LIFESTYLE
Tees
Lifestyle
A L I S TA I R G R I F F I N
Q&A
INTERVIEW BY: M I C H A E L M C G E A RY
PIC TUR ES: C H R I S B O OT H
Alistair Griffin, from Castleton, North Yorkshire, sprang to prominence after taking
part in the BBC show Fame Academy in 2003. He has since achieved top 20 single
success, has written for other artists and for TV shows. His single Just Drive was
Sky TV’s Formula 1 theme for seven seasons and his music has also featured in
Wimbledon and Tour de France coverage.
Alistair plans to record a new album later this year and will be returning to the
area to play at Hit the Bar in Middlesbrough in October. Other projects include
collaborating with Teesside band Cattle & Cane to write the songs for a musical with
Boro chairman Steve Gibson’s daughter, Katie.
Date - Alistair will perform at
Middlesbrough's Hit the Bar in October.
The Teesside stores I love to shop in are…when I used
to go into Middlesbrough it was Romer Parrish for all my
Subbuteo equipment and Jack Hatfield’s, where I bought
my first cricket bat – both shops are sadly gone now.
The things I spend too much money on are…trying to
win cuddly toys from amusement arcades. I once won
two Winnie the Poohs in a row in Redcar and the bloke
shot out of the kiosk and demanded that I give one back!
For a day out, I…head for the miniature trains at
Ruswarp.
TEESSIDE LIFE
The Teesside restaurants I love to eat in are…Fellini’s, in
the old Rea’s café in Middlesbrough, is very family friendly,
the Baker Street area is pretty cool and I often have
meetings in the Baker Street Kitchen, and for old times’
sake, Pacitto’s in Redcar.
The meal I order most of all is…eggs Benedict – sorry it’s
not a parmo, although I do eat them.
My favourite tipple is…a pint of Thatcher’s cider.
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One place on Teesside I’d like to visit is…Paddy’s Hole
at South Gare. The landscape is amazing, with the sand
dunes and the industry in the background. My grandad
had one of the green fishing huts there a long, long time
ago.
In my downtime, I like nothing better than…playing
golf with my friend Waggo. We’re both hopeless golfers
and he has the oldest clubs in the world. We even found a
packet of Extra Strong Mints from 1986 in his golf bag.
My perfect night out involves…going out with no plan
and seeing where the night takes me – they can also be
the worst nights as well.
My perfect night in involves…watching Mr Men with
my four-year-old son, Tom.