 Advisory note: Radio anoraks are heavily indulged during parts of this. We're talking fully zipped up! 'Like' if you like it, and don't forget to Subscribe and ring the 🛎to get the latest from us.
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0:00
this is Bay radio but what I thought
0:03
we'd do is get you in here do battle
0:05
with the roadworks outside so if we get
0:07
a little window very quiet they're
0:09
actually working so much they're doing
0:11
stuff yeah it was them it doesn't sound
0:13
like a public works contract but they
0:14
use the wrong paving blocks I know
0:16
they've got to rip them up and put the
0:18
other ones back in so talk about I mean
0:20
the news is that you've started on the
0:22
Sunday brunch of course and I didn't
0:23
think we've done enough to just sort of
0:25
punch it up and announce that you're
0:27
here doing it live
0:28
yeah I'm not sending these things over
0:29
from the UK because you're based in
0:31
Spain now indeed I send a lot of stuff
0:32
back to the UK but now I'm alive alive
0:35
Oh on suddenly body from 11 o'clock and
0:37
you can't beat like live radio it's
0:39
there's a certain buzz about it you know
0:41
and the content with listen the response
0:43
you know from emails and all that you
0:45
can't beat it
0:46
mmm and it's Lucy something when you
0:48
when you record stuff and it's up being
0:50
here and talking about it yeah yeah it
0:54
does you know because I've been there a
0:55
year now and I feel like a local I've
0:57
got my residency now and everything so
0:59
and I sort of mentioned things that I do
1:01
during the week as all you guys do and I
1:04
think people respond to that because
1:05
that's what local radio is all about
1:07
isn't it you know what else is the way
1:09
you are well you should know it because
1:10
been doing in a while I think it's fair
1:12
to say where did it start then yeah it
1:15
started in 1965 I started playing
1:18
records at the local Ballroom in Margate
1:20
and then 1966 thanks to the legend
1:23
that's Dave cash I got into radio he
1:26
sort of pointed me in the right
1:26
direction for a new station and starting
1:28
up one of the offshore stations one of
1:31
the smaller ones that wasn't that
1:32
successful could radio England and that
1:35
sort of gave me my first break in radio
1:37
from there went to Caroline and the rest
1:39
as they say is history so came through
1:41
doing the the pirate thing yes but it
1:44
wasn't absolutely no I worked on three
1:47
of them radio England Caroline which was
1:49
the most exciting and the biggest one at
1:51
will it's still going really in certain
1:52
forms and then radio North Sea which
1:55
came home in 1970 so three of them and
1:57
the film the boat the rods
2:00
yes it it wasn't like that at all but it
2:02
was a lot of it was a lot of fun but I'm
2:04
glad they did the film because it
2:05
reminded a new generation of maybe what
2:08
was happening and there's one thing in
2:09
the film where
2:10
one guy turns to the other and says you
2:12
didn't realize these are the best times
2:14
of our life and it's absolutely true
2:15
because nothing will ever be like that
2:17
again
2:18
you know because there were no
2:19
restrictions we were three miles out
2:21
play whatever you like do what we liked
2:23
and it was just a loud you know young
2:26
man 21 year old no mortgage or anything
2:29
so and pretty carefree and we just had
2:31
fun I guess being young was a big part
2:34
of it because you wouldn't want to do
2:35
that a bit later in life it probably was
2:37
a bit rough and ready working on yet
2:39
there was a time yeah I mean with that
2:40
hu your standards are pretty low yes and
2:46
you didn't care what you did because you
2:47
would you were doing what you always
2:49
wanted to do I always wanted to be a
2:51
disc jockey since I heard Radio
2:53
Luxembourg you know I was what they call
2:55
an anorak you know and I thought how do
2:56
you do that and then fortunately I dream
2:59
was fulfilled when did you make the jump
3:01
to to legal stuff as it were I was about
3:03
to leave the country actually because
3:05
I've done a little additionally capital
3:06
rate he got turned down swine's as I
3:08
thought I just automatically walk in
3:10
with experience I had and a friend of
3:12
mine said oh um have you heard there's a
3:14
new station starting in Manchester and I
3:17
said well I'm already interested I said
3:18
what I've heard so far is rubbish you
3:20
know I'm thinking they're going to
3:21
America and he said no well it's fill it
3:23
burps running it is run the legendary
3:25
Big L Radio London also offshore station
3:28
