Jamie was lucky enough to be invited to Three Counties Radio to talk to the fantastic Tinm Wheeler to talk about his career and up and coming shows including a 60s challenge and a 60s music game.
Here is the interview in full
Tim Wheeler: [00:00:00] Now we’ve got some proper stuff to do. You’ve got some business on the show. I’ve actually- I’ve got some real stuff to do with you. I know. I’ve bothered. We’re gonna start with music. Now, this next guest is quite some geezer. He’s played 3,000 shows in more than 35 countries, won numerous awards, and tonight he’ll be on stage with his band, The Zuts, who are bringing their ’60s special to Radlett Center in Hertfordshire.
Tim Wheeler: On vocals and guitar will be the wonderful Jamie Goddard. He’s been in my studio to talk about music, clothes, the ’60s, life on the road, and pet Instagram accounts. We even played a game, uh, that was quite fun. I’ll, I’ll, I’ll tell you more about that, uh, a bit later. Um, he has, as I said, the, the greatest laugh.
Tim Wheeler: Listen to this. Like Rusty Lee on, on helium or, or acid. Anyway, here we are. Here’s part one of my conversation with Jamie from [00:01:00] The Zuts. Oh, first though, should we hear them?
Music: Yeah, come on.
Tim Wheeler: This is them performing
Music: Sigue o
Music: It’s very clear they’ve got no room
Tim Wheeler: So you were born to do this, right? ‘Cause your dad was a pop drummer in the, in the sixty s.
Jamie: Yeah, and in the seventies as well. And pretty much when I was born, he gave it up, so then I took on a career in music kind of against my mum and dad’s wishes, I guess. But Dad ended up helping me and managing me and, and doing that sort of thing.
Tim Wheeler: How far did, did, did your dad go? Was he– Did he get into, into the charts, things like that?
Jamie: Well, put it this way. He was in a band, and he got replaced by, uh, Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starkey. So he must have been good.
Tim Wheeler: Wow! That’s quite a claim, isn’t it?
Jamie: Yeah. And he was a good singer as well. Um, and he [00:02:00] played in the live band version of a band called First Class, who had a hit with Beach Baby.
Tim Wheeler: There you go. Okay.
Jamie: So, um-
Tim Wheeler: Fantastic. And I presume you’ve– uh, he’s got, like, a, a disc somewhere in the house on the wall or…
Jamie: G- He didn’t actually play on the record, so, so he didn’t get any of that. But-
Tim Wheeler: Oh, no …
Jamie: but, uh, the funny thing is that he, he gave up his music career and buried his drum kit in the garden, and we looked up how much his drum kit would be worth now, and it’s, uh, worth pr-probably about s- ten, 15 grand, and it’s buried at our old house.
Tim Wheeler: That is amazing. That is amazing. Do the people that moved into that house have any idea what’s in their garden?
Jamie: No. No, I don’t think so.
Tim Wheeler: He buried his drum kit.
Jamie: Yeah.
Tim Wheeler: What an unusual thing to do. Did y-
Jamie: I guess it was ceremonial.
Tim Wheeler: Yeah. Was this before– Did you witness the burial of
Jamie: this, or was this before you?
Jamie: No, no, it was, it was, it was all my fault, I g- I guess, just from being born.
Tim Wheeler: Oh, that is, that is so funny. Mm. But you, you, um, did you– You started playing some drums as well, right?
Jamie: Yeah, I [00:03:00] started off playing drums, um, because that’s what kind of we had lying around the house. Yeah. And then I got more into singing and guitar.
Jamie: I always did singing.
Tim Wheeler: Did I read correctly that you, you did a drum performance maybe as Animal from the, the- Ah. … the, The Muppets?
Jamie: Yes. Is
Tim Wheeler: that right?
Jamie: My stage debut, yes.
Tim Wheeler: So were you dressed up as Animal from The Muppets?
Jamie: Yeah, but there’s no photos to prove it,
Tim Wheeler: but yes. Oh, what? That’s good. What were you doing as Animal from The Muppets on stage?
Jamie: Um, oh, we were just doing a production of, um, of The Muppets, so.
Tim Wheeler: Oh, right.
