Linda Martin – douze points!

30:48Yeah That or it's gas. It is, it is. Terminal 3 was a Johnny Logan song. It was. Did you come third or second? Second. Was it close? Very close. Portugal didn't vote for me in the end. And who won? The Harry's from Sweden. Sweden won it. Mm. Oh boy. Mm-hmm. Were you gutted? You were. Yes, I was. What year was that, Lidda? 84. 84. I didn't expect to win now. I went out there green as cabbage. Yeah. And we were leading from the very get-go. And I remember thinking to myself, horses that lead from the beginning don't usually win. And then we lost it. And I had a cousin working in a hotel in London at the time.

31:24And a tour party came in from Portugal. And he basically told him to bog off. He wasn't shifting their luggage or anything. You didn't vote for my cousin. Shift your own luggage. But it was a great experience. That's the thing, you know. And here's another point about Eurovision. And I encourage everybody to try it. because you've got to try to get up that ladder in show business somewhere. And there's hundreds of people like Louis Walsh in Europe who are always looking for new acts. And they go to Eurovision, these people. And if you can make contact with them, there's gigs out there. I mean, I'm still working, thankfully, because of that.

32:03But I play the game, you see. So, but always, and the experience that they do have, people who've sort of dismissed it completely have gone to a Eurovision or been involved in it and suddenly it's like, Jesus, I never thought it was like this. It's a great stepping stone. It's a great platform. Yeah, and it's singing to 500 million people. Correct. One of the things that's always come across about you is what a pro you are. And like, I've often talked to people about this idea that I like to describe myself as a grafter. Yes. That is a person who really tries to work hard and has a strong work ethic.

32:44And sometimes the word grafter can be a, has negative connotations because you can go, you can go, I'm just a grafter. And then you see somebody like Roger Federer playing tennis. And that is exactly what he is, a grafter. And he has completely told, constantly told people, people think that it comes effortlessly to me and I'm graceful and I float across the tennis court. I work so, so, so hard, harder than nearly anybody. Not everybody, but perhaps almost anybody. You have to. I'm a grafter. There's no choice. Yeah, and people have reached the top of their game. You must be a grafter and they don't get there just by fluke.

33:22No, I'm a grafter. And you are a grafter and that has come across about you all the time and are you still working? Yes, oh God, yes. And still hungry for work. Yes, I love it. I love people and I think that's the secret. Some people, some people on stage hate the fans coming up to them I don't I actually welcome that most people are lovely in fact I don't think I've ever had any disparaging comments from any fans I feel the same so if I feel the same if anybody's coming up to me I always feel like I have a very old fashioned view of it I always feel they're the reason I'm here correct so it's it's on me to give them a little bit of my time it's part of it it's a compliment it is it's part of your job I'm thrilled so somebody goes do you ever get sick of people coming up to you and going do Roy Keane no and I'm going no no it's everyone is basically going they're basically going I like I think you're great yeah so what's wrong with that no it shouldn't be anything wrong with it that's part of your job when you're in show business but I mean I've been working since I was 16 yeah I was still at school but I still did the gigs with chips around Belfast and things like that is that when you started yeah church choir a bit of luck now 16 of course was probably a little in a sense I don't know is it almost innocent no a little older than it is now in the sense that like people who were 20 back then were almost ancient ancient yes that's right you know what I mean so 16 was like yeah sort of just young but you're there like yeah because there's me wanting to be a vet yeah and I had no money and I saw an advert in a newspaper for a singer I auditioned got it suddenly I had a few bob in my pocket doing little gigs around Belfast and I thought I'd made it you know I was the B's D's When did you discover that you could sing or did people tell you you could sing, did you know you could sing did you improve your singing, what was the kind of trajectory of your singing?

35:20Well the Martin family were all musicians and singers on an amateur level and going round to my granny's house I mean there'd be bagpipes being practised on, there'd be somebody doing scales in the kitchen and things like that so it was part of me but I was in a church choir for years and years and years and I learned a lot from that. There's another thing of people that say, join your choir, go to the amateur dramatics. That's where you'll learn so much. Like Whitney Houston and all them. Whitney Houston and all them and Dionne Warwick. All choirs. You learn your music, you learn how to harmonise, you learn to do an awful lot of things and then it just progressed from there.

