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Radio Scotland - Tom Morton
Monday - Thursday, 14:00-15:30; Friday, 14:00-16:00. Tom Morton's show is broadcast from the Shetland capital, Lerwick, where the BBC has a state-of-the-art radio and video complex which houses its news operation and the local station BBC Radio Shetland. Tom travels to Lerwick every day, by bus or car, through s
ome of the most spectacular coastal scenery in the world. Tom's afternoon music show has been on air continuously since 2002, but his broadcasting experience is wide-ranging. On the wireless, as well as the original daily, speech-based Tom Morton Show in the 90s and numerous documentaries, for BBC Radio Scotland, he has presented programmes for BBC Radio Twos, Three, Four and Five Live.
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From a blues slant this week, but stretching the definition in the direction of soul, folk and country. Taj Mahal, Keb Mo', Ry Cooder, Captain Beefheart, Moby Grape, Dusty Springfield, Dixie Cups, Allmans, James Mcurtry, Joe Ely, Buddy Miller, Tom Russell, Frank Sinatra, Richard Thompson, Rory Galla…
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Tom Morton's weekly raiding of his own record collection , with some brand new and one or two very obscure tracks. There is poetry, there is whisk(e)y - this week a touch of Old Bushmills. Music from Shack, Don Henley, Richard Thompson, Katrina and the Waves, Angel Corpus Christi and The Hold Steady…
Vaya con Dios, Tom, et al, from myself, & I think, from all those that have enjoyed your wee brogue to remind us how far away we were from you, & your musical selections to remind us all how close we all were, together in taste. (No, not the Rory Gallagher TASTE; but we do need you to recover, & raise again the standard of boomer-cool high again, before we all pass west (figure of speech, WW1). Miss you already.
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Tom is ending his latest gig at the end of this month (31 May 2015)
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Looking back: Some thoughts on the end of Morton Through Midnight
I’ve been broadcasting on BBC Radio Scotland for over 20 years. It’s time to give folk a break.
Did I say ‘folk’? I meant rock, pop, blues, jazz and all the glorious panoply of music we broadcast on Morton Through Midnight, 10.00pm to 1.00am, Friday through Sunday (11-1 on the Sabbath). My last show will be Sunday 31st May. And then, after more than 20 years, that will be it.
I started on a mid-morning slot as vacation stand-in for Nancy Nicholson, learning my first and most important lesson as a freelance presenter: never go on holiday. Nancy did, I was asked to stay. Together with my producer, a young man called Jeff Zycinski, and the team in Inverness, we moved after a year or so to the early morning strand, five days a week, then four. Who can forget the interviews with Russian acrobats who couldn’t speak English? Being so hungover I had to broadcast flat on my back, being periodically sick into a handy bucket? Ivor Cutler talking live on air about his beloved p***s, Britt Ekland thinking she was going to be on television and dressing accordingly and making her considerable displeasure more than felt? And that amazing week of shows in Los Angeles, broadcasting from the middle of Compton at its most gangbanging? Jay Leno’s Scottish accent, meeting Ed Asner and Gregory Peck. Back in Inverness, there was the drinking, the long lunches, the food poisoning from on-air fish cookery, sleeping in a camper van in the BBC car park, destroying Chris Evans’ Radio One career, the midnight golf…
I left, chased by a wee touch of skin cancer, and after the weekly sarcasm of Man Bites Dog (early-to-mid-morning, came back in 2002 after five years to take over from Ian Anderson in the afternoons. The music started off as trad Scottish folk and a bit of country, moved on through to rootsy rock and finally centred on mainstream pop and rock with the occasional piece of Scottishness chucked in. TMS was produced in Aberdeen. See that BBC? They’re all over the place…even in Shetland.
From the start, I was living in the Shetland Isles and all the shows came from either the local BBC Shetland studios in Lerwick or from my house, in the remote parish of Northmavine. We pioneered the use of (now old fashioned) ISDN telecoms to broadcast, and MTM was the only long-form music show in the UK broadcast using an iPad and wi-fi. I’m proud of that. Remote, rural and worldwide.
In 2013 I was told that the afternoon show would end and was asked to work with my old pal Nick Low and his company Demus Productions on a three-hour Friday-through-Sunday late night music show. From early mornings to the late shift in 18 years. And who could complain? Demus and I had a two year contract. Let’s face it, it had to be better than working.
And it was. A coterie of regular listeners from across the globe. Some great music and a fine production team. We played some decent tunes, and talked nonsense into the wee sma’ hours. Some my favourite artists were happy to come in for a chat, from brand new Scottish singers like Fraser Anderson to American country superstar Eric Church, number one in the US album charts the day he recorded our session. Listeners became regulars, and then friends. I’ll miss them.
