THE MEDIA AND THEIR MUSIC: Hayley McQueen of Manchester United’s TV station MUTV

This second edition of The Media and Their Music features Hayley McQueen (pictured above), a host and reporter for MUTV. (MUTV is the television station of the defending English Premier League champions Manchester United.) Hayley, the daughter of former Manchester United great Gordon McQueen, has been around soccer for her entire life. She got her start in sports television at Boro TV, the television station of Middlesbrough FC, where she worked for three years coordinating productions, reporting, and producing. Hayley then moved to Sky Sports News in London, where she was one of the hosts. Sky Sports News is aired several times a day on Fox Soccer Channel in America, and Hayley, who co-presented the “Through The Night” segment shown here, gained a following among soccer aficionados here in the States. Hayley left Sky Sports News toward the end of 2006 to take her current position at MUTV, where she serves as a reporter and is one of the hosts of the channel’s signature program Live From Old Trafford.

Hayley recently traveled to Thailand for MUTV to report on the progress of Bryan Robson, who became the manager of the Thailand national soccer team this year. Robson, a legendary Manchester United player who previously managed at Middlesbrough FC and West Bromwich Albion FC, also serves as an ambassador for Manchester United. Hayley wrote about her experiences in Thailand on her blog, Tackling Football In Heels, which you can read at www.missmcqueen.blogspot.com/.

In this Q&A, Hayley talks about her musical tastes, the importance of music education in the UK, the Manchester and London music scenes, and which soccer team’s fans she believes to be the most powerful singers.

Powerline A.D.: What role does music play in your life?
Hayley McQueen: It plays a massive role. The first thing I do in the morning is either stick on Sky Sports News or the radio. Music definitely helps me to relax, especially when I’m busy at work. I can just stick something on my iPod and enter another world for a short time and it helps me de-stress. I also walk to work along the canal and through the city center to our offices on Deansgate. If I forget my iPod, I’m pretty gutted as it also helps me to wake up in the morning. Obviously, music is an essential part of social life, especially on a weekend. I’ll stick on something upbeat before I go out and music is an important part of getting ready with the girls.

Powerline A.D.: Do you listen to music when you exercise? If so, what genre?
Hayley McQueen: I tend to watch whatever music channel is on in the gym as I a have a low attention span and terrible will power so I need something to listen to as well as watch. But if I do bring my iPod, the Ministry of Sound anthems are always good to get you going on the treadmill.

Powerline A.D.: Do you play any musical instruments? If you do, which one(s)?
Hayley McQueen: No, I’m useless. I did teach myself how to play the piano when I was younger and used to bang out a few tunes on the old keyboard. Does the recorder at school count? I was pretty awesome at that (laughs). I actually loved playing the drums at school and always wanted a drum kit, a proper one. If I were in a band, I’d definitely be the drummer.

Powerline A.D.: Do you sing?
Hayley McQueen: Badly, very badly. If things are a bit low at work, I’ll sing down the mic in the gallery. It always gets a laugh.

Powerline A.D.: Do you do karaoke? If so, what’s your favorite song to sing?
Hayley McQueen: I am banned from karaoke. I’m that bad. I do find it funny watching others, though. I cringe at stuff like that. I went once to the Orchid Karaoke bar in Manchester with some work friends and got a lot of stick from (former Manchester United player and current MUTV pundit) David May about how bad I was.

Powerline A.D.: What was the first single or album that you bought with your own money?
Hayley McQueen: It was a VHS, actually. It was Michael Jackson’s "Moonwalker," and I watched it till the tape snapped. I used to love New Kids on the Block. I was never massively into Take That, Boyzone, or anything like that, and I admit to being a little bit in love with Nick from New Kids. I also listened to a lot of Nirvana in my teenage years.

Powerline A.D.: What’s your favorite album? How many times do you think you’ve listened to it?
Hayley McQueen: Michael Jackson’s Bad album. I was, and still am, obsessed with his music. I have a few copies of all his albums and have listened to all of them literally hundreds of times.

