UP CLOSE in the Maldon District: Local radio legend Ray Clark to release memoir about his lifelong love for broadcasting
Ray Clark, a familiar voice on Radio Caroline and BBC Essex over the last four decades, has spoken to Nub News ahead of the release of his memoir, 'Stay Tuned – I Could Say Something Brilliant at Any Moment'.
A lifelong passion, Ray's career in radio took off in the mid-1980s, when he was recruited to work on Radio Caroline. The former pirate radio station remains close to his heart, and he still occasionally presents shows on Caroline following his retirement. He can also be heard on BBC Essex.
Ray's new book "tells the tale of a young lad growing up in Burnham and listening to the radio".
He told Nub News: "I was smitten with radio. I took the longest possible route to get there, but since then I've presented breakfast shows on BBC Radio, commercial radio, and broadcasted around the world.
"It's a dream come true, really. It's what I've always wanted to do."
Before getting the call to work for Radio Caroline, Ray's first job was in an office -ironically - working for the BBC.
Ray said: "Even at that time, I wanted to get on the radio. But there was no chance that was going to happen. Then a chum of mine encouraged me to work on the buses.
"I thought that sounded more exciting than putting numbers on pieces of paper. I loved it, but I still wanted to get on the radio.
"By DJ-ing discos and goodness knows what else, the chance was there. But it wasn't the normal route that any sane person would take."
Despite his successful career in all aspects of radio, Ray has always struggled with a sense of self-doubt.
Ray continued: "We're a strange bunch of people, disc jockeys. When the needs must, we can be outgoing and larger than life. But I'm never happier than when I'm hiding away."
Broadcasting to thousands of people a day may be a daunting prospect for many, but Ray treats his audience as if they were a single listener.
He said: "There's only ever one person listening to me, as far as I'm concerned. That was part of what I learned while listening to the radio and when I started at Radio Caroline.
"It was the very best place to learn your trade – stuck on a ship, 18 miles off the coast, with no way home for two months – it was the best!
"I've even read the news with a brown paper bag in my hand."
However, Ray's lack of confidence very nearly ended his radio career before it had really begun. Ray went back to driving coaches for a year, until a friend convinced him he was best placed on the radio.
He added: "Once you're on board, you're on your way. But the challenge is having the courage to jump on the merry-go-round."
The veteran DJ explored the history of Radio Caroline in 'The True Story of the Boat that Rocked'. He has also written about Burnham Carnival, and about the infamous Weeley Festival.
In 'The Great British Woodstock: The Incredible Story of the Weeley Festival 1971', Ray describes how around 150,000 music fans descended on the small village. Huge acts including Marc Bolan's T Rex, Mott the Hoople, and Status Quo performed – and Rod Stewart publicly debuted his song 'Maggie May' at the event.
"The Hell's Angels turned up. There was an almighty scrap between them and the caterers – but the Hell's Angels came off worse and were arrested," Ray recalled.
"Then, somebody ran off with all the money!"
Ray went from being a presenter to running radio stations, setting stations up, and even winning international radio awards.
Having worked on local, national, and international radio stations, Ray insists that local radio is vital.
He added: "But it has to be done properly. The trouble is people have different ideas as to what 'properly' is.
"Personally, I would like to see more successful local radio stations, rather than a few successful local ones."
Talk radio and music stations offer different opportunities for Ray, who enjoys both.
Ray said: "I love to get as many songs as I can into an hour and make witty comments in between the links. That's a challenge – and it keeps my aging brain active.
"Equally, if I'm doing a talk programme for the BBC, the whole point is to find out about people. That's where I thrive on those stories. I just love building a story up, finding out how things happened, and what makes people tick."
Ray looked back on his involvement with the Maldon Mud Race, which will take place this Sunday (May 14). He took part in it around 25 years ago and spent several years commentating the event.
He recalled: "A sane person only really ever does it once. Actually, a sane person probably wouldn't do it at all.
"One of my great prides is being responsible for a false start. It was a very cold day, and there were thousands of people waiting to see the Mud Race."
Ray was asked to stall for 15 minutes, while organisers scrambled to make the final preparations.
He continued: "I decided to organise the biggest Mexican wave that Maldon had ever seen. To bide myself more time, I started counting down from 20 rather than five.
"I took as long as I could to get to 'three... two... one... go'.
"Not only did we have a huge Mexican wave, but the contestants took that as the starting signal and off they went.
"I didn't dare call them back!"
Stay Tuned – I Could Say Something Brilliant at Any Moment will be published on June 1. Signed copies of the book are available to purchase via Ray's website.
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