Daniel Cann

Well, like the presenter, this is no typical autobiography with the usual structure of birth, early years, struggle and finally success. Rather this is a scatological look at his present life, incidents that shaped him on his way up and observations on the industry and life in general. Some will either view this approach as refreshing or a bit of a cop out. Personally I thought this free-flowing way of telling his story made the book more interesting and readable.

Listeners of his show will all know he was born in Leeds and he is thirty something, so we don’t really need to know too much about his formative years. Instead we learn about how he was obsessed with music and radio as a twelve year old and desperately wanted to be a DJ. He recounts calling a local station repeatedly as a young lad and the buzz it gave him of being on air. From that moment that is all he wanted to do. He describes working for hospital radio and for the radio in a Topshop store in his hometown. These episodes are all told with endearing wit and honesty.

Interspersed with the telling of his life so far Moyles describes his team that work with him on his popular Radio One show. We are given insights and light-hearted opinions of stalwarts like Comedy Dave, Rachel, Aled, Dominic and Carrie. He also talks about his love for Leeds United. To listeners of his show this is all familiar territory and they will be rewarded with plenty of added detail and information on the set-up and what goes into the show.

What is more interesting for the general reader is the story of Moyles’ climb up the ladder. The stories of how he worked at Radio Luxembourg as an eighteen year old and one particular episode involving a visit from his father and brother are amusing and revealing. It is clear that Moyles is a family man and keeps close links to his home, rather than the egomaniac motor mouth he is often accused of being a rather different picture emerges through the course of the book. Of course there is shameless name-dropping of the ‘Oh, I met superstar X, Y or Z and this is what I thought of them’ variety. But this remember is his job! He talks to the famous in the entertainment industry and here he lets the reader know what he thinks. This frankness has led to some labelling him as rude and abrupt but surprisingly during the course of this book I found a more sensitive and serious side to the DJ.

He takes his work very seriously and explains that any success he has had is all down to hard work, graft and dedication. Stints at Radio Aire, a radio station in Bradford called the Pulse and Signal One at Stoke-on-Trent bear this out. These episodes show what a struggle it all was, as he had to deal with difficult personalities and the hierarchy at local radio stations that did not take to this young upstart. This is all told in an exasperated and self-deprecating way. One thing is clear, Moyles is always honest as he painfully remembers being sacked from some stations and lauded at others. He talks about his defeats as well as his victories, so rather than the book coming across as a glossed over account of his rise to the top he adds substance and is more revealing as a consequence.

When he finally does break the big time you feel that it has been the reward for a long hard slog. Yes he can be harsh and blunt at times, but also he admits to his shortcomings and does not try to hide anything. It is an honest open account of someone who cares about his job and his family and clearly loves it all. The book is full of wit and humour and a must for Chris Moyles fans and an interesting light-hearted diversion for even those that are not.