Jamie: Um, I don’t know. We did Oklahoma! kind of thing. This is, like, school time, right? And we, yeah. And we did, ♪ Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da ♪ And I guess nothing’s really changed since.
Tim Wheeler: No, exactly. No, that’s great. I’ve got some strange Jamie facts to throw at you.
Tim Wheeler: Your music is used on the Chinese curriculum.
Jamie: Yes, that’s true. Um, but unfortunately there’s no, uh, copyright laws in China, so I don’t get any money from it. Oh, hang on then.
Tim Wheeler: Right, they’ve just, they’ve just nicked your music, and they’re using it.
Jamie: Well, basically, but [00:04:00] I don’t, I don’t mind because it’s quite a f- It’s nice that they listen to my m- my songs.
Tim Wheeler: Yeah. I wonder what are they, what are they, what are they teaching specifically with it? Do you know?
Jamie: What it was, it was I wrote songs for a famous singer who was English out there, so they used this, the music and the songs to help them to learn the English.
Tim Wheeler: Right, so people are using your music to learn to speak English in China.
Tim Wheeler: So this is– It’s great. There can’t be many people that, you know- No … can, can claim that. Uh, another tune of yours, in fact, I’ve got it here, actually. Another tune of yours was turned into a, an advert for, for, for Nokia. I, I’m guessing it must be this one, right? Hang on. This
Music: is one of my own songs called My
Tim Wheeler: Rocker.
Tim Wheeler: I really like this
Tim Wheeler: Mobile phone Everybody This was you on stage? Yeah. Where were you singing this? Can you remember? Oh,
Jamie: I don’t know. I
Tim Wheeler: mean, you’ve done a lot of gigs, right?
Jamie: I d- don’t know. Hammersmith Pa- Hammersmith Palais, maybe.
Tim Wheeler: Yes, you were. Um- And, and you got the crowd to sing along with the [00:05:00] lyrics. It was just Mobile Phones.
Tim Wheeler: Easy for them to- Yeah … to sing along. Was that the one that was turned into a phone advert?
Jamie: Yeah. Yeah.
Tim Wheeler: Right. I presume Nokia did pay you for that.
Jamie: Well, yeah, they did actually. And that, that’s quite good. That has brought back some memories.
Tim Wheeler: Well, let’s talk about the ’60s. Let’s talk about the ’60s show because one of the good things…
Tim Wheeler: And you, I- I’ve noticed a bit of kind of ’60s tailoring on you today, right? But you get to wear cool clothes, for a start.
Jamie: Exactly, yeah. So this is just probably something that didn’t quite get in the show.
Tim Wheeler: It’s like a collarless jacket. Um, I’m try- Yeah … I was trying to think of someone that wears one, and the only person I could think of was, um, Modi, the president of India.
Tim Wheeler: But that’s, that’s not the best comparison. No, but it
Jamie: is an Indian- It’s
Tim Wheeler: an Indian style sh- … it’s an Indian style
Jamie: jacket …
Tim Wheeler: it’s, it’s kind of like The Beatles used- Yeah … to wear these, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And a, a very cool shirt as well. Uh, w- where do you get your clothes? Or are there specialists that do these kind of ’60s clothes or?
Jamie: Yeah. I- I’d look at, uh, uh, look, go to Twinwood Festival and when we’re working at these festivals, look around the stalls [00:06:00] and, and lots of charity shops, and I’m always scouring the internet for all sorts of bargains. And then what other people do is if they see something that I like, they just buy it for me, and just things like that.
Tim Wheeler: That’s personal shoppers. I love that. Well- Personal shoppers. And, and the ’60s as a, as an era, I mean, people that grew up in the ’60s, they feel that ’60s music is… It’s more than just music to them. It’s more than just music because it was, it was part of like a whole cultural transformation of, of the world, and certainly the Western world.
Tim Wheeler: Um, what is it y- that you love about the ’60s music?
Jamie: I love the vibe about it. I love the way that the records sound, and I love how the bands were playing live a lot. So it was the first time people were playing lots and lots of gigs, and the excitement, and it just sort of feels transparent through the records and through the music.
