Name - Tim Hills
Date Of Birth - It's 31st October (Scary Halloween Baby!). As for the year, can I just say I'm 30 something...?
Star Sign - Scorpio
What was the first record you ever bought? - I bought two on the same day in 1979. Are Friends Electric? by Tubeway Army and Heart Of Glass by Blondie. I was about 8 years old. It was from the HMV Shop on Northumberland Street in Newcastle - when it was just a very small store that is now occupied by Ath Leisure I think. I played them over and over again until I drove everyone barmy. Before then, I'd only had my parents' record collection to play and that was mainly Rogers & Hammerstein Movie Soundtracks, Reader's Digest compilations, Shirley Bassey's Greatest Hits and those dreadful Top Of The Pops albums they used to release in the 70s with "models" on the front and none of the original artists singing the songs. Blondie and Gary Numan therefore provided some very welcome relief for my ears....
What was the last record/CD/download you bought? - The new album by The Feeling. I think it's called Join With Us
Who have you seen perform live? - Numerous! From memory and in no particular order:- Snow Patrol, Keane, Kylie, The Rolling Stones, Gary Numan, The Human League, Madonna, Take That, The Spice Girls, Blur, ABC, Kim Wilde, Sex Pistols, Roger Waters, Erasure, James, Depeche Mode, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Soft Cell, The Undertones, Go West, The Alarm, Elton, Marillion, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Smiths, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Asia, Heaven 17, David Bowie, Wham!, Paul McCartney and Basement Jaxx.
Bit of a mixed bag, as you can see! I'll try and remember some more....
Who would you love to see reform for just one final gig? - I'm going to get some stick for this.... because I know people who know me will expect me to say The Beatles, Queen or Pink Floyd. But no, my ultimate reunion gig and the one I'd pay thousands to see would be Abba. Cue mickey-taking!
What was your first ever job? - I had a Saturday job in a record shop in Newcastle. Perfect! I used to get first pick of all the limited edition stuff like coloured vinyls and shaped picture discs!
What is your favourite ever record? - That seems to change depending upon my mood or how drunk I am! One track that is always somewhere in my "Top 5" is Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack. I played it on my first Lionheart show and will try and sneak it in many more times in the future!