35:57I got lucky. That's the difference. In the very early days, I was so lucky not only with money but with the people that I got involved with. They were, I think one of them was a town planner. The other one was an architect, somebody in PR. So we were all at an amateur level at this stage, but it worked for me. And then it went from them to Louis Walsh. So I was lucky. But I mean, hard times as well, Marty. I remember down in, I think it was Skull, down Kerry or wherever it is. And I slept in the car. We didn't have money for a nice hotel. The place we did finally decide on the beds were damp. And I just, I'm not doing this.

36:33I'm not slept in the car. But I think you have to do that. You know the way when the young ones these days, they'll win a television competition, whether it's X Factor or whatever the heck it is. But they've never experienced anything to do with show business. They've sung in their bedrooms. They've sung in maybe the local pub or something like that. But until you're on a stage and you learn how to read people and relate to people and talk to them, forget it. Do you know what that reminds me of? it reminds me of the Beatles doing their stint in Hamburg. Correct. And they're doing five, six shows a day.

37:10Yeah. They are doing they're doing 40 shows a week. Yeah. And they learned their trade. It's drummed into them. Yes, absolutely. And the chemistry is drummed into them. And the ability to even stand on stage. Correct. Just that kind of Yeah. People say you just stand on stage. You don't. There's a kind of a comfort and I've been standing on this stage for years. I know how to stand on a stage. It's a difference between somebody who does and doesn't. It's almost imperceptible, but the audience can tell. Audience can pick out falsehoods, not falsehoods, anybody false, they pick it out straight away.

37:45If you're trying to pretend you're something you're not, they do know. Isn't it? It's like if you're watching the TV camera, you're at home, and if you're performing, you have to get that vision. You have to get the eyes and the face across the TV screen to them or it doesn't work. Isn't it amazing that an audience can have this kind of intelligence? Yeah. As a mass group of people, it can have an intelligence. It's like a wasp. Yeah. So the wasp smells fear. Yeah. The audience can tell if you're like, I remember, I remember once doing a gig and it was early days now and things were going very well.

38:24So I was partying too much. All right. So after shows, I'd go out and I'd drink too much and I'd get up the next day and I'd be struggling. Yeah. And I remember a couple of shows where I then came on at night and I was I was below par and I could tell they could tell. They could tell, you see. I could tell they could tell. It wasn't like massively noticeable, but it was noticeable enough. It made a small difference. Anyway, around around, not around that time, but somewhere around there. And I've spoken to other performers about this before. I kind of made a decision that every single time I performed, I was going to give 100 % to the audience as a minimum, as a minimum.

39:07Like, that's just the basic minimum. I was going to show them that I'm turning up tonight for them. Yeah. Because it's only after a while you get to realize those people, months, weeks in advance, have decided you're my Friday night. Yes. That's a huge honor. Oh, you're telling me. Then not only have they decided you're my Friday night, they've paid money to do it. Correct. Right? Not only have they done that, they've paid money to a babysitter. And they may have gone out for a meal and pints, whatever. And they've basically gone, you're my Friday night. That's a big honour. It is. And so you better show up.

39:39Yeah. The least you can do is show up. Absolutely. And ready and fit. But I see people on telly and I have a problem if they're not dressed. Especially men. And I say, you look like you've just crawled out of bed. Yeah. And I have a problem with that because you can't ply your trade. You shouldn't be there saying, come and see me because I'm brilliant, whether I'm a comedian or a singer or a dancer, whatever it is, if you don't look the part. And especially women, I feel, when they go to a concert, they want to see if there's dancers, they want to see the costumes, they want to see performances.