Jamie: And, and the fact that I’m still playing ’60s music now, and it’s still relevant, [00:07:00] which, which I absolutely love, and I love the sound of the, of the 12-string guitar. I love the sound of the, of, of the drums, and the bass, and the guitar, and the voices, and the harmonies. Every- And I love the, and I love the, the, uh, the outfits, and that’s why I’ve kind of dedicated my life to it.
Tim Wheeler: Well, I think it’s a perfectly good decade to dedicate your life to. You’ve done, uh, I’m gonna say, I, I… Well, it’s probably increased by now. I’ve got 3,000 shows down as my, as my figure of how many gigs you’ve done roughly.
Jamie: Yeah, de- definitely. I’ve probably done 2,000 with The Zoots and probably 1,000 before that or just with other bands and stuff like that.
Tim Wheeler: That’s a lot of shows. D- are you on the road a- all the time? Is that your life?
Jamie: As, as much as I want to be. Um, it’s just a mixture and it’s always great fun.
Tim Wheeler: Do you have a home with possessions in it, or is there no- I
Jamie: do now. I do now. Uh, but for a long time I didn’t, and I didn’t need one.
Tim Wheeler: What is the most un- this is putting you on the spot now, but what’s the most unusual or an [00:08:00] unusual incident that occurred at one of your 3,000 shows?
Tim Wheeler: You’ve been all over the world. There must be some bonkers experiences that you’ve had on your travels.
Jamie: Yeah, lo- lots of things. Um, people often ask me about the weirdest venue. I’ve played at the Hellfire Caves in High Wycombe, and it’s- Have
Tim Wheeler: you? I’ve never been- I’ve never been in them. I really wanna… I told my wife about those.
Tim Wheeler: She’s not local. I said, “We’ve gotta go down the Hellfire Caves.” Yeah. What a cool place to play.
Jamie: Well, and then, then there’s a, there’s a kind of like a, a, a function room right down at the bottom, but you’ve got to walk there and with all the equipment and the guitars and stuff like that-
Tim Wheeler: Yeah …
Jamie: everything was covered in dust, and ev- ev- all the speakers were completely covered in dust for about six months afterwards.
Tim Wheeler: Brilliant.
Jamie: So that’s a strange one. Um, I’ve played a gig at Windsor Guild Hall, where the King got married and where Elton John got married, um, and Jimmy Page was in the audience, and I was like, “Why didn’t somebody tell me?” Probably better, just as well they didn’t tell me. I think
Tim Wheeler: that would’ve put you off, mate.
Tim Wheeler: Yeah. Come on. Jimmy Page- I
Jamie: know … is sat there watching. I know. And, and to [00:09:00] make it even worse, I was playing a Danelectro 12-string, which is one of the songs that he played on, on, on records like Kashmir and stuff like that. But yeah, but, uh, um, there’s all sorts of things. I’ll probably write a book about it one day.
Jamie: I
Tim Wheeler: mean, I think you probably should. I think you probably should. And, um, let’s do best place for food when you’re on the road. We can go, we can go country.
Jamie: Thailand, um-
Tim Wheeler: Everybody loves eating street food in Thailand, just blows their socks off.
Jamie: I think for me is the, the, the food was light, so you, you could still do a show afterwards and not feel too full.
Tim Wheeler: Yes, you don’t… Yeah, you don’t wanna have, like, a eight-course sit-down curry before a, before a big show, do you, really? It’s… Or, or a ch- or all-you-can-eat buffet. No. It’s, it’s- No … not advisable. You’re never gonna get into the tr- into the trousers for a start. Um, best country for crowd reaction. Who gives you the strongest reaction, would you say?
Jamie: I’d say the American audiences. Like, I was watching a video back of one of the shows that we did, um, from a while back, and the [00:10:00] audiences… And I just say something like to the audience, “Give it up for all the Americans,” and it just like, and it, the, the whole, like, the whole place explodes. Just the fact that you’ve kind of like- Acknowledge them
Tim Wheeler: Americans clap anything.
Tim Wheeler: I mean, they’re- … they’re, they’re, they’re very whoopee, aren’t they? They’re very whoopee.
Jamie: Uh- “
Tim Wheeler: Hi,
Music: everybody. I’ve come here from England.
Jamie: Yeah,
Tim Wheeler: we, hey” Yeah. You know, they, they do li- But, but I’m sure they were whooping for you, and I’m sure you were great, but they are very whoopee, aren’t they? You know. Well, I mean, it’s great.
