“Hello, I am Margarida Lobão and this is the Desert Island Discs Podcasts. Every week I ask my guests to choose 8 tracks, book and luxury they want to take with them if they are cast away to the Desert Island. And for the right reasons, the music is shorter than the original podcast. I hope you enjoyed listening. My cast away this week is a researcher. traveler, musical lover, comedian Ian Robin Marsh. He is most known for his research and based on his PhD on quality aspects of internet telephony in 2009 but before that he did a bachelor degree in 87 in Physics and Computer Science and a master degree in Computer Science in Manchester, UK“.

Ah … Thank you for having me. I would like to introduce you like a researcher, music lover, travel, and probably plenty of people don’t know that you have mixed blood. I know your father is Italian and your mother is Indian.

What was the influence of Europe brings in your life?

Yes, so the influences were good food, local community, I come from a small town in the south of England. Friendly, wholesome working class community.

What are your first memories?

That’s a good question. I’m going to say that a lot of times because you probably have a lot of good questions.I think playing with my friends, playing with a dog, I’m an only child. I don’t know if you’re going to convert it up, but I’m an only child. So happy memories in the garden, playing with a dog, being with a pet. So it was a small family, and I know of people of larger families, so a small unit, I would say, relatively tight unit, but yeah, it’s important, very important. It’s even more important now than it was then.

So since you didn’t actually develop this issue, but we know that your father left right some years ago, what was the impact of that in your life?

And that’s it, oh my god, if I say that again. I lost my one of my closest friends due to drinking. So it’s very hard to say in words. I think I remember one incident in particular where my parents were arguing and my eyes were not focusing and they were going in different directions kind of like on strings or something and my mother picking me up and taking me to the doctor rushing me to the doctor and I was thinking while this is having quite a lot more effect then I noticed.

I think I grew up to be a man there, to kind of, of course, look after the mother. I didn’t look after her in a way, but I felt I should be responsible. Years later, I had a couple of problems and the psychologist said that might be related to that time. It’s maybe make you into a man, maybe make you insured, maybe make you a bit angry. Frankly, I grew up to be a man, maybe make you insured, maybe make you insured. don’t know I’ve not read about what are the effects It wasn’t devastating But it was strange you still maintain contact with him.

I don’t I don’t regret it. I will and I think whenever I think about homelessness So something on the homeless or there’s some charity called shelter Maybe a little bit independent, maybe being a little bit mother’s boy, being very close to the mother. We were a bit closer perhaps, I feel a bit sorry for my father, we would go together and I would learn to drive with her and everything.

Maybe make you a bit resilient, maybe make you a bit angry without even knowing, you know. I don’t know. I’m repeating myself. I am… If I’m honest.

What did the psychologist tell you that?

I don’t know. That you learn to compartmentalise things better. If you push it out of your head, and that generally… Growing up in that time, you didn’t go to a psychologist. We’re talking many years later that I went to a psychologist. I could understand that.

That compartmentalised part… I think many people just push it out of their brain. It becomes something useful. to at least one friend called Russell Kitson and he’s very close to me, we grew up together, he sends me crazy messages every day, very heartwarming.

So your school days you consider yourself Pacifico?
Do I consider myself what? A pacifist, so a peaceful person. Yeah, I think so. I don’t think I was, no, I mean we play football, we play. You can see some worms in your leg. That was usual, usual. I didn’t see you could see under the table. you might have seen me just before the recording, I was procrastinating, I was nervous, I was doubtful, I was, I would love to do justice to a hundred songs, never mind eight, arduous, difficult, you name the words, yeah. Did you listen to your first song? I’d love to.

Yeah, for the listeners, that was going underground by Paul Weller or by the jam.
Due to the people around me in the school, they all love the jam, they all love Paul Weller and I still do. Without doubt Paul Weller has been the greatest influence for me musically. He’s still going, I love the man to bits. bits. A bit hard to say that.

So this was your first track. Can you tell us a little bit about it, the song you chose and why? you selected it?

What emotions are the father, my goodness? I can’t say it like that. It’s just a difficult comparison to make that. But yeah, I mean, music’s important. You mentioned it in your introduction. The song, that song is like, you know, we were all into the jam. I learned to pass my job. while I sang is what we all felt. It’s a genius. There’s no other words to describe him for me. Thank you.

Going back to your family and your years, I know your mother remarried. How was it for you?

