U.K.: DJ Proves You Are Never Too Olde

IPSWITCH, England (Suffolk Evening Star), June 11, 2007: MEET John Hutchison - possibly Ipswich's oldest internet DJ. The 64-year-old has beaten four years of chronic heart failure and is now living life to the full, fulfilling his love of computers by DJ-ing for a worldwide audience three nights a week. Mr Hutchison, aka DJ Silly, may not be able to walk far or bend down easily, but when it comes to the internet he is a whizz. He DJs three nights a week for between two and four hours - a flashback to his time in the Royal Navy in the 60s when he was a DJ on ships. He said: “I had a captive audience then - they couldn't escape. “Now my audience is around 50 people spread around the world. “My motto is that I'll play anything my listeners name. I talk in between about the music, artists, and anything else that comes to mind.” Born in Edinburgh, Mr Hutchison moved to Suffolk seven years ago. He had previously lived and worked in London for 30 years, in computers, on the buses and as a minicab driver. His chest pains started in 2001 when he was doing temping work in factories. He was admitted to hospital around 14 times in four years before he was referred to a specialist heart failure patients' project. He also had a pacemaker fitted in March and is now able to spend more time on his hobbies. Mr Hutchison, who lives with partner Linda Laycock at Brecon Close, off Prince of Wales Drive, and spends around eight hours a day on his computer, said: “Silly is my DJ name, but when I'm on the computer otherwise I sign in as SillyOldGit. “I only started DJ-ing in January. I was looking for an online quiz to take part in and was directed to the trivia section of the site www.talkcity.com. “After a while, some of the listeners started to like me for my funny comments and I was asked if I'd like to DJ. “I thought the DJ-ing was done in America somewhere, in a room full of equipment, but I was told all I'd need was my computer, headphones, a microphone and a pile of CDs - and I've got all of them. “I started getting interested in computers around 35 years ago so I know a lot about them. “I like to think I could teach Bill Gates a thing or two - even though he made his first million before me.” Mr Hutchison, a father-of-two and grandfather to three, is a shining example of someone enjoying their older age - something The Evening Star supports through its Golden Years Campaign. We to make sure that the older years really are golden by listening to our older generation, fighting for dignity in old age, making sure older people get the voice they need, crusading on issues affecting pensioners, informing older people about the help and assistance available for them and digging out inspirational stories that show old age need not be the barrier to a fulfilled and active life. Copyright © 2007 Archant Regional Ltd.