40:11And I think you owe that to the public. You do, yeah. So comedians or whoever else is on TV or anything, if you're coming on Scruffy, in my book, don't bother going along. Yeah, yeah, yeah. we have a Taoiseach Micheál Martin yeah yeah yeah but we could have had President Lyndon Martin oh dear God because I only I only remembered this today when I was thinking about you oh thank you for remembering I meant to say something earlier on actually in my mind there's the Whitney Houstons and there's the Streisands and there's the Tom Jones and all those people who are amazing right but there has to be a middle ground where people will work a second level if you like and if you're professional you turn up you look your best you're okay of a singer and you get on with everybody and people like you, you have a fabulous career because not everybody can be Whitney Houston obviously but it's important you don't have to be the best singer in the world to actually mark out a career for yourself a very good one.

41:16Yeah absolutely in all areas of life and don't forget that you're doing something which is the love of your life. Yeah. You know, I mean, God forbid, a lot of people and there's two, like, young people now have an idea, which is, sorry, when I say young people, very young people have this sort of, some of them have a jaundiced idea. Like, I want to be famous or rather, I want to be somebody. I want to have a legacy. Yeah. Right? I want to carve out a place for myself. I don't want to be one of them. What's one of them? One of them Egypts in an office. Yeah. Right? Working nine to five and they're nobodies.

41:55Right? And some of those are in great livings. They're still nobodies. Right? Now, they don't quite understand that like there's several different types of people. There are people who live, who work to live. So in other words, they do a 95 job but really their love of life is in life itself. So actually, they don't spend that much time. They spend as least time working as they can to get home to their golf or their dogs or their wife or their pastimes or their children and their reading and their walking and their kayaking and their everything that they want to live. So work isn't so important to them.

42:31Just to live. It's just to live. And then there are other people who go out and try and find their passion in life and they don't make it. Then there are other people who find their passion in life and they do make it. Yeah. And then there are other people who find their passion in life and they don't make it, make it, but they do great. In fact, they do great enough to make the same amount of money and a living as they would have if they'd been in an office. And that's also great because now they're doing their love of their life and getting paid for it. Correct. But they're the sort of people who actually blend in with a crowd.

43:05They're likeable. They sometimes have the old glint in the eye. You know, like Robbie Williams. Yeah. He has it. You just look at his face and you know he's going to do something. Yeah. Don't you? And people love him for the mischievous. and what's his name David Essex remember him David Essex now look at him on screen and he had that it was like magic oh absolutely yeah it's incredible so you can be gifted with things like that and if you put them all together you're flying but I think the bottom line has to be you've got to get on with people you've got to be polite to people you've got to be kind to people and if you've got extra gifts extra talents well so be it in your experience Linda because you've You've met a lot of people, but you've also seen a lot of people.

43:50Yeah. And you've been a kind of a fly on the wall to a lot of people as well. Do assholes make it?

43:59In my opinion, they make it for a certain length of time. And then people can't be bothered any longer. Let me rephrase the question. Do you find that when you've met really successful performers, that invariably they get along with people? Yes. Yes. What an interesting comment. Now, I'm not saying what they do on stage. They can be divas. They can stamp their feet when they're on stage. But off stage with the public and certainly with just the regular people around them. Like I'll give you an instance. I've met a lot of people through Louis because if he's going somewhere special, like he took me to the Elton John Ball one year.

44:37Met Elton, you know, and Elton's looking at me. Who the hell is she? You know, but once he realized I was with Louis. And that very same night, I'm sitting there and we've all had a few drinks and enjoying ourselves. And I noticed Shirley Bassey was sitting at a table further up the room on her own. And I thought, well, I'm not going to be rude. I'm going to go up. I love her. So I went up, I sat down and I just said how wonderful. And she was so nice. And she was absolutely stunningly beautiful. But we chatted not for a very long time, but I was just talking about her songs and the fact that she always has an orchestra.

45:11She won't work without an orchestra. And I found her lovely. Yeah. Really lovely. But you might find somebody just new to the business and they think they know everything. And unfortunately, you don't always get a great response. But you think, so your point would, from your observations, you think people who have done really well in showbiz and have had longevity, you think that the vast majority of the time that they've got along by getting along with people. I think so. Now, of course, because you can have the hit records and everything. Now, here's a case in point. Michael Bublé. I've heard he's an absolute darling off the stage with everybody.

