Tim Grundy - Rest in Peace

The passing of a radio colleague brings me here. Tim Grundy and I worked together as part of the launch team for KEY 103 FM, in Manchester, England. The station in case you didn't know, goes down in history for me as the one having the most esoteric positioning statements of all time! 'Music not music' is how it went. Voiced by Steve Coogan, now a big ass star in Hollywood, the on air mentions of the slogan are still the strangest identifiers to hit the airwaves.

The sad news about Tim came via email the way most news seems to come these days. I'm guessing that there are people who avoid the bad - news phone call, and instead send an email about the serious stuff. Tim was a decent guy and left us far too young at just 50. My condolences to Tim's wife and children as well as friends and colleagues. Tim had broadcasting in his blood, literally. I remember being very impressed, learning from Tim himself that his Dad had interviewed The Sex Pistols! It was at the height of, what I call the great punk rock scare when Bill Grundy had them on his television show. Johnny Rotten and the boys dropped a few choice words and the rest is history. Made national news across Britain. A much more exciting day at the office than my own father was having at the time, I'm sure. Tim went on to be quite successful in broadcasting, not in the shadow of his father, but on his own merits. He started as a tea -boy. Now there's an english thing eh? Much like an intern these days, a tea -boy would bring tea, fetch this and that - a general gaffer if you will. From there Tim rose to the ranks of full blown broadcaster doing Radio and Television.

So it's been a week of thinking about old times, and it's strange the things you remember in times like these. I can vividly remember Tim, who was a huge music lover playing me The Lotus Eaters track "The First Picture of You". Still think of him everytime I hear that song.

Rest in Peace Tim.

AB