This much I know: Paul McLoone, Undertones singer and DJ

I’ve leant that some stuff simply doesn’t matter. In fact, most things don’t matter. 

I used to be a godawful worrier, always over-analysing things, consumed by a type of existential angst. Now, I try to accept the fleeting nature of most things. Otherwise, if you’re not careful, you can completely lose your perspective on what is important. I was an extroverted kid, I did a lot of clowning around, impersonations.

I grew up in Derry’s Bogside in the 70s and 80s when things were pretty bad up there. Growing up in a militarised environment had a profound impact on me. It made me politicised. We had helicopters constantly overhead, it was perfectly normal to feel like you were under surveillance, to be stopped and searched by large men with guns when you were doing nothing more than going out for groceries.

My main fault is that I’m lazy. I’ve achieved lots of things but I’ve a tendency not to put the pedal to the metal and that frustrates me about myself. I feel I should try harder.

I don’t run or work out or do any formal type of keeping fit. But then I don’t drive so I do a lot more walking than the average person.

If I could be reborn as someone else for a day, I’d choose to be Lou Reid in 1967. It must have been astonishing to be around The Factory with all those degenerates and to know that you were a great musician at the moment before it all went south.

After school I worked on BBC Radio Foyle. A friend had given a tape of me doing funny voices to Gerry Anderson, who was already a big figure to us back then in 1985. I ended up sitting opposite him in a studio and he said ‘right, I’m going to open the mic now and you are going be Prince Charles’. It was unscripted and terrifying but people thought it was great.

Later, when I worked as a producer on Ian Dempsey’s Breakfast show, Gift Grub came out of a satire I’d come up with on cookery shows back then when they were just becoming a staple of daytime television. It was called Pasta with Paisley. So Gift Grub, with Bertie, seemed like a good idea as I knew I had to do something with Mario (Rosenstock).

I’m a pretty good singer and know how to work the crowd. I was in The Carrellines, a synth rock band, and we were lucky to have Billy Doherty from The Undertones as our drummer. We had a modicum of success. Later, when I’d moved to Dublin, Billy rang and said ‘we’re reforming’. I thought he meant The Carrellines but he actually meant The Undertones, and they asked me to be the new lead singer.

The biggest challenge I’ve had to face is the death of my parents within two years of each other, 1997 and 1999. I’d just started producing Ian Dempsey and it was a very bleak period. I did a lot of partying — I’m not sure how much was grief and how much was hedonism — but the pressure got to me and I had to stop producing radio for a while.

I was affected physically and mentally and was diagnosed with depression. I quit smoking and quit other activities that were not so beneficial to my health and did a bit of therapy which helped.

I’m reasonably cheerful but am prone to bouts of melancholy. I’ve learnt to deal with that aspect of my nature in a healthier way.

Years later, through good fortune, I got back into Today FM producing Tom Dunne and I was very grateful to get another crack at it. I’m a very lucky person.

I have two sons who are 20 and 16 and they both play music. I’m not married, I live in Dublin and the weekend nights when I’m not working I try to be as sociable as I can. Most of the rest of the time, music is it for me really.

I love dj-ing. I don’t enjoy interviewing that much as I’m slightly shy. I insist on playing vinyl on my show, on a record player.

* The Paul McLoone Show airs Monday — Thursday, 9pm to midnight on 100-102 Today FM.