Desert Island Discs #5 – Mr Watson-Davis

Arts School PC Du Toit November 30, 2017 0 Comments

Childhood: The Sweeney TV theme

So no marks for anyone who thought I’d go for Dr Who here – I got into ‘Who’ in my late twenties (which is probably beyond tragic, I can’t even blame honeyed childhood memories for the obsession). I absolutely loved this show as a kid (I still do) and the theme music is just great. Mind you, I probably like the music so much because my stepfather used to chain smoke about 60 cigarettes a day, so the actual TV screen was pretty difficult to see.

School Days: Dire Straits – “Romeo and Juliet”

By some miracle I got a girlfriend when I got into sixth form, usually any females I tried to talk to either gave a wry smile and gently backed off, or (and more often) hurriedly fled with a horrified look on their face. One or two even made the sign of the cross; though I may be remembering imperfectly. Anyway, Kim seemed to find me reasonably acceptable and we went out for two years. She played Dire Straits endlessly and this was our song. Never did meet her Guide Dog though.

University: Def Leppard – “Wasted”

I deliberately played this as the first song when I moved into student accommodation as a first year as a statement of intent, Which I fulfilled. I then played it as the last song ever when I left student accommodation at the end of my third year, largely to sum up how I viewed the previous three years. A terribly tedious experience, largely surrounded by walking clichés. My success with women continued, with a 6-1 female to male ratio, I could easily be traced by the sign of women fleeing in all directions. Happily I found the College bar.

University and Teaching Career to date: Billy Bragg – “Accident Waiting to Happen”

Seven years, five rubbish jobs and one failed marriage later (yup, but inevitable with my past history) I tried again with a year’s teacher training. A mad Welsh Sports Study student (are there any other kind?) got me into Billy Bragg. Clever song. Great year, with the highlight being the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party set up by a bunch of totally deranged first year students. Oh, and being intercepted by the Bursar carrying a damaged toilet door between Halls of Residence. I told him not to ask, so he didn’t and just let me get on with it. The song title also sums up my approach to lesson planning.