My Ears Through the Years with Alfie Glover-Short
Welcome to episode six of My Ears Though the Years! You know the drill by now – we ask a brilliant creative in the industry about the music that has shaped them throughout their lives. So let’s slide to the left, slide to the right, and cha cha real good as we take a gander through our next guest’s own personal playlist.
This time we’re talking to TV Producer, the brilliant Alfie Glover-Short! Alfie is has a been producer with The&Partnership for over eight years and has produced ads for some of the biggest names in the biz. But what does this proud fan of The Saturdays have in his headphones these days? Let’s get into it…
Q> Hi Alfie! Tell us, what’s your first memory of music…
Alfie> My first memory is sat in the car as a toddler insisting, “I want Manic Street Preachers, and I want it LOUD!”. We had ‘Everything Must Go’ on cassette. I remember the inlet having close-up photo of each of the band’s eyes and nipples…
Q> The first music you bought yourself…
Alfie> The first single I ever owned was ‘Kernkraft 400’ by Zombie Nation. My German techno days didn’t last long, however, as I went on to buy ‘Reach’ by S Club 7 and ‘Pure and Simple’ by Hear’Say.
Q> Your first gig…
Alfie> Foals at Brixton Academy, aged 14. By then, Yannis had also inspired me to grow my first floppy fringe and buy my first flannel shirt.
Q> A song you can never get out of your head..
Alfie> Does Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie’s’s ‘Sanasa’ count?
Q> The first song you felt you couldn’t escape from…
Alfie> “Alfie” by Cilla Black. As a kid it was sung at me all too often by adults thinking they were the first person to highlight the connection…
Q> A song you grew up with …
Alfie> ‘No One Knows’ by Queens of the Stone Age. I am the baby of the family, and my brother had this song on repeat, blasting out of whatever subwoofer What Hi-Fi were recommending at the time.
Q> Your dancefloor anthem…
Alfie> Doja Cat’s ‘Boss Bitch’. I know every word.
Q> Your musical guilty pleasure…
‘All Fired Up’ by the Saturdays. Give it a listen and tell me it doesn’t make it onto your gym playlist.
Q> A song that reminds you of family…
Alfie> I associate ‘Billie Holiday’ by Warpaint with my family and our 2009 summer holidays.
It is universally loved by all of us, particularly mum who immediately recognised the sample from Mary Well’s ‘My Guy’.
Q> How has your musical taste evolved over time?
Alfie> Crudely put it’s become much gayer over time! Or at least more mainstream thanks to my boyfriend’s influence. Our most recent gig together was Kim Petras in support of her ‘Slut Pop Miami’ EP.
Q> An unpopular musical opinion…
Alfie> Taylor Swift. I’ve never understood the hype.
Q> An artist that’s underrated…
Alfie> Empress Of. She released her fourth album this year, including the brilliant song ‘What’s Love’ (feat MUNA).
Q> Your desert island disc…
Alfie> ‘Oblivion’ by Grimes has always been a favourite. It also became my lucky song. I listened to it before all major exams, and even synced it to the application video I made to get my first (and current) job at T&Pm. So, if I needed some good luck to get back off the island, or even just find my next meal, I’d have my secret weapon handy.
Q> Best sync moment…
Alfie> During the finale of the brilliant crime series Giri Haji, there is an unexpected dance sequence. It is set to ‘Verses’ by Olafur Arnalds and Alice Sara Ott. I would ordinarily roll my eyes at an interpretative dance break, but the combination of music and performance make it one of the most mesmerising moments I have ever watched on TV.
Q> Music that made an ad campaign…
Alfie> ‘King of the Road’ for THINK!, or frankly anything from their Hedgehog road safety campaign.
Q> Best theme song…
Alfie> At least in recent years it must be Christobal Tapia De Veer’s title theme(s) to White Lotus. I loved his score years prior for the Channel 4 series Utopia and I’m excited to see how he interprets the theme for series three.
Q> Favourite film score…
Alfie> Nils Frahm’s score for Victoria. It is so atmospheric and full of melancholy.
