Biography

He is an authority on the rock band Queen and has often been interviewed about the band and their lead singer Freddie Mercury, with whom he was a close friend and would often socialize on the gay bar scene.

He gained degrees in History (Dartmouth College, USA) and Philosophy, Politics and Economics (University College, Oxford).

He was the co-author of 'The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles'.

He received the Outstanding Contribution to Music Radio Award from the Radio Academy in 1996.

He received the Sony Award for Music Broadcaster of the Year in 2003.

Outside the US, it's Britain that's dominated pop music for the last 40 years. It's something this country doesn't properly celebrate.

[in 2002] With the concentration of non-album artists - dance and matinée-idol television personalities - singles by album artists are no longer doing as well as they used to.

I have been waiting for a UK music hall of fame ever since The Beatles broke up and gave way to a new generation of stars.

Elvis Presley was the spearhead of youth culture. This was the first time that young people liked something their parents didn't. He opened the door and was as responsible as any single individual for the long overdue racial integration in the United States.

The Beatles are the most important act in the history of recorded music. The Beatles were a truly experimental group but because they were so popular people didn't even realize they were experimenting. No album has ever had the effect that Sergeant Pepper had. The phrase 'concept album' becomes popular after Sergeant Pepper. And that was the ultimate achievement in rock music to that point. The record industry expanded to accommodate the popularity of The Beatles. The album became the predominant form of expression for rock artists and has remained so to this day. That's how revolutionary The Beatles were.