Powerline A.D.: What was the first live music gig you attended? Who was it, where was it, when was it, and what impression did it make upon you?
Hayley McQueen: It was Wet Wet Wet. So uncool I know, but New Kids on the Block soon followed. Wet Wet Wet was at the SECC in Glasgow. I have no idea what year but I was pretty young, maybe first year of senior school and it was for a school friend’s birthday party. Although it was good, I just remember the venue being massive and we couldn’t really see much. I never became a massive fan but it was a good experience nonetheless.

Powerline A.D.: What was the most recent live music gig you went to?
Hayley McQueen: MUSE in Liverpool. They were amazing! My brother is working on tour with them, so I went to visit him on a freebie.

Powerline A.D.: Which artist or band that you’ve seen gives the best live performances?
Hayley McQueen: I’ve been lucky enough to have seen Michael Jackson in concert. I made my Mum take me and it was by far the best live performance I’ve ever seen!

Powerline A.D.: What’s your favorite song to dance to?
Hayley McQueen: “Smooth Criminal.” But anything current, really. Anything current that’s pop or a bit of R&B and hip hop.

Powerline A.D.: Have you ever done any music DJing?
Hayley McQueen: No, haven’t got a clue and it wouldn’t interest me, so I’ll leave that to those in the know.

Powerline A.D.: Why do you think the UK has produced so many amazing musical talents?
Hayley McQueen: Music education in the UK has formidable strength and popularity, and music making in the form of informal choirs and orchestras in the UK is also highly popular. It also has a very good reputation for music education amongst the young. The world’s most prominent and unquestionably best music school for young people is Chethams. It’s the largest specialist music school in the UK and the only music school based in the North of England, and it’s in Manchester with students from all over the world studying there.

Powerline A.D.: Which city has a better music scene — London or Manchester?
Hayley McQueen: Manchester by far, but maybe I am biased.

Powerline A.D.: What is your favorite Manchester venue for live music? Which bands and artists have you seen there?
Hayley McQueen: The Academy in Manchester is good because it’s a small venue. It’s a collection of various rooms with stages and I’ve seen a lot of gigs there over the last three years.

I also like Brixton Academy (in London). I lived in London on and off for eight years and have seen quite a few gigs there. Camden as an area is pretty good for music venues for quirky bands and up-and-coming acts. I’ve seen everyone from The Black Eyed Peas, Oasis, Fleet Foxes, Gossip, Florence & the Machine, Arctic Monkeys, The Flaming Lips, Reverend & the Makers, and MGMT.

Powerline A.D.: British soccer fans are famous for singing during matches. Which club’s supporters are the best singers?
Hayley McQueen: Probably Portsmouth. You can hardly hear yourself think in the studio before a game. They sing their hearts out and you’d never know that Fratton Park (home of Portsmouth FC) holds 20,000 fans. You’d think it has the capacity of (Manchester United’s 75,000-seat) Old Trafford. They’re that noisy!

Powerline A.D.: The Gallagher brothers from Oasis support Manchester City while Rod Stewart is known to be a Celtic fan. Which well-known musicians do you know to be Manchester United supporters? Have you met any of them during your time at Old Trafford? If so, who?
Hayley McQueen: Gosh, there are loads. We used to have a really good program (on MUTV) called Good Morning Manchester which I sometimes presented where we had music features with both famous artists that were United fans and unsigned up-and-coming bands, and also had them in as guests in the studio. It has been replaced by The Terry Christian Show. He has for years presented music programs on mainstream TV over here, so music plays a massive part of the show. As for celebrity fans, there’s Mick Hucknall of Simply Red who is also a friend of (Manchester United manager) Sir Alex Ferguson, Ian Brown from The Stone Roses, Tim Burgess of The Charlatans, opera singer Russell Watson, Primal Scream’s Mani, David Gray, and Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran.

Powerline A.D.: If you could interview any music personality, living or deceased, who would it be and why? What question would you most want to ask them?
Hayley McQueen: Michael Jackson for sure, but I doubt he’d answer any of the questions I’d want to ask. So I’d want to know which song he enjoys/enjoyed performing most. Also, how long did it take him to learn the moonwalk and where did he get it from?

Interview by John Curley