Norman Jay

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Interview with Norman Jay

Read our exclusive Norman Jay interview. When the Queen decides its time to sit up and pay respect to dance music then you know that you are on to something special. For those of you who haven’t heard of Norman Jay – shame on you! He is only the most-loved bloody DJ to come out of London. So much so that in 2002, the Queen must have removed her headphones in delight and declared that she would reward the first MBE of its kind to the man himself for “Deejaying and Services to Music”.

Amy Baker speaks to Norman Jay on the eve of his mammoth all-day Queen’s Jubilee celebration, the Right Royal Carry On in his beloved London Town. With a summer packed full of festival appearances, tours around the globe and a much-lauded return to his rightful home at Notting Hill Carnival, it comes as no surprise that his spirits are riding high.

Hi Norman, what’s going on? What are you up to at the moment?

Hi. I’ve been up to loads recently; I’ve got a lot coming up in the next couple of weeks. I’m off to Japan to begin a short tour through Asia, I head to Hong Kong come home, and then 24 hours later I am off to Sunsplash Festival in Antalya in Turkey. I’ve been doing that festival since it started. It’s small, very personable; no really big names go there yet. It’s very relaxing – a good mix of work and play.

Tell us a little about the Right Royal Carry on?

It starts in Battersea Park right by the River Thames and is part of an overall bigger festival, so there will be a lot going on. There’s music, stalls, workshops and all that. The Good Times Bus will be there providing some musical accompaniment for when the Queen sails past on her boat. We’re there from 12 – 8 and then the hard-core party people can head to the Clapham Grand where we’ll party till the early hours.

Have any special guests been confirmed?

We’ve confirmed Graeme Park, a Scottish DJ who was around when the Hacienda in Manchester was in its heyday. It’ll be fantastic to have him in the park in the afternoon. Aside from that we’ve got a lot of unconfirmed acts – people will just have to come down and find out on the day. We’re also inviting a host of special guests down to the Clapham Grand.

It’s going to be a long day – first Battersea and then Clapham…

Yeah it will be but we’re used to it. This is the prelude to our return to Notting Hill Carnival; it’s going to be a walk in the park in comparison.

Would you describe yourself as a Royalist?

Hmm…marginally. I’m neither here nor there on the matter.

Will you be playing any tracks that you know are amongst the Queen’s favourites?

We’re essentially going to be playing the stuff that Good Times is known for. We want there to be a real carnival vibe but we’ll poke into other genres and make it a little more accessible during the day. The fact that it is all a part of the Diamond Jubilee just gives me a great excuse to play some tracks that I love, like The Clash. Later we’ll be celebrating 50 years of music and clubs with Northern Soul, Motown, Hip Hop, House, 80s and 90s disco. We’ll be on a proper club tip later.

It must have been a huge honour to be awarded an MBE?

It was! At first I just thought that it was a very poor leg pull. My first thought was that someone was taking the piss, but when it turned out to be true, I was justifiably very, very proud.

What was the Queen like?

I tell you what – it was marvellous to meet her. She was friendly, agile, active and very personable. Of course I was nervous, it was a surreal experience. It all just happened so quickly, it was over in the blink of an eye.

Playing the Queen’s Jubilee event is a bit different from your days of pirate radio and warehouse parties…

We’re excited about it. We’re there by Royal prerogative! Bringing the Good Times Bus will be fantastic. No doubt the whole thing will be massively oversubscribed, everyone wants to get a glimpse as she sails past.

Any plans to head to Australia soon?

I made my debut at the Sydney Festival in January. We had an exact replica of the Good Times Bus set up in the middle of Hyde Park. It was everything that I hoped Notting Hill could be if we had that much space. There were 25,000 people there just having the best time in beautiful surroundings. It was my first time at the festival and the biggest concert I’ve ever played in Australia. I’m looking forward to getting out there in again when summer rolls round again. It’s such a great time to be in Australia. I normally fly over for Australia Day and then head to Waitangi Day in New Zealand.

You’re the busiest man in music – you’ve done radio, TV, film, fashion – is there any other industries that you are planning taking on?

Not really. I’m just a regular guy with regular interests. I don’t really have ambitions that I set out to achieve. Life is just one long remix, I just like to see what happens.

Have you ever managed to pinpoint the exact song that made you think “wow music is it for me, this is what I want to do?

Not really. It was a process of evolution. I was exposed to music from a young age; my background was completely immersed in music. I discovered London’s West End when I was about 14, became a serial clubber and got to experience all the seminal clubs in London through the 70s, 80s and 90s. It was in the 90s that I started putting on events. We did some great stuff back then. We’d get on the last tube on the circle line with a sound system and 150 people and see how long we could stay on before we got thrown out. We partied on the platform at Paddington Station before they built the Marks and Spencer’s there! I’d ride around on my Raleigh Chopper and go scouting for places to hold massive parties. We had one that sticks in my mind right next to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on the Southbank.

Did you ever get in any trouble?

Fortunately not, I quit whilst I was ahead. I never set out to make money. I just wanted to have fun. When the Acid House movement happened and the criminal world got involved, drug culture, I decided it was time to turn my back on it and it was the right move.

In such a long and fruitful career – is it possible to pinpoint a highlight?

Probably my debut at Notting Hill Carnival back in 1990. It’s always the highlight of my year. My year honestly begins and ends with Notting Hill Carnival. It’s the last great free festival in the country.

I played the after party at the World Economics Forum in Davos in Switzerland. The place was full of the people who run the planet, all the top industrialists. They danced and enjoyed the music. Once the drugs and drink kick in, everyone enjoys a party. I love everywhere that I go but my heart and head are in England. I’m a patriot and London is still the centre of club culture in the world.

Plans for the next few months?

I’ve got a few festivals coming up. Unfortunately the Big Chill isn’t happening this year which is a shame because it’s one of my favourites. I am doing Nova Festival in West Sussex. It’s the first year of the festival this year and is brought to you by the organisers of the Big Chill. I’m doing Latitude for the first time and really looking forward to, Vintage Festival and of course, Notting Hill Carnival – I can’t wait for that.

I’m also trying to organise a Mod festival alongside Eddie Piller from Acid Jazz. It’s going to celebrate everything 60s and 70s and it gives people excuses to parade their scooters around.

By Amy Baker

Check out what festivals are on in the UK this summer…click HERE

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