Hi Victoria, great to meet you, can you tells us about yourself and your work?
Hello – I’m Victoria Rogers, the Manager of The Museum of Cardiff. We’re the city history museum in the Old Library building in The Hayes. We’ve only been open for 9 years, so in museum terms we’re a real new kid on the block. I’ve been there right from the early days, when we were known as the Cardiff Museum Project and starting the first consultations about what the Cardiff public wanted their museum to be, way back in 2006.
Before we opened, Cardiff had never had its own museum that told its own story, so getting the public involved was crucial. They worked with us to co-create the museum and hundreds and hundreds of people were involved making the decisions about what stories to tell, what our galleries would look like and donating objects for the collection.
The museum is a real community focussed organisation – not just in the stories we tell but in all our activities. I’m the strategic lead now, so I do a lot of fundraising and grant applications, and spend lots of time fostering new partnerships with organisations and community groups across the city and county so we can make sure more of Cardiff’s heritage and stories are celebrated.
This chat is specifically about music and the role it has played in your personal and professional life. Firstly to start off what are you currently listening to?
Ok, so the first thing to confess is that my musical taste is not at all credible. My first record was Bucks Fizz (no joke! Land of Make Believe…closely followed by If You Can’t Stand the Heat… I’ve still got them somewhere…)
We’re speaking during the Covid-19 lockdown, so like a lot of people I’m working from home at the moment. So actually, I’m listening a lot to the radio at the moment – partly for the music, partly for the company of a voice chatting to me in the corner of the room – BBC Six Music (not too bad) and Absolute ‘80s (not at all credible…embarrassingly so). Music and singing have always been important to me and my family. While my Grandfather was singing with the Pendyrus Male Voice Choir, I’m singing along to ‘80s cheesy pop while washing up…it’s honestly one of my favourite things to do.
We are interviewing a range of people about their own musical inspiration, can you list five records/albums which have a personal resonance to you and why?
(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
My all-time favourite song. No idea when I first heard it, where I would have been, or how old I was but I’ve loved it for a long time. Just really like the image it conjures up of sitting and watching the sea, again, one of my favourite things to do.
The Red and Blue albums by The Beatles
Yes, a total cheat this, it’s basically their greatest hits albums – too many great songs to choose from! I grew up with The Beatles, singing along to them with my father form a big chunk of my childhood memories (he was a massive fan and his record collection was basically their albums and singles). I used to love looking at these albums, I was mesmerised by the photos of the Mersey-beat Beatles on the Red album and the hippy-era Beatles on the Blue one. I’m guessing I wasn’t old enough to have any real concept that they had been taken years apart. I was just fascinated by how they looked like they were the same people but they looked so very different.
Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morrissette
This is basically the soundtrack to my final year at University. Wherever you went in the Student Village or on campus, you’d hear it coming from someone’s window. It was released 25 years ago this year so I listened to it again not that long ago and it immediately transported me back to a year of spreading my wings, feeling independent for the first time, having my heart broken, fun (so much fun), having my heart mended, hopes and dreams for the future, meeting lifelong friends…
International Velvet by Catatonia
I’ve chosen this because it was the soundtrack to the year I spent in Nottingham doing my Museum Studies masters. It was the height of Cŵl Cymru and this was my first experience of living out of Wales, so to this ex-pat, having Welsh bands like Catatonia on the radio, playing in bars, in my new friends’ CD collections was comforting and something I was really proud of. Welsh music finally being recognised. I’ve moved around a lot for my job and have lived in Nottingham, Somerset and Tyneside. Music – my Catatonia, Manics and Stereophonics albums – were a big part of helping me feel I was holding on to my identity while living outside of Wales.
Funkanomics remix of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition
Almost as much as I love a good sing along, I love a good dance. This is perfect – I love Stevie Wonder (who doesn’t?) and this remix is wonderful for feeling like you’ve got no other choice than to get up and get moving. First heard at my local, The Globe in Cardiff, at Craig Charles’ Funk and Soul show. It’s also my go-to motivation song in the mornings if I need an extra little something to get me feeling positive for the day ahead.
Just to put you on the spot could you choose one track from the five listed above and tell us why you have chosen this?
Let’s go with Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles from the Blue/Abbey Road albums. Think it’s the little bit of positivity we all need at the moment! And it really is excellent for singing along to…