Date & place of birth:
March 30 1949; Aberdeen, Scotland.

Profession:
Event producer/production manager. Founder of MJK Productions.

What was your first professional job?:
It was with a local band in Scotland called Spiggy Topes, in 1968. They were formed from the ashes of several bands out of Inverness. I was also a local promoter at the time.

What's your favourite memory from your days of touring with Pink Floyd in the 1970s?
Getting drunk in Phoenix with Roger Waters in 1973. There always seemed to be a problem with the Phoenix gig, which made a for a pleasant interlude. Being a university town, there are some great clubs and entertainment in Phoenix, and on this occasion the band hung out with us for a day off. Roger often liked to set a challenge and he said it was impossible to drink a pint of whisky. A daft thing to tell a Scotsman, of course, and David Gilmour backed me up!

Who or what provided your biggest inspiration?
The music of The Band's album Cahoots. I knew a band in Scotland who played a lot of the songs from that album, and it was a revelation. Consequently I became a big Band fan. Years later, Levon Helm asked me to do a club tour and I was speechless.

What do you consider are your major achievements?
I'm a born worker but I've had no big ambitions. I just apply my skills to every project. There was, however, one event in the early '90s that I was very proud to be associated with. called Light The Darkness for the International Red Cross in Geneva. I had to build a stage in front of the Red Cross building within the grounds of the UN building, and the event stressed the importance (and struggles endured by) the Red Cross in times of conflict. It was also my first major televised project and an extremely emotive one.

Is there anything about the industry you'd change?
The way the business has become Schedule D madness and a buyers' market.

Do you think the sophistication of events like the BRITs puts more pressure on artists to deliver mega productions of their own when they tour?
No, I think shows like the BRITs try to emulate the better live shows. TV is a bastard child that only sees things in two dimensions. The producers turn a live event into a big TV studio and in doing so they miss the point. I don't have a problem doing the BRITs completely live, because it's often the only way to preserve the dynamics of the artist/audience relationship.

What (if anything) could possibly lure you back into touring?
Dark Side Of The Moon with the full original band, which isn't likely to ever happen. I'd like to see it as a lo-tech experience. We toured it for a year before they recorded the album, and every time it went out on the road it was bigger and more ambitious. But I don't think it actually improved.

Do you see any evidence that a new generation of production/tour managers is emerging?
Oh yes, but the new generation are doing it as a career move, not always through a love for the music. The touring world was borne of anarchy and we were all part of a social revolution. These days, people are more inclined to get into tour or production management for short term goals, and then get off the road to do something else.

What are the best and worst aspects of your profession?
Best: The level of autonomy you get in production.
Worst: The uncertainty between jobs.

The last live show you attended as a punter?
The Stones on their Licks tour, hence the CD!

What are the best and worst aspects of your profession?
Best: There is so much more to be done.
Worst: Life is short.

What were the last additions to your record/CD collection?
James Carr's albums that were reissued in 1998 after someone bought the old Goldwax label catalogue. James supported Otis on tours during the '60s and he should have been Otis' successor. I discovered him in 2002, just before he died.

Any hobbies away from the job?
Sailing, hill walking.

The last live show you attended as a punter?
The Eagles at Wembley Stadium in 1996. I was disappointed in the virtual absence of production.

If you were to meet up with the teenage Ole Brøsted Sørensen, what advice would you give him?
Do the same again, but leave out the booze and white powder.