life style
Giddings On... Isle Love
“After coming here for a few years I decided I’d like a base. “Forgetting the music for a second, I love being here and going around the Island and seeing places like Carisbrooke Castle and Osborne House.
IMAGES: Left John backstage for an interview with Absolute Radio. Above, on the festival site getting
ready for the crowds. Right: A young John relaxing in what would become his trademark leather jacket.
the wind in the grass, it’s like you can feel the ghosts of what went before. “If you kick the ground you’ll find an old
rusty Coke bottle top from 1970 buried a few inches down.” Following an impassioned plea from John, and much argument for and against, it even- tually came down to a nerve-wracking vote in the Council Chambers. He smiles: “My heart was in my mouth but they voted 8-7 in favour of resurrecting the event. “One person was responsible for ensuring the Festival would be brought back. Tere but for the grace of God.” He relaunched the Festival in 2002 with the one-day event attracting 10,000 people and headlined by Te Charlatans and Robert Plant. After losing a small fortune the council de- cided to hand over the reins to him the fol- lowing year. Te next event ran for two days and attracted 15,000 revellers who lapped up the likes of Paul Weller and Bryan Adams. Ten in 2004, John and his team man-
aged to pull in a line-up that included Da- vid Bowie, Te Who and Stereophonics. Te weekend sold out with 30,000 attending. By referencing the Festival’s history with
classic acts and combining them with ac- claimed contemporary artists, he had hit on a winning formula. Tis time around John will toast his 10th open-air event by staging scores of bands in
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front of around 35,000 party-goers a day. He reveals the logistics of ensuring the Fes- tival runs smoothly are mind-boggling. John says: “I usually go on site about 10
days beforehand - it takes that long to set up. “We have the closing of roads, the bring- ing in of the stage, the setting up of infra- structure. Organising the food alone is a nightmare. “It’s exactly like running an army except the people have different kinds of uniform. “On the day of the Festival itself I start with breakfast then we have a big, big production meeting. “We discuss potential problems and what’s
going on in and around the site. Everyone has to know everything down to the nth degree.“One small thing going wrong can have a massive knock-on effect. “But if I’ve planned the weekend properly
I only need to become involved if we have a huge problem. Normally I’m riding on top of it and everyone else is doing the work. “Tat allows me time to go out and hope-
fully see one or two songs from the main bands. “I like to get out into the audience. People always come up to me and say what they like or don’t like. Tat is great. “Tose people are paying good money for me to entertain them and I respect them for giving me an opinion. I think it’s my job to encounter them and see what they are loving or not enjoying so I can get it right in the future.”
CNTD OVER May / June 2011 69
“There are tonnes of great things on this island - including fabulous local produce. I was out for lunch on Mother’s Day at The Priory Bay and prob- ably had the best beef I’ve ever tasted. “I’m surprised people don’t know so much more about the qual- ity that is available here when it is within striking distance of London. “I can leave my house be here within two-and-a- half hours - door-to-door. “I think if you built a bridge across you would destroy the whole char- acter and make it far too accessible. “I think the location, the combina- tion of being on an island but not in the middle of nowhere, the fact it is a bit more civilised than other events I go to sets the Festival apart.” He adds: “Even now I love coming over to the island on the ferry. I go on both routes and sit with my cappuccino and enjoy the crossing.
“It’s like going on holiday and taking a break from reality. The ferry is all part of the experience. “I actually booked a ferry just for the Rolling Stones when they came over and headlined in 2007. “They gave Amy Wine- house a lift across and I still have this vision of
Keith Richards standing in the cafe on the ferry. t’s brilliant.”
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