45:48Fans, crew, doesn't matter who they are. He has the talent. He had a grandfather who really believed in him. And he gets on with everybody. He has a manager who will do the fighting for him. But him, he gets on with everybody. And look at the success he's had. I think it works. I don't really like stroppiness coming from anywhere. because I just don't think it's a very nice thing. But I reckon if you've a bit of everything and people like it, oh, we'd remember her. Sure, she turned up on time. She was very nice to everybody. Sure, we'd bring her back. It's very much that situation. Just a couple of things.

46:25The show bands, I mean, I was saying to you before we started the conversation that not enough is talked, I don't think, about the show band era in Ireland. Because it was such a glamorous, fantastic, it really was. I mean, I know you could say there were sites that weren't glamorous but it was Irish entertainment Yes it was and these show bands were huge the you know Capital Show Band and Brendan Boyer Boyer yeah and they were like massive Absolutely and they're making they were making enormous amounts of money isn't that right Linda like enormous amounts of money they were going into places and playing night after night 4 or 5 thousand people Yeah in the biggest ballrooms all around the country and don't you forget Mary, we all worked even before my era the show bands would have worked six, seven nights a week That's right and you were getting into ballrooms and there was always biscuit tins Yeah for the cash Yeah You know, there was no checks No And so there was huge tax implications of course Absolutely and by Jesus they worked hard because I would have done two hours a night in my day but those big show bands were doing three sometimes four hours a night on stage and that's so tough you've no idea Joe Dolan and everything Oh Joe I love Joe Dolan Yeah He was a great superstar wasn't he Joe was great and I'll tell you he was great with the people Yeah He really was I loved him I thought he was absolutely Genuine Yeah Absolutely genuine Came across well Yes he did From what I could see Yes he did Yeah just Oh a talent Sound Unbelievable Sound person Sound Yeah But the I think the sort of the economy the economics of all this was rather interesting so when you were working like you'd just get paid a salary is that it?

48:11Yeah. And that was a salary that you had agreed? Yes. So you wouldn't even get bonuses would you? No. Oh Jesus. I remember one time we got clothes money. Yeah. So who were you singing with Linda? Chips. And so what was Chips? How many people? Six. Six. And like you're on salaries? Yes. Somebody's making more money than that though. The manager? No the originals. You'd have had the backbone of the band every band probably and then you'd have had the newcomers that might have been the lead so they're like the share the backboners are like the shareholders yes but do they have a manager oh everybody had a manager for sure but you're just wondering I mean like it doesn't take an Egypt to work you don't have to be a Einstein to work out that there was a lot of money oh yeah and where was all the money going where was it going I'm asking a question oh sorry management yeah and the guys who sounds like they were taking more than 20 % oh Jesus Christ the money was ferocious in those days and like I said it was all cash and if you were working for the local priest then you were in trouble because you didn't get all your cash Right because the priest would keep something like Wasn't it a great night lads so you know I know Ian Dempsey said this to me Linda Did he?

49:23So he says so back in the 80s all the 2FM lads used to do DJ Yes that's right and they would be asked so they'd be on the radio and then they'd be asked will you do a big disco down in Letterfrack Yeah and they'd go down to Letterfrack, right? And all Ian would have to do is go down and play records. So he'd get in and he'd see the crowd and he'd play records and there'd be a priest there or whatever. And at the end, Ian would go to get paid in cash or whatever, right? And the priest would go, it wasn't a great night tonight. There wasn't many people in. And Ian was going, the place was absolutely heaving.

