Desert Island Discs 2.0 - Claire Leighton

We asked for your must have music (and more) to accompany you to the Library's Desert Island. Claire Leighton (Customer Services Operations Manager, PRL) is the next person to be castaway...

1.      Pick 3 or more pieces of music that are special to you:

- Fake Empire -The National Me and my partner are both big fans of The National and had this song playing when we signed our civil partnership. 

- Ezra Furman and the Harpoons - Take off your Sunglasses We are big fans of a kitchen disco in my house and my son loves sticking on some sunglasses and having a dance to this. It's a nice upbeat song for a lonely desert island.  

- All Saints - Never Ever Cooler than any song by the Spice Girls, this song has stuck with me as a go to karaoke choice. It always reminds me of me and my younger sister trying to master the 'rap' verse. 26 years later we still have it down. 

2.      What band/singer would you like to perform for you on the island? 

LCD Soundsystem - I've never been lucky enough to see them live and their songs are usually quite long, so I'd have company on the Island for a couple of hours. Although if we have the power of resurrection The Beatles wouldn't go amiss... 

3.      What book would you like to take with you? You will already find the Complete Works of Shakespeare and a copy of the Bible or your choice of sacred text waiting for you on the island 

I'd like to take something I haven't already read, which shamefully includes all of the books that have piled on my bedside table for the past year. The stories of John Cheever is top of the pile so I'll go with that.

4.      What podcast and/or radio station would you like access to? 

Off Menu - I'm slightly obsessed with this podcast. If anyone likes talking about food I'd highly recommend it. 

5.      What TV show and/or film would you like to watch?

 My Brilliant Friend (including the yet-to-be-released final season, please) not only is it beautifully shot and well-acted but hopefully I'll be fluent in Italian by the time I'm rescued. 

6.      Pick a luxury item for your stay! 

It would have to be some kind of instrument; I can't play any (yet) and I wasted the lockdowns by not picking one up, so I'll take a guitar please and a couple of books about how to play it.