in the 60s he says he's setting it up
3:30
and that he'd love to talk to you
3:31
because you've got the sort of thing he
3:33
wants I said well as long as it's not
3:35
gonna be like Capital capital in those
3:36
days was dreadful
3:38
were there any gaps in like career-wise
3:39
oh we always moved on and been working I
3:41
said the most I was ever had it was
3:43
about a month really just I'm grateful
3:46
for I people stupid enough to leave me I
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mean I left the piccadilly went to be
3:53
RMB in Birmingham move metal in radio
3:57
West yes there was a space called Radio
3:58
West it wasn't just shoestring
4:00
in Bristol and then sort of a bit of a
4:03
dream I was part of the consortium that
4:06
bid for the Kent franchise as they
4:08
called it which became Invicta radio and
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so I moved back to home which was South
4:14
Eastern and Kent where I was grew up all
4:16
my life so that was a dream and I set up
4:20
in Victor radio which became one of the
4:21
most successful local radio stations and
4:25
I was there then when I got bought out
4:27
by capital ironically what I was with in
4:31
that group at the time in vick's it was
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one of the bigger bigger station that's
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right yeah with that big audience big
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revenue it was it was fun time I met one
4:40
of the guys from the laser radio once
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and he says oh we listen to you I said
4:44
well why is that he said you're pretty
4:46
good yourself he said are we calling the
4:48
onshore pirates which I thought was a
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great compliment you Neville image you
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mentioned that you about to go off to
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the states did you have anything lined
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up there or was he just on spec I had a
5:00
lot of friends or to work with on radio
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in England they're mostly Americans and
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I was in touch with them and I've
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contacted and I said you look I'm pretty
5:07
fed up in England I'd love to get back
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into radio and two of them said we'll
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come over you know it's just can't
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guarantee anything but when you're over
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here you know we'll see we can do so I
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was willing to take that risk but
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nothing ever happened about that I don't
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have it if I do have one regret is that
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I never tried America hmm cuz I love
5:26
American radio what did then I mean it's
5:28
pretty homogeneous now but I wanted to
5:31
go work there you know opportunity in
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California because I'm a big Beach Boys
5:33
fan and together and all that stuff and
5:37
once the California will be a fantastic
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they have I was about to ask if you
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regretted not they may be doing that
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yeah I did very much so it's one of the
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few regrets I mean I've been pretty
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bloomin lucky actually
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career I mean luckier than most of me to
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still be doing it 55 years on and still
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enjoying it having fun is remarkable and
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I I guess I'll be doing it till a
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pockmark loss
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hopefully anyway so obviously you know
6:00
radio fan but a music fan both very much
6:02
above all I guess yeah are you one of
6:05
those people that can say what your
