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College Tribune | November 12th 2008
Testing Times for a m Tom Dunne takes time out of his busy schedule to talk to Jennifer Bray about living the DJ-ing dream Interviewed in the College Tribune back in 1996 as a curly haired rocker fresh onto the DJ-ing scene with 98fm and then Today FM, his current position on the more serious and hard-hitting Newstalk is reminiscent of the transformation and change of his life at present. Twelve years ago, Dunne was the frontman of popular band Something Happens, honoured with accolades such as best Irish single of all time for the memorable ‘parachute’. Though still fronting the band, Dunne concedes that they play more in the line of “one gig a year”, quickly adding that it is still as brilliant now as it was then. Nowadays, the accolades continue to roll in. Dunne was voted Most Respected Face of the Irish Music Industry, beating of stiff competition from the likes of Bono and Van Morrison. “I was stunned. I never got a response from Bono about it, I never really brought it up with him, don’t want to make him jealous” he says in a tone that literally sags with apathy. Clearly, the plaudits mean little today. Instead, Dunne’s time is now divided between the bawling bravados of his newborn baby, as opposed to those of the rock scene he once dallied in. Tales abound, Dunne reveals the exploits and diva fits of his band. “We all had our little diva-esque moments. One day we had just finished a gig and I needed to get into the backstage area. I didn’t have any kind of pass on and I couldn’t get in. I said to the guy ‘Did you not just see the gig that just ended, no? Were you not watching the stage?’ and I remember seeing a friend looking at me, and the sort of look he gave me I just thought ‘I’m having one of the those diva moments aren’t I?’ It was one of the rarities thank God. But we were all kind of mad. “The band was an amazing life experience, with six or seven years travelling abroad and all through America. Things like the tour bus going on fire while passing trucks threw us their extinguishers always stick with me.” After this devastating loss, Dunne recounts more touring torments. “Getting left behind after a gig is another thing I won’t forget. We pulled into California, played a gig there and afterwards the band went for a drink while myself and
the roadie went for pizza. The band forgot about us and drove off about 100 miles to San Diego, while we stood there with no jackets and wallets, left walking around thinking this is some sort of joke. “I said you couldn’t forget the singer, who forgets the singer? I was ringing them, they thought it was part of a joke saying, “ Yeah, yeah you’re downstairs”. They had to drive back. Even the person I was sharing a room with, didn’t notice I wasn’t there.” Thrilling tales like these are unlikely to recur, and Dunne is unlikely to go unnoticed in a room,
Things like the tour bus going on fire while passing trucks threw us their extinguishers always stick with me
with his face plastered across random Dublin Buses and billboards all over the country. The road to such prominence, unbeknownst to many, commenced in our very own concrete cage here in UCD. A graduate of Engineering, Dunne went on work as a mechanical engineer for Aer Lingus. However, after a realisation that the mechanistic life didn’t exactly grind his cogs, he joined and went on the tour with Something Happens. He then shimmied across the room to take the role of interviewer, working for 98fm. His long-term flirtation with Today FM was a successful time for Dunne, as he revealed himself to have a keen eye on not only up and coming Irish acts but those abroad also. His compilation albums, Tom Dunne’s Definitive Pet Picks are regarded
as an assemblage of all the best in the musical sphere. At the moment, Dunne’s top tips are “Death Cab for Cutie for sure, MGMT and the Kings of Leon. Death Cab for Cutie being top of my list.” Much documented was his move to the haughtier Newstalk, and he speaks candidly about the transition. “It’s a very different type of show, the amount of time with me talking is exponential. It takes an awful lot of concentration and preparation, much more so than the shows I’ve done before, though I find it very rewarding. My dream radio show that I’ve always wanted to do is what I’m doing now, despite the fact that I didn’t know what to expect coming in to Newstalk, but I was surprised by the amount of intelligent people in there. You’re very aware that everyone is extremely tuned in to what’s going on in the world. Those in there are all very well informed right across the board.” However, as is the nature of live broadcasting, Dunne has had to hone his reflexes to deal with situations that require an extremely quick response.
One of the most recent examples of this happened a few weeks ago on a quiz for his show in which he spoke with a listener. “It was unbelievable. I got a call to the show for the quiz and she said ‘Tom, I used to know you, when you lived
in Donnybrook, remember you used to hang around with Joe?’ I couldn’t’ remember for the life of me and obviously you don’t want to admit that, so I said ‘ah, Joe, yes. How is he?’. She replied, ‘He’s great. He’s gone to God Tom.’ The initial reaction live on air is to say well that’s great, cause