When did you think about a career in writing and what were your first steps into it?
I remember being at school and listening to some of the pirate radio stations namely Kiss 103.7 FM and KITS 101 FM. Both these stations broadcast from Co Monaghan and, being brought up in Co Armagh, I knew some of the people who worked there. As a teen I joined the team at Craigavon Hospital Radio to complete my community service requirements for my Duke of Edinburgh Award and was delighted to be given a weekly show. Through this I made friends who worked in commercial radio and got my first job in the industry when I was 17. I joined Cool FM in 2000 in a part-time role as I was working and studying accountancy. I worked for a number of years as an accountant/auditor before following my heart and going into broadcasting full time in 2012.
Best gigs you’ve been to?
Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band at Croke Park, Dublin, in 2016. Pink at SSE Arena, Belfast, in 2009 and Robbie Williams at Landsdowne Road, Dublin, in 2001.
Fantasy wedding/birthday party band??Adele (vocals), Mark Knopfler (guitar), Elton John (piano) and Phil Collins (drums).
The record you’d take to a desert island?
Achtung Baby by U2. So many great songs like One, Mysterious Ways and Until the End of the World.
And the book?
Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill and W Clement Stone. A friend gave me this book about 20 years ago and I have read it several times. The book motivates you to action and shows how your thinking can change everything.
Top three films?
Goodfellas, The Shawshank Redemption and Back to the Future, purely for nostalgia. It takes me back to my childhood and sure it featured a little bit of local history too with the DeLorean.
Worst film you’ve seen?
The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I know a lot of people love it, but it just wasn’t for me and was far too long.
Favourite authors?
I don’t read enough books to have favourite authors. I did, however, grow up with a guy from Armagh called Stuart Neville. He writes some brilliant thrillers and and I’m proud to call him a friend.
Sport you most enjoy and top team?
Football and Premier League Champions Liverpool. I’ve also been a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast. I started riding moto-cross bikes at the age of four and still ride bikes today. I love road racing and I’m lucky that recently I’ve been able to cover both the North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix for Downtown Radio.
Ideal holiday destination?
My wife Carol-Ann and I got married in 2016 and went to Mauritius for our honeymoon. It was stunning, relaxing, the food was amazing and the people could not have been more friendly.
Pet hates?
When my wife doesn’t empty the small brown food bin and by the time I get to it the bin juices are running out of it – drives me mad.
What’s your favourite:
Dinner? Steak, Diane sauce and all the trimmings.
Dessert? Banoffee with fresh cream.
Drink? Beer or white wine.
Who is your best friend and how do you know each other?
Glen Pavis has been a friend for over 25 years. We first met while working the nightclub circuit and he was already working on Cool FM when I joined and since then we have come through a lot together. We both lost our dads to cancer within a year of each other, he was my groom's man, we have run a company together and more recently he has joined me as co-host on the breakfast show.
Is there a God?
I understand why people have doubts. We ask for a receipt as proof when we purchase items, we get a lodgement slip when we put money in the bank, yet when it comes to the most important question we are told to take it on faith, without any proof. However, I have personally found that answered prayer is one of the most powerful personal proofs that God exists.
:: Join Gary Myles on Downtown Breakfast with Gary & Glen, weekdays from 6am and on Saturday mornings on Cool FM for the Gary Myles show at 6am.
