Lorraine Murphy grew up in Kilmurry, Co Cork. After university, she worked as a presenter on several radio stations, including Cork’s RedFM, WLR in Waterford and Tipp FM. In 2018, she joined Cork’s 96FM. She won an IMRO Radio DJ of the Year award in 2021. She co-hosts the radio show Lorraine & Ross in the Morning, 6am-9am weekdays, on Cork’s 96FM.
I’m a child of the ’90s. The Spice Girls were everything to me growing up. What a time for pop music – five strong, independent women teaching the world about girl power, teaching us to be strong, individual bad asses, to strive for what we want. I adored them. I had the T-shirts, headbands, and all the CDs. I did the 10K run in the Cork City Marathon this summer and the Spice Girls were on my playlist; I’d say they got me through at least 2K of it.
I love R.E.M. Firstly, Michael Stipe’s voice, an unmistakable, iconic voice of a generation. He does melancholy so well, that moody, heart-breaking sound; equally, he does bright, uplifting and Shiny Happy People so well. Automatic for the People is one of my favourite albums. I’ll never tire of listening to it, and Nightswimming is a favourite song. I’ve a strong nostalgia when it comes to music, and R.E.M. takes me right back to my early teens.
Oasis is probably the soundtrack to my youth. They were everywhere, all over the radio. They dominated the charts. What I loved about Oasis was they didn’t give a damn. They were controversial, making headlines every day, whether the headlines were true or not. They had everybody talking. They were loud, outspoken. They were the bad boys. It was an era with squeaky-clean pop groups and boy bands like Take That. Then you had Oasis who were rock’n’roll. They were rebellious and so interesting. They were refreshing.
I came across The National in college in Limerick. I became instantly hooked. I had to listen to everything they produced. They’re the band I’ve seen live the most. I’ve centred international city breaks around them – in Berlin, London and Stockholm. They’ve done Live at the Marquee in Cork a few times. A couple of years ago, they were at the Marquee. I was due to go with a friend, but at the last minute she got sick. I couldn’t find anybody else to come with me. I couldn’t know The National were playing down the road and not go, so I went on my own. It can be intimidating going to a gig on your own, but it was one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to.
A scene from Almost Famous.
My favourite movie is Almost Famous. It’s the dream – budding young writer, who’s 15 years’ old, pretending to be older, blags his way to go on the road with a rock band in the ’70s, covering for Rolling Stone magazine all the chaos that comes with that. It’s the classic coming-of-age story. It’s following your dreams, the possibilities of youth, making mistakes, learning from them, heartbreak, friendship, everything you could possibly need in a movie – and a belter of a soundtrack. I’ve watched it a hundred times, if not more.
I love Heartburn by Nora Ephron. She’s been a producer on TV shows and movies. She’s the creator of Sleepless in Seattle, the screenwriter for When Harry Met Sally. Heartburn is a semi-autobiographical novel, based on her divorce from her second husband. She found out her husband was cheating on her while seven months pregnant. She has this razor-sharp wit. It’s heartbreaking. It’s raw but hilariously funny. There’s a sense of anger. I got the sense reading it that writing it was therapy for her. You would devour it in 24 hours.
Susan O’Neill was a support act for Mick Flannery last year at Live at the Marquee. She’s super talented, a multi-instrumentalist. She’s got a lovely way on stage and a distinctive voice – that gravelly tone she has is beautiful. I wanted to see her do her own show, so I went to see her afterwards at Live at St Luke’s. It’s one of my favourite music venues. She was stunning. There was a gorgeous atmosphere there. It was a real treat to see her somewhere like St. Luke’s.
When I first came across Annie Mac, she was doing a Sunday night show with Nick Grimshaw on BBC radio. She’s from Dublin. She moved to the UK and became a DJ/radio presenter. Seeing another Irish woman like her was inspiring. It helped drive me on to get into radio. She’s got a gorgeous voice and delivery. The way she describes music and gigs is infectious and so visual. She writes as well. She’s in the podcast world more now. She’s back with Nick Grimshaw. She’s amazing.
Fatboy Slim at Indiependence in Mitchelstown. Picture: Ray Keogh
I love the vibe at festivals. I did a lot of work with Cork’s 96FM at the Indiependence Festival in Mitchelstown for many years. It was a brilliant festival. They’ve put a pause on it for now. Obviously, it’s much smaller than, say, Electric Picnic, which I love as well. Everything was a lot more accessible at Indiependence. You saw the same faces and got to know the same people over the couple of days of the festival. I remember Lewis Capaldi headlining there. Unforgettable moments: how can you forget seeing Fat Boy Slim play in a field in Mitchelstown?
Bill Bailey is a genius. He’s a gifted musician, classically trained. He can play over 60 instruments, which is bonkers, and impressive. When you combine comedy with that, it’s magic. He’s so intelligent. There’s something about him that feels like he’s not of this era, something medieval about him. He’d have been comfortable in Shakespearean times. He’s this ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary like, say, his reimagining of the BBC News theme music as a dance banger. It’s so good. You could absolutely hear it working in clubs.
I religiously listen to the I’m Grand Mam podcast. We’ve had the hosts, PJ Kirby and Kevin Twomey, on our radio show a couple of times. They’re two of the funniest men in Ireland. They’ve the best stories. It’s one of those podcasts you laugh out loudly to, even listening to it on your own. They’re guests I’m excited about in advance: “Yes! I’m Grand Mam are coming on.” They’re so entertaining. They’re lovely lads as well. I want to be best friends with them!
Marina Hyde: The Rest Is Entertainment.
The Rest Is Entertainment is a podcast with Richard Osman and Marina Hyde; she writes for the Guardian newspaper. She’s so eloquent. She cuts through and gets to the point immediately. It’s a behind-the-scenes podcast about the entertainment industry. They lift the curtain, telling you how things are done and the inner workings of the entertainment industry. They’ve worked on many TV shows themselves. Osman has been a producer on pretty much every type of TV show, quiz show and panel show. It’s juicy. They’ve a lot of scoops. It’s very interesting.