BT : How did you feel when you won the award for 'Outstanding Contribution' to UK festivals and what do you feel made you standout from the competition? I was really chuffed to get it. I was- I was blown away and taken aback. If you're a festival promoter your passion will show through, your passion for wanting to entertain the audience and Id like to think that contributed to me getting the outstanding contribution.
BT : Are there any bands that slipped your festival net so far that you really wanted to play? If so, how and why did it happen? Oh yeah: Blur, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd if they reformed! There are lots of people out there Id like to get my hands on that I think about every year.
BT : And theres still hope for some of those bands there? Oh yeah youre forever trying to think of ideas. People say when do you start thinking about bookings for the 2014 festival? and the truth is you start thinking about that the moment youve completed the bookings for the 2013 festival. At the end of the day you just obsess about it all the time.
BT : Who would be your dream headline act ever (from any time!) and why? Did you ever meet them? It would be great to have Jimi Hendrix back in 1970, that was one of the most extraordinary experiences I ever had. Id love Oasis to do it- theyre a band of their generation who helped to create modern music.
BT : Whats the potential of getting Oasis to reform for the Isle if Wight?! I think they will reform eventually. We've had both of them here individually and they both really enjoyed it so fingers, arms and legs crossed!
BT : What's the funniest behind-the-scenes story from your time in music that you can tell us about? Mick Jagger walking down the corridor of the Premiere Inn towards me and instead of saying hello to me he just ignored me and looked my wife up and down!
BT : Did he really? Haha! Yeah- I got blanked! She came out the front door and went wah hey!
BT : Yeah, Mick Jaggers just been checking me out! Exactly!
BT : What do you think differentiates the festival to the other major festivals in Europe? As we touched on before, the location: being an island off the south coast of England, thats a big advantage. Theres also our heritage: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Doors; they all came here in the past. And that seeps in to what we do, for example with our artwork. I am a bit of a hippy and I like to maintain that heritage. And I think that the artists we get are not all from one genre so we can appeal to people from the age of 15 right up to past 55.
BT : If you could give advice to your young teenage self what would it be? I would say find someone in the music business, beg borrow or steal to work for them, and in general just be really helpful to people. Theres no such thing as a job description, you just have to chip in make things happen. You cant go home at six o' clock when there are problems on the table. Get involved in something, watch it, learn! Im still learning every day, but yeah Id say get in there, get your hands dirty! Go help build the stage if you have to, unless youre in there youll never learn.
BT : What keeps you awake at night in the run-up the festival? Everything. Tickets sales, organising group transport... For example, Bon Jovi are playing Dublin the night before so we have to get a flight for them from there and get them across the water. And there are small funny things too. The funniest thing is with Paul McCartney, we got a phone-call at eleven o' clock in the morning on the day of his performance from his manager saying have you got someone there who can do acrylic nails? And I was thinking is it for the backing singers or something? Or perhaps theyre on the ferry bored and they just want to annoy me for a laugh?! Anyway I went to one of my stands and they said yeah they do acrylic nails but they dont have the equipment, so I went to the local yellow pages and phoned up someone in town and they drove down the road and painted Paul McCartney's nails! Basically to play acoustic guitar you need strengthened nails which I didn't know- so she spent thirty minutes having a good chat with Paul McCartney- which was just excellent!
BT : That must have been absolutely awesome for her! What a great random day!What is your favourite album of the new millennium? Thats a tough call isn't it! I mean I get obsessed with albums and I play them to death for a month or two months . I did it with the last Courteeners album, I love the Lana Del Rey album. At the moment I love the Bastille album, and I love the Imagine Dragons album. I love to keep abreast of what's going on. And then it takes me a while to return to it. Then I discover when I put my iPod on shuffle that I remember these groups that I bought the records by. From this millennium I've loved the albums by Snow Patrol, by Razorlight, Stereophonics, The Manic Street Preachers; ultimately it all depends on what mood I am in.
BT : And what about last millennium? Dark Side of the Moon. It has to be it doesn't it?
BT: I remember hearing youre a massive Pink Floyd fan. Yes. For me its between Pink Floyd and The Doors the greatest bands of all time.
BT : Times are hard for many people in this country. Do you think the price of a ticket for Isle of Wight 2013 (£185 per adult for weekend camping) represents good value for money? Yes I think its incredible when you think thats for four nights and includes camping and there are over one hundred bands and entertainers on site. Its much cheaper than going to Spain. Also you know theres this extra thing where you go to a festival with your mates and you can all go off and do different things, regroup at night on the campsite and share your experiences, whereas if you all go on holiday in some hotel you often end up falling out. Its a rite of passage now for a young person to go to a music festival, theres just something about music in the open air which makes it all sound so much better.
BT : I totally agree and I would use the same phrase: rite of passage. Thats what it really is now for so many people. Yeah. Absolutely.
BT : If location was no issue, which country or place would you most like to host a festival? Capetown or Melbourne. Theyre both beautiful cities, with great backdrops, and they have great climates, and the people are really nice.
BT : I see you've given the band Resonate, from the Isle of Wight Community Glee Club, a spot in the Big Top and also in The Cabaret Club. Do you think other festivals should follow suit and start doing more to support local musicians in the communities that host them? Yes absolutely. I think were in a privileged position and we should help support upcoming talent. It would be my dream come true if a group came from the Isle of Wight and became internationally successful. You know if the Isle of Wight could be the next Manchester or the next Liverpool how good would that be?
BT: Agreed.What do you think it is that makes the UK so special when it comes to music and music festivals? Since the 50's all the best music has emanated from the UK. Thats no disrespect to Americans but, you know, we nicked the blues from them and we sold it back to them and I think we still are really.
BT : Who has been your single greatest inspiration in music? Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd. He was just ahead of his time. Absolutely incredible. I know some of the lyrics were crazy but the way he rhymed them, and the first Pink Floyd album... well that was when I was young and it was for me the soundtrack of my life.
BT : Did you ever meet him? No I only met Pink Floyd after hed been kicked out.
BT : John thats many questions to which you have kindly provided some fantastic answers, that I really think will give our readers not only an insight into how the festival will pan out this year but also into the mind of the man who brings it all together. Much appreciated! So now Ill be praying for sun until June! Thanks a lot. Have a great day and have great time at the festival!