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favorite songs of all time
6:07
Oh change all the time no doesn't change
6:09
it was good vibrations for the Beach
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Boys I was a first disc jockey who
6:14
actually played that really yeah because
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it was when I was on Radio England and
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they knew as a Beach Boys fan I was
6:19
always playing Beach Boy Records and
6:20
that the offshore tender came out which
6:23
delivered a daily you know supplies to
6:25
us and there's a special delivery and it
6:28
was the an acetate of the Beach Boys
6:30
good vibrations which I still got which
6:32
probably worth a fortune now and I just
6:34
I was on here and I put it on air as it
6:36
was in new Beach Boys record this listen
6:38
to it played it and I said that's
6:41
fabulous I've never done anything like
6:42
that before and I played it three times
6:44
on the trot yeah now you probably hadn't
6:47
at the time the way that sort of song
6:48
that is yeah there wasn't much like that
6:50
going on at the time I mean it got to
6:51
the point later where they were kind of
6:53
competing with the Beatles that's Rock
6:54
production and the type of songwriting
6:56
but that must have been quite a thing
6:58
with the theremin on their own or oh
6:59
absolutely
7:00
as a result of that I've got the honour
7:02
of the Beach Boys management phoned me
7:05
up and said we've got a snotty 68 tour
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could you compare it so I compared the
7:09
Beach Boys to in 1968 as a result of it
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so it was it was a dream you know what
7:15
about meeting famous Fokin I guess
7:17
usually in an interview situation up in
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the aim of the is you and say that you
7:20
mates but no have you wanted to are you
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had any experiences done that to you
7:25
when they good or bad mostly good
7:27
actually they've been a couple of people
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who are heroes that you interviewed and
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you know they sail you know good to be
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here but I don't want to talk about the
7:35
past
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racist hater but if I don't people think
7:39
I'm failing in my job you know I don't
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mind talking about we doing now but
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let's talk about the I think Ray Davis
7:45
and Lonnie Donegan were classic examples
7:47
really yeah yeah I mean you get a red
7:49
Davis in what do you want to ask him
7:50
it's not really like the current album
7:51
much as he wants to do but no they must
7:53
be realistic about that sure
7:55
I know look at the live shows as well
7:57
and I think we're gonna play on your
7:58
album tonight
7:59
no oldies Elton John made that mistake
8:03
in 1975 he was at Wembley Stadium and he
8:07
said oh he said I've got a new double
8:09
album coming out I'm gonna play all the
8:10
tracks from you could either grow from
8:12
the crowd and that two songs in a one
8:15
left
8:15
if the Beach Boys have been on before
8:17
him playing all the hits and hot
8:18
summer's day it's funny I interviewed
8:21
him after that and I said I was at
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Wembley he said I know what you're going
8:26
to say oh yeah I said I won't do that
8:29
again he says that was a big mistake is
8:30
is you've got to play the hits yeah but
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there have been some surprised I mean
8:34
the bigger the star sometimes the easier
8:36
they were Andy Williams I was in awe of
8:38
you know he came on and he was such a
8:41
lovely person he said I said cuz I was
8:43
saying is there anything you don't talk
8:44
about you know women or everything
8:46
there's no last minute that you like
8:48
I have no secrets and that's so
8:50
refreshing you know when somebody says
8:51
titli when there's such a big star yeah
8:53
when there can be a bit precious I
8:55
become better Elton John there's nothing
8:56
great stories it was that same interview
8:59
actually and I knew he had sort of
9:02
propensity to use rude words should we
9:05
say and I said to avoid said one thing l
9:08
and I said I don't allow swearing on my
9:10
program and this is PR man with him went
9:13
white
