The Gay UK November 2015 Issue 16 | Page 43

© DAN WILTON

INTERVIEW

JH: So you’ve just returned from the desert
we hear. How was Burning Man?
JR: Underneath I’m a bit of a free spirited hippy, I
really am. I used to do my own festivals, back in the
day. I bought Cold Cut and Jumping Jack Frost
together that’s how I originally started. I was in
entertainment, so I did all the big raves and festivals
back in the day. That’s why I do the Wig Party. So I
have my sensible job and then the Wig Party,
because that’s what I love.
JH: Ah yes the famous Wig Party, what’s
happened to it this year?
JR: It’s not on this year, it’s its 10th anniversary and
to be honest it’s all volunteers and it’s a huge, huge
commitment. I asked other people to step up and be
chairman… and no one volunteered, so I took a
really harsh decision in June that we might have to
not do it this year. There’s an amazing group of
people who volunteer, everything from the website
designers to creative to dancers … Everyone
volunteers on the night we have over a hundred
people. It takes quite a lot to make it very special.
It’s now ‘9 years awaiting its 10th anniversary’.

JR: I’m not going to comment on either of those!
(Laughs)
JH: We get criticised for writing about her,
but readers keep on clicking so…
JR: She’s of one those people and I’m not going to go
on an anti-Hopkins speech, but she is just one of
those characters who is very outspoken and she
speaks her mind – and you either, well you don’t
always agree with her, but you either love that she
does or you love that she doesn’t. I’m not a fan.

JH: Obviously she’s from Apprentice stock…
So what’s your boss style? Are you a tell it
how it is, make people cry in the office type?
JR: No no no, I think I’m a very soft boss… example,
I’m really into self development and my staff’s self
development, so if you’re job’s not working for you why is it not working for you? What do you want to
do in life and how can I make that happen? I talk
about how we can manoeuvre their position at work,
how we can strip out what he does and doesn’t want
to do. That’s what I’m about. You’re only here once
and so my whole belief is don’t get stuck in
something you don’t like. Do something you’re
JH: Did you follow Celebrity Big Brother, the passionate about and if your boss doesn’t
one that’s just gone?
understand that, you’re in the wrong job. They all
JR: Has it? I followed the last one...
come to me now with mad ideas. I’m an older soul,
JH: With Perez and Katie Hopkins?
so to speak, and I look at what they want to do. I try
JR: Yeah. You know I didn’t intend to. I’d see it pop to manage people and I think that’s why most of my
up in my Sky listings and I think why not? The Perez staff have been with me for a hell of a long time.
Very rarely do I ever get angry. If I get angry it’s
one had me recording it. I was like, ‘this is off the
usually where someone pushed me a little bit too far
hook’. It was just sensational television, it wasn’t
and been a bit cheeky.
just Big Brother, it was sensationalist television. It
was people’s demons coming out on live television
JH: What like back chat?
and it made avid viewing. It must have been a
JR: Not back ch B