SIXTY ON 6: GLAD TO BE GREY

On Bank Holiday Monday I'm presenting a special one-off programme for 6 Music on the eve of my 60th birthday party, under the banner of GLAD TO BE GREY.

Those of us who grew up in the 60s are now hitting our own sixties - which is a strange feeling for my generation. A generation who (as Roger Daltrey sang) once hoped we'd die before we got old.

I'll be talking to contemporaries such as Brian Eno, fresh from curating the Brighton Festival, about the implications of hitting sixty for those of us who've worked freelance in the creative industries all these years.

Others like Laurie Anderson, Kiki Dee and Steve Harley will also be pitching in with stories about the challenges they too have faced over the decades - and offering advice to those looking to start out the creative industries today.

Above all, I'd like to hear from listeners who are also from the postwar generation, particularly if you too work in one of the creative industries, perhaps as a contactor or maybe as a freelancer. Do you love your job so much you want to carry on working after you pass retirement age, or are you in a position were you simply can't afford to give up?

And - with the money markets seemingly in semi-permanent meltdown - what options are open to those of us who are approaching retirement age and face an increasingly uncertain financial future?

With your help, perhaps we can explore the issues and tease out some answers on Bank Holiday Monday between 4-6pm here on 6 Music, together with some handpicked tunes from across the past 6 decades. Do share your experiences - and maybe offer some solutions of your own - either by leaving a comment below or emailing me direct at [email protected]

Tom Robinson
--
60th birthday concert
Shepherds Bush Empire
Tuesday 1st June 2010
https://www/gladtobegrey.net