BBC Radio One - February 1991 
Hosted by Mike Read 
Guests were Dave Lee Travis (ex BBC Radio One DJ), Toby Jebson (from Little Angels) and Green Gartside (who was about half an hour late due to "traffic, organization...")

DLT: Do you think it should change, though?

G: It's continually changing.

MR: But do you agree that there's a lot, as with any new thing that comes out... everybody wades in, gets on the bandwagon and you sometimes lose sight of the people that are really good?

G: Well I think that would be true of any musical style, you know, whether it's country or metal or whatever, and a lot of good rap out there and I don't like to see it 'dissed', as they say.

MR: OK but it's actually seeing the wood from the trees really, isn't it?

G: Yeh.


Plays: Queen - "I'm Going Slightly Mad"
(which reached no. 22)
G: Very quick, no I thought the, again, the background harmonies and stuff they do exquisitly well. Brian May's playing: wonderful. And I like the humour of it very much, I think they sort of get better all the time, really.


Plays: Apples - "Eye Wonder"
(which reached no. 75)
MR That's Edinburgh band the Apples and "Eye Wonder", they're going to be touring April/May. Green, will you be there at the front row to see them?

G: I wouldn't mind actually, I really quite like that, quite a lot. I think there are some people in that from a band called Win (got to 63 with a single in 1987) who came out of Edinburgh, some people might remember, who were very good, I think a bit neglected, very nice. It's sort of yeh, along with Sugar Bullet (no chart hits) from Edinburgh who's record I also liked, in the same sort of bag.

MR: You're big on Edinburgh music!

G: Well no, not... they're the only two names I know really, I thought I'd try that out before I forget! But yeh I liked it, that's the sort of pop music I quite enjoy at the moment.


Plays: JJ - "Denim And Blue" and "Like Lovers Do"
(two album tracks)
G: What did I think of that? Not a whole heap, really. I like the first one better and I was relieved that the big gushy drums didn't come in with the snare packed with reverb, sort of walloping all the way through it, it resisted that temptation which was in its favour, I thought. Then the second one seemed to sort of wimp out a bit. Maybe popular in the States, I'd be surprised, I'll probably be proven wrong but surprised if it does that well here (UK), dare I say.


Plays: Feargal Sharkey - "I've Got News For You"
(which reached no. 12)
G: I liked it actually. I think it's very much 'gendre repeat' and evreyone's entitled to play with those gendres and I think he did it very effectively. Nice song, great voice as ever and fingers crossed for him, really, I think.... be very nice to see him have some success with that.

MR: And it's adventurous, I think it's a good way to go and also it is quite 'doo-wappy'... I really like that sort of stuff.

G: Yeh but a few more harmony vocals, at the very least, wouldn't have gone a miss, would be my only minor criticism.

MR: And the good thing is you are two points in the lead at the moment because you said "A Good Heart" (earlier single, reached no. 1 in 1985) was written by Maria McKee.

G: I did.

MB: Five years or six years ago now and you were right.

G: I only read it last week!


Plays: Holly Johnson - "Across The Universe"
(which didn't chart)
G: I thought it was a bit 'air zats' and tacky, and quite possibly that was Holly's intention, one might surmise, but I think he might struggle with it a little bit.


Plays: Rod Stewart - "Rhythm Of My Heart"
(which reached no. 3)
G: (In Scottish accent) Hoots mon, it was gruesome! I thought, terrible.

MB: Didn't grow on you at all?

G: It didn't. Desperately trying to be anthematic, I thought, and flag waving but sadly lacking. Probably I'll get told off for saying that, I used to love Rod Stewart with a passion when I was at school, great fan of The Faces. The first ever Reading festival I went to, when I was about fifteen to see the Faces, and it's quite sad I think, really, to see that happen to him, dare I say.


Plays: Mike & The Mechanics - "Word Of Mouth"
(which reached no. 13)
G: I thought it was horrid, really. One nice chord change somewhere along the way but other than that, did 'zippo' for me.


Plays: Almighty - "Free 'N' Easy"
(which reached no. 35)
G: Not my bag but it wallops along, I suppose.


Plays: REM - "Losing My Religion"
(which reached no. 19)
MR: I think the album "Green" was the last thing they had out. You didn't buy that?

G: Good title, no. It's an excellent title. Not my sort of thing, really.

MR: You could do an album called "REM" just to get them back later.

G: I don't think I would!

MR: Nick Lowe did that with David Bowie didn't he? Bowie did an album called "Low", so Nick Lowe did an EP "Bowie", with no 'E' on the end.

G: Did he really?

MR: What about this record?

G: Bit dreary, I thought. Not really grooving, not a great tune, I didn't think and perhaps lyrically it was the most interesting aspect to it. Not for me.


Plays: Charalatans - "Over Rising"
(which reached no. 15)
G: I expected to like it more but I think it'll probably grow on me quite a bit and basically liked it.