E11 Bobby Friction on Prince Saving Him From Racism and Trauma

Evolving Door

Bobby Friction is a larger-than-life character, a Radio1 DJ, and a supporter of young people coming up in the creative industries. In this episode, we dive deep, buckle up, and enjoy the ride.

2.28- Bobby was doing an art degree channeling his inner rage about racism, by the time he’d gone to university he had survived an anti-Sikh genocide, and experienced the raw racism of the seventies.

4.45- For many years Bobby was the only Asian kid in the school, he spent his teenage years thinking he was the ugliest person that had ever been born because that’s what people told him.

9.39- Bobby was dressing up extravagantly which attracted more racism and bullying but he just wanted to express himself, the only escape he had was Prince.

17.24 - His first friend at Radio One was John Peel, Bobby picked up on his attitude and approach to music.

19.52- Sikhism came out of a very intellectual Period in India’s history and when his mother and father taught him about his religion, it made him think that everything, even religion should be critiqued constantly.

24.20- In 2020 and the rise of Black Lives Matter he only started to come to terms with the racism hr faced was when he was younger- he realised he didn’t change because the racism stopped because it stayed, it was his makeup, dressing up and expression that helped him

25.01- In the seventies when Bobby was a child he used to be abused on the street by adults on a daily basis.

27.56- Bobby loves this country, he bleeds red, white and blue but he looks back at his childhood and thinks what was this country back then?

28.19- Bobby was once headbutted in the park by an adult when he was 10 years old.

31.08- The working class are usually the ones who physically racially abuse others but you realise that they are suffering under the system as well, it’s the middle-class racist that you’ve got to watch out for because they are nice to you. The middle class accepts that racism is a problem and knows it’s wrong.

33.38- People of colour at any class level have some kind of connection with working-class white people

35.10- Friendships with white working-class people tend to last but friendships with middle-class white people tend to fade because they constantly need to justify the relationship eg they tell you constantly that they went backpacking in India...

37.03- Bobby started BBC Radio One in his early thirties after thinking in his twenties ‘wouldn’t it be great playing Asian music on Radio One’ - it took him 10 long years of hard graft to achieve his mission.

40.06- Bobby finally felt good enough, overnight it had gone from a racist society to talking about gay rights and racism, it was pretty radical in the late nineties to say British Asian. Tony Blair’s labour party changed things in a positive way.

42.42- Bobby was treated as a warrior that had won a battle after representing British Asians on Radio One and showcasing Asian music

43.53- Bobby handled the pressure and fame very well because of the long journey he’d taken to get there and because of the fact he was a grown-up in his thirties

49.08- People complain about the Asian network existing when really they want to be complaining about the general society and how BBC treats the Asian culture.

57.34- In 1984 in Delhi, a mob tried to get into the house and kill Bobby and his family. They locked themselves in the bathroom upstairs. His mum was hiding jewellery. They didn’t know if they could trust their Hindu neighbours but they lead them to a tiny house where every Sikh in the neighbourhood was hiding out.

1.00.00- Prince indelibly shaped Bobby, he gave Bobby the chance to be himself, to be creative. He saved Bobby from all the racism and trauma.