49:59Right? And they'd be trying to tell you there was nobody there. I know that. Even in front of you, you could see them. Jerry Ryan one of the first times he was doing DJ down in a ballroom and we were the band that night and I remember he said to me Jesus Linda there's nobody here I said yeah but they will be here you have to go on you won't get paid and he was stomping around the place anyway and eventually he did go on and the hall filled up as usual but he quoted what I said to him many times over the years he used to say she taught me a lesson because you're booked to play you get up you play and if you do your job properly then you get paid at the end of it and he did and he was great God love him Gay Burn the people said there was no sex in Ireland before Gay Burn but there was sex in Ireland because that show Ben documentary I saw and they were at it like rabbits weren't they I didn't notice that bit now Mario I must be honest with you but hang on do you know why you said it you said it even in the documentary I think I never noticed that I think you said I never noticed it but I think the lads were at it weren't they listen with the groupies talk to me talk to me you know but what about Holy Catholic Ireland yeah forget about that but most of the the show band front people would have been youngish people and of course the women there idolising them yeah so back at back at the van later on well whatever floats your boat but like you know what about Holy Catholic Ireland correct I know nonsense nonsense I think it was a nonsense yeah so in Chips there were a few likely lads were there Ah well You know yourself I'm saying nothing I'm saying nothing Now that's That's an East Belfast Is it?

51:45Classic Classic if I ever heard of So are all the Chips people alive? We'd just say Robin's alive Dick's alive Annie's alive I think there's four of them Still alive Yeah We've lost two Over the last few years We've had their funerals And things I wasn't at Robin Irvine because he was living in Manhattan at that time. When Robin left Dublin to go to America trying to further his career, he actually fell into tour managing very, very easily. Was with Journey for centuries. Cindy Lauper, Rod Stewart. I can't remember who else he was with, but he'd be with an agency and he'd be booked to go out on the tour.

52:26But Journey and him lasted for, like, I don't know how long, but it was years and years and years. But he died of cancer just a number of years ago which was very unfortunate and then Bill the keyboard player he was a town planner or something like that you know he's very conservative lovely man and then he had Parkinson's and he died within the last couple of years like Shay yeah now the rest of us still meet up yeah once in a while you get a call and they say well are you coming up to Belfast and I'll go up and I'll catch up with him and we talk shite yeah Now we're not talking anything about global warming or politics.

53:03We're talking about what happens. I don't think that's what people need to hear from Chips anyway. We'd be talking the shite that we used to talk about in the van and everything. And the boys. The old days. The boys in their wacky backy days. You know you'd be coming home. Dawn you'd be coming back from Cork or something. Pull over the van and go over and they say that's sunset. Look at that sunset you know. Oh Jesus mental. Yeah and back then of course there were no proper motorways. so it was all terrible roads. And there were no all night cafes so once you left wherever it happened to be Kerry you were Kerry until Dublin before you got a cup of tea.

53:37But I always had a flask with me. Yeah God. And a light beside me in the van so it could read. Right and obviously people would have to stop at the side of the road for the old toilet and stuff. Yeah they did. They did. You see that's the thing that's the glamour I've been talking about you know. So I spoke earlier on about the Micheál Martin and Linda Martin President Linda Martin. I forgot about that because do you remember there was a period when you were sort of approached and touted It was my dear friend Ian O'Docher he started that The journalist? Yes because he's taken various rescue dogs from me over the years you see and I get on very well he's a lovely guy and he was given out about something and he says we need a president with the honesty of Linda we should have Linda as president you know so suddenly he started oh yeah he started now can you only imagine if I was president.

54:28Number one, I'm too stupid to be president anyway. And number two, what would I do in the Iris? I'd have to go and live there and where would the dogs go? Et cetera, et cetera. Well, there's plenty of room for the dogs. Now, you did make the point that you were very good in Europe. Hmm. Yeah. Oh, I know lots of them. The kings, queens. Well, you were used to representing us in Europe and getting douze poin. Yeah, because it's different. We do the concerts in Europe but you'll find the local presidents there or the, whatever it is, the dignitaries, you know. Yeah. And you know lots of queens here in Dublin So things might have worked out But Jesus We do know lots of queens in Dublin Absolutely And Louis was going to be my What would we say Not promoter Not manager He'd have been the news person He'd have been giving the stories to the newspapers The PR Press advisor Oh my god Louis working out of Oros and Ucturon I'm afraid President Martin has no comment You can only imagine No, that was Ian's start at that Linda, I don't think Emmanuel Macron is going to go all the way I don't think he has the fun factor That's him That's him Yeah Did you ever see me doing an impression of you?

