Graham Donlon - Music without Frontiers Host, Sunday 10am-1pm 

I was born in a chapeau in the South of France (an obscure village on the edge of Manchester) in 1905.   My father was from Lancashire and my mother from Yorkshire, so, as a result of this, we had a miniature 'War Of The Roses' several times a month.  Subsequent to this intermittent distress, my father moved to Australia, my only brother to Ireland, my mother shifted to the south of England and I came to Godzone at the tender age of seventeen. This was a big step for a young, naive lad, especially with the language difficulties, bizarre customs and lack of double-decker buses.

My immense love of music started as a child listening to Elvis Presley singles owned by my best mate’s older sister (which we were not supposed to touch, hence the attraction to two very naughty boys)! During the 'Beat Group' era (The Beatles, Kinks, Stones, etc), I fanatically monitored the progress of hit singles up and down the UK charts, but then I proceeded into my first 'real' collecting fetish. I vainly tried to obtain every Motown and Stax soul single ever released in Britain.  This caused such great trauma to my fragile young mind that I then worked my way through psychedelia, folk-rock, jazz-rock, heavy metal, progressive rock, soft rock, etc. before finally discovering jazz, blues and world music.  My life has gone to hell ever since...

I have worked (among other things) as a journalist, factory hand, guillotine operator (industrial sadly!), as a clerk in the British civil service, in clubs and bars as a barman, bouncer and DJ, as a postie and managed music retail outlets before finally winding up in the health sector because nobody else would have me. I have also been a music reviewer for well over thirty years!  

I have been married three times, ruining the lives of at least two good women. I have four children (aged 36, 32, sixteen and almost nine years), all of whom seem perfectly normal despite my parenting.  My wife, who is a good Christian lass, sees me as her permanent rehab project.

I have hosted "Music Without Frontiers" for over ten years, I have received very few complaints and the ones that did 'moan' disappeared under bizarre circumstances.  My hobbies are music, walking, cycling, reading and tormenting listeners of The Most (and all fans of NZ music).  I also like astral travel, sticking pins in dolls, snorkelling in my bath, avoiding people and strangling household pets.  Everything I have told you is a lie (this is called a paradox).  

My ambition is to be a man one day…if I live long enough!