Magnus Wheatley interviews Tony Blackburn
by Magnus Wheatley 28 Jan 2004 14:44 GMT
Tony Blackburn together with the crew of Charlie Fish at Skandia Geelong Week © Magnus Wheatley
The legendary DJ at the Skandia Geelong Regatta
At the launch of Nick Maloney’s new sponsorship deal with Skandia for the 2004 Vendee Globe race, legendary DJ Tony Blackburn turned up and Magnus Wheatley grabbed a quick interview.
MW: Tony, you’re here at the Skandia Geelong regatta what’s your overall impression of it?
TB: It’s just fantastic (mate), I’ve been to Cowes Week and that’s great as well but the thing about this event is that they’ve got so much more going on with all the waterfront activity that really gets the public involved in the event.
MW: So are you a keen sailor yourself?
TB: No actually I like jet-skiing you see so I suppose I’m not a friend of the sailors (laughs). I used to go water-skiing too and I like things with motors…
MW: But you were brought up in Poole in Dorset so that’s close to the water and a very keen yachting area…Do you still go there?
TB: Yes I do, my mother and sister still live down there so I go down quite a bit and all that area but they do a lot of windsurfing down there now which I haven’t quite got in to…
MW: So where do you work now?
TB: I work for Classic Gold now and I’m down here with them to do the breakfast show live from Geelong and we’re broadcasting here for a week…
MW: Well the inevitable question is: I’m a celebrity…get me out of here is about to begin filming down here…do you have any hankerings to go back into the jungle?
TB: Well they actually asked me to stay on for an extra week just to crown the next king of the jungle but unfortunately I can’t stay here for that…
MW: Probably just as well or they’ll have you eating shrubs and things…
TB: Well that’s right but I’d actually love to be back in there..I loved it, really enjoyed it. When we did the one that I did it was up in Queensland in Cairns but this one is quite close by in Brisbane so I might just have to sneak in!!
MW: Ha ha…well back to the sailing do you have any desire to get out and see the racing?
TB: Yeah well actually we’ve just been out today and I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so close to a race before as we were right in there with all the four hundred or so race boats…
MW: So what was your impression of that?
TB: It was fantastic but what I can’t understand is just how they all know which way to go as they all seem to be going in the wrong direction and to start the race seems to be totally hectic…And the other thing is how the hell do you know which boat is winning and which one isn’t? It’s a total mystery…
And I thought that was a very good point to end the interview on… Good point Tony I shall pass your thoughts on to the rating office…