9:15
and asked cuz he said nobody talks to
9:18
Elton like that I said look I've got
9:19
standards I you know I said my career's
9:21
important to me I'm not gonna have
9:22
somebody come on in who's bad language
9:24
yeah and he said Oh fair enough he said
9:26
but nobody's ever said that before so
9:28
what else do you find to do about here I
9:29
mean you obviously going to enjoy the
9:30
weather this you've been here a year in
9:32
you've been through some moans
9:33
yeah come the last January it was we've
9:36
got a residency now which is great I
9:38
can't believe how easily I've settled in
9:41
because I've never lived abroad you know
9:43
got obviously when I was on with ships
9:45
and that lose I have to go to Holland
9:46
but this is paradise you know I just
9:53
can't believe I'm I T a bit homesick
9:56
about three times last year I've no
9:58
intention of going back at all this year
10:01
I suppose you know if grandchildren
10:04
start I might but part another can't see
10:06
any other reason there's more live music
10:08
out here than I've seen for a long time
10:10
there's some great local artists as well
10:12
lot of Old English guys out he liked
10:14
ugly rivers and well friend he's out of
10:16
it I played tennis three times a week
10:19
probably drink far too much as most
10:21
people do that's a kind of a tradition
10:23
when you come over here I I had to go to
10:26
a function where I had to wear a dinner
10:28
suit not long after game well i say not
10:30
long about five months and the shirt
10:32
that fitted me in england not John and I
10:35
could eat what I couldn't do the buttons
10:36
up so I had to get a new shirt well you
10:39
be careful you could have nickname by
10:40
now too
10:40
I won't be tricky anyway records the
10:46
expats out here are our fabulous Oh beep
10:49
when I first came down here I had his
10:52
vision of the sort of people that would
10:53
be expats and I thought was they know
10:56
they're great you know sort of the earth
11:00
people and we I've made more friends
11:02
here than I have in a long long time no
11:04
you know that term assimilating a little
11:07
bit you're getting into any Spanish
11:08
stuff we have to learn Spanish I've got
11:11
to do that I must have it one of my I'm
11:13
ashamed but I've been there like 1415
11:17
months now and I can order a beer and
11:19
that's about it so I'm gonna start the
11:21
lesson so that's realistic I mean people
11:22
say oh they're so arrogant they don't
11:25
bother to learn the language but day to
11:26
day you just don't what even at the time
11:29
in you if you have any other time to
11:31
dedicate to it yeah you're not
11:32
deliberately ignoring it you just don't
11:34
get around to it because you're talking
11:35
to English people all day maybe you're
11:37
on radio for another day probably if
11:39
nobody spoke English yeah yeah quite but
11:43
no but I will learn Spanish I mean you
11:47
know are you fluent in it
11:48
I wouldn't say fluent but it's not bad
11:49
you can get by but I made it I made an
11:51
effort to do it but I've got time to do
11:53
it yeah I'm just just me landing around
11:54
at home it's it's easy to do and that's
11:56
the thing isn't it I mean I just want to
11:58
be an understand people when you go in a
12:00
restaurant and there are many where they
12:01
don't speak English and they reel off
12:03
the menu
12:04
alright and you looking it up in the
12:07
book you know yeah
12:08
I mean listening in it's alright reading
12:11
it but listening at speed you know at
12:13
the speed they're talking something and
12:14
you've got everywhere could you slow
12:15
down please take it you know they don't
12:17
mind it but it's less they don't speak
12:19
as much English as people think I know
12:21
even the resort areas it's funny they
12:23
will do in the restaurant you'll get by
12:25
but I suppose it's Benidorm they would
12:26
more than they would night yeah yeah but
12:29
no must do that you know just sort of
12:32
nice to have a conversation with a
12:34
Spanish person you know because I mean
12:37
even England if somebody comes on abroad
12:39
it's always nice if they made the effort
12:40
to sort of talk to you in your language
12:42
yeah quite it's not the same here only a
12:44
lot of Brits moan about speak a language
12:46
how many languages do you speak exactly
12:49
yeah so we touched on some of your
12:51
history as it were not much time to do a
12:54
lot more but the good news is the
12:57
memoirs are on the way well I mean one
12:59
of the reasons I did come here it's not
13:00
because I just wanna was fed up with
13:01
England is that I wanted to write the
