There are times when nothing else will do but soul music. It was
the summer of 1979, an unusually hot one by British standards. I
and my then girlfriend were on our way back by car to Essex from
the West Country. In the fetid torpor of an August Sunday afternoon
we were stuck in a traffic jam on the South Circular in London. The
heat shimmered from the walls of the houses around and the exhaust
fumes mounted in a blue haze. Sweating and distracted, we turned on
the radio for diversion. It was tuned to BBC Radio 1, then a game
reserve for saddo DJs of the worst kind but this voice was different
but familiar. So warm, confiding and nuanced, it was unmistakeable.
"It's Dusty!" we said in unison. How she came to be doing a radio
show on a dog day Sunday afternoon we never knew but there are
sometimes questions you don't need to ask, the answers are
irrelevant. Just enjoy.
"And now" she said "I'd like to play my favourite song by my
favourite singer". The intro was instantly recognisable, Aretha
singing 'Natural Woman'. Oh, *sweet* soul music. When she reached
the line about her heart in the lost and found we both stood up
(the car, fortunately, had an open sun roof,) and joined in. And
all around us we saw arms protruding from car windows, index
fingers jabbing in the air in time to the music. And as the music
faded the jam cleared and the world was a brighter place. "There
now", said Dusty, "that was great, wasn't it?". Indeed it was and
so were you.
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Iain Noble
Hound Dog Research, Survey and Social Research Consultancy,
28A Collegiate Crescent Sheffield S10 2BA UK
Phone/fax: (+44) (0)114 267 1394 email:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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