55:42No Yeah I have it here I wanted to root up a picture Do you know the one I love most of all your impressions? When Daniel auditioned to join you two because Bono left. Oh yeah. And I've heard that many times doing that. Oh very good. Playing it back. Oh very good. Ah poor old Daniel. Poor old Daniel. Don't leave poor Daniel alone. And he's lovely. He doesn't like me doing him at all. Does he not? No he's a real pro Daniel. Daniel is. But Daniel really defends his brand. Yeah. So his view of someone like me doing him is I'm not going to give him the time of day. You know because he was in with Ray Darcy once and he goes Ray Darcy goes Ah well okay I need to ask you about The fly on the wall Or the elephant in the room Yeah Mario Rosenstock What do you think of his impression Who Oh yeah yeah yeah Mario Rosenstock You know he does Daniel every day I'm not sure who you're on about Ray Now there is a very good fellow up in Donegal Who does me Oh he was totally Went We had a girls weekend A couple of years ago And we went up west To see Daniel And we stayed in a beautiful hotel Yeah we sat at the back of the hall and we sang every song.

56:53Yeah. Plenty of drink, plenty of crack and the crowd that were there was almost like people sort of appear. I know, it's a cult. It's unbelievable. I know. I want you all now to take the Kool-Aid everybody. Drink it all. It's not just tea, there's a drop of cyanide in there as well, but anyway. And he remembers names. Oh, he does? Now, I've got that talent, I can remember names, right? but he meets his audience Maisie and Sadie he just guesses if he says Maisie and Sadie he's going to be right yeah but he's how are you doing Maisie yeah no I'm Sadie oh sorry there's Maisie there that's right I'm Sadie and Maisie yeah and he remembers all the passing of their husbands he does all of that sort of he does but I tell you we'd a great night and a fabulous band yeah I know he's a great entertainer so are you treated like royalty when you do these little Eurovision sort of gigs in Europe yeah give us an example of what happens.

57:49Well. So let's say you're, who calls you and what happens? Oh, that will come through the office. Yeah, but what is it? Where are you going to? I'd be going off to Denmark probably. Denmark. And you're picked up at the airport. I'm picked up at the airport. Proper pickup. Oh, proper pickup and everything, right? I don't drift around looking for it. Proper hotel. Absolutely. The hotels are beautiful. Yeah. More than I need because I don't need a suite. What am I going to do in it? So a room is fine for me. Yeah. But everything's laid on. Food, no matter what you want. and you're taken to the venue and it's almost, it's that, they're almost bowing.

58:24Yeah. You know that? You're royalty. Because it's Eurovision. Yeah, but you're Eurovision royalty. Yeah, and it's just that everything is provided. If you want musicians, you can have them. Yeah. If the budget doesn't apply, then you use tracks. Yeah. But the stages are fantastic. The lighting is fantastic and you know something else, the sound engineers are brilliant. And in this, in Denmark thing, would you be performing in a, would you be performing at a Eurovision tribute? Sometimes. With other Eurovision people? Yes, sometimes. Sometimes you could be in a club. Yeah, but generally it's with other Eurovision people?

58:52Yeah. Sometimes Irish, like Niamh Kavanagh, for example? Oh, yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Great friends with Niamh. Yeah, great. Funny enough, we're all very friendly with each other. It's like a little group from all over Europe, and we meet each other in airports and all sorts of things. But over the years, you build up friends. Yeah. And it's nice, but us Irish ones are particularly close. Yeah, yeah. In fact, we'll be doing, in December the 8th, in the Helix, the six Irish Eurovision winners will be performing it's like a Christmas Eurovision thing Johnny as well oh yeah and Dana yeah will she perform oh she will yeah is she in good voice yeah oh terrific yeah I don't think people really Dana's a great crack you know yeah is she yeah yeah Johnny saves his filthiest jokes so as he can say them to Dana to outrage her yeah and she just goes fuck Sean stop you know but yeah she will be and and does she just sing all kinds of everything?

