Pop: Riffs

Clint Boon Talks About His First And Latest Records

Rock Around The Clock

Bill Haley and His Comets

He wasn't a sex symbol like Elvis; Bill Haley was a band leader, more like a Noel Gallagher - a chubby looking lad with a kiss curl on his forehead, who played guitar and sang and had a great band. Noel will kill me for saying that. The single cost the equivalent of 75p in 1970 when I was 11 and I occasionally still play it when DJ-ing at the Fab Cafe in Manchester. Bill Haley always goes down really well. He was one of the original rock and rollers. It's the music that gave birth to pop, with its simple melodies and lyrics that kids can relate to. The best thing about being born in 1959 is to have experienced popular music in its entirety.

Empire Made

Compilation of Mod music

It's all the obvious mod tracks, most of which I have already but it's nice to have them all on one record. There are a lot of types of mod music, but Louie Louie by the Kingsmen is an example of a definitive mod sound. When I DJ there are a few mods who come in and I was struggling with Small Faces, the Kinks and the Jam and thought it was time to splash out on a compilation of mod tracks. I love mod music anyway, and I never play what I don't love. It's the image and the whole lifestyle thing that appeals to me. And the immaculate suits. I was a biker back in the early Eighties when Quadrophenia had just come out and there were loads of mods and rocker battles again. I had one of the biggest bikes - the ultimate Honda Goldwing - but I aligned myself more with mods than rockers. I actually met Ray Davies when the Inspiral Carpets recorded in his studios - he is an icon.

Clint Boon is the former frontman of Inspiral Carpets. The Clint Boon Experience release their debut album The Compact Guide To Pop Music And Space Travel (Artful) on 13 September.