Tim Wheeler: They like
Jamie: their arse. It’s good for a, um… It’s good for, like, the morale of the band. You know, I’ve listened to videos back of the shows, so everyone gets into it straightaway.
Tim Wheeler: We’ve got a, we’ve got a horrible image now of you in your pants late at night watching your own concerts back to, uh, to listen to the crowd.
Tim Wheeler: I don’t, I don’t know why you’re in your pants. I don’t know where that bit came from. Um, another unusual Jamie fact: you’ve got a dog called Donut who has his own social media. Is that right?
Jamie: Oh [00:11:00] yeah, he’s probably got more followers than I have, and my cat as well. Sh-
Tim Wheeler: What’s the cat
Jamie: called? Um, Living with Sean Connery.
Jamie: Um, he’s-
Tim Wheeler: Hang on, the, the cat is called Living with Sean Connery?
Jamie: Well, that’s the, the Instagram page.
Tim Wheeler: Right.
Jamie: Um, he’s called Sean Connery. Is he? And I don’t know why. He’s got a mustache. Don’t know why he’s got a mustache, but he has, and he’s a character.
Tim Wheeler: Now, we’re going to, um… Well, you’re gonna do- I’ve got a little game for you ’cause I always do my silly games, but you’ve got something very cool for me.
Tim Wheeler: This is something that you do at your shows, right?
Jamie: It’s a crazy thing. My dad said, “Try and do something that people can’t copy.” So, uh, what I did was I’ve, I do this sort of competition with the audience to see how many songs I can sing in, like, three, four, or five minutes. Okay. And then I try and just play as many songs, but they kind of flow, um, in a way, so as many ’60s songs as I can play in a certain amount of minutes.
Tim Wheeler: And it’s a very cool party trick. There’s Jamie from The Zuts. thezuts.com is their website. They’re playing tonight at Radlett Center in Hertfordshire. It’s a [00:12:00] 7:30 start. Go there and find your tickets. See if there’s any left. I imagine it’s gonna be a sellout. Jamie’s fantastic party trick up next.
Music: I’m gonna-
Tim Wheeler: I’m gonna count down. Three.
Music: I’ve got to let you know. I’ve got to let you- Jamie from
Tim Wheeler: The Zutons
Music: So slide over here-
Tim Wheeler: Up next
Music: And give a little-
Tim Wheeler: His party trick. You’re gonna love it
Music: I’ve got to let you know. I’ve got to let you know. You’re one of my kind.
Tim Wheeler: So here we are. Uh, I’m gonna count down. Three, two, one.
Tim Wheeler: Take it away. [00:13:00]
Music: Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Knights in white satin. Where do you go to, my lovely? When you’re alone in your bed Bachelor boy, that’s the way you stay
Music: That’s Norwegian Wood. Hey, you got to hide your love away. What’s new pussycat?[00:14:00]
Tim Wheeler: Good. Do you know what? I, um, I was meant to be counting, and then I realized halfway through that I was just singing along with the songs- … and so I’ve got no idea how many that was. But I think we can, we, we can confirm you’ve proven your point. You know lots of ’60s songs- … and you can perform them very well.
Tim Wheeler: Ah. [00:15:00] Lovely little laugh, innit? Innit a lovely little laugh? I’ve listened to it for days. People all over the world. Up next- Join hands. Gone in six tease seconds. All will be explained. People all over the world.
Tim Wheeler: Gone in 60 seconds[00:16:00]
Tim Wheeler: Full voice
Tim Wheeler: Well, I hope you’ve got a lovely tidy lawn now. As I explained to John Cleese, my lawn, it is knackered. “Your what?” He said. “Your what?” So if you’ve not heard that interview, I’ll, I’ll try and dig it out. It was, uh, quite an unusual experience. So before we say goodbye to Jamie from Zoots- Hello … one of my silly games.
Tim Wheeler: I’ve got a little game for you. This is, this is a ’60s game, okay? This is a ’60s game, and what I need to do is I need to set the scene. So we are, um, we’re in a truck in America, okay? And we’re driving down the highway, and we are trying to listen to ’60s radio, but we keep on losing the signal. Okay? So we’re only getting snippets of, of songs.
