BEST BEACH
I've always said that I love Lunan Bay in Angus, and I do, but in 2017 Lorraine (McIntosh, Ricky’s wife and fellow Deacon Blue singer) and the dog and I got into a campervan and made it up to the far north coast for the first time. We got to Durness and just dodged a storm that fairly rattled the van overnight. The beaches there are absolutely beautiful. I think it’s the real emptiness and loneliness of the place, and of course it’s the place where John Lennon spent many happy days on holiday as a boy and there’s a memorial to him there.
BEST BUILDING
I had a good long think about this, but I just kept coming back to home. I spend so much time in this house, I have a studio here, and this year we’ve been here for 28 years. But touring we do travel a lot and it’s always the best place to come back to. It’s obviously where the children grew up, and although they’ve all moved out now, they love coming back here. I honestly cannot think of a building that is more important to me than this one.
BEST STREET
It’s probably more of a small area, around the Sinderins in Dundee. My grandparents had the flat at the corner of Blackness Ave and Hawkhill. I would stay overnight and I always remember the sound of the bells on Sunday morning from the church at Shepherds Loan.
I had a flat myself at the top of Shepherds Loan at one point and as you look down you get that amazing view over the Tay. All of these streets that run between the Perth Road and the river give incredible views – in fact you’re quite unlucky in Dundee if you don’t have a view.
BEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY
My cousins from Africa, who lived in Tanzania, came back to Dundee for about a year. My mum managed to rent them a big family house at Easthaven near Carnoustie. I’ve never been able to locate that house again so it’s become a bit of a myth in my head.
There was a wooden veranda, where you could walk straight on the beach – I’ve always loved that thing about beach houses. I have lovely memories of that short time when they were around.
BEST WALK OR CYCLE
There’s a song called Still Walking on our album Short Stories – Vol 2. It’s about a camping trip I took in 2013 with my son Seamus, who was about 12 at the time. We stayed at a campsite between Killin and Kenmore, but we would look at the weather and see where it was coming in and if it looked bad, go somewhere else.
One day we had to change our plans and we took a long drive down to Glen Clova in the Angus Glens, a place where I would go as a child. We did the hike up to Loch Brandy, which he was reluctant to do at first but he loved it when we did. The song is about that day.
BEST VIEW
There are so many but one that has memories attached to it too is Queen’s View near Killiecrankie. Again it’s a memory of when cousins visited from Africa – another set of cousins!
My uncle took some great Super 8 footage of us all up there having a picnic.
It’s always incredible to look across though – in all weathers.
BEST SHOP
It’s one that isn’t there anymore. Groucho’s in Dundee. I remember it from the very beginning when it opened away up the Perth Road. Breeks Brodie who ran it was such an incredible guy – and the fact that it was a second hand record shop meant that I could get access to records that I couldn’t buy new. It really did change my life.
BEST SCOTTISH DELICACY
Now, I do like haggis but when it comes to the absolute best I think mine would be Stornoway Black Pudding – the Stornoway bit is really important because it’s savoury and sweet at the same time.
BEST PLACE FOR A CUPPA
It’s always Café Gandolfi. Seumas McInnes who runs it is a great friend, but the thing about Gandolfi is that you can go in there for anything. I love just going in for a coffee but you can have a drink or a full family meal.
BEST PLACE FOR ALONE TIME
Last year friends who have a cottage up near Dunkeld offered it to us to use. Lorraine was involved in a theatre project at the time, so I decided to take the dog up and spend a few days on my own. I did some writing and occasionally watched the football because the European Championships were on. Most of the time I was out walking with the dog and enjoying that time on my own – there was no company.
Eventually I bumped into Dougie Maclean who lives close by, but most of the time I loved the solitude.
Deacon Blue are on tour in 2023 with All The Old 45s – The Very Best of Deacon Blue. www.deaconblue.com
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