On the folding chair: radio DJ Gerard Ekdom (44). He is one of the presentersof the Top 4000 on Radio 10 from Sunday. An interview based on keywords abouthis stage duet with Meat Loaf, his mother’s love for Julio Iglesias and theprimal power of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Stefan RaatgeverDecember 3, 202203:00
Utrecht
“My city anyway. Although I grew up in Bilthoven and have been living in Soestfor years now. But Utrecht was the center of our attention when I was growingup. Eating out every Sunday at Alessandro and Rita’s pizzeria in the center.And when possible to the record store of course. The first time I wanted_Thriller_ of Michael Jackson, but my father thought it was too expensive. Igot the single from Beat It. Also nice, but different.”
“My parents had a flower shop in Bilthoven. My mother determined the music inthe store and at home. Often the radio, but at home her own music. She had aneclectic taste, ranging from Arie Ribbens to Julio Iglesias. When there wereparties at home, she managed the record player. On Barry Whites You ‘re theFirst, the Last, My Everything was danced. I heard that from my bedroomupstairs, because by then I was already in bed.”
Junk bomb
“My first program at the Bilthoven Local Broadcasting Foundation. I was 14years old, had done a voice test and was allowed to try it. I couldn’t believemy luck. You had at the time Ringing bumpkin with Jeroen van Inkel and also_Ronflonflon_ with Jacques Ceiling. I also wanted something like that. So thatwas Junk bomb with Gerard Ekdom.”
“It was Saturday, November 28, 1992, two o’clock in the afternoon and off Iwent. Flying for the first time. I remember everything about that broadcast.The first plate was RadarLove of the Golden Earring. And then came Be MyBaby by Vanessa Paradis, because that was Bilthoven’s most popular album thatweek. I had done my own research on the street, read: the schoolyard. Well, Idid have my own item. As I walked out of the studio, I thought everyone in thevillage had heard me. It was somewhat disappointing that life turned out tohave continued as normal.”
4:44 am
“The alarm time of my alarm clock. I have a love-hate relationship with wakingup early. I get to do what I love to do, make radio. And at a very prominenttime. But I am naturally a night owl. Getting up early is just hard for me.Especially now that it’s dark and cold outside. What I do like: the morningshow immediately means peaks. At the end of the morning I slowly sink in andafter lunch I have a siesta. Then part two of the day begins. I actuallyalways stretch that too long. I should be in between eight and nine, but itregularly gets to half past eleven.”
Ridiculously cozy
“That’s what you could call the atmosphere in the studio, yes. With me it isalways 32 degrees and clear blue. I look for laughter as much as possible.When the pandemic broke out, after a while I realized: we have to work aroundthis. The program became too heavy. Of course it was in the news bulletins,but otherwise I didn’t drop the word corona anymore. Our show had to be a kindof cheerful antidote. Soon all morning shows adopted that method. We are doingthe same with the war now. I notice from my listeners that they really likethat, a world without all that misery for a while.”
Lennon
“My eldest son. Or do you mean the musician? My Lennon is named, yes. I playedthe number on the radio Beautiful Boy by John Lennon. Nicole was pregnant,we knew of a boy. I listened through the headphones to that song, which endswith Lennon whispering to his son. Then I knew for sure: it had to be Lennon.My mother was still alive then, but we knew she didn’t have long. We were theonly ones who told her the name. My father was not allowed to know and she didnot tell him. Unfortunately, she did not live to see Lennon’s birth.”
4000
“Sting said when he opened the list in 2020: ‘ Top 4000? That ‘s a lot ofsongs‘. And he was right. We’ll do it in three weeks. On Christmas Eve weplay the number 1. The records are often the same at the top, but at thebottom you will find the nicest and most surprising songs. In my first editionI was allowed to play the number 4000. Then that was Frank Stallone with Farfrom over. Goodbye plate! And also nice: that large amount of songscompletely shakes you up musically. We go from the White Stripes to the DollyDots and from Muse to Dua Lipa. There are many lists, that’s true. But I thinkthis is the nicest of them all.”