Tim Wheeler: Okay? This is, this is a very elaborate conceit for this game, for a guess [00:17:00] the tune game. Okay. This is a, a feature that I’m calling Gone in 60 Seconds. Gone in 60 Seconds. Now I made that car noise with my mouth.
Music: What? No you didn’t.
Tim Wheeler: I, I genuinely did. What? Listen. Gone in 60 Seconds. I’m so pleased with that.
Jamie: That’s brilliant.
Tim Wheeler: Not bad, was it? That’s a new talent. Now if you get the song right, you’re gonna hear this noise.
Tim Wheeler: That’s the truck horn. Okay. If you, if you, if you can’t get it or you get it wrong, you’re gonna hear this noise. That’s the siren. Okay. Okay? Uh, so that’s, that’s the game. So okay. So we’re gonna, we’re going down the… Are, are you ready? Do you understand the rules?
Jamie: Yeah. I, I hope I get some right. I’ve- ’cause, uh, it’d be embarrassing if I don’t.
Tim Wheeler: These are songs that you perform, I think. Okay.
Jamie: All right, cool.
Tim Wheeler: So, you know, um- And
Jamie: what do you want me to do? Do you want me to let me, let you know what the song is straight
Tim Wheeler: away? Yes. It’s… Well, I’m gonna play it to you. So what we can have six seconds, 60s seconds of the ’60s song-
Jamie: Okay …
Tim Wheeler: and, but with radio [00:18:00] interference, okay?
Tim Wheeler: Okay. So, and, oh, by the way, it’s not in the right order. I’ve, I’ve mixed the clips up. So it might be the beginning of the song, then the end or the middle. Okay. Just, just give it a go. Here he goes. Uh, this is your first song. Here we go.
Tim Wheeler: What are you gonna say, Jamie? What was that one?
Jamie: Uh, You Lost That Loving Feeling by the Righteous Brothers.
Tim Wheeler: Yes, it was. You get a point. Well done, you. Okay. We continue our journey through the American highways, Route 66 or somewhere like that, and this is your second song.
Jamie: I love that one
Tim Wheeler: Do you know it?
Jamie: Um, Be My Baby by… Uh, this is The Ronettes or The Shirelles?
Tim Wheeler: It’s The Ronettes. Oh. It’s The Ronettes. Well done. You’re doing very well. Okay, here’s your- There’s no prizes, by the way. Sorry, I should’ve said that at the beginning. Here’s your next one.[00:19:00]
Tim Wheeler: What are you gonna say? Good Vibrations, Beach Boys. Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys. I was genuinely concerned that this, this was gonna be far too difficult. Okay, let’s see if we can get a full house. There’s two more to go. Here’s the next one.
Jamie: I’m a believer, Monkees
Tim Wheeler: It, it was, was it the little bit of organ at the end that did it?
Jamie: Just new, and it’s just the sound
Tim Wheeler: It’s in his DNA. Okay. And the final one for a full house. Here we go.
Jamie: Sweet soul music
Tim Wheeler: It was sweet soul music, which means we can have a final truck horn And that concludes today’s one-off game that we’re calling John in 60 Seconds. Ooh. There we are. Uh, [00:20:00] Jamie, you’ve been an excellent, excellent guest on the program. Thank you so much- Oh,
Jamie: thanks for having me …
Tim Wheeler: for, for being here.
Tim Wheeler: We hope the gig is a huge success, and indeed, all of your future gigs are huge successes. Big shout-out to The Zuts, and we look forward to having you back in the s- the studio next time, maybe in a ’70s outfit.
Jamie: Maybe. And if everyone can have a look at thezuts.com for all our dates, that would be absolutely brilliant.
Tim Wheeler: Oh, you do good voices as well. Thank you, Jamie.
Jamie: Thanks for having me.
Tim Wheeler: There he is, Jamie from The Zuts. Uh, he’s a very nice guy. Thezuts.com. Uh, you can, uh, find them in Radlett Center in Hertfordshire at 7:30 tonight, so, uh, do get your tickets. Uh, now, before we get to the top of the sh- top of the hour- Chinny
Music: reckon.
