Radio Recap – 29 September 2024

“I love a drink. But I’ve never, ever in my life been on a stage and done a performance with an alcoholic drink inside me. Never have, never would. I’ve seen people who do and invariably they’re never as good as they think they are.” Michael Ball

Michael has always said he loves a good drink. Also a great bottle of wine. But he’s always known where to draw the line between his career and his time for relaxation. Alcoholism is rampant in the theatrical world and in Hollywood. But the smart actors – the GREAT actors – don’t need a stiff drink to get through a performance. In fact, most of them follow the same schedule when working. First they eat very little before a performance. Or they eat a meal a few hours before going on stage. Secondly, they then often take a nap, rising in time to shake off the ‘sleepies,’ to warm up and to be ready for the performance. From what I know, this is Michael’s game plan. After the show is when actors can relax and have a few, even a big meal. It’s when all that energy they used on stage can dissipate. Bedtime can be anywhere from 1 – 3 AM. Working actors are night owls, and they love it!

Song Track List: Alison Moyet ‘Is This Love?’; Boyzone ‘No Matter What’; Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars ‘Die With A Smile’; Christina Perri ‘A Thousand Years’; The Beach Boys ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’; Tina Turner ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’; Michael Buble ‘Don’t Blame It On Me’; Glen Campbell ‘Wichita Lineman’; Leona Lewis ‘Bleeding Love’; Bebe Rexha ‘Meant To Be’; Paul Weller ‘You Do Something To Me’; Elton John & Dua Lipa ‘Cold Heart’; Billie Eilish ‘Birds Of A Feather’; Frank Sinatra ‘Come Fly With Me’; Emilia “Big Big World’; Rihanna ‘Diamonds’; The Beatles ‘Something’; Sabrina Carpenter ‘Please Please Please’; Billy Joel ‘Just The Way You Are’; Lighthouse Family ‘Lifted’; Van Morrison ‘Brown Eyed Girl’

“Hello, my lovelies. How are you today? Thank you for being here with me for LOVE SONGS. We’re kicking off with this. A bit of Alison Moyet ‘Is This Love?’” Michael sounds good this morning. Content. Happy. “How are you doing today? I hope you’re doing something that makes you happy. I know I am. I just love these 2 hours that we spend together on a Sunday, listening to your stories, getting in touch with you, just makes me very happy.” And as I said, happy. “Especially now that we’re heading to—“ and his tone changes, going husky— “the darker days of autumn. Oh, we’ve had the heating on, well, there was one day in August we had the heating on, but yeah, the bigger duvets are going to have to come out.”

Michael goes to the Love Line to speak with Carol about her Special Day. She’s in a gorgeous, posh hotel in the middle of Northumberland helping to get the bride ready for HER special day. “I want to know,” Michael asks, “has she put you in rubbish bridesmaid dresses because sometimes they’re horrendous, aren’t they?” Carol responds, “Sometimes they are, but we’re in lovely long navy dresses.” Michael giggles. “You can’t go wrong with that. Class. Because those pictures last FOREVER!” More giggling. “If you’re in a bright pink dress, you’ll never forgive her.” Carol explains her 30 years of friendship with Kim, the bride. Jerry, the groom, is from Edinburgh and will be wearing a kilt, along with many others. Michael heartily approves. How he loves a kilt! Much of Jerry and Kim’s relationship took place in Northumberland, so it’s especially poignant that everyone from both sides (Scotland and England) came together in this special place to celebrate this special union. Michael plays Christina Perri’s ‘A Thousand Years’ for the future bride and groom.

Again on the Love Line, Michael speaks with Penny whose parents are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary (and they got a card from the King!). Her father was in the Air Force so they lived all over the world. She said during her childhood they moved over 30 times! Michael gives her the chance to say what’s in her heart, and of course she describes her love for them and how proud she is of them. Michael closes the segment by playing Paul Weller’s ‘You Do Something To Me.’

Michael returns to the Love Line. “You may remember a few weeks back on the show I spoke to a wonderful lady named Glenda who told us all about her later-in-life online dating which led to her getting married again in her 80’s.” Michael shared her story on his Instagram, which led to another woman commenting about her own online dating story. “I thought the story was so remarkable we tracked her down – and that lady, Jane, is on the Love Line.” Michael reads her comment on Instagram: ‘At 56 I had my first ‘first date’ since I was 21, learned to drive, got my first passport, learned to sail, went back to work after early retirement, bought my first car and bought my own home. At 63 I met my first love. Two months after our first date, we signed the joint agreement to buy our first home. Three years on in the new house and I’m sporting a flashy engagement ring.’ Michael is so impressed. “Jane, that is a FABULOUS story! Tell me, what happened?” Jane replies, “It just goes to show there’s life in the old dog yet.” They met online, and their first date was a picnic on the beach. They had to make sure their dogs got along (I love this!) “If the dogs didn’t get along, it was never going to work,” she continued, “and dogs are a nice ice-breaker. The dogs got along famously, maybe because my 2 girls are shameless hussies,” (a burst of laughter from Michael), “and he had a boy dog. The picnic at the beach lasted 6 hours, and we only went home because the dogs needed feeding!” Their attraction worked from the beginning, surprising both of them. “What a remarkable turnaround in your life,” Michael observes. He asks her what she would say to other people who might find themselves in a similar situation like hers before turning 56. “I think you need to find yourself first,” Jane says. “I think you need to be in the right place to be able to move on and to try something new. You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.” Michael responds, “Such wise words, Jane, it really is. There’s no point looking for something if you’re not in the right place yourself to absolutely see it.” Another life lesson from Michael Ball’s LOVE SONGS! And a good one.

Love Letters. Michael speaks with Steve who has written a love letter to Bev, his wife of 17 years. They met while working in an office and didn’t get along well at first, which of course Michael finds amusing. Bev’s mum is suffering from pancreatic cancer, and Bev has been taking care of her. Steve confesses Bev knows she’s going to be getting a call – he had to make sure she’d be available. Bev thinks it’s going to be a call from a school for one of their girls. Michael puts the call through. After Michael identifies himself, there is a l-o-o-o-n-g pause (we hear Michael’s soft giggle in the background) before she says, “This isn’t a genuine call, is it?” Michael comes back with “How can I prove to you that it is? Why do you think I’d be calling you? Can you imagine?” Her response is a firm no. Michael tells her about Steve’s love letter. When she hears Steve’s voice, Michael asks, “Do you believe us now?” She laughs. “Maybe.” She confesses she listens to Michael’s show every Sunday so she knows about the segment called ‘Love Letters.’ You can hear the raw emotion in Steve’s voice as he reads his beautiful letter. Bev, too, is quite emotional in her response. And so is Michael in the end. Such a lovely, lovely segment.

The Last Dance is for Mick and Linda who are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. The 2 are recovering from a surprise party last night thrown by their entire family. Mick suffered an accident last year, breaking his neck and back. However, with his love for life and a good party, he pulled through the celebration. Michael reads this message with such heart. It’s a joy to listen to him.

And that’s it for this Sunday’s LOVE SONGS. Thank you, Michael, for a soothing and joyful 2 hours on the radio. What would we do without you cheering us on into a new week? You make us laugh. You make us cry. And as always, we learn something new from you.

Michael Ball is not only an extraordinarily gifted actor/singer. He’s also an intelligent man who has always taken great care of his career. May he have many more brilliant performances on stage, and may he always enjoy that calming, delicious slurp after the curtain comes down. Cheers to you, Michael. Today, tomorrow and always.

The Song of the Week: Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds.’