Carl Kingston - The Radio Caroline Years
Enjoy Alan’s Interview with Carl Kingston - The Radio Caroline Years.
Hi Carl, what I’m doing is a follow up book to GREAT IDEA with a sequel called THAT’S HOW IT WAS, and following the stories of many International DJs like yourself and your passionate love of music taking you right through your whole career. Now with you, you have done the Swiss Clubs mainly and you’ve done an awful lot of radio but just I’m doing a feature article about Radio Caroline and wish to interview some of the DJs I worked with to hear your experience of working on it. Which ship were you on? I Understand there were five ships used?
No, there were only two ships originally, then later there was the ROSS REVENGE the ship that I was on so three in all.
When were you there?
I went to the relaunch of Caroline which was in the mid eighties onto the biggest Caroline Ship ever and anchored in the North Sea.
I was working at the Casino in Montreux if you remember, in Switzerland when I put an advert in Billboard magazine, as my second child was about to be born and I wanted to return back to England. And, I also thought about trying to get work in America so I put an advert in Billboard.
I didn't get any response from the advert whatsoever except a phone call from a guy called Peter Tait, who is sadly no longer with us and he called me, he was from Croydon, and, one of his friends, the late Dale Winton had been offered radio on Radio Caroline. So, Peter was chatting with me and he said “Looks like I’ll be going to Caroline, would you like to join me?” So, I said, yes, of course I would. To cut a long story short I had to fast track making a demo for Radio Caroline and I had to send it to a lady called Annie Challis, who was Rod Stewart’s manager and who was helping Ronan O’Rahilly run Radio Caroline station. I sent the tape recorded delivery to Peter who in turn gave it to Annie who contacted me and asked if I would like to go out to Caroline. So , I took that opportunity.
I cancelled all my gigs, and Dougal (Peter Allen), God rest his soul, came to live with us and he did all my gigs whilst I was on Caroline. Later, Dougal also, I got him on Caroline. It was probably the best experience of my life. It was just amazing. Earlier I did some work for the Dutch service of Caroline, Radio Mi Amigo, with pop music reports, but I didn’t get to work for Caroline itself. When Caroline sank, with Stevie Gordon on board, everyone thought well that was that, Caroline wouldn’t come back again. But, lo and behold it did, in the form of this incredible ship, the most powerful one of all with so many former famous Radio Caroline DJs from the 60’s and then new names as well.
Incredible because in those days, we didn’t have internet, we didn’t have telephones and things like that so,you would get mail from LosAngeles and it was unbelievable, mail from everywhere. I kept a small portion of the mail because I thought it’ll be interesting to retain all that adulation and feedback from all over the world. Just to feel the response from the audience about everything we were doing and it elevated my career. When I got back on shore leave to get back to doing some gigs and also did some voice overs, and commercial radio stations around the uk, they would recognise my name. So got better known that way too which increased my voice over work.
What I want to ask you, did you meet Ronan? And ,if so, how did you get on with him and what was he like to work with?
Yes, of course. I got on with him fine, he was quite a character. When he came to pay you, it was quite strange, he would put his hand into his left breast side of his suit jacket and he’d pull out Dutch Guilders, then he’d put his hand into his back trouser pocket and there were dollars!. Then, he’d put his hand into his right hand side breast pocket and he’d have Sterling. It was very funny how you got paid. I was very lucky because when I went I said to Annie Challis I am married, I have two kids, I can’t afford to be going and working somewhere for absolutely nothing and Annie Challis looked after me completely. I mean, I got paid!
You mean some of them didn’t get paid?
Possibly, well, everybody got paid but it was varying amounts. I still have the recorded delivery envelopes that Annie sent to my wife, Sue. There would be a letter inside saying there was more coming.
Was it always cash, Carl?
Always cash. And, always in multiple currencies. With Annie Challis it was always pounds to Sue.
As a DJ onboard were you free to play anything you wanted or did you have to comply with playlists?
I was free to play what I wanted. They had an enormous record library and I could listen to what I wanted. I could hear all the new albums. We had total freedom.
Just one more thing about Ronan, what was his style of management?
It was very much you were on the ship with the rest of the broadcast team. Yeah he was into the love and hippie thing, but you were allowed to do what you did within a guideline. I always observed to take care of the points each station wanted you to take care of.
How long were you on the ship for?
I did a number of stints but I don’t remember how many in total. You could be onboard six weeks and we always went out from the UK coast. It was a myth that we went out from Holland. We went out from Brightlingsea and places like that in little boats. That was the worse thing actually having to climb those ropes to get on board because I don’t swim at all.
Were you not allowed to be seen? Did it all have to be on the quiet..?
Yes, nothing was ever supposed to be delivered to the Radio Caroline ship. It was cloak and dagger.
Another thing is that Carl Kingston is my real name. When I started they said Carl Kingston is not your real name is it? I replied yes it is. I am not having my career known under another name. I am building a career I am not going to destroy it by becoming Fred Smith for a period of my career.
It was such an amazing experience, almost surreal I remember all those boats with listeners coming out from the UK being invited out to the ship under cover of darkness. You felt like you were a God but you are just an ordinary person doing the thing that you love.
It was quite incredible the adulation you got, the out pouring of love for Caroline, and the concept for free commercial radio. The only reason I left was that I was hoping to go to Viking Radio which was just about to start up. And, then when I was on shore leave from Caroline, I got a call from the BBC and asked if I was interested in a daily show, I said well I will lay my cards on the table I was waiting for another offer. But this was a proper contract and salary. I asked what was going to happen because Viking weren’t sure what their broadcast hours would be. They suggested if I had a concrete offer from the BBC I should take it because they couldn’t guaranteed anything at that time. In the meantime I went back to Caroline for another tour of duty, and then joined the BBC for about a year when I heard from the BBC they had a needle time cutback. So I left the BBC, Humberside on a Friday and started with Viking on the Saturday which was quite funny because they took me straightaway.
Where are you now by the way?
I’m in Basel. I have a flat here, retired now with a Swiss pension. With all the contracts you gave me I paid it into the Swiss system
Thanks Carl, some wonderful insight to life on board there, thank you.
Did you speak to Steve Gordon? He was on the Mi Amigo when it sank. His was the last voice on Radio Caroline!