Tim Burgess was joined this week by his fellow Absolute Radio presenter Skin for the latest instalment of his podcast, Tim’s Listening Party.
Tim’s Listening Party first became a sensation on Twitter, with musical guests including the likes of Paul McCartney, Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp and Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon, and has now found a new home on radio and podcast. Each week, Tim is joined by a different guest as they share stories and insights from one of their seminal albums.
For the latest episode Skunk Anansie singer, Skin discussed the band’s debut album, Paranoid & Sunburnt, which contained hit single Weak. She revealed that, although the song was written in just one night, it had actually been eight years in the making as it was written about a boyfriend that she had had when she was 16:
‘I was going out with this much older guy - not through choice but because I was a quiet, vulnerable 16-year-old Christian girl and this guy was like 29. He’d give you a lift home [from church] and that’s how he ended up knowing where I live. He would just turn up and say I’m taking you out. He was abusive and controlling but I actually didn’t realise that it was an abusive relationship. I didn’t know what a relationship was – I thought that was normal.
I ended the relationship by going off to university in Middlesborough. I went that far deliberately but he would drive 300 miles to come up for the weekend, so I moved. I didn’t tell anyone, I just moved to a different house and that was him out of my life.
But it wasn’t until later when I did some work with a rape crisis centre and I was listening to people having conversations it just dawned on me ‘oh my god that’s what happened to me.’ I remember sitting down with my new guitar and thinking about one time when he hit me and he started crying. I remember thinking weak as I am I’ve got no tears for you.’
You can listen to Tim’s Listening Party on all podcast platforms, on absoluteradio.co.uk or in the Absolute Radio app.
