The first song I fell in love with
The Boy in the Bubble when I was six or seven. My parents were really into Paul Simon and would always listen to Graceland. This is track one, so that’s the one I remember. It’s still a classic album.
The first single I bought
Do the Bartman by the Simpsons, from Our Price in Newton Abbot, where I did most of my early record shopping. It’s the same place I bought World in Motion by New Order and a lot of the Now That’s What I Call Music … albums.
The song I wish I’d written
I saw a documentary that said Happy Birthday by Patty and Mildred J Hill is the highest-grossing song of all time. If I’d written it, I’d be the richest man in … well, I wouldn’t be in comedy.
The song I do at karaoke
The Smiths hit me when I was a student in Manchester. They were certainly the band I listened to the most. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out reminds me of going out on the piss for £20 and not having to bother getting up in the morning.
The record that changed my life
Parklife by Blur was the album that changed my music taste and defined it for ever more. I got it for Christmas 1994. Blur were my specialist subject on Celebrity Mastermind. I got two wrong. I’m glad I didn’t get them. You’ve got to look like you’ve got some sort of life.
The song I can no longer listen to
They’d play Something 4 the Weekend by Super Fury Animals before my second ever run of Edinburgh shows. I associate it with nerves, nausea and utter fear. I chose it because I thought it would get me in the mood for the gig. Now if I hear it, it reminds me of being backstage thinking: “Oh God, I hope they don’t hate me.”
The best song to play at a party
It would have to be an indie disco classic, like Girl from Mars by Ash, which reminds me of dancing at Fifth Avenue in Manchester at 50p a bottle.
The song I want played at my funeral
To the End by Blur. Then, after that, I’d have side two of the Beatles’ Abbey Road in a 20-minute mashup. Can I have that? Hey, it’s my funeral!
Josh Widdicombe: Not My Cup of Tea tours from September.
Source: theguardian.com
