LBF 2017: Gareth Cliff is coming to town

MBOMBELA – He will discuss “the drawbacks of telling it all to a greedy public” with well-known radio host Sam Cowen, as well as interview much-loved Lowveld personality Tracy Todd about her memoir, Brave Lotus Flower Rides the Dragon.

Cliff’s book, Cliffhanger: Confessions of a Shock Jock, deals with the highs and lows of the past two decades of his life; the Idols years, including the fight to be reinstated as a judge following the Penny Sparrow tweet saga, the early years of CliffCentral.com – online home to the latest podcasts and news – and much more.

The author said he has received mixed reactions to the book, from odd to humbling.

Someone told me they read my book and quit their job. That made me uneasy. I hope they find something else to do,” Cliff told Lowvelder.

“I suppose it’s nice to hear that it made people feel something. Whether they felt inspired, happy, optimistic or excited, I’m delighted to have stirred up some of those positive emotions in another person.”
When asked why he wrote the book, Cliff said it was because the publisher would not let it go.

“I wasn’t keen. I even offered to pay back the advance. They wanted a story and when everything went crazy in January (2016 over Sparrow), I had a story for them. I also wanted to chronicle my time on radio, TV and online before moving on to a new chapter in my life,” he explained.

He added that there are no plans in the pipeline for another book, “at least until (I am) very old”. He maintained that CliffCentral.com remains his most exciting project, because the online platform targets a totally different market than radio.

I often say that I traded every thousand pedestrian FM listeners for one CliffCentral.com listener, and it was the best trade I ever made. They’re smart, early adopters with money and discernment. They keep me on my toes,” he said.

Cliff and Cowen, who penned the no-holds-barred memoir Whiskey to Water, will discuss how social media, traditional radio, advertising and marketing have all changed. Cliff admitted the problem will not be what to talk about, but what to leave out.

The radio, TV and online personality recently interviewed Todd on CliffCentral.com. She in turn, asked him to do the same at the Lowveld Book Festival. He said he greatly admires her and believes her book should be required reading for people who have had unfortunate things happen to them.

“She’s an inspiration and a great storyteller and I found her attitude spectacular. In a world of victim hierarchies, Tracy refuses to be a victim. I love that,” he said.

**Set your GPS for Casterbridge Lifestyle Centre for the Lowveld Book Festival from August 18 to 20. Tickets are available online, but you will also be able to buy them at the venue. Check out www.lowveldbookfestival.co.za or visit Lowveld Book Festival on Facebook. Enquiries: 071-134-8172.