If I’m honest it’s not the first time I’ve been asked this question. In fact, it’s not only strangers or family that ask, I quite often ask myself as well. I think the reason I’ve stopped and thought about it again this week is that I’m now being asked the question by my grandkids and to be fair it has been a rather busy and varied week. The question? What exactly do I do?
Guest speak Adam Beard with Lady Di my co-host.
It started last Friday with a trip to the Swansea dot com to host Ospreys versus Benetton in the URC (United Rugby Championship). I really enjoy these events for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Ospreys are playing some terrific rugby, secondly, I get a chance to talk about music with former Wales Coach and current leader of the band The Gowertones…that’s Mike Ruddock. I also get a chance to interview some of the team.
Former Wales Coach Mike Ruddock gigging at the House of Commons.
Before the match I usually have a chat with one of the players out of action due to injury. To be honest there is usually no shortage of supply. This week I chatted to Adam Beard currently out with a knee injury. First questions to Adam were about his injury before moving on to the spirit in the team and then his plans to get back on the pitch. As I’m chatting I pinch myself. Once again a major Rugby star, in this case a Welsh International and British Lion, has made himself available to chat to me and the guests and not made me feel, like a complete fool.
After the game we are always joined by the Director’s Man of the Match. Sometimes bloodied, often bruised and still smelling of sweat and grass from the pitch they dutifully appear in the lounges to take us through the game. There is a MOM bottle of Penderyn to be accepted I know, but I’m always amazed at their grace and humility.
The Announcement of the new Swansea Building Society Arena.
On Monday I headed to the Swansea Arena for a very special announcement. Over the past year I’ve had the chance to perform at the Arena a number of times and I’m really looking forward to my Homecoming concert there on 8th October. This past year I’ve also built up a relationship with the Swansea Building Society. Touring around the country comes at a cost and it’s been terrific to have some sponsorship for my London concerts from the Society.
Now you might think that’s odd as it’s a Swansea Building Society, but this is a world where finance travels in seconds across the country. I think it’s fair to say the majority of the savers come from the region but these days the Society’s mortgage portfolio has many friends across the border. I feel I’m waving the flag with every concert.
Also, I was delighted that the Arena still has Swansea in its name. If you look around the country some of the big venues have all sorts of ‘company’ names often with little relevance to the area where they are based. Our Arena is now the ‘Swansea Building Society Arena’ and that will travel with every event hosted there.
Tuesday started with mid-morning radio. Covid changed so much of the way we live our lives and especially in broadcasting. Pre- pandemic most presenters had to travel to a central studio to host a show. I had been an occasional guest on Premier Radio but with studios in Central London I had to be performing locally to make an appearance financially viable. For the same reason being a presenter was impossible.
Once we went into lockdown radio and TV stations had to find new ways to keep their shows on air. It soon became normal for a presenter to be based at home working through a laptop and internet connection. I can still remember getting the call asking if I’d be interested in presenting shows for Premier. It didn’t take long for me to adapt my home recording studio into a radio studio. Since then I’ve presented all sort of shows speaking to some incredible people.
One of my guests on Tuesday was Jane Oundjian, a lady who 30 years ago set up ‘The Bereavement Journey’, a course to help those dealing with loss. Jane had lost her mother when she was a young teenager and when she finally had a family of her own her son Jeremy passed away through a viral infection as a toddler. At the time there were few trained counsellors, but it was the kindness and compassion of a local vicar that helped her find solace and also a passion to try to help those who had gone through the same pain she had gone through.
The remarkable thing she told me was that as she started counselling her first few sessions dealt with the loss of her mother rather than the loss of her son. At the time as a child she had hidden everything away and just got on with it. In recent years we have learnt so much about talking through our problems, that it is a strength to face them rather than weakness. The latest Bereavement Journey course starts soon. Find out more here https://www.thebereavementjourney.org
It was Tuesday evening that I realised I needed to get my act together if I was to get a new video sorted in time for my next release due on 21st February. ‘The Gus Dudgeon Sessions’ is an EP of songs originally recorded in 1975 which were produced by Gus Dudgeon, famous for his work with David Bowie and Elton John. Elton John very kindly returned the rights in the tapes a year ago and since then I’ve been working on them replacing my 15 year old voice with the one I have now.
Performing with Alyssa Bonagura and Steve Shirley at the Bunkhouse June 2024.
On one of the tracks I decided to invite Nashville based singer Alyssa Bonagura to sing as a duet. Alyssa has strong Swansea connections and I joined her for a show at ‘The Bunkhouse’ last June. Alyssa has been tied up with gigs in the USA so filming a video together has proved difficult. I knew we had some footage of us performing at The Bunkhouse last year so I wondered if there might be a way of making the Bunkhouse the common denominator for the video even if Alyssa was in Tennessee?
I dropped Jordan from the Bunkhouse a message on Instagram and a reply came back saying no problem I’d be very welcome. Next message from me was when it might be possible to get in. Reply from Jordan… anytime. How about to tomorrow I asked. After a quick chat with Ian Parsons, the man with the cameras, it was arranged for us to start filming late Wednesday afternoon.
It had to be late afternoon because early afternoon Ian and I had a meeting at St Mary’s Church. This month St Mary’s will become a Minster and I had been asked to help with some technical arrangements for the service. The church has a wonderful acoustic which doesn’t always lend itself to speech and certain types of music. We have also been working on some video and multimedia contributions for the service so Ian was there to try to work out where we could place the equipment with turning St Mary’s into the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury.
Filming at the Bunkhouse.
We then dragged our gear over to the ‘The Bunkhouse’ where technician Caleb and Deputy Venue Manager Bekka couldn’t have been more helpful.
On Thursday and Friday I was locked in the studio editing the Alyssa duet and adding some drone footage into a video for St Mary’s.
This afternoon its back to the dot Com for Swansea versus Coventry and tomorrow morning it’s the ‘Cwtsh by the Coast Walk’ from the Principality in Mumbles to the Pier to raise money for the renovation of Cwtsh Clos the special accommodation for the Singleton Nicu Unit. A charity very close to my heart.
So, what is it that I do… where do I start?