Islington Tribune - by ROISIN GADELRAB Published: 5 October 2007
Cheeky Pete
Ode to Holloway Hall of Fame
AGEING rocker Billy Joel’s epic song We Didn’t Start The Fire has inspired a breakfast radio presenter to pen a homage to the chippies and kebab shops of Holloway Road. Cheeky Pete, of cult rock and indie radio station Xfm, who hosts the breakfast show with Alex Zane, has written a song in tribute to his home street’s outlets.
Word of the song has already spread to deputy council leader Terry Stacy, who rang up the show on Monday and managed to talk the two DJs into turning on the Christmas lights at the Nag’s Head in November.
Mr Stacy said: “The song’s quite amusing. I’m a secret Xfm fan. I was listening in because I wanted to win Kaiser Chiefs tickets.”
Where Billy Joel’s song reads like a Reduced Shakespeare Company summary of modern history, name-checking the likes of Nixon and Monroe, DJ Cheeky Pete, whose real name is Pete Donaldson, runs through his favourite shops.
Lyrics from the song include: “It’s Holloway Road shops that I admire, facilities that I require... Argos, Holloway Cycles, Chicken Village, Waitrose, Nag’s Head, Michael’s High-Class Fish Bar, Pizza Zone, Pizza Zone, Global Internet.”
Cheeky Pete said: “I was writing about the varied microcosm that is Holloway Road. I’m strolling down there, there’s everything – Arsenal Stadium, I can go to the 24-hour garage and buy Bigga Juice, the greatest drink known to man, it’s just a great street. I like going into Waitrose then popping into Cash Converters to see what’s there. “Myself and Alex are both very excited about the Christmas lights. Alex has never attended the Nag’s Head shopping centre and he wonders what it might be like. I told him it’s futuristic.”