Yes, so Raymond, yes, my mother remarried. It wasn’t a big gap between the two, so Raymond Dinsdale came into our lives. I’m looking at four to an hour at our wedding actually right in front of me. because me and my wife and the cat. So yes, it’s happy, they’re very happily married and together for many years. And that was a nice it was nice to see my mother happy and I was happy as well. Ray has always treated me very well. He’s very well known by the people of Bono’s week because he was some kind of big week in Rolls-Royce. Well, he’s a big– he’s retired now. But yes.

But did you have to move, for example, from home where you were from something else? I’m sorry? From somewhere else to somewhere else? Ah, yeah, okay. Yeah, so people often say where do you come from? And I say the north, the south and the midlands to some degree. Yeah, because of work and Rolls Royce is located in Derby. Then we moved because of that.
Sorry, yeah.

What has impacted in your life?

in France, school, in future, what do you thought in that time? By that time I’d already started university, so I was studying in Manchester and it wasn’t that big. I mean if I went home it would be just to, you know, when you’re a student and you’re eating fish and chips and onion bargies,

The movie, do you think it has any impact on you, was it the friends from the school or?

No, not really, that’s kind of an interesting, I never thought about that, I never really thought about that. I don’t think so, I think my life was Manchester or going home and home, Rottenbein, Buenos Aires was nothing, not especially, I don’t think so. I’ve never really thought about it to be honest, but I don’t think so. No, but do you think that… It’s like a different bedroom, yeah Unfortunately, I know that you had a grandmother that passed away last year With 99 years old.

What was influenced so far in your life?

Oh, I know my son. It grew towards Towards the end which is kind of strange. It was a slow start, you know where the grandmothers look after you or the grandparents and Year after year, I appreciated her more and more That’s important.

Should we listen to your second song?

Please.

Thank you so much. Can you ask me why you choose this song?

It is why I have the house in my bedroom you’re correct and yeah, I mean Bernard Sumner & Peter Hook I mean they’re not speaking but New order I just think all the songs I mean people of course not blue Monday a song which is like clockwork All these different gears working together, but whenever we’d go out in Manchester, which is fantastic times not only to the house yender. We all had our favourite songs my friend used to play Bon Jovi proud of the students than I am of the research.

The research is something you do quite often in a group, but you write a paper and things like this, but the other is people. I looked actually where the students are. It’s a bit frightening that one of them is even working in Eurocontrol, which controls all the planes across Europe. Oh my God. The students are all over the place. I have one Chinese student, a very sweet girl. She came to my Ph.D thesis. A little funny story perhaps for the listeners. myself about that little thing but yes I’m proud of my students and I can just say just as a by the way I will meet one of my students on Monday from eight years ago he’s coming to visit I’m very proud of them I hope they’re listening to this.

What makes you a get up in the morning?

I think kind of work this research but to get up and look at the problems we’re trying to sometimes solve difficult problems, sometimes we’re trying to do easy problems, sometimes we’re trying to get money, but I feel very fortunate to work with a job that I like. I know many people do not, but yeah, I think it’s 25 % of the people that like the work in them, so that’s for me a privilege and a joy. I didn’t say it to our listeners, but you are working in a company called RISE in Sweden. But I know you worked in other places, in other countries, not less like a researcher.

Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Oh, you mean the non -professional parts of my life? Or even the professional parts before I actually arrived to Sweden. Yeah, maybe I should just… that you appreciate the value of money. So if I wanted something to buy a car or buy a computer or a guitar or probably some old memorabilia, I worked for it and that I feel is important. I have a very strong respect for money. I don’t want to be a millionaire but you work for things. Maybe that’s a northern upbringing, maybe that’s the way it wants, maybe I wanted financial independence. Professionally, you’re right, I’ve worked in a few different places in a few different countries who might come on the traveling but I’ve worked in Sweden now for many years.

Hmm, do I need to change? Probably as you get older it gets a bit harder, you slow down. In the early days, yes, I think it was quite nice, it was quite invigorating to go somewhere new, learn new people, new new skills, new new manners. So I got older, I’ve sort of maybe stuck a little bit in Sweden, I might regret that. Sweden’s a wonderful country, don’t get me wrong, after 27 years it’s been very good to me. It’s a great place to work.

Thank you so much.

Lovely song. This changes the way you actually see the world. Do you have actually a girlfriend in that time that actually made you feel special then? Yeah, I wouldn’t relate this to any kind of relationship. But you know, you’ve sort of clouded my mind. You all from Kaffir to Bonnet.

