The Mixtape: Broadcaster Grant Walker

In his downtime, Grant Walker likes to hit the road for a bit of peaceful fly-fishing in Tūrangi or Taupō.

Alone in his car, the veteran broadcaster will sing along to his heart's content to a wide range of rock, opera and jazz.

He shares some favourite songs that reflect his life on Music 101's The Mixtape.

Walker has worked for decades in radio, and back in the '90s was the narrator of New Zealand's beloved quiz show Sale of the Century.

After years of on-air and behind-the-scenes work at RNZ, he is now the first editor-in-chief of strategy at the National Business Review.

Raised in Christchurch, Walker was a 17-year-old working for New Zealand Railways when he first got the idea of getting on the radio.

While visiting Wellington for a training course, a classmate introduced him to their mother who was a typist for Radio New Zealand.

"She said, 'Oh, you've got a nice voice, have you thought about radio?'"

Back in Christchurch, Walker did just that. He scored an audition with local radio station 3ZB (then run by RNZ) and about two weeks later got an invitation to train as a broadcaster in Wellington.

"I resigned on the spot from my job at the railways, bought a ticket on my way home and then went back and said to Mum, 'Oh, by the way, I'm leaving tomorrow.' And that was it."

Walker's rich, deep voice isn't something he takes for granted after losing it for several months during radiation treatment and chemo for throat cancer a few years ago.

At the time a "very good radiation doctor" did his very best to stay away from Walker's precious voice box with the radiation machine, and was mostly successful.

During the hard days of cancer treatment, Walker says a "very dark sense of humour" helped him find something to laugh at every single day.

"People would say, What's your best advice when you've got cancer? I always say these magic words - use it for everything you're worth.

"My partner would say, 'Can you do the dishes?' I'd go 'I can't. Cancer.' 'Well, can you mow the lawns?' 'No - cancer. Sorry about that.'"

On the street these days, Walker says people still ask him to repeat the famous intro line from Sale of the Century - the TV quiz show he narrated in the '90s.

He says working on the show was a whole lot of fun and the entire crew became like family.

"I'm still great friends with Jude Dobson, or Kirk as she was in those days. We still talk all the time and catch up with each other occasionally as well."

Grant Walker played:

'All Right in the City' by The Quincy Conserve

This song takes Walker back to Wellington's live music scene in the 1970s.

Every Friday night, he and his mates would head from RNZ on The Terrace to the 1860 Tavern, where members of the 1860 house band were also in Quincy Conserve.

For his Kiwi song pick, 'Dance Around The World' by Blerta - "my funeral song" - was also a contender but this one is his absolute favourite.

'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick' by The Blockheads

This song takes Walker back to his early days behind the microphone at Napier's Bay City Radio.

"There was a pub on the corner and an old gentleman there, a pianist. He'd always say 'Has anyone got any requests?' so it was our job to try and befuddle him. Once I said 'Can you play Ian Dury and The Blockheads?'"

'Welcome to the Machine' by Pink Floyd

A few years ago, Walker grabbed a few CDs to take into Palmerston North Hospital for his first bout of about 30 radiation treatments.

Strapped onto "this giant ironing board", the medics said 'here comes the music' and Pink Floyd's 'Welcome to the Machine' kicked in.

"It was absolutely, totally bizarre, totally random. And if I could have laughed at the time, I would have because how ironic."

'If I Were a Carpenter' covered by John 'Swanee' Swan

Originally written by the late American blues musician Tim Hardin, this '60s hit has been covered by Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and June Carter.

It's this version by John 'Swanee' Swan - Jimmy Barnes's older brother - that takes Walker back to his days working at Sydney radio station 2WS in the early '80s.

"I love the saxophone and I love the voice."

'Bat Out of Hell' by Meatloaf

In the 1970s, new radio announcers learned "how to sound a bit like BBC broadcasters" at a six-week radio training course, Walker says.

At the time of Walker's training, all of RNZ's limited music collection was on LP.

When Bat Out of Hell came out, he smuggled in the Meatloaf album and lined it up for an 'aircheck' - a radio test.

"The trainer said 'Well, Grant, it seems to be okay, but that song, we never want to hear that again."

'Lady' by Styx

This American rock band have a lot of great songs, Walker says, including 'Show Me The Way' and 'Come Sail With Me' and 'Babe'.

"I wanted to pick one sort of rocky song. This has a bit of a slow start and then it gets quite rocky."

'Sing for the Moment' by Eminem

"No one would expect me to pick this song but it goes back to me throwing on the music really loud in the car and cruising along."

Walker says people were a bit taken aback to learn this 2002 song by controversial American rapper Eminem was one of his choices for The Mixtape.

"It is really, but it's Eminem and it's 'Sing for the Moment' because I always just talk for the moment."