NME Radio's Shows

Neil Cole

13:00 - 17:00 Saturday

Music news, gig guides and special guests along with the best indie alternatives.

TV Presenter, comedian, actor, DJ, motor racing commentator… Neil Cole has more strings to his bow than the London Philharmonic. While the Bristol/Essex (South Woodham Ferrers, No. 33 in the Idler Book of Crap Towns) bred boy still performs stand up as part of the sketch team The Pros From Dover, most of his energy will be thrown at his NME Radio show.

What can we expect from your show?
"Music. And Laughter. And happy ever after. But mostly music...and, laugh-wise, we’re talking gentle-knowing-chuckles rather than HA HA HA HA ROFL LMAO LOL!!!!"

What kind of music will you be playing?
"Big music and little music. New music and old music. Jangly music and chunky music, beatsy music and scratchy music. Meaty music and flaky music."

Have you got a face for radio?
Yes. But i keep it in a jar by the door.

Sum up your music taste with five songs
“OK, this is different to "what are your five favourite songs?" This is more like electing members to the House of Representatives. Here goes:
1. The Wedding Present : ‘Dalliance’ This represents emotionally wrought guitar music. See also: Pixies, Sonic Youth, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2. The Temptations : ‘Papa Was A Rolling Stone’ Representing emotionally-wrought soulful music. See also: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Prince
3. Neil Young: ‘After The Gold Rush’. Representing folkiness. See also: Nick Drake, Grandaddy.
4. Pantera : ‘This Love’. Representing FURY (with guitars). See also: RATM, Metallica.
5. The Specials : ‘Too Much Too Young’. Representing the need to dance around like a lunatic. See also: The Clash, The Stone Roses, Queens Of The Stone Age, Kraftwerk, NWA, Beastie Boys.

You grew up in Bristol and New Jersey. Which city has the best music?
“Well, one of them gave us Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen and Frank Sinatra. The other Portishead, Tricky and Massive Attack. You decide...”

How does stand up comedy compare to radio presenting?
“There's no comparison really. The only similarity is they both use a microphone to amplify me. Apart from that, a stand-up audience is very obviously right in front of you, and you can tell when it's going well or not. On radio, you have to imagine the audience and hope they're having a good time. And you can't hear them heckling... you just imagine it, which is somehow worse.”

And how does commentating on the World Rally Championship compare?
“Funnily enough, because me and my TV crew spend an impossible amount of time in cars, driving up and down mountains, I have maintained a position as in-car-DJ, providing tunes and spreading the word about new bands I love, so the same evangelical passion is there, and over the last five years I have launched (to a regular captive audience of three) the likes of Gogol Bordello, Vampire Weekend, and Santogold. So, apart from the actual motorsport bit, it has some crossover.”