Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

4 Extra Debut. From Don McLean to Johnny Cash. Comedian Johnny Vegas shares his castaway choices with Kirsty Young. From October 2010.

From Don McLean to Johnny Cash. Comedian Johnny Vegas talks to Kirsty Young about his music castaway choices.

As a stand-up comic he made his name as one of the most brilliant and unpredictable acts on the circuit. His stage persona was a belligerent drunk who would heckle his own audience. But the more successful he became, the more the similarities between his own life and his stage character seemed to blur. "I found popularity through self-destruction" he says, "and that can be quite addictive".

In recent years, he has cut down on his drinking, lost weight and now got engaged - all part of a plan to ensure he reached his 40th birthday and could be a proper father to his young son. "Life's actually turned around and been very good to me," he says.

DISC ONE: Johnny Cash - Hurt
DISC TWO: Deacon Blue - Dignity
DISC THREE: The Who - Love Reign O'er Me
DISC FOUR: Pulp - Common People
DISC FIVE: Colin Hay - Waiting for My Real Life to Begin
DISC SIX: The Beautiful South - Domino Man
DISC SEVEN: The La’s - There She Goes
DISC EIGHT: Don McLean - Vincent

BOOK CHOICE: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Robert Tressell
LUXURY CHOICE: Kiln
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Johnny Cash - Hurt

Producer: Leanne Buckle

First broadcast on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4 in 2010.

45 minutes

Last on

Mon 18 Mar 2024 04:00

Broadcasts

  • Sun 17 Mar 2024 10:00
  • Sun 17 Mar 2024 15:00
  • Sun 17 Mar 2024 21:00
  • Mon 18 Mar 2024 04:00

The Desert Island Discs podcast

Subscribe or download individual episodes.

Listen to over 2,000 programmes

Click above to browse castaways, from 1942 to today.

Articles

Read the surprising things we've learned about some stand-out castaways.