13:05
book and I thought I need time to do
13:06
that 15 months I've haven't written much
13:11
so much time enjoying yourself but I am
13:15
up to 1970 so I've got quite a way down
13:18
to lie so I'm gonna have to build
13:19
disciplined and do a certain number of
13:21
hours each day but no it's the life
13:23
story of because I didn't think anybody
13:26
be interested my old mate Johnnie Walker
13:28
he's he's written his I helped him with
13:30
most of it he's forgotten most of it l
13:32
wonder why and other people have written
13:36
the books and people say you should ride
13:37
the bus it who'd be interested and then
13:39
peel sell yeah we buy we buy and a lot
13:41
okay let's give it a shot
13:43
and it's quite therapeutic because I'm
13:45
sort of been going from the old press
13:47
cuttings and that and things in that
13:49
forgotten about and I've sort of people
13:50
adding things to it so it's you know the
13:54
way I look at it is I've got to write it
13:55
now because a lot of people remember me
13:57
be dead so it's like I'm losing people
14:00
that are gonna buy it so now no it's
14:02
it's gonna be fun and hopefully it'll be
14:05
ready by December he says decide on a
14:08
2020 we good at keeping things back if
14:14
you take many photos well unfortunately
14:17
on the ships we didn't have mobile
14:19
in those nice little bit of joy it's
14:21
going to be so much easier for people
14:23
right and close in 20 years time and
14:25
this it's like turning the Beach Boys
14:26
did it get a picture with them no did I
14:29
get a picture of me on stage introduced
14:30
it no I'm having to put an appeal on
14:33
Facebook so did anybody you attend this
14:35
Beach Boys concert and take a picture of
14:37
me onstage because even my dad didn't
14:40
take a picture he just didn't know it
14:42
wasn't a thing how many photos pictures
14:44
for expensive to process and it's crazy
14:49
but with the matching with mobile phones
14:51
that i introduced jimi hendrix on stage
14:53
for his second ever gig Wow
14:56
no but we got around to mentioning now
14:59
that no photos they say these days
15:01
pictures or it didn't happen no tolling
15:03
oh my you can't transfer that to Phil I
15:07
have I think I've got one from all the
15:10
time everyone that came in and it's been
15:11
with Timmy Mallett no really he's great
15:13
he's good guy who's good but it's you
15:15
know there were bigger names that we had
15:17
over the years that yeah you know I
15:19
could have had my own Roman you know and
15:20
sometimes you don't want to ask know you
15:25
meet heroes and you think oh excuse me
15:28
if you don't know they're probably fed
15:30
up with people asking them all right you
15:32
know people rarely ask for a photo is
15:36
they always say yeah no problem that's
15:38
what guess when people do concerts and
15:39
they say oh you're not allowed to take
15:41
pictures oh hang on you've paid about
15:42
100 quid for this ticket you're not
15:44
allowed to pay take a picture this is
15:46
crazy
15:47
so reminder then you've settled into
15:48
these Sunday brunch so that's 11:00 till
15:50
3:00 mainland Spain time it is me 10
15:53
till 2:00 in the UK and Canaries I know
15:54
so go in alright you're enjoying it some
15:56
features in there yeah I'm loving it
15:57
it's as I say can't be live radio and
16:00
the interaction you get people have been
16:02
great with response I do some million
16:05
sellers three million sellers three
16:07
one-hit wonders or two three intros as
16:10
well and I filled it up nicely and then
16:13
the the Bay radio playlist as well and
16:15
some new stuff as well because of this
16:17
people the trouble would be my ages
16:20
people think I'm stuck in the 60s I'm
16:22
not you know I'm a music fan mm-hmm and
16:25
probably I don't like us you know much
16:27
music now as I did in the 60s but
16:29
there's a lot of great music out there I
16:31
think probably were going through a boom
16:32
period for good music
16:33
what continued success with the Sunday
16:35
brunch you'll notice it in the summer
16:37
when you're coming in here for 11:00 in
16:38
the morning and they're all going that
16:39
way with this chair I know and brother
16:41
under there are I don't know stuck in
16:43
the middle of day for hours of that but
16:44
it's rewarding in its own way right well
16:47
indeed and for me it's it's almost the
16:49
same as being in the 60s because I was
16:51
broadcasting on the sea now I'm
16:52
broadcasting near the sea so that's good
16:54
so I can always go down there after the
16:56
show
17:04
you
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