Fun Lovin’ Criminals mainman and BBC 6 Music DJ Huey Morgan is presenting from the red carpet for Barclaycard Unwind at the 2011 Barclaycard Mercury Prize Albums Of The Year. Leave your questions for nominees and attendees at facebook.com/barclaycard.
The English riots taught him a lesson.
My son was born on the eighth, and when I left the hospital, I waved a taxi down. He slowed down but he wouldn’t quite stop, he was looking at me and I took my hat off and was like, ‘Yo, I’m not a crazy person,’ and he said ‘Oh, I see grey in your beard, yeah, come on in.’ I was like, ‘Thank you, I think.’ – I’m too old to riot.
Despite having applied to be a fireman, he’s only used pyrotechnics on stage once, because they were too hot.
I can see why Michael Jackson didn’t want pyrotechnics around when he was alive. When he died, he probably wanted a whole bunch of them. He would have been like [Jackson voice] ‘Hey man, I want 900,000 pyrotechnics under my body, to blow my body up into the sky, into the clouds in Neverneverland.’ And Tito and Jermaine are looking at each other like, “F*** that s***, man, let’s just cremate him, he ain’t gonna know.’
He’s a man of letters.
My mother is an editor, and she always encouraged me to write letters. And it worked better as I became an adolescent and had girlfriends. You could write them a letter to tell them how you feel about them – because you’re maybe a bit shy if you’re a kid, y’know. You can’t say [Barry White voice] ‘You mooove me, baby,’ but you can write it down.
Fatherhood is his next adventure.
Actually, I wrote a letter for my baby, before he was born. Things that he might have to find in his life if we’re not around. Certain things he can look to, to inspire him, to get past any problems he might have. I thought it was the least I could do.’
He’s been beaten up by a bull.
F***ing Jack Osbourne! He says he’s my friend. He says, ‘Come to Mexico City and we’ll learn how to box.’ So we’re learning from these really good boxers – I’m getting my ass kicked by this 5’1” woman. It’s not working out for me. Then, he’s like, ‘We’ll do some agility training.’ So, imagine this, it’s me, Craig David and Jack Osbourne –it’s like the beginning of a joke – in this bullring. And they’re like, ‘No, it’s fine, it’s going to be a baby bull.’ So I was thinking it was going to be knee height, and cute. And then out comes this full-sized bull, man! I tried to dodge it and it worked, but I fell over. And the bull looked at me, and then looked over at Jack Osbourne and said, ‘Oh, I want him,’ and attacked me.
He enjoys hearing rumours about himself.
The best one was my wife asking me what Naomi Campbell was like as a person. She was like, ‘Is Naomi Campbell cool?’ I was like, How the f*** would I know? And she said, ‘Well, you dated her!’ I was like, ‘I didn’t date Naomi Campbell! I’ve never met Naomi Campbell.’
He finds out about it when you insult him.
Another funny thing I read about myself was in Time Out magazine, when we put Loco out. It said something like ‘It’s a good record, but the increasingly rotund Huey…’ I was like, [sad voice] ‘I’m not fat. I’m not fat!’ Ha ha! I’m a regular-sized guy! I don’t have a muffin top when I take my shirt off. I work out every day, I’m tight! And your writers are like [Cruella De Vil voice] ‘He’s fat as a cow! Look at him!’
