At just 20 years of age, Jack Hodgins can’t remember a time when he wasn’t captivated by the music of the 1960s and 70s and now he has created a new show featuring music of that era on local community radio station Radio Five-O-Plus.
In his show, Vinyl Vibes, Hodgins talks to musicians from that era about their time in the music industry and he is well aware that it’s an unusual interest for a person his age.
“I have been interested in music from that era since I can remember,” he said.
“It all started at the age of four or five when I heard Buddy Holly for the first time.
“There was just something so electrifying about his music and the rock ‘n’ roll of that era, and it just captured me.
“From this moment on I have been on a musical journey discovering music made throughout the 60s and 70s such as that of Herman’s Hermits, Bob Dylan and Oz rockers like Ted Mulry Gang.
“Vinyl Vibes has allowed me to dig even deeper into the music of that time and has allowed me to gain a greater connection to that culture of that era.”
While he is based in Newcastle at station 2NUR, he sends the show to Radio Five-O-Plus where it is currently airing Thursdays at 8pm and Saturdays from 5pm.
Hodgins, who is a full-time student at the Australian National University in Canberra where he studies political science, said he tracks down artists to talk to in his show by having a look through the old Go-Set and Kent Music Charts.
“I get an idea of the groups and artists I want on the show,” he said.
“Most of the time an artist will have a website with contact information of some kind.
“We have had people on such as Colin Petersen, the drummer of The Bee Gees, Graham Russell, the co-founder of Air Supply and Keith Hopwood, the founding member of Herman’s Hermits.
“However, more exclusive interviews can be harder to find such as my interview with the original drummer of The Ventures, George T. Babbitt Jr.
“Since leaving the Ventures in 1960, George has rarely been talked with about his time in the band.
“Now a retired air force general, I emailed his military unit over in the United States and a few weeks later I heard from George himself.
“So, it varies from interview to interview but it’s always a great adventure.”
Hodgins said that while he hoped for a future career in radio or a similar creative industry, in the meantime, he looked forward to bringing the listeners of Radio Five-O-Plus the best Vinyl Vibes episodes possible.
Hi Jack,
I’m a presenter on 93.3fm and just love your program Vinyl Vibes. I was a teenager in the 60’s and LP’s and 45’s were my most treasured possessions. Thanks for bringing it back.