I’ve been invited to come and give an interview about the future of radio and music in Hilversum tomorrow, just outside of Amsterdam. It’s something to do with Radio Veronica - an ex-pirate station, as I understand it. To be honest, I’m a little hazy on the details, but it sounds really interesting. And boy, they’re being nice about me coming over.

When Guido phoned me a couple of months back to invite me, he said they’d happily pay for flights and everything.

“When is it?”

“September 14th.”

“Oh, that’s my birthday…” I said, almost to myself.

“Really?!” said Guido, suddenly excited. “In that case…”

And then it began. Over the course of the next few weeks, the conversation played out like this:

“…we’ll take you out to dinner, and put you up in a hotel - a really nice one. There’s a 4-star one right by the Oosterpark.”

“Gosh, well in that case, I’d like to bring my wife over with me. Let me know the details of flights and everything, and I’ll book her onto the same flight, and sort out an upgrade to a double room…”

“Leave it to me - we’ll sort the flights and accommodation for you both. And the dinner, of course. The event is on the Friday — would you like to stay the whole weekend? I’ll take you around and meet some people…”

“Wow. Sure.”

So tomorrow morning we leave to get pampered and catered for in Amsterdam for three days. We’re being picked up by a driver from Schipol to take us to Hilversum — all arranged — and then later back to the hotel. I’m pretty much being treated like royalty from start to finish, and while it’s a little bit weird and unfamiliar - it’s very cool…

I just hope what I have to say proves worth all the fuss.