Legendary DJ Richard Blade is everybody’s friend. He’s a familiar, soothing soul who is filled with stories about Billy Idol, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, Berlin — a virtual who’s who of new wave music.
His friends have presented him with honorary platinum records, which line the walls of his studio. To the SiriusXM First Wave DJ, Blade said it’s an honor to be in this role.
“I hear stories from fans who say, ‘You DJ’ed my prom back in 1984,’ or ‘I met you and your mom when you came to the restaurant back in 1992. I love to hear those stories.”
Now, Blade is hosting a show on SiriusXM’s First Wave and is hosting the Howard Jones and Haircut 100 tour. The jaunt comes to The Rialto Theatre on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Blade’s talents aren’t limited to the airwaves. He has penned six books, including his 2017 autobiography “World in My Eyes,” and his latest “Slapton Sands.”
“I’d always thought, in the back of mind, what it would be like to write a book and have that out there,” he said. “When I put together ‘World in My Eyes,’ the autobiography, it proved to be such a huge success. It still and people love it. I was so flattered.
“I went to Billy Idol’s house because we’ve been friends for a long time. I was interviewing him about his autobiography. At the end of the interview, he said, ‘Richard, I have a copy of your book. Would you sign it for me?’ I said, ‘Yes’ and I signed it for Billy. He signed his for me, which is right up there on my bookshelf.”
The perfect decade
Nominated for the Radio Hall of Fame, Blade calls the ’80s such a good time musically.
“Everything was changing,” he said. “It was post-punk. Really, it helped move everyone in a new direction. But then, after punk, it helped move everyone in a new direction — many were in that new wave genre.
“It went into the new romantic era with Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. It went into the fun pop of bands like Haircut 100, Howard Jones and ABC, who are actually touring, which is really exciting.
“Then, it went into the goth side of it with Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the darker side of the Cure. If you listen to ‘Disintegration,” a great album, and Bauhaus and Peter Murphy. That’s why I love the ’80s. It encompasses so many genres of music.”
Blade said it’s easy to stay passionate about his position.
“Everybody has their up days and down days, and music can lift you or echo those sentiments,” he said. “Music talks to people in so many ways. If you’re having a tough day, you can put on an album like ‘Songs of Faith and Devotion’ from Depeche Mode, which was written when they were having their dark days.
“Or you can put on something from the Smiths like ‘Meat is Murder.’ That album and so many of its tracks I can relate to. Morrissey and I are close to each other in age and we both went through the same things growing up—even though he was in the north of England and Manchester and I was in the south.”
The Smiths’ “The Headmaster Ritual” tells the story of a “sadistic” headmaster, Blade said. Both were abused by one.
“His was in Manchester. Mine was in Torquay. I went to lunch to do some extra work on an architecture piece I was doing. I was 17 at the time and I was a big boy at 6 foot. I thought I could knock this guy across the room. Then I would have been expelled.”
He hit Blade with a bamboo cane across his butt. Blade’s father, a teacher, visited the headmaster the next day.
“He said, ‘If you ever put your hands on my son again, you’re going to have to answer to me,’” Blade recalled. “The headmaster said OK and he never did. You have to wonder what was going through that guy’s mind when he asked me to drop my pants and then hit me with a cane. Morrissey had the same thing. He wrote a great song out of it.”
Howard Jones w/Haircut 100 and host Richard Blade
WHEN: 77 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16
WHERE: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress Street, Tucson
COST: Tickets start at $63.50
INFO: rialtotheatre.com
This article appears in Sep 4-11, 2025.