Danny Baker

A household name from the landscape of British journalism, Danny Baker’s four-decade career has led him to embody the notion of ‘been there, done that,’ having done everything from interviewing Michael Jackson to writing material for Kanye West. Recently, Baker’s taken to the stage to present his farewell tour, Good Time Charlie’s Back!, which sees him reflecting on his years in showbusiness.

Understandably, the tours are anything but a gentle stroll down memory lane. “I’m on stage for about three hours and I walk seven miles from side to side of the stage. It’s something I never planned on doing in all my life – to be a stage performer at the age of 60.”

“I was only aiming on doing a few farewell shows last year to sum up the career after forty years of this racket, but even though the shows were just as long last year, we never got past me leaving school! We did about sixty shows last year and it’s about the same this year.”

When it comes to his tour, and what to expect, it appears there’s no set rules. “Every night is different, there’s no script. It takes me from when I left school to when I worked at a record shop. Elton John used to work at the same record shop before he became famous and then suddenly swept up into this huge thing with Rod Stewart and all these people…I was 15, and it all happened just because I worked at this record shop that all the pop stars went to – best record shop in London. That takes us through the whole punk rock era, when I got involved with that and worked for the NME and then suddenly I was living in the States for ages, then I was asked to do television.”

“The stories are of people I meet along the way. It never gets up to date, it stops at around 1988. The best-received are the ones I tell about a dog we used to have, believe it or not. Over forty years I’ve virtually met everyone in show business, and worked with them, but my family stories seem to go better than any stories about anyone else.”

Reflecting on a journalistic career as diverse and eventful as his, it could seem that he has the key to getting into the business. Are there certain challenges facing young people aiming to become journalists?

“I’ve got absolutely no idea! I wouldn’t pontificate on that at all. I never trained or went to university. I left school at 14 to work in a record shop, and then me and my friend started a magazine when punk rock started, and then the NME asked me to join them. I’ve never applied for a job in my life, so I wouldn’t presume to tell people how to do it. I know working-class people don’t ever get asked to do it, but I’ve no idea. All I’ve ever had is this personality.”

Baker’s outlook on life is enviable. True to his word about his eternal optimism, he shows no sign of slowing down, or worrying about what’s next. “Don’t have a gap year, have a gap life. If you want, you can sit and look at your shoes and think ‘oh, isn’t everything terrible?’ or you can just get out there and rattle around – and that’s what I intend to do.”

Danny Baker – Good Time Charlie’s Back!, Princess Royal Theatre, Port Talbot, Wed 6 June. Tickets: £24.75. Info:  01639 7632 / www.npttheatres.co.uk

words Chloe Edwards