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AS: Absolutely, absolutely. And in some respects, I hate the fact that we've got to
always genrefy music. It gives rise to such crazy things as psycho blues or
psychedelic blues, with tinges of punk rock blues. It's blues or it's not blues, it's
music. At the end of the day it's music and you either like it or you don't like it.
BiTS: As long as it doesn't involve jazz, eh?
AS: Yeah [laughs]. Although I mean, let's face it, a lot of jazz, there's a lot of crossover
between parts of the blues and parts of jazz. You go back to the sort of the ladies,
particularly the ladies in the 30s, 20s and 30s and 40s and you know, a lot of that is
very jazzy sounding music and often played with jazz bands.
BiTS: That pretty much was contemporary jazz in those days.
AS: Yeah. Yeah, that's right. That's right.
BiTS: I won't take too much more of your time, and it's been absolutely wonderful
talking to you, but I have a kind of final question. If you'd like to see something
happen in UK blues music, which would move it forward, what would it be?
AS: Hmm [chuckles]. I think it would be maybe national television having a blues
show.
BiTS: Wow!
AS: Not national radio, but national television having a blues show. That would be
something, because that would bring the music to so many more people.
Alternatively, national radio, the BBC, playing more blues as part of their playlists.
BiTS: Yes, the fact that they only have two hours a week is pretty much a disgrace,
I think.
AS: Absolutely. And yet I can remember only too well people like Johnnie Walker,
I can remember driving home from work one day and listening to Johnnie Walker
on Radio 2, and suddenly he played Lightnin’ Willie and the Poorboys, a fabulous
band. He played a great number by them, and that's the only time I've ever heard
that band on national radio, but there was a prime-time radio show playing
something like that. If only we could get something like that happening on national
radio, bringing blues music or music of the blues genre to a national audience on
national radio shows, that I'm sure, would be a wonderful thing to do.
BiTS: What a wonderful place to finish as well. I've going to call an end to it there,
Ashwyn. Thank you very much indeed for talking to me.
AS: Okay, well, if you can let me know when it's due, I'll, A, look out for it, and B,
spread the word.
BiTS: One thing I did want to ask you, which is not relevant to the blues really. You

