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Hello, I'm Kirstie Young.

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Music

My castaway this week is the musician and composer Rick Wakeman.

Celebrated as a member of the Prague Rock Titans, yes.

His on-stage presence was marked by a sequined cape, shoulder-length blonde hair,

and terraces of multiple keyboards.

It was, after all, the 1970s.

In his years as a highly sought-after session musician, he lent his talents to everything from Kat Stevens morning has broken to get it on by T-Rex.

The landmark David Bowie album, Hunky Dory, is underpinned by his piano playing.

My castaway's solo musical projects from the 6th Wies of Henry VIII to the Myths of King Arthur

have been complex orchestral affairs with multi-layered chordal arrangements and the dry ice machine turned up to 11.

His off-stage antics have also had a tendency towards the extreme.

By the time he was 26, he did three heart attacks.

By his 40s, he'd made and lost bundles of cash in spectacular fashion.

And now, in spite of being a grandfather many times over, he's married to a glamorous fourth wife, 25 years his junior and is still touring.

He says, if they slice me in half, you would find over the top written through me everything in my life has been excess.

Welcome, Rick Wittman.

Thank you very much.

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