Sandie Shaw on "Desert Island Discs" radio show in UK

grahamg

Old codger
Many folks in the UK will remember Sandie Shaw as a singer who won the Eurovision song contest for us in the 1960s, with "Puppet on a String".

However, though she had some other very successful songs, like "(There's) Always Something Thee to Remind Me", her singing career waned somewhat in the 1970s, and perhaps to many of us, she'd become slightly forgotten, (she suffered some quite serious depressions during the time too I've just discovered).

Well, at eighty years of age, and thrice married, she appeared on a long running BBC radio show called " Desert Ireland Discs" in 2010 and recently re-broadcast, (a show that has been going for as long as I've been alive, with just a very few presenters since it started, and for anyone unfamiliar with it guests get to pick eight of their favourite discs to listen to, were they marooned on an island).

Sandie Shaw's life was very interesting in itself, as financial ruin followed her first marriage to a famous guy in the UK, leaving her with one daughter to bring up, and her second marriage lasted longer, produced two sons, and they remained friends after they split, and she's happily married now, and I think she said either likely to be performing again, or releasing a new album, (incredibly).

The main comment I wanted to make was about her warm, humourous character, that shone through all her interview, (though upset when recollecting her tougher times).

When asked the question all those appearing on "Desert Island Discs" have been asked since it started, "Which of the eight discs would she save if a large wave came along to almost sweep them away"?, she answered very disarmingly, " She couldn't be "ar*sd", she'd let them all get swept away"! (I loved that, and who else could get away with such a comment on the BBC, other than a beautiful lady like her!). :)
 

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She's not eighty Graham, she was born in 1947, that makes her 74. She was a local girl where I lived in East London. I saw her on a number of occasions in and around the area. Brian Poole, (remember him?) His father ran Poole Butchers, where Brian worked, the family also owned the Three Rabbits pub close by. Friday nights in there had Brian Poole rocking the place. Sandie Shaw, or Sandra Goodrich as she was then, used to have everyone on their feet.
I saw The Kinks there, I remember them wearing salmon pink tab collar shirts and black ties. The Who were another band as were quite a few of the future famous sixties names. But Sandie Shaw & Brian Poole were the regulars.
At the time Sandie was working in The Ford factory at Dagenham.
 
She's not eighty Graham, she was born in 1947, that makes her 74. She was a local girl where I lived in East London. I saw her on a number of occasions in and around the area. Brian Poole, (remember him?) His father ran Poole Butchers, where Brian worked, the family also owned the Three Rabbits pub close by. Friday nights in there had Brian Poole rocking the place. Sandie Shaw, or Sandra Goodrich as she was then, used to have everyone on their feet.
I saw The Kinks there, I remember them wearing salmon pink tab collar shirts and black ties. The Who were another band as were quite a few of the future famous sixties names. But Sandie Shaw & Brian Poole were the regulars.
At the time Sandie was working in The Ford factory at Dagenham.
My memory of the radio show recording has played tricks with me, (the "eighties" was mentioned in relation to another performer famous forty years ago, Howard Jones, so this helped mix me up!).
Great memories for you though, seeing all those great stars in your youth, (I'm very envious). :)
 
One memorable snippit from the show was when the presenter,Sue Lawley, rather patronisingly suggested to the legendary Blues musician, John Lee Hooker that a book would not be much use as he was illiterate. He replied that he would take a big book full of pictures of pretty women.
 
One memorable snippit from the show was when the presenter,Sue Lawley, rather patronisingly suggested to the legendary Blues musician, John Lee Hooker that a book would not be much use as he was illiterate. He replied that he would take a big book full of pictures of pretty women.
Sue Lawley could be patronising I agree, back in the day when she hosted Desert Island Discs, (she did so between 1988 and 2006, until another former news presenter, Kirsty Young, took over).
If you get the chance to listen to the Sandie Shaw broadcast you'll notice the way she responded to a rather probing question about her finances in 2010, when it was recorded, I found that amusing, as she dealt with a slightly patronising Kirsty. :)
 


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