Did you introduce this song to any girls in that time?
Oh, you’re very curious. I don’t think so. I just used to just say how great it was. I definitely had a lot of posters of Paul Weller in his different faces on my wall. Did I introduce any girls? No, I don’t particularly remember. This was a personal thing. But maybe we danced a slow song at the end of the club, at the end of the night. The music was not for the people really, it was for me, I think. I mean, I would like people to like it but I didn’t know. work, but if you become famous for your PhD in postdoc, what can you tell us about it for to all listeners? I don’t think I’m famous, but you are here in podcast, so you have to be famous for something. That’s true, that’s true. Yeah, I mean, is it famous? I mean, you could say one thing about my PhD thesis, it’s about voice over IP, internet, you know, you speak of the voice, which is now omnipresent.

At those days, we had telephones, probably how long it took, how difficult it was, what are some things you always wanted?

I’m glad you asked me that. And actually I was not prepared to answer that. So yes, I moved to Sweden and one of the reasons to go to Sweden and to live there was to pursue a PhD. I’m a little bit tenacious and I started something. A PhD in Sweden takes typically five years and the industry took six years. For me, it took eight years. It was definitely difficult up to a certain point. It was quite easy. easy but there were points which were very difficult yeah some of the darker moments I think why I thought it was not going to finish and yeah I had health related issues I managed to get these shingles and a few other things happened at that time unfortunately somebody passed away in front of me and that basically caused a one year depression I would say probably It was tough, but I learnt a lot. I learnt a lot by myself and I learnt a lot from the education. I still use some of the things that we learn now. But yeah, I wouldn’t ever say I’m a doctor in Germany, like doctor, I don’t care about this, even the PhD is not that important to me. It was a personal crusade.

Was something you always wanted?

I think so. I think where I grew up, people did apprenticeships. There were some very, very good engineers. And I mentioned Rolls-Royce. When you go on a plane, you can go and thank all those guys in Barnoldswick. with a little bit of tinge of, not tinge of, you know, tough, it was, I’m glad I did it, yeah. I’m glad you did it as well. Thank you.

What are you going to play next?

We’re going to play another time from Manchester Times. It’s a Manchester band. They’re called The Railway Children. The song is called Brighter and yeah, it reminds me, we used to play them and I’m going to tell a little funny story about them.

So you’ve left a lot to say

We loved them and we all used to play them. I think I mentioned what we used to play these songs one of my flatmates used to play another of their songs. That’s my favourite song. They’re silky silky vocals When you see the man is today gray.

I see looks fantastic. He stole those beautiful guitars and We went to see them we had a few drinks in advance and every single song that they played We said “that’s rubbish” play Brighter. The song. It just said it’s called Brighter so so we’re all at the front at the t-shirt on and they play a song and I go that’s rubbish play brighter and at the end it says this is for you at the front and you play brighter and we all went that’s rubbish I feel sorry for them but it was so funny and I still remember it they actually played the concert And I said, “I’m sorry. That’s the least singer’s fault. I can’t stop looking at him. He’s so beautiful.” I’m sorry. I’m sorry for that. Anyway, I went to Berlin to see them if I’m still coming. It was worth it. He said to me, he said he was singing all the lyrics. I said, “Hopefully not too loud.” Anyway, probably a band people don’t know on this podcast. Check them out if you like indie, jangly pop. It’s important for me, especially that New Year’s Eve when he played at 12 o ‘clock in the Hacienda. Imagine.

This, you know, pressure makes diamonds, all that glitters is not gold, probably comes from Ian Prowse, a Liverpoodlian musician. I don’t know if he was the first one to say it, but he inspired me to put it there, and that’s in one of his songs. And you know, be aware of fakes, basically. I think I consider myself to be integral, probably very annoying and never shut up. But I think honesty, integrity, I think is important. And that’s what that would mean. Could be shiny end. I won’t use this word on national podcast, it probably would be edited out.

Continue with your blog. You can see Middle East, obvious things, tech and non -tech. Since we already talked about the tech part, I would like to ask you if you’re talking about the non -tech, the places, your songs, the world history, the cooking, the golf, you name it. So what is more important for you?

Traveling.

Thank you. elaborate a little bit more?

I thought I’d give a short answer for a change 🙂

Yeah, I mean, like everybody has some hobbies. I mean, golf is just maybe something to do if you get a bit older. Cooking, we all like to eat. I like to make a few dishes inspired by my grandmother. Every Friday afternoon she would come home and hold the whole street, all the northern white street where we smell of Indian food.

You prefer travelling, why, to like the multiple people, places?

