Star Q&A: Ken Bruce

Liz Nicholls asks Popmaster host Ken Bruce about life & music as his new live show, You, Me & The Music, comes to Oxford, Woking and more…

Hello there Ken! Which decade gets your vote for producing the best music?

“For me, the 1960s was – and remains – a very special decade. I was a teenager in the ’60s, so I naturally think that ‘60s music was fantastic! I would have loved to have seen Elvis live… That really would have been something.”

Q. After more than 50 years in broadcasting, do you still get that ‘pinch-me’ feeling?

“I do still get that feeling. I’ve always wanted to do this job and I’ve just been really fortunate that I’ve been able to carry on doing it. In fact, every morning when I get into the radio studio, it’s a kind of pinch-me moment, and I remember that not everybody gets to do this.”

Q. If one song could tell the story of your life, what would it be?

“Some Guys Have All The Luck by Rod Stewart, because I feel luck plays an enormous part in a career in our business. I’ve been very, very lucky. I always think ‘just accept it. Don’t worry about being lucky, just know it happened and be grateful’.”

Q. You’ve interviewed everyone from Paul McCartney to Bruce Springsteen… Which encounter still makes you smile?

“Elton John. I flew down to his villa in the south of France and had a lovely chat with him for broadcast. Then he invited me to stay for lunch and I had lunch with Elton, David and the boys. It was really just a very, very lovely day.”

Q. What makes a genuinely great interview?

“I think it’s fascinating if the interviewee is prepared to be open. It’s never a great interview if somebody comes in with just the PR that they wish to promote. It’s always a good interview if people are prepared to engage in conversation. When they’re being honest and talking about their feelings, that’s what makes the conversation stand out.”

Q. Did you ever imagine that the TV show PopMaster would become such a phenomenon?

“Not at all. I thought it was merely going to be a feature on the show for a few months, a year, maybe a couple of years if we were lucky. It was a slow burn – it took a long time and found its place and became part of people’s lives, part of the furniture, and that’s a lovely state to get to.”

Q. And what’s your ‘guilty’ musical pleasure?

“I don’t really believe in ‘guilty pleasures’. We shouldn’t feel guilty about what gives us pleasure, even if it’s what other people think is rubbish. It’s great to us, so enjoy!”

Q. What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

“‘Keep going’. Especially when things are looking as if there’s no recovery from this. Keep going. It will get better. Somebody did say that to me when I was pretty low at one time – and it has.”

Q. If you had a magic wand, what would you wish for the world?

“For common sense to break out once again around the world. Just an outbreak of common sense, please!”

Ken Bruce: You, Me & The Music lands at Oxford New Theatre on Wednesday, 4th November, and Woking Theatre on Wednesday, 11th November.

Book your tickets from the venue or via Ticketmaster.co.uk.

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