Tracy Clifford is a radio veteran with years of experience under her belt.
After 12 years on the decks at Spin 1038, the Dublin native has taken over the reigns on RTE 2fm with The Tracy Clifford Show every weekday at 1pm.
Goss.ie caught up with Tracy to talk all things radio, her best and worst celeb interviews and whether we’ll ever see her hosting on TV.
Before you got into radio, who were your idols?
It’s so funny, I loved Jenny Greene and now I work with her. She was always a radio hero of mine.
Another would be Ian Dempsey, Rick O’Shea, all those lads. I loved people like Tom Dunne, the older generation of radio. But for peers of mine, Jenny would be my number one.
Career: Tracy recently moved to 2fm after 12 years on Spin
Did you know you’d be coming to 2fm when you left Spin?
No, I had no idea. I was leaving Spin, Ryan and I had made the decision to leave May 29 of this year. That was our last show. That was tears, it was just crazy that day when we were leaving, it was like somebody had just died.
It was gorgeous though, everybody was like ‘where are you guys going?’ I was like, ah here now, I’ve been getting up really early for the last 7 years – look at my eyes, I’m knackered! But it was brilliant.
I didn’t know that I was coming to 2fm, it was during that hiatus between them that I got the call.
How scared were you before you started?
The most nervous I have ever been in my entire life. Leaving certs, junior certs, any college exams? No, that was the most nervous I have ever been.
I actually listened back recently to my first show on 2fm and I was like ‘Who is that?’ I had such a quivery voice. I think I tend to adapt to whatever the radio station is that I’m working for.
When I was working on serious radio, I was a journalist. When I was on Spin I was with my mates. Now that I’m here, I’m still finding my feet so I want to get my personality out there. It is difficult to do that when you are broadcasting on your own but it’s just part of the challenge.
Have any radio stations you’ve worked for asked you to act a certain way on air?
No, not at all. They just want you to be yourself. They listened to me before so they know what to expect.
They know what I’m like and they know who I am so it really is just: ‘Be you’ and you need to be who you are. I think Irish people can tell, if you’re not being yourself people will sense that.
Change: Tracy admitted starting at 2fm was the most nervous she has ever been
Who’ve been your best and worst celeb interviews?
There’s been so many that I’ve really loved. I loved Lady Gaga.
Kanye West, I interviewed him when I was on Spin and he was a complete nightmare! But at the same time, it was brilliant to interview him.
I still have that interview and looking back, he wasn’t as bad as I originally thought. He’s just not a smiley person and if someone doesn’t smile during an interview you think you’re doing crap but he was grand.
Jessie J was a bit of a tough one. I think she has just been burned by the press so many times that she’s very, very cagey.
I’ve been on red carpets with Tom Cruise, Ricky Gervais, Morgan Freeman. Anyone who’s been in Dublin, I’ve done them…and not in a sexual way!
Do you ever feel intimidated when you come face-to-face with A-listers?
They’re always intimidating, I’m always a little bit intimidated. Morgan Freeman was amazing to me, he was so lovely, he didn’t want the interview to end, he was so great.
There’s some interviews were you’re just like ‘you’re a sap’. But you have to understand those people are just on a merry-go-round of questions all day and they’re knackered of answering the same things.
We think we’re being so funny with our questions and they’re like ‘get lost, I’ve been up for 25 hours’.
Who would your dream radio co-host be?
I’d love to work with Chris Evans, I love his show. Jenny Greene, Kelly-Anne Byrne on Txfm in Dublin.
Eoghan, Keith Walsh here on 2fm. I’m basically just naming all my mates (laughs). Someone like Fearne Cotton would be great.
Is radio a man’s world?
No it’s not a man’s world, people might think that with national radio stations but it definitely isn’t.
I don’t know where that comes from because I haven’t noticed it. I feel like the world itself is a man’s world sometimes so women have to stick together and fight.
But radio definitely isn’t, prime time is where the girls are at.
Chat: Tracy spoke to Goss.ie reporter Sean O’Grady
Besides yours, what are your favourite shows on 2fm?
Breakfast Republic is gas, I love it. I’ve always been a huge fan of Louise McSharry, that girl just knows her s**t. She has got her finger on the pulse of music.
Would you ever like to move into TV presenting?
Yeah, why not? I’ve done TV, I’ve done a lot of it. I’ve done a lot of panels and stuff like that and I’ve been a talking head.
If those opportunities come up then it’s a case of, ‘yeah, why not?’ But radio is where it’s at for me.
It’s also so fabulous that on radio you can where whatever you want. On Spin I used to come in in my pyjamas, although these days with social media you can’t really do that anymore.
If a celebrity comes in and we take a picture with them for Instagram or Twitter and you’re in your pjs, it doesn’t look great (laughs).
Do you ever have to deal with online trolls?
I think every presenter gets hate but I don’t look. I’m pretty sure I have haters out there but everybody has different opinions and everybody likes somebody different.
You just have to do your job and have confidence in yourself, that’s all you can do.
The Tracy Clifford show broadcasts weeks day on 2FM (1-4pm)