Travelling is…must. Yeah, I think it severely… Oh, severely sounds like a negative word. It highly influenced my life. My mother and father were together, we went away every single year. So some of my fondest memories going away from four years old to, well, every year we went. I can name the countries like a rhyme Majorca, Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia.. imagine that. has Arguably had the largest influence on my life. I mean tech is interesting meeting the people you love and getting married and things like this and Meeting meeting people. I mean meeting my wife was highly connected to the traveling We can speak about that later.

Oh interesting. I’ll try to keep it short But yeah, I think when we went travel music if you choose I don’t know funny or you’re not right, tenacious. I see things a bit wider now when I see through different eyes or different nationalities. I wouldn’t like to see the world completely through nationalistic eyes, but it’s a joy. I managed to visit many countries, particularly outside Europe, it is really very different. I don’t know if it’s changed me. I think if I could be, I would say, (upbeat music) broken stones Girl,

I’m trying to get home
I’ll lose those reach
Too slow and short to hit the peaks,
so lost and alone
trying to get home.

Can you tell our listeners what is this song?

sure she does.

One thing that we didn’t mention but I know that you are very proud of is your ability to write some scratches and being a comedian.

Can you comment on that?

I haven’t made many sketches but I have had some funny moments yeah. If you talk to my friends in Barnoldswick week or perhaps in Manchester maybe in less than Sweden I’m sorry Sweden there are some funny people there. I don’t like, yeah okay I mean with my good friend Iyad. but I don’t even remember thinking and the guy he got on the stage behind this comedian.

Can you imagine trying to go to the bathroom? Of course the bathroom was on the other side of where we’re sitting. I don’t know why he whispered to me. I need to go to the bathroom. It was like I’m escaping from a German concentration camp. Help me out. What can I do? Anyway, so this guy she immediately went all around the wall and he got on the stage behind it like what the hell everyone was watching him and she opened her mouth. I don’t know what she was going to say and I just shouted it’s just a a stage he’s going through.” Everyone was laughing, they were laughing so much. And she scowled at me with this horrible face and she said, “You bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep.”

That was funny of them, what I was gonna say. So, yeah, I mean, me and my wife sometimes we watch it a little bit in prof shows, you know, what I like to you and things like this. In fact, people in the UK who know this show is a… I think people, friendly, interesting, exciting people. If it’s with a little bit of cerveja, I’m saying cerveja because my wife is from Portugal. cerveja with a little bit of beer, or wine for my wife, or cocktail. That’s nice, but it’s great people, yeah. –

Do you have any plans to publish it?

No, no, that’s, no, that’s, it’s stuck in Google Docs somewhere.

Why don’t you put the place in your blog?

People will steal it haha! , they’re good ideas. (laughing) it never really happened but I think the ideas are genuine I think the ideas are new I think it’s funny and me saying this without giving any evidence is a bit silly but I won’t fill up the podcast by talking about them. Watch this space. Okay for stopping this we’re actually going to the sixth song that I would like you to introduce if you don’t mind and tell me where you chose it. Yeah again perhaps I’m an oldie and I keep choosing these songs from(upbeat music) Thank you so much for watching one of our songs. Do you like it?

I do like it. it, yeah, that’s very nice.

I’m happy to hear that. – It’s lovely. So, continuing our interview. I understand you are married, but you didn’t, but you just did it at the age of 49. So my question is, how was your love life until you met your wife? (laughing) – Have you been drinking? (laughing) – I was in love. love life? Like anybody else? Have you had some girlfriends for two or three years? Yeah, happy. I would like to stay in contact with girlfriends and friends. I think it’s a shame I’m not in friends with them. But yeah, I met my wife relatively late I suppose. Fine. It took some time, but my wife she’s pretty determined. She’s quite an interesting person She also has a PhD social science works in a hospital doesn’t take any nonsense. I can’t swear I was gonna use another word and She said to me and I remember where I was”

“if my father is not alive to see Me marry. I will never forgive you”

and I thought oh It was like it was like a cartoon, you know, he stopped and oh and I have to my wife said no, so maybe I owe her a proposal.

I’m sorry, but I think you’re birthday of your grandmother was in May, and your marriage was already scheduled for September, so you already have the wedding rings and all.

I don’t think about that like a proposal to be honest. I don’t know your wife, but I wouldn’t say that is too late for a proposal. Fair enough, I’m sure. Perhaps I maybe need to revisit that. Yeah. yeah.

Do you think all the ingredients were there for marriage? – I do. – Oh, you think it was just procrastinating because you don’t really believe that the relationship was good enough?

