Yesterday I read the brilliant #autobiography 'No One Listens To Your Dad's Show (From Number One To No one)' by @mrchristianoconnell
UK readers will probably recognise Christian, as a radio DJ in London, he held the number one spot nationally and was well loved by locals and celebrities alike. What was not known was that he was suffering from crippling anxiety and panic attacks that put his entire career at risk. He quit his job and moved both his career and family to the other side of the world, to my chosen hometown, Melbourne, to work for Gold104.3FM, into one of the tightest radio markets in the world.
Now I inadvertently was an early listener of Christian's show, having reluctantly aged out of Triple J (you know the relationship is over when you're grumbling about how kids today don't know what real music is) and it was actually the twenty-billion billboards and ads for his show that drew me to turn the radio dial in my car over to Gold FM, where I've stayed ever since. What I didn't know was just how much flak and shit Christian was copping from my fellow Melbournian's, for daring to be a Pom on our networks, for not being a voice they were used to, for not doing things the way they were used to.
This book is a fantastic read, both moving and hilariously funny. In his usual open style, Christian has woven a brilliant yarn, the story of the blow in who worked bloody hard to get where he's gotten to, who bravely faced a less than impressed public and forced the massive to love him, all whilst trying not to fully fall apart.
I highlighted quite a few passages as I went through this book, of a similar age, I'm asking a lot of the same questions about life right now and found much of what Christian ruminated on resonating strongly, especially "[The] First half of life is kind of what the world wants from me; the second half, what does my soul need?"
#highlyrecommend
5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