Let’s picture the scene: you’re dozing on the sofa, having been out all night at a club...


Advertisement

Not any more. I’ve just moved from Shoreditch to Barnet outside London. Shoreditch is a bit lively, when I was younger I loved it but I’m in a more mature place now and I don’t need it on my doorstep. I don’t want the party at my house. I just want to play music. That’s all I have ever wanted to do.

Not the quietest house in the street then, Trevor?


I have a dedicated music room where I’ve got turntables set up
– that’s where I prepare for gigs like Ibiza. But I get ready for my Radio 2 show in the lounge, where I keep my shelves of vinyl. I have over 10,000 records and they mean a lot to me. I can remember buying them all the way back to being at school. And I remember the sacrifices I made
to get them – walking home for five miles because I’d spent my train fare on a record. I was an absolute nut – I went to Norfolk to buy music, I went to New York and I went to dirty warehouses in Chicago.

Does your fiancée mind if you’ve locked yourself in the music room?

More like this

She doesn’t care! I have been married before and divorced and I now think a successful relationship is about people being able to live with each other. My missus goes from watching news and documentaries to the Kardashians. I don’t get that, the relationship between those two, but I wouldn’t say anything to her because we all have our own thing. That’s why it’s very important that you have two TVs in your house. That is the secret, 100 per cent.
If you have one TV in the house it’s going to kick off.

What do you watch?


The one about the criminals from Birmingham, Peaky Blinders! And I watch football on a Sunday relentlessly. I’m crazy about sport and I have my own golf day for charity. There’s a nightclub in the middle of the course with speakers in the trees. If you hit a bad shot, you don’t care because you’re dancing to Michael Jackson or Prince. I’m just getting the garden done and I’d love to have a little putting surface at the back.

It’s not really banging, though, is it, the putting?

But it’s a myth that I’m hip and trendy! My type of music is lifestyle, it’s not really club music. It’s stuff you can enjoy while you’re cooking.

And what do you cook?

I only cook out of necessity, mate! But if you came around and said to me, “Right, make me a meal,” it would be chicken or prawns with rice. I’m good at rice. I find it amazing that people can’t cook it. And I can put together a mean salad and dressing as long as we’ve got the hot pepper sauce out.

And to drink with that?


I used to drink a vodka and cranberry when I was DJ-ing, so I would be in step with the people on the dance floor. Sometimes you can be a bit moody-looking up there, you know. I pull a really funny face when I’m DJ-ing and it looks like I’m not having fun. Now I’ve discovered gin and tonic. I did think gin was a bit octogenarian, but it’s G&Ts all day! I love them.

So, you live in the suburbs, play golf and drink gin and tonic?

Oh, here we go. Yes, yes I do.

Advertisement

Trevor Nelson's Rhythm Nation is 8pm Saturday on Radio 2.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement