Angie Greaves | The Voice Behind the Mic | Extraordinary Life Stories

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1:00Angie Greaves:Well, my saying is that you can never give from an empty cup. You're giving as a father. You're giving as a husband. You're giving as a workman. You have to acknowledge that at some point that supply is going to run out. You've got to give to yourself. Who is Angie Griggs? The family rebel. Angela would like to believe that when she leaves a room, she leaves an essence or an energy behind her. Angie's job is a radio presenter. Which you've done for a long time. Which I've done for a long time. Which means you love it, right? Absolutely. I like to think about the child that's been picked up from school that hasn't had a nice day at school and mum's got to deal with it.

1:42Angie Greaves:Maybe you've had to dodge a lot of traffic or your tube was late or your train was cancelled or you were just getting that coffee and as you were taking it off the prep counter, unfortunately someone comes and... I think about those things. what would I like to hear? Social media can be a force for good it can be a force for bad Social media is a good tool however I call social media groups unhinged because they're like classrooms without a teacher anything goes

2:27I'm looking forward to this conversation.

2:29Angie Greaves:Oh, so am I. It's like a therapy session. Tell me, who is Angie Greaves? Who is Angie Greaves? Angie Greaves is the youngest of five children, two of whom live in Barbados and the other two live here. I am probably the family rebel in that my other siblings are quite professional. And there I am, as my mother says, you play records. I remember when I told her I wanted to be a presenter, you're going to play records. words. Angie is a mother. Angie loves music. Angie loves to spread as much positivity as possible on the understanding that not everything is going to be positive. You've got to have some ups, you've got to have some downs.

3:37Angie Greaves:Angie, Angela, would like to believe that when she leaves a room, she leaves an essence or an energy behind her that makes people smile. Angie's job is a radio presenter. Which you've done for a long time. Which I've done for a long time. Which means you love it, right? Absolutely. When people ask me, you know, if you weren't doing radio, what would you do? I say, I don't know. So you found your calling? Definitely found my calling. did you set out to do that because that love of music no always loved music we had radios in every room of the house if it wasn't my dad listening to goodness giving away my age Jimmy Clitheroe do you remember Jimmy I know who you mean Sunday afternoon or you know we'd we had radio playing all the time we weren't tv people we had radio playing all the time there was always music playing in the house and my mum said to me you because I didn't know what I wanted to do I learnt shorthand and typing because I felt that's what I should do and go and be a secretary.

4:45Angie Greaves:And my mum said to me, you know, you really do need to go and get a job for one year. Give me some of your salary every week or every month. And then I'm going to put you into college to become a dentist, a doctor, a lawyer. You know, something that most Caribbeans, when they came here, because they helped, you know, propped up the National Health, London Transport, but they wanted better for their kids. So be a doctor, a nurse, a dentist, a lawyer. And I was like, yeah, fine. And that job for one year was at Capital Radio in the HR department. And I just thought 18 months in, she hasn't asked me for any money.

5:31Angie Greaves:this could work. But I still, I was just happy to be in a building where there was music playing all day long. So I came from a house, there was music playing all day long. Then I went to work, there was music playing all day long. I was as happy as Larry. Cool vibe as well, right? Cool vibe. Cool work environment. Absolutely. And it didn't matter on the category of music, because if I listened to pop at work, I listened to reggae and soca and gospel at home. I was just around music. It was wonderful. I love that. How did you go from HR? Oh Lord. To presenter. Well it was around the time when Capital was going on to the stock market was floating and we were working very very late and I had a temp who found me very funny.

6:15Angie Greaves:I don't know why and she said Angie have you seen that film Gone with the Wind and I went oh Miss Scarlet And there was Chris Tarrant and David Jensen and a manner of people listening behind the door and said, you should record that. And here we are. Love that. Right place, right time. And you showed your character. Right place, right time. And but I wasn't ready for the studio, if that makes sense. I used to go through the studio door and I'd start shaking. I couldn't work out, you know, the mic. Why is it hanging down? What's that fader? What's that fader? but in not knowing and enjoying it it gave me this drive to really say right I'm going to conquer this.

7:00That's where the growth comes from as well right you're a completely different version of yourself from the from that growth trajectory if you like yeah and the one thing that you couldn't be trained is that that raw enthusiasm no the bit that it feels like there's there's gates even now with you that is as calm and relaxed as you are to be around. There's probably a whole version of you that...

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8:37Angie Greaves:Which is why, 35 years later, I'm still walking into radio studios. and I've been presenting 28, 29 years. My daughter's 28 going, yeah. So I'm presenting 28, 29 years. But that bug, it just never goes. So if somebody said to me, would you work in a library? I would do it, but I'd probably get on everybody's nerves because I need that energy around me. I need that music. That vibe, that's exactly what it is. Now, for anyone that's watching and listening, what radio station are you actually on? I'm on smooth now and I do drive time on smooth and I love it. Now, I'm smiling because there is such a smooth way of you talking.

9:25It's hence me saying, because of the interaction we've had before filming, the therapy side of things. But where I'm going with it is that your love of music is probably multifaceted. There's probably a higher tempo of music that you listen to as well as a low tempo. Have I got that right?

9:40Angie Greaves:Absolutely. Absolutely. So I love Cool and the Gang, but I also love a bit of Elton John. And I love Luther Van Drost. And I also love a bit of Dido. And Smooth is the perfect station for those changing tempos. So I find I start at four. And in my mind, I think about the school run. And I think about getting your kids off to after school clubs, people looking at the clock thinking, oh, my God, roll on five o 'clock I want to go home by seven o 'clock I would like to believe that you've heard me maybe I don't know 10-15 minutes on your way home and you're just ready to start the next section of your day calmly that's my view I love that though because the thought you put into that the empathy yeah because you're effectively sat with a microphone in a room on your own in context of this producer director and so on but um you're talking to a huge amount of people but you've got to project that empathy to them absolutely and people can call that out they can feel it you know you put your heart into the way you described it then yeah same way you would if you were on the radio and i think that's is that a skill that's learned or did you just naturally bring that you know as as as angie i think that's angela but i also think it's part of the hr in me as well because if you think people would come and see me oh he said she said and i'd go okay okay let's just let's think about this i think the part there's a part of hr in me that still exists on the radio so i do think about when someone used to come to the office in tears i can't be too busy I can't say listen not now someone needs me so I used to have an l-shaped table they'd sit there there was always a box of tissues there and I would just listen and I'd always say right are you all right now yeah I'm fine okay great off you go my job's done and in the same way I think about if someone's had a bad day at work they don't want to turn on the radio and hear oh yeah I like to think about those things.

11:55Angie Greaves:I like to think about the child that's been picked up from school that hasn't had a nice day at school and mum's got to deal with it. I like to think about maybe you've had to dodge a lot of traffic or your tube was late or your train was cancelled or you were just getting that coffee and as you were taking it off the, can I say, the prep counter unfortunately someone comes and I think about those things and I just think right if I were in that scenario what would I like to hear what would calm me down not just music but words yeah now it's it's difficult because not everybody feels the same way but in giving someone else a bit of empathy you've got to think somebody else might actually want to hear a joke or do you know what I mean it's about balancing people's feelings whilst they're listening to music I mean I was smiling and kind of joking earlier about the therapy side of things but just listening to you then you're incredibly gifted at that you know I can imagine in a very different environment wanting to talk to you and knowing that you would want to help me and be good at have you actually thought about therapy as something you could do professionally very much so very much so I really think you could I remember I've done many interviews I've interviewed many many people and one of the questions that always comes up and I know Smokey Robinson hasn't met Rick Astley and I know you know but a question that always comes up or is always kind of framed is I've just told you things I had no intention of saying have you thought about going into therapy The last time I heard that, it was Pepsi, Shirley and Andrew Ridgely.

13:44Angie Greaves:Last Christmas was celebrating its 40th anniversary. So I walked in the studio, nice green sparkly jacket. It's Christmas. And, you know, I thought, talk about the last Christmas. Just talk about the song. Talk about where it was filmed. Don't ask about George, because these guys probably have gone into many, many studios ready to talk about something, but it's all about George Michael. Number one, if you were there to interview them, interview them and then see how the land lies and ask about George. But I thought, I'm not going to ask any questions, but they kept bringing his name up. Shirley kept bringing his name up.

14:27Angie Greaves:Pepsi kept bringing his name up. Andrew kept bringing his name up. It's tied to their identity, isn't it? Andrew called him Yogg. And when he did say George, I said, you know, that's the first time you've said George. And they just started talking about George Michael, how much charity work he did, how generous he was, how he would do so much work from behind the scenes. He would donate to charities, but not let people know it was him. And they just started to pour out about this man that I'd met because I went to Claremont High School. He went to Kingsbury High School, not for long. I think he was a year above me.

15:05Angie Greaves:And we used to all meet and play rounders in Kingsbury. And then he went off to Bushy. But anyway, I digress. And Shirley said to me at the end of the interview, I see a therapist in you. And I went, oh, my goodness, why? And she said, I've just told you so many things I didn't plan to tell you. And at that point, I said, oh, is there anything you want edited out? And she said, no. She said, I just need to let you know that. And I said, a friend of mine that used to work on LBC, Ian Lee, he is now a counsellor, but he had to go through a transition period of not wanting people to counsel him because he was Ian Lee.

15:47Angie Greaves:And I said, you know, I don't really want to get caught in that trap. And she said, be the first. She said, be the first. she said do your radio show take off your radio hat put on your therapist hat and do therapy it's your next calling it's already there well i think it is yeah yeah so you do so much to help people people that you don't even get to meet you know you're you're probably many people listen to you as if they feel like they're you know they know you're their friend right yeah Who's there for you? And in that context of sometimes, sometimes someone like yourself is so good at helping other people.

16:27How good have you been at managing your own mental health and smiling at me? Are you with me? Because I wonder if you've got that perspective.

16:35Angie Greaves:Yeah. Well, my saying is that you can never give from an empty cup. So if you're giving and giving and giving, you have to acknowledge that at some point that supply is going to run out. and I have a friend called Alex who is a therapist and we meet but not in therapy mode so we might go out for drink we might go out for a meal we might go and play squash we know we'll do things that's a connection it's that connection yeah you know what you're getting from you know absolutely but maybe we do go and play I don't know maybe we just go for a walk sure and we'll sit down in the cafe in the park and I'll start talking and that's when I pour out And that's really great.

17:16Angie Greaves:I have my daughters as well, but I'm an advocate in that children should always be children regardless of how old they are. You never stop being a parent. But I don't believe in putting adult issues on a child's shoulders. They haven't got the emotional intelligence. And I'm really, really very, very strong about that. So if you're in a scenario where you and your partner break up, it's not for you to tell your child why you and the partner broke up. Because the you and the partner, the frequency between man and wife is different to the frequency between father and child. You've got to take your parental hat off and speak to your child as a child.

17:58Angie Greaves:Same goes with the mother. So I do talk to my daughters, but I edit my conversations. Really, really powerful advice. Yeah. And back to that kind of coming from an empty cup. Yeah. What do you do as Angie to, because you've got a busy life. Yeah. You've got the parenting, you've got the radio work and all sorts of other things that you do. Yeah. So making time to both keep mentally fit and physically fit. How do you make that work? Go out walking every morning, every morning, or I go to the gym and go on the treadmill. now it's not always for physical fitness it's for mental as well so seven o 'clock I'm in the car and either down to the park or sometimes I'll drive straight past the park and I will go to the gym and I do a minimum of 20 minutes on the treadmill and then I mess around on the other machines but ultimately you're making the time commitment it's so important yeah because you you can kind of overload if you think about on a daily basis you're either a husband or a wife you're a father or a son you're a parent you're a worker you're we wear many different hats throughout the day and if you don't stop and energize yourself you're giving as a father you're giving as a husband you're giving as a workman you know sure you've got to give to yourself and don't ever think you're being selfish if anything in my opinion it's selfish to keep giving because then you give the recipient the belief that you've got this never-ending flow of emotional strength and money and time and and it's not fair because the day you go no they go what's wrong with you so you've got to take time for yourself it's great advice that about being authentic, which you exude.

19:5735 years in the career. I know. Yeah, broadcasting, radio. How have you seen it change? Because we're living in an incredible dynamic time of AI. Absolutely. I'd love to know how that's in any way coming into what you do. But, yeah, just what have you seen? What are the big changes that have come your way?

20:17Angie Greaves:I remember turntables. You have one new message. Translating. Disney and Pixar's Hoppers is now available on Disney+. You could say that again. Critics are calling it Pixar's funniest movie ever and a wildly entertaining ride. Blizzard Potato. It's certified fresh and verified hot. Now we party. This is incredible! Wow, I am clear in the rest of the day. Disney and Pixar's Hoppers, now available on Disney+. Rated PG. If you've ever blasted synth beats from your boom box or burn CDs for your besties, this one's for you. As people get older, much like their music tastes, their health needs change.

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21:22Angie Greaves:I remember turntables, 12 inches, 7 inches. Then I remember the CDs. And we used to record interviews and they would be on these big 12-inch reels. And then they were dat tapes, digital audio tapes, which was like the size of a matchbox. And then turntables and CDs and vinyl disappeared, although vinyl's making a big comeback. and then everything was on the screen everything was digital and it's lovely and then social media came in and I'm very very open about the fact that I struggled because in my mind you've listened to me for goodness knows how long would you want to see what I look like for but that's the way we are we've become very visual and our attention span is very very short now so frighteningly it It is.

22:14Angie Greaves:It is. So I am now I'm actually doing an AI course. On your own back? On my own back. Yeah, because whether we like it or not, it's here to stay. You don't have to completely absorb yourself in it. But I think you should take in what works for you and your brand. And I'm actually quite enjoying it. I didn't think I was going to. It's not as frightening as we think. I think for a lot of us in the radio industry, we've heard AI stations in America, just somebody, not there, just a voice. But when you think about how you present, so an AI voice can create links. I call it that that was, this is, you're listening to, the time is, my name is.

23:06Angie Greaves:That's fine. I mean, people actually do that, much less AI. but I do like to be authentic and I do like to tell people who I am what I did today so that they can say actually she's just like us she does burn the dinner she did let the kettle do you know I mean I do like to do that it's the relatability yeah I love that but I think in terms of social media and even the digital world I think it's quite important that we do grasp AI So there was a time when you would just, I don't know, upload a photo on Instagram. You can now put a background to it. You can make it move. You can make it sing. You can make it dance.

23:46Angie Greaves:You know, there are things about it that I think are positive. And there's no point complaining about it, not embracing it. And then watching someone who has embraced it. Move forward. So we've got to be real about this. There's people that can get left behind right now, isn't there? Yeah. Fair play to you for leaning into that. Oh, yeah. I'm quite enjoying it. Yeah. And that kind of multifaceted side to you that perhaps other people wouldn't know, but I know from having a chat with you before today, Barbados. Oh, my goodness. Talk to me about what you're doing there. My parents are from Barbados.

24:25Angie Greaves:I can remember going there a few times when I was little and hating it because, you know, school holidays, you want to be with your friends. send me there now. So funny. It's the most beautiful, calm island in the Caribbean. And I do a lot of work with Barbados. I go to a lot of their conferences here in the UK. And the latest deputy high commissioner, a gentleman called Mackie Holder, called me to his office and said, you know, what do you want to do? And I said, well, look, next holiday, wouldn't mind going and having a chat with some kids in school. wouldn't mind going to some radio stations you know and um he called me one morning and said what are you doing tomorrow and nothing and he said mia motley the prime minister of barbados is flying in from ireland she's got a one hour stopover before her connecting flight to barbados I said well I better turn up hadn't I you don't let opportunities like that go but what an amazing woman we call her the prime minister of the Caribbean she's just come in she's changed the game and I love the way that she speaks it's not just with a political language you hear as a woman how much she wants to change Barbados, change the Caribbean and have that little island actually be known around the world as a game changer.

25:58Angie Greaves:Now, some might say, what are you doing? It's only 166 square miles, but it's the product. It's the people. It's the energy in the island. It's everything about it. And I just love that about her. And, you know, she won't hear the word no, no stone unturned. If it can be done, let's do it. And I have such a passion for her energy. And she actually reminds me of when I first started radio. And so many people said to me, you can't do it, Ange. You'll never do it. You know, black girls don't work in radio. And I thought, no, I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. Did that actually spur you on more?

26:40absolutely competitive sides you know absolutely there's a measured competitive sides yeah yeah

26:46Angie Greaves:I mean even though family and all that yeah and even though I'd started at Choice FM which was predominantly a black station first black owned and black run radio station in London actually in the UK when as the industry does when I saw changes coming I left Choice FM and I can remember thinking, gosh, you've done it now. You've done it now. You know, you've come from a black station. You're never going to get another job. And I just believed that radio is my calling. And I got a call from someone who was a producer when I was in HR at Capital Radio, who was then running a radio station. What are you doing, Ange?

27:33Angie Greaves:I said, well, I've got two little girls taken to school in nursery. He goes, do you want to cover some shifts for me? lunchtime yeah yeah i do and you know just out of covering those shifts the phone rings you meet people you network and it just yeah it's just it's just wonderful i just love it i just love it there's a i'm interested to know but whether that culture now is completely different to how you came through um you can't be what you can't see so it makes you a role model yeah you know for other black women and men when they come on the radio has that now balanced you know I wouldn't know about asking you because you're at the heart of it but is there now a much healthier um lack of bias if you like where people are recognized for the talent and the people that they are now yeah definitely I mean look there's more stations now yes um there are I mean I love talking to students obviously I love talking to young black girls that want to get into radio and I mentor them I don't have a mentoring program but I'll give them say an hour a month right call me on this day this time let's talk um and I think that opens things up as well and what I also love is not only black girls and and I I love that because it's the voice that they hear and I'd like to believe beyond the voice they tap into a bit of Angela and it's about just knowing that they can't see me but they're still listening that to me is that's a it's a joy to me just to know that you're driving or you're in the kitchen or you're at work and yeah I just love it I just love it you're a proper role model I mean we have a crisis with social media yeah where the algorithm yeah without a a parental figure or someone that in any way is a positive bomber or the algorithm seems to then fill that void with you know in boys it's the manosphere yeah the girls i've got two teenage daughters as you know yeah so the um the bitchiness that can go within the comparison element is is causing chaos yeah i just wonder where you sit with that and i'm sorry to almost swerve that into a slightly negative because everything's positive and so lovely but how are you managing that as a mum and what do you see that what would you change if you had that magic wand because social media can be a force for good it can be a force for bad yeah well through social media even though i interviewed mariah carey many times just on messing around on tiktok her management saw something i did and i got that mariah interview Social media is a good tool.

30:18However, I call social media groups a little bit unease, unedged, unhinged because they're like classrooms without a teacher.

30:33Angie Greaves:So anything goes. I'm very fortunate in that my daughters are 25 and 28, so they're not into social media. they've just missed what I call social media fever what I find very sad is once upon a time if you did something to me I'd say listen John you said xyz didn't like it high five bam done whereas now you go on to social media and you expose someone this is how we do it and it's about the trauma it's about the pain it's about the hurt that it causes and I think any parents would be within their right minds, quite frankly, to take their phones away from their kids. There has to be a phone-free time in the day.

31:17Angie Greaves:I don't care how old your kids are. It's important. I think it's also important where possible to block certain apps. I know the government have got this program now where, is it for teenagers? They want to have teen... Personally, I think it's too late because a lot of these kids now some of them are absolute that they're inventors and don't even know it they'll they invent the apps they'll they'll find ways of getting online so i do think it's too late so for the for this government program i mean the minute you announce it you know someone right now is going to go right let me get a program in now let me start working it out now.