59:47No, no, no, no, no. We all sing different Eurovision songs. Oh, okay. So we all have favourites that we do, like Take Me to Your Heaven, I'll do that one. Niamh would do Love Shine a Light. Yeah. Johnny will be doing his songs all right. And then he, Johnny will always do a couple of solo things. Yeah. So there's a guy called Davy, Davy, he's a guitar player, Arkin, Davy Arkin, and he'll come in a fabulous guitar player and he'll come in and he'll just do a little soft backing and then Johnny flies off. You know, it's beautiful. So we all do different things. That's December 6th and the helix.

1:00:22Pardon? December 6th and the helix. It's Tuesday, December the 8th and the helix. December the 8th. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's coming up to Christmas time so it'll be a nice thing. That's brilliant. And we'd have dancers and children and all sorts of the usual things. That's lovely. And just give me one more plug for your dog situation again. Oh, the dog, that's why I'm broke. That's why I don't have a penny to my name anymore. Yeah. Invest it all in the dogs. All in the dogs, because when Ashton Pound rightly was closed, that's going back about three years ago, there really wasn't anywhere central for Dublin stray dogs or injured dogs to go to.

1:00:54They were picked up all right, but they were taken out beyond the city limits. And I just thought, you know something, put my money where my mouth is. And I did. And I got land. I applied for planning permission and fought Fingal Council. Well, you know what councils are like. But I just, I don't take no for an answer. I just kept saying, well, what else can I do? And eventually put up the buildings. And they're what I would call luxury insulated sheds. They're beautiful things. And then got loyal staff who are still with me after the two years. And we bring personalities up. You'll have to come up.

1:01:29I will. And we've gone from Adam Clayton, of course, Louis Walsh, Brendan Courtney, Bertie Ahern, you name it. You get in touch with me and I will. Okay and they all come up And we have lovely tea In buns usually When we've got celebs Coming up That's great I love dogs anyway Yeah It'd be beautiful I'd love to do that But it's just I am a firm believer In lead by example So if people see you At the dog hub Picking up a stray dog Yeah Oh it's good enough for him It's good enough for me Well it won't do my career Any harm at all To be pictured with a cuddly Little dog Not at all No problem It's always the best thing Yeah people suddenly think Mary goes Oh he's a lovely He's not the arsehole We thought he was No he's a grafter and he turns up listen Linda it's lovely to see you again you're looking great am I?

1:02:14you still have the dress oh yes oh the dress I have to bring it sometimes what? it's in the contract could Linda bring the dress because the dress was a star as well yeah was it grey? yes it was grey wasn't it? curtain material you couldn't get nice fabrics it was grey wasn't it? grey kind of spangly it's beautiful it's a beautiful dress so that goes with me so I don't need to ask you the indiscreet question of if you can still fit into it oh I can get into it I can get into it alright that's great I bait myself into it. Well done. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It's great. Go to Eurovision some year. Pick a nice country now and go off and just experience it.

1:02:48A few days and RT, of course, they'll give you all your security passes and everything and just experience the people, the parties, the Irishness of being in among all the Europeans and sometimes I look at them and Europeans, to me, are incredibly well-dressed when they're in show business and I admire them very, very much and then I look down at myself and I be thinking Jesus, I sort of need to buck up the ideas I bet you know but especially the men they're groomed and the beautiful clothes and everything on them but do go some year and enjoy it. Yeah, I will Linda and I'll come up to the dog the dog sanctuary as well.

1:03:26Do. Yeah, love to. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. You're very welcome. Thank you. Thank you and thank you for joining me on the podcast.

1:03:37And my thanks to Linda Martin for coming in and chatting to me on the Mario Rosenstock podcast. And of course, to you for listening. Thank you to Hump Finance for getting involved with the Mario Rosenstock podcast. Hump Finance has 30 years of experience and they have flexible payment solutions for customers for some of Ireland's most popular retailers. Get on there and have a look at Hump. That's it. I'll see you same time, same place next week. Have a great week. The Mario Rosenstock podcast. Thanks to Hump. Finance made easy when you shop tech, electrical, appliances, kitchens and much more.

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