Arsenal legend and the club’s second-highest scorer, Ian Wright, appeared on Radio 4’s long-running Desert Island Discs in February 2020 and gave a brilliant insight into various aspects of his life. Interviewed by Lauren Laverne, the former Arsenal and England man got emotional when discussing his close friendship with another Gunners legend, David Rocastle. Not shy of wearing his heart on his sleeve, Wrighty was also tearful when talking about one of his primary school teachers, Mr Pigden.
In this article, we’ll run through the music picked by the former Arsenal and Crystal Palace man. But first – just in case it has passed you by for the last 80+ years – we’ll explain what Desert Island Discs is. Of course, if you’d rather just listen to Wright on Desert Island Discs, you can do so right here.
What Is Desert Island Discs?
Desert Islands Discs was first broadcast way back on 29th January, 1942 on the BBC Forces Programme (that ran from January 1940 to February 1944). The premise of the radio show is that a guest – or “castaway” as they are dubbed – has sent away to an imaginary desert island. They are tasked with picking eight songs, pieces of music or – occasionally – other audio recordings which they would take with them to the island. They are also permitted to take one book and a luxury item (they are also given the Complete Works of Shakespeare and the Bible, or other religious/philosophical work as applicable).
When broadcast, the castaway’s interview is interspersed with the music they have picked, with explanations about why they picked what they did. Over its history, Desert Island Discs has featured guests from various fields from the arts, science, politics, sport and beyond. The very first castaway was Vic Oliver, an entertainer and musician who was popular from the 1920s to the 1950s. Other notable castaways have included David Attenborough, Delia Smith, Stephen Fry, Sebastian Coe, Paul McCartney, Stephen Hawking, Joan Baez and A. S. Byatt. Lauren Laverne has presented Desert Island Discs since 2018, having replaced Kirsty Young.
Which Music Did Wrighty Pick?
Now let’s run through the music selected by Wright, starting with a banger… from Mozart!
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Ian Wright (James Boyes | Flickr) Lorenzo Da Ponte (Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) – The Marriage of Figaro / Duettino – Sull’aria
- Kirk Franklin – Looking For You
- Ike & Tina Turner – River Deep – Mountain High
- Bob Marley & The Wailers – Redemption Song
- MFSB – Mysteries of the World
- Randy Crawford – Endlessly
- Stormzy – Crown
- Mary J. Blige – Just Fine
That’s not a bad little playlist, shifting from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro through a bit of R&B, soul and reggae to take in a little hip hop too. There’s even a little jazz-funk fusion in MFSB’s outstanding track, Mysteries of the World. But whether you like the music Wright picked or not, you should certainly listen to the interview as he really opens up about all manner of things. He touches on his difficult childhood and how he left school at 14 to work as a plasterer. He also mentioned how Paul Gascoigne stopped him from crying on his England debut, and why his best match ever was his Arsenal debut.
Memorable Teacher
One of the most emotional parts of the interview (and there were a few!) came when Wright recalled his primary school teacher, Mr Pigden, the person he credits with changing his life for the better. Wright was reunited with his old teacher in 2005 and it turned into quite an emotional meeting (not least because Wright thought Mr Pigden had died).
Prison, Psychotherapy & Family
Wrighty also touched on his brief spell in prison for “failing to pay fines and driving without a licence”, and how he was helped by psychotherapy, about which he said, “It made me realise that it wasn’t great when I was growing up but I turned it into something and I’m just pleased that I got to a stage… I didn’t want to be that guy that when I looked in the mirror I didn’t like myself.” There were also plenty of compliments for his wife Nancy and his children.
Book Choice & Luxury Item
Aside from his musical choices, Wright decided to take along The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Mark Haddon’s 2003 novel. If trapped on a desert island, we’d perhaps opt for something a little longer, but each to his own! For his luxury item, Wright selected a seven iron golf club and a load of golf balls, though on a desert island perhaps a sand wedge might have been wiser!
Other Notable Castaways from Football
Here are the main picks from some of the other footballers to feature on Desert Island Discs over the years. As you can see, quite a few agree with Wright’s idea of turning their island stay into a golfing holiday!
- Trevor Brooking – 2nd January, 1982 – Favourite track: What Kind of Fool by Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb, Book: Crossword puzzles and pencils, Luxury: Golf clubs and balls.
- Gary Lineker – 30th September, 1990 – Favourite track: Soul Limbo (Sig. Tune For Test Match Special) by Booker T And The MGs, Book: Wisden Almanack for cricketers, Luxury: Bowling machine.
- Tony Adams – 27th June, 2010 – Record: Monty Python’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Book: The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, Luxury: Football.
- Danny Blanchflower – 15th August, 1960 – Favourite track: The Breeze and I by Caterina Valente, Book: The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell, Luxury: Golf clubs and balls.
- Jack Charlton – 20th October, 1996 – Favourite track: September Song by Frank Sinatra, Book: Encyclopaedia of How To Survive, Luxury: Fishing rod.
- Bobby Robson – 5th December, 2004 – Favourite track: It Was a Very Good Year by Robbie Williams and Frank Sinatra, Book: The works of historian John Keegan: The First World War & the Second World War collected into one volume by John Keegan, Luxury: Sunlounger with canopy to protect him from the sun.
- David Beckham – 29th January, 2017 – Favourite track: Every Time We Say Goodbye by Ella Fitzgerald, Book: On Fire by Francis Mallmann, Luxury: his England caps.