Hello I'm Kirstie Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

The program was originally broadcast in 1981 and the presenter was Roy Plumlee. Our castaway this week is a skater, British and European champion and gold medalist at the last Olympics is Robin Cousins.

Robin we're taking you right away from ice to warm water. Would you like the change?

I would welcome it for a while, yes. I assume you live a fairly common life with other young skaters around how well would you adapt to solitude?

I don't know I quite like to find myself on my own occasionally, especially with music. I travel with a lot of music, with my headphones and my stereo.

So every now and again it's nice to sort of break away from the regular routine and just sit down and do nothing.

Music means a lot to you obviously.

Very much though, it's played a very important part in my skating career and like I say, it sort of takes me away from everything.

Have you any practical skill in music? Do you play an instrument? No. of nothing now, no. Do you find it difficult to narrow your choice down to just eight records?

Very difficult because there's a lot of music that I enjoy.

Trying to find eight that I would listen to constantly was very difficult, which is probably why the choice is so varied.

What's the first one?

Well the first one I've chosen is from a recent Broadway show called Ain't Misbehaving.

The 1930s and 40s was an era that I particularly liked and this track from that show is one of my favorites.

What is it? It's called a handful of keys.

Did you see the show? I did see the show and I enjoyed it very much.

Do you see it in London or New York? I saw it in fact in Denver with the touring company in America.

I like to Tinkle on an old piano.

I like to play it in a subtle manner.

I get a lot of pleasure with us, vannicies underneath my fingernot

fingertips. in a subtle manner I get a lot of pleasure with us vannicies underneath my fingertips

I love to sing a little tune that's mellow I love to vocalize it's nothing sweller I

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