Manchester’s LGBT residents have found an antidote to the house-heavy scene influence of Gaydar Radio with the city’s own community station, Gaydio. Now available worldwide, via the internet and mobile apps, SSG caught up with the station’s charismatic breakfast show host, Chris Holliday, to talk airwaves, pride and topless running.
SSG: What’s the best thing about working for a gay radio station?
Chris Holliday: Being involved – it’s so different. It gets a bit of criticism sometimes: ‘why do you need a radio station just for gays’. Well it’s not just for gays; it’s things from a gay perspective – being able to talk about things on breakfast like ‘oh god, he was fit’. It’s just about being accessible to everyone, really; there are times when you get an email from a 15-year-old saying ‘I’m not out but I listen to Gaydio and it’s good to hear it’s fine to be gay – there’s even a radio station for it’. It’s all camp, but it’s got a point.
How did the station get started?
In 2006 we wanted to create a station for two weeks over Manchester pride festival. It went quite well, and the response was good. We did another two weeks the following year, and kind of built from that. We did a one-month broadcast in February for LGBT history month and had a great response – it was clear that people wanted to listen. It didn’t need a pride festival to be relevant.
How does Gaydio differ from Gaydar Radio?
We’ve got a bit more variety. They’re more dancey; we do dance too, but I think we have a wider audience. We have lots of women on out shows, too. Gaydar aims quite a lot at the scene, and going out clubbing, which is good, but we have shows like The Exchange at lunchtimes, which looks at news from a gay perspective. Some people don’t want full-on boom, boom, boom dance tunes. It’s great if you do, but if you don’t there’s an alternative.
On your show you share your daily ‘gayest moment’. Reversing that: what’s been your straightest moment?
Probably also my gayest moment – going to football last night. I’d been once before; the only thing I remember was that I couldn’t go for a wee at half time because there were so many men around, the stage fright kicked in. It was quite an experience! I quite enjoyed it this time, actually.
Are you going to become a regular can-wielding football hooligan now?
I don’t know. You can see how people get involved but people take it to extremes and I thought ‘I can’t be arsed.’ But there were tight shorts, so…
Talking tight shorts, you’ll be running the London Marathon next month.
Yeah – I’m a bit of a runner anyway. It’s the only time I switch of. Just me and some music. No phones. Just running. My friend asked me to run. He set up a charity, called Miracles in Bosnia, after the war for kids who lost limbs to land mines.
So what are your killer running tracks?
My favourite album is Freemasons’ Shakedown 2. It’s proper tops-off, go, go, go. Not that I take my top off. I did do once, when I worked in France. It was really hot; I took it off and ran through a village full of nuns. I think they were a bit shocked.
You can catch Chris Holliday’s breakfast show weekday’s mornings from 7.00am at www.gaydio.co.uk, or by downloading the Gaydio app for free on your iPhone. For more information about Miracles visit their website.
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