Going overboard on BBC Radio Leicester to get things straight!

Yesterday I was interviewed on BBC Radio Leicester. I thought that I would have a couple of minutes with a BBC journalist beforehand but no, I was led straight into the interview with the very nice Tony Wadsworth.

Tony had done his homework - or someone had done it for him. He began the interview by asking his audience rhetorically how they would feel if their son faced what ours had done and then I was introduced and it was straight into me. Fortunately he asked the right questions. I'm useless, on the whole, on streams of consciousness. I much prefer the 'in conversation' bit. However, Radio Leicester had also brought in a local psychiatrist to 'balance' the piece.

'It's classic Bipolar disorder,' he stated, 'no one dies of Bipolar disorder these days. Not like they used to. We have new medications, so no one dies...' Well, red rag to a bull. Poor Tony Wadsworth.

'So how is Zach now?' he asked me, 'I understand that he's well, now that he takes his medication...' 'Actually no,' I countered. 'He's well at the moment but he doesn't take medication. He's still in denial...' A gasp from Tony. 'Hasn't he learned then?'he asked in horror. I laughed. 'No, he's got this hole where the consequences of his actions don't appear to reach his thought processes...' (or something like that). 'And,' I continued, because Tony didn't, 'I have to disagree with your psychiatrist. People DO continue to die from Bipolar disorder. Zach nearly did. Last year. We had to go and bring him back from Thailand where he had been put into a cage. And we brought him back here and the NHS in their wisdom decided that he didn't fit their "criteria", so they wouldn't section him. And he nearly died...'

So Tony let me speak. He didn't stop me. I just ranted on (well, in retrospect it feels like a rant) and he didn't interject and maybe he should've. I don't know. It was the first time that I had been on the radio and I guess I don't know the protocol of interviews.

He thanked me at the end of the piece. I thanked him for having me on the show. I'd mentioned the book (not by name) twice; Razorlight and Johnny Borrell were mentioned too (not, it has to be said by me in the first instance); the band and 'Tosh' (although not by name). 'You have to read the book', I said twice! And I even put in the link to my blog... Was I pushy? I think that maybe I was just taking advantage of the opportunity. That's what I tell myself.

Will I be on Radio Leicester's Play It Again? I wonder...