Rhys 1963

son/father/count/dj/islander

When I catch up with Rhys — or “The Count”, as he’s known on air — I’m taken straight back to 1976, when two twelve‑year‑olds (we are the two twelve-year-olds) walked into a school classroom and realised they were the entire class. From that moment, a friendship was built on shared trouble, fast laughs, and the kind of music discovery that rewires your brain for life.

I trace the soundtrack that shaped him: early punk, the Sex Pistols, The Jam, and those late‑night sessions with Radio Luxembourg under the pillow. We talk about the ritual of taping the Sunday chart, praying the DJ wouldn’t talk over the intro, and the thrill of buying your first record with pocket money. There are stories of Sid Vicious, chapel rebellion, and the gigs that still live in your chest decades later — from the emotional punch of Live Aid to festival moments that turn grown adults into emotional wrecks.

Then the conversation widens into real life: leaving school, scraping together work, joining the Merchant Navy, even getting deported from the US, before eventually building a long career in a trade that somehow keeps brushing up against pop culture. The biggest pivot is Monster Radio Lanzarote, where Rhys explains how a modern community station really works: no playlists, real presenters, giveaways, listener interactivity, and a commitment to local charities. It’s a brilliant reminder that radio is far from dead — it’s simply evolved.

If you love music podcasts, radio stories, 1970s and 1980s nostalgia, or honest conversations about how songs help us carry joy and loss, you’ll feel right at home here.

And if you’re listening, share it with someone who still remembers their first Walkman, and leave us a review with the one song you’d play to your younger self.

Bits & Bobs

• Sex Pistols
• Pistol - TV Mini Series
• The Jam
• Listen to The Count on Monster Radio as he counts down all the number ones from his birthday in April 1963 to the present day.
• George Thorogood - Get A Haircut
• https://monsterradio.tv
• Monster Radio App
• My Isle of Wight Festival 2013 Boomtown Rats

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