But it was hard. I know, that sounds like bleating self-pity from someone whose only job was to play records on the radio and talk. But after each three-hour (of late two on a Sunday) stint I felt very, very tired. Blood pressure crept up. So did cholesterol levels. The lack of actual human contact took its toll. A dangerous addiction to daytime telly began. I actually resigned two months ago, then changed my mind. Could I survive without eight hours a week of performing, of talking about myself? Of parading my vanity?
I took on a new part-time, temporary tourism development job which has proved hugely enjoyable. I thought the extra work was better for me, as I didn’t have time to be tired…at least I wasn’t watching Homes Under the Hammer repeats. There was a bit of PR work, copywriting, filmmaking, journalism, voluntary trusteeships…
And then. Chest pain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. Three increasingly serious episodes over 36 hours. Full ambulance trip to hospital, a week of tests, a trip to Aberdeen by air ambulance, an operation…
Not being on the radio. And being relieved. Cancelling one weekend’s shows. Then another. And then thinking: I really don’t want to do this anymore. I’m nearly 60. Maybe it’s time to stop this gob-on-a-stick existence, as one of my former producers called it.
Then thoughts of maybe one show a week. Yeah, why not? Four days out of hospital, though, another, worse bout of chest pain. Back to the Gilbert Bain, loads more tests, a CT scan…it became evident that I’d pushed things too fast and far. I talked it over with the family and decided it was time to call it a night. The BBC and I agreed I’d do one final two-hour farewell show, and that would be it.
I have to thank so many radio people. Maggie Cunningham, Jeff Zycinski. Nick, Ravi and Gregor at Demus. My many producers over the years, especially Anne Bates and Fiona Aitken. And everyone who ever listened. It’s been a blast. I wish my successor all the very best.
Do I have any advice for them?
Know when it’s time to stop. And stop before that.
Tom Morton at 10:45 a.m.
8 comments:
Gerry11:52 a.m.
So sorry to hear your leaving your show. Its always a pleasure to find someone who you can listen to for hours and feel better for it.
More importantly though is your health, both physical & mental That must take precedence.
Take care & enjoy what you're going to do next.
Reply
DJL12:15 p.m.
Sorry to hear your leaving. But your health is important and you must listen to your body.
We have loved listening to you, not only the music but you. Your funny and so easy to listen to. We have loved your stories about shetland. We visited last year and loved it. So maybe one day we shall meet , maybe in the magnus ??
Good luck with your future
Joanne xx
Reply
Omnibus12:33 p.m.
Sad to hear of your health troubles Tom.
Whatever happened to Blind Boy Flugga?
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Nobby8:55 p.m.
All the best Tom. Enjoy your "retirement".
Gordon "Nobby" Nelson
Reply
Dave Gray9:47 p.m.
Tom - sorry to hear you're calling it a day but it is the right thing to do if your health is at stake. I started with Radio Orkney in 1990 on Friday nights doing "Metallic Gray" while Davie G did "Rock Da Rock" at the same time on Radio Shetland - magic times. Over the years I've listened to you regularly and have been alerted to loads of superb music that I'd never otherwise have heard - much of which I've then pretended I discovered myself in order to appear cool and trendy to friends. So thanks for the music, thanks for the work you put into the shows and most of all thanks to making me appear cool and trendy.
Reply
carrew9:15 a.m.
I'll miss your show Tom, but your health and sanity must come before your vanity! :-) Take it easy
When I worked in New York, listening to you on the interweb provided a touch of home. More recently you've been my companion when I'm driving home up the A9 in the early hours from a charity fundraiser at the weekends. I never needed my iPod when you were broadcasting.
Whatever you do next, thank you for all the radio shows. Thanks you for your wit and your humanity. I wonder what your last record will be?
You'll be missed. Slainte!!
Andrew
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Bruce Nesmith5:16 p.m.
Tom, best wishes from Iowa, U.S.A. Your afternoon shows, including the "daft quizzes," were among the first wonders I discovered over 10 years ago when the magic of the Internet connected me to BBC Radio Scotland. Enjoy your next chapter! and do keep the blog going, please!!
Bruce Nesmith
Reply
Ger2:25 a.m.
Missed your afternoon show so much, you kept me going grooming dirty dogs! Take care Tom and enjoy life! :-)
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Tom Morton
Journalist, broadcaster, editor, author, guitar owner, singer, blogger, whisky imbiber, cyclist, eater, cook
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