I wonder what my wife would think if she was listening to this. And no, I think the ingredients are in place. Maybe I have to get a bit of a self -threshold, you know. Maybe I’ve put it off for too long. Maybe I’ve just become Scooby Doo. I think we used to use the term Scooby -Doo. And I enjoyed going, she loved her, I loved her, we all loved each other, it was fantastic. So that was a little bit unfortunate and my wife said come on, we have to go there quickly, you know. And my grandmother was pretty well, we had a phone call the week before on Sunday. What a crazy coincidence with the name of the group and then I think on Monday or Tuesday, yeah, she’d already come. So that was, I think, one or two days before my wife’s birthday. So we had the 45th birthday. I remember everybody coming up to me and going, “Forca, forca (strength, strength), you know, squeezing me and stuff.” But that song, I know my wife lost her cousin there, a song which is very dear to them, and that song is very dear to me, it’s very difficult to hear it, but she sang it, and you know, you gave me so much. And now it’s all the earth.

Right. What do you mean again? You’ve been travelling around, father Italian, mother Indian, now you have a Portuguese wife, so you really love to travel, right? Can you tell us about how you met?

I think some people should listen to the sister podcast of what my wife says because she always tells me, she always tells a different story. I would suggest you listen to both and… as my wife was raging like a bull. I said, “Girls, come back. I speak Swedish. I’ve been here 20 years. I’ve got to ask the guys.” And then they got us away. And I asked them, “Yeah, basically the plane’s broken.” I said, “I knew it.” Get a little wink to the guy, you know, and like, come back. And then, of course, I went back and I completely lied. I said, “No, it’s the Swedish fold. They were so happy. My wife going, ‘See? See?’” And she still says that now, “See? See? It’s your fault.” I lied. I was like, dodged it. Advice for people listening is don’t talk to strangers, especially when you’re traveling 🙂

Very interesting, that’s my second question to you. In your blog it says, “Married to Portuguese, don’t.” Can you explain that then?
No, it’s just a little bit of a joke. No, they’re fine. The UK and Portugal have a good relationship. I think lots of people come to Delgar. It was supposed to be a minimalist humane on just one way. No, I think, I think the countries have quite good relationships. relationships. I think they, no, take that with a pinch of salt, and probably a pinch of salt with a very large codfish.

But how do you consider your relationship after that?

Yeah, good question. I would say I’ve sort of bent my wife more into English culture than I’ve gone into Portuguese culture. We watch quite a lot of UK television, we go, she likes quite a lot of UK music, she speaks English very well. Thank you. I don’t know. I’m struggling with that one. I’m not saying yes or no, I don’t know, really. Have you ever thought about it? Fleetingly, but not constantly, yeah. What are your plans for the future? That’s interesting. Six years away from retirement, public home and have a beautiful life in Portugal, maybe before, who knows. It’s maybe too many years away from retirement.

Maybe something about that song. If you could describe that song in a material, it would be silk. The first line, I came across a cache of old photos. You might have noticed I like lyrics, and I think a lot about the lyrics. I’ve spent the last six months scanning pictures.

So Ian Marsh, I’m going to send you now to the island. How do you think you’ll cope?

I’m an only child. I do like to be on my own and I do like to be sociable. I think I’m really going to miss people if I’m honest. I’ll try to talk to the coconut sort of fish or the crabs I don’t know. I like the idea a bit of bit of solitude quite but I don’t think I’ll miss people. Yeah.

I will give you a book to take with you, The Bible, Shakespeare and another book of your choice. What would I like?

A full set of my wife’s photo albums.

Oh, really?

Yeah, to remember the people and stuff. They’re beautifully made, the nice memories. women. If I may, I don’t know. They are books, like real books.

Thank you. You can also have a luxury team to make life more pleasurable. What would it be?

Guitar. I think I’ll take a guitar and finally learn to play that stupid thing.

Finally, which one of the tracks of the eight would you keep?

Given that I am on a desert island and I don’t want to be bored. I’ll take the Pet Shop Boys “Being Boring”.

Thank you so much. You enjoyed to be in the show?

I did and I have to be honest I was pretty nervous at the beginning. I think it was very difficult to choose the songs But you guided me through it and I enjoyed it very much so thank you.

Record I’d save:
Being Boring, PSB.

Book:
My wife’s photo albums.

Luxury:
A guitar.

Date:
Feb, 2024.

Link:
Audio.

Number	Artist	Song
1	The Jam	Going Underground
2	New Order	Ceremony
3	The Style Council	The Paris Match
4	The Railway Children	Brighter
5	Paul Weller	Broken Stones
6	The Woodentops	The Last Time
7	The Sundays	Cry
8	The Pet Shop Boys	Being Boring