"Thank you, thank you, thank you." "You are my god." "My inspiration, my everything." "He's on a different level now, how he listens and plays records." "I think he's very special because no other DJ can do that." "I don't know what he was doing, whether he was honing his talents in another direction." "He just disappeared from the scene completely." "It was really depressing." "He's probably down in South America, still hanging out." "Probably trying to snort up one of the countries, or..." "I don't know, he's just..." "I like to think he's still out there." "Frankie, I'm curious." "Can you tell me about your flip-flop collection?" "I'm a bit of the Imelda Marcos of the flip-flop world." "Flip-flop, for me, is perfection." "And sometimes if I'm stuck and I can't mix, I can't..." "You know, I'm a creative person." "I'm an artist." "So sometimes I just stare at a flip-flop for hours." "I'm not joking." "I'm being serious, yeah." " Really?" " Yes, I do." "Recently, you've been married so how is it now being a husband?" " An "ass band"?" " Husband." " Oh, husband." " Husband." "A husband." "Yeah, it's very nice." "It's what I've..." "Say hello!" "Hello, Ibiza!" "DJ!" "DJ!" "DJ!" "DJ!" "This is Pete Tong, you're listening to The Essential Selection." "I'm sitting across from Frankie Wilde." "How are you, Frankie?" "I feel like a star, man." "Eleven years." "Eleven years in Ibiza...  ... playing some of the best clubs in the world." " How do you feel about it this year?" " What, mate?" "It's your 11th year, Frankie, playing in Ibiza." "You must be thrilled." "It's been fucking hot, ain't it, here, the last week?" "God." "I mean think about..." "You're old, like me." "You're an old geezer." "You remember that martini campaign in the '70s?" ""Martini is"" "Dot, dot, dot, dot." "Remember that?" "When I was a kid, that wow-ed me out, man, bigtime." "It's like, "is" what?" "What the fuck is it?" "What the fuck is martini?" "But I was young, and I didn't really understand." "And now I'm mature and I've lived 38 years, and I can confidently say:" ""Ibiza is"" "Dot, dot, dot, dot." "You know what I mean?" "And that's really nice." "It's really nice to be able to feel that." "There's spunk everywhere on this island." "Everyone's done it, and they've been free with it." "They haven't done it to make babies." "They've fucking swung out and spun a bit out and it's hit a plant, and that's grown." "Wall, and there's vines and ivy and shit." "It's all spunk." "Look at this lot out here." "Look at them." "They all love it." "They fucking love it." " Who out there likes to fucking party?" " Yeah!" "I can't hear you!" "Who out there likes to fucking party?" " Who likes to fucking party?" " Yeah!" "Frankie was definitely one of the best." "He had his very, sort of, own style...  ... his very own momentum with the crowd." "No one else did it his way." "He's a showman as much as he is a musician." "He controlled the crowd musically and physically." "He was a born natural behind the turntable." "There's no doubt." "I was jealous of that." "I always had to try a bit harder." "Super, super, super, loco." "Frankie was cruising along, doing his thing...  ... getting all the attention that he needed." "And then he met Max." "No." "Hey, tell him it's like a wasp just stung my clit, yeah." "I don't give a fuck if he's religious." "Tell him anyway." "Fuck him." "Bye." "Anyway..." "A bit of a tosser." "Not my sort of person but absolutely took him to the next level." "I love you, Max!" "Max first brought Frankie to my attention." "I knew he had what it took behind the decks...  ... but it turned out that Frankie really understood the music production side." "You know, knew his way around a studio." "Do you think we're making a jazz album?" "I'm just right in the middle of going all the fucking way." "Should we swap them over for some brushes?" "You know:" "Start fucking hitting those drums." "Start banging those drums like you bang your fucking sister!" "Clear, Siegfried?" "That's the first one." "So I signed him straightaway." "And Frankie delivered." "It was massive." "Come out of car windows, in the supermarket." "Even my grandmother...  ...would whistle that tune when I went to see her in the nursing home." "Frankie met Sonya when they were on the video shoot to "Rise Again. "" "Oh, man." "I mean, everybody knew that she'd been about." "But he seemed to like that." "I mean, that was his thing." "You know, I mean, even I'd had a go at her." "15-love." "I was thinking, you know how Paul Newman's got his salad dressings and that?" "So why not Frankie Wilde hummus?" " That's a good idea." " People come and see the gigs they say, "Fuck, that was a great set, Frankie. "" "I'll say, "Cheers, mate." "You want some hummus?"" " You know, just as a thing." " Yeah." "Quite a good name for an album." "How's that?" "Frankie Wilde, Hummus." "What, call my album Hummus?" " Yeah." " I don't think so." "I've got good ideas, Frankie." "You should listen to me." "If I've got my own hummus brand and my album's called Hummus...  ...it's getting a bit much." " I think it's a good name." "Why don't I change my name to "Frankie Hummus"?" "No, it sounds good." "Yeah." "I think a lot of people tolerated her because she was Frankie's wife." "At the end of the day, I think she was partying with everyone else." "I didn't like her." "I didn't think she was good for him." " I fucking hate you." " I fucking hate you." " And did I fuck her?" " Yeah." "Yeah, I fucked her." "Legend has it that Frank's problems started undramatically." "It was the simplest thing that kicked it off." "It was years and years of noise was the basis of the problem." "But the very beginnings of it, in his life, started very plainly." "Frankie's problem was quite a common problem amongst DJ's...  ... an occupational hazard." "They work in the clubs." "The noise just takes its toll." "Someone like Frankie, having a problem like that, I thought:" ""This geezer's gonna go." "He's gonna lose it. "" "And he did lose it." "I watched him lose it, slowly but surely." "Fucking come on, then!" "I think we could have the Spanish look, I like this color for the water." "Perhaps maybe that one, Japanese." "Frankie." "Morning, honey." "Oh, Frankie!" "Come here." "I want to ask you something." " Morning." " Morning, sweet..." "You all right?" "If we go for the Spanish look..." "It's for the garden." " A bit of both." " Okay." "Little bit of both." " We can do that, can't we?" " Yeah." "Fuck!" "Fucking hell!" "You all right?" "His hearing was fucked." "But he tried to keep working and plow through." "You know, put the horse blinkers on." "Ignore the problem, and it'll go away." "You know, always works for me." "Can you tell us what's happening with the new album?" "Have I got a spot?" "Have I...?" " No." " It's fine." "You're perfect." "You're perfect." "Your fans are curious about the new album." "They have to know." "It's good." "It's going really well." "It's going really well." "Been bending the sound, sort of." "I've been forging it." "With a lyrical smelter." "Yeah." " Not as beautiful as you." " Thank you." "And I got these two like, Austrian mates who are stoking the fires." "Everybody should have at least two Austrian mates." "Everybody should have at least two." "When can we expect the new album to come out?" " Soon." " Soon?" "Ish." "Can I have a word?" "Can I have a word?" "Yeah." "It's good?" "I took a call just before, a couple of hours ago." "I forgot to mention it, but I need to..." "I need to..." "The album people, they want the lyrics for the sleeve." "I just need you to write them down." "We can pop them off." "Get them off and we don't have to worry about it." "No, no, we never write them down." "That's it." "What else did you sing after that?" "Frankie." "Frank." "Frank!" "What?" "Have you got a condom?" " Have you got a condom?" " No, I'm not gonna fuck her." "I'm knackered." "I'm just gonna have a nosh." "Frankie!" "Frankie!" "Frankie!" "Well, denial is a river in Frank, and it runs deep." "And his sets were shambolic on times." "Clearly, could only be the work of a man who couldn't hear." "It wasn't pretty, but, you know, for me for someone that has gone through something like that to still get up there and give it a go is a big thing." "Off!" "Off!" "Off!" "Off!" "Let go, fuckers!" "Fuckers!" "Fucking fuckers!" " Because they dangle when they're cold." "Yeah." "Now, listen very carefully, okay?" "It's very important." "This is very important." "I have cancer, okay?" "And I'm very delicate." "So they have to be very gentle." " Hey, Frank." " All right?" " How are you?" " All right." " Attaboy." " How you doing?" "Good, good." "Motherfucker." "Listen, I had that dream again." "I was sucking my own cock." "But this time, I don't have a huge cock." "I have a normal-sized cock." "No spine." "My spine disappears." "So my head, it just flops down onto my..." "Anyway..." " You all right?" " Yeah." "Sit down, sit down, sit down." "Look, I was just talking to the label and they'd like to see a couple of tracks." "The label would like a couple of tracks, Frank." " It's coming." "It's coming." " Yeah." "The tracks are coming, man, relax." "Don't worry, mate, it's fine." " It's all right." " I saw your show last night." "I tell you, I really fucked up last night, man." " It's my call." "I picked the wrong set." " It stunk." "It stunk like shit, Frank." "It stunk like..." "Well, like you shit your pants and you just sat in it for a week, and then you shit yourself again." "That's how fucking bad it stunk, Frank." " It was shit, yeah?" " It was shit, Frank." "Yes, it was shit." "I tell you, the fucking monitors at that place." "You know, I'm fucking mixing my heart out." "I can't hear a fucking thing." "We gotta have words with them get this sorted out, otherwise we blow that place out." " I couldn't hear a fucking thing." " Right." "Because you might be deaf, Frank." " What's that?" " You could be deaf, Frank." " What you saying?" " You are deaf." " Can't hear you, Max." " You're fucking deaf, asshole!" "Who the fuck you fooling, Frank?" "You're talking like a 95-year-old war vet." "Frank, you need professional help." "I'm thinking about getting some professional help." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Fuck it." "Hello, Frank." "Come in, Frank." "Frank!" "I don't want you to panic, Frank." "I've got some bad news for you, though." "You're going deaf." "Completely deaf." "As you know, your right ear is completely shot." "Your left ear, that's this one, has got 20 percent left." "You were born with little holes in them and slowly the fluid pressure is dropping." "Can't you just plug it up with some ear putty or something?" "The ear organism, it's way too sensitive and delicate for that." "Surgery doesn't work." "Cochlear implant doesn't work." "You've gotta stop exposing yourself to so much noise." "What do you mean by that?" "It means that if you listen to absolute silence your ears are gonna last a little bit longer." "They're crumbling as we speak." "Stop the drugs, Frank." "Stop the drinking." "Go to bed at a decent hour." "We can give you a hearing aid that gives you temporary hearing but that damages the ear even further." " Speak up." " These are the facts, Frank." "These are the facts, Frank." "We can't change them." "You are deaf, man." "You are a deaf man." "This is costing me 2000 fucking euros an hour." "Chuck me a fucking bone!" "This is your hearing aid, Frank." "Use it only when you have to." "Only when you have to." " Only when I have to." " Right." "Only when you have to." "Got that?" "No exceptions." "Can you keep on gigging?" "Frankie?" "Can you keep on gigging?" "Can you keep on gigging?" "I love them both, you know?" "I love hearing, and I love DJ'ing." "I was thinking this morning maybe I should write a book." "That's a brilliant idea." "That might take years, though, so..." "Perhaps, like, a pamphlet." "A sort of brochure thing." "Listen, Frankie, I..." "I want to tell you that whatever your decision I will support it wholeheartedly." "You and me and little Kingie." "That's all that matters to me." "Deaf, dumb or blind, baby, we will get through this." "It's brilliant to almost hear that." "Fair play to the guy." "I have no idea what I would have done in that situation." "I mean, there he is." "You know, he's between a rock and you know, another rock which is harder and bigger." "Hi." "I'm actually thinking about giving it a bit of a break." "Of course I fucking love you." "How can you say that?" "I just think we don't necessarily bring out the best in each other." "Not always the best thing for me." "It's my problem." "It's not your problem." "You know what I mean?" "Why can't we just be mates for a little bit?" "I could just give you a ring every few weeks, you know?" "Just make it a little bit more casual." "Couldn't we do that?" "It sounds like the caca." "No." "Is Frank there?" "Is this Frank standing in front of me?" "No, this is a drunken baboon drooling on the mix board." "What in all of the heavens are you on, Frank?" "Are you fucking deaf or something?" "What's your fucking problem?" "They would laugh you out of Austria." "I can hear them laughing now." "Where is Frankie fucking Wilde, Frankie?" "Is he fucking gone?" "And the fucking, "Go away." "Stay, stay, stay," huh?" "So you're deaf?" "You're deaf?" "Almost." "This is like all the terrors and the horrors of the world raining down on your skull." "Last three months, it's really rapidly accelerated." "But I've..." "I've got this." "And I really thought I could do this job, man." "I'll show you." "Hello, Mr. Drum!" "Drummer!" "The left ear, there's still a little bit left." "And this little fella is a fucking lifeline, man." "But I can use it only when I have to." "Long as I'm careful, I can hear more." " What?" "What has happened?" " What?" "He was stone-fucking deaf." "There's not much you can do as a DJ if you can't hear." "Generally, the field of music other than the obvious example has been dominated by people who can hear." "He was never gonna hear again." "It was as simple as that." "It was gone." "All right, Frankie?" "All right?" "Blink!" "Hola, mate." " All right?" " All right." "Good game?" " Is it a good game?" " Yeah, it's all right." "It's pretty good." "It's decent." "Sonya in?" "Sonya in?" "Yeah, she's here." "She's upstairs." " She's packing, mate." " She all right?" "She's leaving you, Frank." "She's leaving you." "For me." " Get in there!" " Did you see that?" "Fucking hell!" "Fucking, how was that one, eh?" "Ter-fucking-rific!" " Yes, brilliant, wasn't it?" " Want a line?" "Not right now, thanks." "Cheers." "Frankie." " You all right?" " Yeah." "I'm leaving you." "I'm gonna take the tiger." "That's mine." "And I want those ones, obviously, because they're mine." "And you can have the sculpture that your mother bought us." "Aren't you upset, Frankie?" "Do you wanna say anything to me?" "Anything at all?" "Frankie!" "Where the fuck's the album, Frank?" "Where the fuck is the album, Frank?" "!" "Where the fuck is the album?" "!" "It smells like shit in here, Frank." "What the fuck's happened to you?" "What the fuck happened to you, Frank?" "I don't know what this is." "I don't know what this is." "This is bullshit, Frank." "This isn't how you take on things, huh?" "Listen..." "Maybe this isn't the worst thing in the world." "Take some fucking time off." "Go in the sun for fuck's sakes, huh?" "Eat a lot of fruit, get some fucking vitamins in you." "Vegetables and greens and shit." "I can't..." "You know, there's..." "I was reading yesterday there's a fish, it's called a zebra fish." "Has little hairs on it." "And somehow, they can implant that..." "I don't know." "It's too fucking hot." "It's always too fucking hot." "I can't help you." "I don't know how to..." "I don't know how to help..." " I don't want to help you." "I can't help you." "I didn't want a deaf DJ on the label." "I didn't want the company to be touched with the deaf stamp." "Well, business is tough and sometimes you have to make awkward decisions." "And I've made harder decisions than dropping the deaf DJ."