How do you unwind at the weekend?
Normally I work at the weekends as a DJ. My residency is at the Ulster Sports Club and I play an eclectic set, everything from 1960s psych through soul, hip-hop to electronica, the whole gamut.
To unwind, I do walk a lot. We have a dog, a Welsh terrier called Lola, and I try to vary where we go. I live in east Belfast and there are a lot of great parks. Victoria Park, for example, is great. There's such a lot of wildlife there now – Canadian geese, swans, herons and a lot of squirrels running about.
What do you recall most about weekends growing up?
My dad would go into town to pay bills. He had an account at Burton so he'd also be looking at suits and shirts. We might go for a meal, then head for the US comics sold at Henry Hall's. I liked Black Panther, Spider-Man Weekly and they used to roll them in a cardboard tube which I made into an extra arm.
Then we'd go to watch Cliftonville, our football club. My father, Don, was a telephone engineer and he passed in 1982. When we got back, my mum would have a stew on. My parents always had music on in the house and I and my older sisters grew up with their record collection: Elvis, The Beatles and the Stones and T-Rex.
Friday night or Saturday night?
Before this pandemic, I used to like the Friday night wind-down with mates after work, going to The Sunflower or The Duke of York for a pint.
Do you have a must-listen weekend radio show or podcast?
Huey Morgan on 6 Music; his approach to music is great, his choice of music a belter. In terms of podcasts, Katie Puckrick's We Didn't Start the Fire which covers every figure in the Billy Joel song. Also, You Must Remember This, a tour of Los Angeles via music, with references to Dennis Wilson.
I'm really missing travel and haven't done a travel programme since I went to Philadelphia, a great city, in 2019. I don't think the [Covid] 'traffic light' system works and it's reckless. This is serious – as Jon Snow said, this is our Third World War.
So we've just had day trips, including a lovely time in Bangor with a beer on the beach.
What is your favourite weekend TV show/box set?
I'm glad Succession is coming back. Euan McGregor was great in Halston, although I am not always a fan of his acting. Arising from the pandemic, Together with James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan was masterful.
Do you have a favourite eatery or is it a takeaway?
Both. We haven't been out to restaurants much, but Yugo is amazing. And the best Chinese takeaway in Belfast is the Castle Hill.
Is Sunday still special?
Totally, you just move that little bit slower. It's a day for reading books, for music and, if the weather's OK – like today – you can dander about and go for an ice cream or a coffee.
How do you feel on Sunday night about Monday morning?
Well, Monday's often a day off for me. But I love what I do, never planned my career and have been very lucky to get into music and the media. I work hard at it but feel if you dread your work, you need to change jobs.
:: Joe Lindsay's new BBC Radio Ulster show Sampled will explore how old songs have been brought back to life through the art of sampling. The six-part series begins on Sunday August 29 at 6.30pm
