Ravindr.

I took them to Radio 1, and left one for John Peel. Every Wednesday or Thursday there was a get-together in the Hyde park with the Chapel Music staff, they had a little football team, I would go along, you know, put on some boots and some shorts and join in, we might have a kickaround or we might have a proper match, it was great fun. So we’re getting changed in the park after the game and someone’s car was there with the doors, the car doors open. And Kid Jensen was on, he was on Radio 1 before John Peel, and Peel was talking to Kid Jensen. And Peel said something along the lines of, ‘I’d do anything for a mushroom biryani right now.’ And Jeff Chegwin had this great idea, to buy a mushroom biryani and take it down there, you know, and say I’ve left my record, if you’d listen to it that’d be great, my name’s Billy Bragg, and just get in his face.

So I thought, OK, that sounds great, so off I went, clump, clump clump in my football boots, cos you know Hyde Park up to the BBC is only about half a mile, found an Indian restaurant, there’s loads of them in the West End. Bought said mushroom biryani, took it down to reception, clump clump clump go my football boots, ‘this is for John Peel”. Oh, they say on reception, OK. Peel comes down, I give him the mushroom biryani, say my name’s Billy Bragg, and I left this record, perhaps you might have a listen to it, he says oh yeah sure, I will do, I will do, thanks very much! Thankyou, he said. He’s as surprised as anybody, you know.

So off he goes with his mushroom biryani, so I go home and tune in and sure enough, after about a half an hour, I start to hear the opening chords of ‘Milkman of Human Kindness’, at the wrong speed.