Joe Fagan: The last concert I went to was McFly Vs Busted - I'm not ashamed

The Scottish Labour leadership candidate and MSP explains why he was born 20 years too late…

What was the first record you ever bought?

The first one I ever bought with my own money was Bat Out of Hell. I was born 20 years too late, basically, and I always listened to older rock music. There aren’t that many tracks on it, but every one of them is an absolute killer.

I’m unashamedly still a fan of Meat Loaf – and actually it’s not just about Meat Loaf (he had a great voice) but Jim Steinman, the songwriter. He was behind loads of the big, slightly unconventional hits of years gone by. He was behind [Bonnie Tyler’s] Total Eclipse of the Heart, he was behind No Matter What by Boyzone.

Is there a song that will always get you on the dancefloor?

It takes a lot – and I do mean an awful lot – to get me on the dancefloor. But probably the Pet Shop Boys version of Always on My Mind. I challenge anyone not to get up on the dancefloor when you hear that come on. It was number one in the day I was born. Like I say, I was born 20 years too late.

I really do like the Pet Shop Boys. They are normally what I’m listening to if I’m coming through to Edinburgh from East Kilbride, in the car or on the train or whatever.

And I’m quite a big fan of Neil Tennant, as well, he’s quite an interesting character, quite a progressive character. At one point he was apparently interested in buying The New Statesman when it was in trouble. He has quite a mix of songs, and a lot of his original works have been covered quite successfully. And some of them evoke a real sense of time and place, like West End Girls. I absolutely love the collaboration with Dusty Springfield – that was just brilliant.

How about a karaoke song?

I’m very guarded. I do karaoke with myself when I’m sitting in a car in traffic. But if I had to perform, it would probably be an older song and a simpler song. Maybe an old Dean Martin song. But I have to say, if I just think about my carpool karaoke with friends through the years, Paradise by the Dashboard Light – another track from the Bat Out of Hell album. But you need somebody to do it with.

What songs do would associate with your childhood?

He’ll hate me saying it, but the earliest memory of a song I have is my dad singing Dirty Old Town by The Pogues in the shower.

My mum and dad were big Rod Stewart fans, so Maggie May and Reason To Believe, I think of those songs when I think about growing up.

My sister is only two years younger and has Down’s Syndrome. As we were growing up the music in television and film were the things we had in common, that we could enjoy together. She always had a Disney video on or a musical one. So if I’m thinking about growing up, on the one hand I think about what I was hearing from my mum and dad, but also probably The Lion King or Aladdin or Mary Poppins songs. If I think about the house that we grew up in in East Kilbride, I’d probably think about her having one of these videos on – again and again. A couple of years ago we took her down to London to see Mary Poppins. All these years later, we could still share it and enjoy it.

Is there any music you’d be embarrassed to admit to listening to?

People would probably think that a lot of the music I listen to is embarrassing, but not to me. I’ve never been a music snob.

The last concert I went to see was McFly Vs Busted. Some people might think I should be ashamed of that – I am absolutely not.

I’ve got a varied taste. The first concert I ever went to was Thin Lizzy, bearing in mind I was still at school and Phil Lynott had been dead for 15 years. It was at the Carling Academy [now the O2 Academy].

Is there any song that you associate with your political wins?

We’ve just come through a long election campaign with a lot of moving from place to place, eating on the go, spending a lot of time in cafes. I’ve found myself picking up on a lot of Benson Boone and Chappell Roan. And I’ve become quite the fan of Benson Boone. I’m starting to become a bit more of a fan of Chappell Roan.