Julio Iglesias
“My mother’s favourite. She had his entire oeuvre on LP. Every time I hear hismusic, I’m that little boy in our parent’s house again. I was going tointerview Iglesias in 2003 for 3FM about his new record Divorcio. At therecord company they said, Why don’t you invite your parents? Great idea.Especially because my mother, she had ALS, was already seriously ill. WhenIglesias heard she was there, he immediately said, ” Bring me to her!’ Thereis a picture of my mother on his lap. Fortunately, I recorded not only theinterview, but also the conversations surrounding it. Very dear to hear mymother talk to Julio.”
Ecdoom
“The basement under our house. I have 310 meters of CDs. I had the planks cutmyself at Karwei. And then there are a few large cabinets with vinyl and Ihave my own studio, where I can record my broadcasts in an emergency. And,very handy in times of corona, my own bar with pinball machine and – a jokefrom a few friends – even a pole dancing pole.”
“I can sometimes sit here for hours. Rotate plates. Wonderfully relaxing. Butyes, if we ever move to a smaller house, I will have to seriously think aboutwhat to do with it. My first suggestion? I fear the dumpster.”
Forced sale
“Yes, it seems that way now that Minister Adriaansens has decided that acompany may only have three stations on FM. Talpa has four: Veronica, SkyRadio, 538 and us. Radio 10 is going really well. I don’t think Talpa doubtsthat. But such a message naturally causes a lot of unrest, because nobodyknows exactly what will happen.”
“And next year’s FM frequency auction creates even more uncertainty. Last yearmany DJs switched stations. Imagine you’ve switched, think you’re in calmwaters for a moment and then hear this news: ‘Oh my God, now this again!’ Icannot predict how it will all turn out, but it will be an exciting year.”
Bohemian Rhapsody
“Last year number 1 and again this year; always a safe bet. I think peoplevote mainly for nostalgic reasons. They like to hear what they already knowand it gives structure: ‘Queen was always number 1 and so it has to be again,otherwise it’s not right’.”
“I remember when I presented the Top 2000 at Radio 2 and Imagine by JohnLennon came to 1 after the Paris attacks in 2015. Everyone was angry! And wewere blamed because we had Imagine promoted, angry listeners thought. Thefollowing year it went back to normal Bohemian Rhapsody. ”
Meatloaf
“I was on stage in what was then the Heineken Music Hall. I interviewed him inthe Work vitamins on 3FM. He could be grumpy, but then he was in a greatmood. I told about an LP he didn’t have. He asked if I wanted to bring itbefore his show.”
“He was so happy that he said that we would do a song together that night. Ididn’t believe it, but once in the hall I was beckoned: if I wanted to standready in the wings. And then he announced to me: ‘ You may not know his face,but you all know his voice! ‘ I didn’t know what to do, but was given atambourine and a line of lyrics: the chorus of Johnny B Goode.”
Rock and roll
“Wine is a hobby of mine. I’m not a big drinker, but I have some niceBurgundies in my fridge. The wine for the rock and roll collection is importedfrom France. I made a playlist for each bottle, artist Selwyn Senatoridesigned the labels. The rolle is another name for the vermentino grape. It isin all wines, except the red ones. So it’s called Rebel.”
Spain
“I’m going to emigrate one day, I’m sure. I already have a permanent addresswhere I often come, it’s my escape. Charging for a week at the Spanish plugand then back. We first came there in 1990 and it was love at first sight: thepeople, the mentality, the climate, the food, the wine. I’m just happy whenI’m there. Maybe emigrating is a bit exaggerated, but I will hopefully bethere for large periods of the year later.”
Gary Fomdeck
“My alter ego! Yes yes I am a real one one-day fly. But one with a number 1hit. It started with a plan for Serious Request in the Glass House of 3FM in2014. We were almost able to draw up that action by now, so we were lookingfor something new. It had to be a Christmas hit, but a secret one.
“I said to producer Arno Krabman: ‘It should sound like the whole eighties puttogether.’ And as a storyline, I knew: he’s gone, she’s home, and they misseach other. Arno came up with it musically. That already sounded good. Then weordered pizza. Before it was delivered, we had finished the text: I ‘ll bethere this Christmas.”
“The joke was that more and more 3FM colleagues started playing the song, butnobody realized it was me. It wasn’t until the Glass House that I revealed Iwas behind Gary Fomdeck. I needed a bottle of wine to properly record thevocals, but I’m really proud of that song.”
The Top 4000 can be heard daily on Radio 10 from Sunday 12 noon. Ekdomalso presents the Top 4000 Music Quiz. Tonight, 9.30 pm on SBS6.