Chart Choice with Simon Morykin

WHEN was the last time someone made you feel old? It happens far too often these days for my liking. Remember Will Young winning Pop Idol? That was seven years ago. What about when Take That split up? That was 13 long years ago. So what about when you wore a "Frankie Says" T-shirt and Relax was banned from the radio? Well, that my friend, was 25 years ago.

Last week on Signal One's Total Access I was lucky enough to talk to the Frankie Goes To Hollywood legend – Holly Johnson. Known for being a rather controversial and often difficult type of person, the thought of a 20-minute interview with Holly did terrify me somewhat. So you can imagine how delighted I was when he turned out to be a wonderful person to talk to. Straightaway we spoke about star signs, as a Pisces how adorable I am and who I would be compatible with. It wasn't Holly – as much as we did get on incredibly well.

It's astounding to think of the success he enjoyed back in 1984 with Relax and then Two Tribes and further still, with The Power of Love. He says the biggest challenge is not regretting certain actions or statements back in the haze of the success, but living up to such a high level of achievement! You can imagine the pressure of constantly having to deliver.

A new remix of Relax is being released. It has been re-worked by the brilliant Chicane and a quick YouTube search will bring up the video and song. I asked Holly's view on remixing songs, because remember, before Relax, it was rare to see a song so heavily and so frequently re-worked. A personal favourite for me is Red by Daniel Merriweather. A slow, emotional and very powerful song. Yet it has been re-mixed as a dance record to appeal to more people. Is this right, or does it ruin the true characteristics of the original song?

Holly's view is that in this day in age, because we consume music and entertainment in so many different ways, music and good records need all the help possible to reach out to different and varied audiences. So – the young guys and girls sat at the back of that bus up to Hanley, playing songs on their phones so loud we can for a moment believe we're in a mobile night club, can appreciate a song by Daniel Merriweather because it has been re-mixed to their tastes.

If you buy any concert tickets this week, can I highly recommend James Morrison? A lovely, talented guy and a joy to see perform. Anyone who titles their album Songs For You, Truths For Me deserves a listen, don't you think?