It is an absolute pleasure to welcome a very special guest to the DiD blog… my mother! Part of the reason I began recording these missives was as an excuse to quiz mum on her choices. She is an avid listener to a certain similar show and has also hosted DiD parties.
Here, Heather tells us which eight songs she couldn't do without when stranded in a desert and talks about her life, family and founding her own successful business, Hellish Designs. Please click the Mixcloud play button below to listen to the full interview with song clips. The songs in full are below that in the form of Youtube videos.
Heather says: "This is going right back to my childhood and teens and thinking about my dad who loved to sing. He loved Ella Fitzgerald most of all. I've chosen Manhattan, I visited the New York for the first time this year so that brings us bang up to date. Great lyrics." Joni Mitchell - Song for Sharon
Heather says: "Song for Sharon comes from Hejira which is the album I associate with my A Levels in our sitting room, playing it to block out everything else that was going on in the house. It's a song about being a young woman, marriage, careers, sadness and happiness." Led Zeppelin - Ramble On
Heather says: "Music was there right from the very beginning with Ken. We had a long first date with a game of tennis, a trip to the fair and playing Led Zeppelin." Jackson Browne - The Pretender
Heather says: "I absolutely adore Jackson Browne. He's a great songwriter, the album is The Pretender and just doesn't have a duff track on it." Ian Brown - Billie Jean
Heather says: "Another aspect of music listening is singing and dancing. The thing that always gets me on to the dace floor is Wake Me Up by Wham but I've decided to pick Ian Brown's version of Billie Jean. It will give me the memories of Alex and Gareth dancing around." Gillian Welch - Black Star
Heather says: "What an interesting combination, Gillian Welch is nothing like Radiohead and she's got this clear voice so I can hear all the lyrics. It's a great track about being very depressed." Bon Iver - Holocene
Heather says: "I've chosen Holocene, I think it's a great track from a very talented man and his group and brings back memories of seeing them at Latitude." Nick Cave - (Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?
Heather says: "This track really stood out, I downloaded it and listened and listened to it. I love the languorous way he sings, the longing in it, the romantic feel to it, it's a beautiful track."
As vanity projects go, recording your own Desert Isolation Discs podcast is right up there. But nonetheless, here's your blogging host Alex Lawson's eight tunes he would save from the wreckage of a freak sky diving accident. Tom Bonnett manfully steps in as host. Please click the Mixcloud play button below for the full interview with song clips. The songs in full are below that in the form of Youtube videos.
1. David Bowie - Jean Genie Alex says: "The Jean Genie is a fantastically weird song that only David Bowie could write. He describes a bizarre character against the background of a thumping riff and leaves you all too soon after a couple of minutes."
2. Victoria Wood - The Ballad of Barry and Freda Alex says: "It's got the essence of that classic British humour like being beaten on the bottom with a Woman's Weekly. I can't believe she recalls all these crazy lines in such a short time but it's just glorious."
3. Atmosphere - The Woman with the Tattooed Hands
Alex says: "I always love the juxtaposition of low key hip-hop and piano, it always works together well. Slug carries this off perfectly."
4. Bob Dylan - Desolation Row Alex says: "We all know what a great lyricist Bob Dylan is and we all know he can put things together in a clever manner but this is so sprawling and has so many stories within stories. I can imagine sitting there in the desert analysing every line."
5. Clare & the Reasons - Pluto Alex says: "It's basically a letter to Pluto to say chin up, it's ok and we still love you. It's such a clever idea which I wish I'd had but you just have to hold your hands up and say it's fantastic."
6. Buck 65 - Wicked & Weird Alex says: "He's a complete genius. There's so much pin ache in how he talks about music and life. This is brilliant, it's got a brilliant squelchy beat and I know every word."
7. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Tere Bina Alex says: "This is a really emotional song which brings about a lot when you listen to it. I don't think enough people could ever listen to this song in the world."
8. Freddie Scott - (You) Got What I Need Alex says: "We used to play this towards the end of the night at Come Get Felt Up. There's no one you can sing this in the face of that they don't think you're the person you think most in the world of. And it's lots of fun."
It is an absolute pleasure to welcome a very special guest to the DiD blog… my mother! Part of the reason I began recording these missives was as an excuse to quiz mum on her choices. She is an avid listener to a certain similar show and has also hosted DiD parties. 
