Roger Goode on His Love For Life, LEGO & The Sound of SA
He parked his black Merc at The Peech Hotel, his hair and outfit styled to perfection by none other than his talented wife, Kyla. By the looks of things, radio host, sound geek and well-travelled DJ, Roger Goode has got it down when it comes to juggling work, life and family. So much so that his wife is even his personal stylist! All jokes aside, though, he’s lately come to realise that life is not only fun when DJing in Ibiza. It’s fun in various other aspects too, including radio and family.
As Roger Goode entered the stunning space that is now the new home of the famous Pot Luck Club by Luke Dale Roberts, we could hardly wait to sit down with him. With an electrifying presence, we instantly understood what had brought about the many awards he’s been collecting. Not to mention the MTV gigs he’s had. From covering red carpets and shows from private jets with the likes of Rihanna to broadcasts alongside BBC Radio 1 from Café Mambo in Ibiza, interviews with Richard Branson, Timberland, William Shatner and more. All in all, Roger Goode is a radio maverick and digital arms dealer to be reckoned with.
Roger Goode Talks First Loves & Love For Life
Roger Goode’s first love has always been broadcasting and, of course, entertaining people. In fact, most of his weekends are filled with live performances, which – according to him – is a tough life. “You’re passing friends in the airports, you don’t get to go to 21st birthdays and, you know, Christmas time and New Year’s Eve is a mess and you’re not at home. It’s always been like that.” Currently, though, he is rocking and rolling on radio. Goode’s done the Afternoon Drive Show, the Breakfast Show and he got back into doing a specialist music show every evening on 5FM. That’s what won the radio station and himself the Best Afternoon Drive Show Award at the South African Radio Awards for both 2023 and 2024.
Hello, Good Hope FM!
He adds that he is lucky to be on a bit of a roll following these recent radio awards. Ultimately, it’s led to a really exciting, new venture… Goode just took over the Breakfast Show on Good Hope FM in Cape Town!
“[It’s] massive,” he says, “because there is a huge migration from the central parts of the country down to the Western Cape and I’ve got a great opportunity to build a new, fun audience and give them a really fun breakfast show.”
Roger Goode, Off Air
When he’s not on air, he is also a director of a digital media agency through which he does all kinds of festivals, entertainment and club-based music events. “My core love and passion is audio of all kinds. I’ve got a sound studio in a bunker underneath our house in the mountain in the rocks – it’s like a wine cellar which we’ve converted.” He’s been building it for over a decade. “It’s insane. We can do anything – broadcast live on air, shoot podcasts and produce music. I call it the engine room. It’s sick. So, I spend most of my time in there, just building LEGO with sound.” Essentially, sound is the commodity he trades in.
Intrigued by the Theatre of the Mind
According to Goode, he came out of his mom dancing. He’s always been a tech geek, interested in digital transmissions and similar things. In fact, his uncle was into IT in the 90s and that’s where he initially fell for the inner workings of audio. For him, a fusion between sound, music and comedy is the most beautiful way to spend your life. “Most people who wake up can rarely say they get butterfly-nervous before they go to work… I can tell you one thing that I find mind-blowing: Every day I learn something. I never thought that was possible. Every day is a new tapestry.”
The radio host has always been fascinated with the theatre of the mind. Also, how one can draw people in by telling a story with different assets and sounds. With radio being a traditional, old-school medium, he says: “In this modern-day digital landscape, the challenge – and it’s a fun challenge – is to try and come up with a reason for people to listen to radio. That’s always been my position.”
“The majority of the world experienced the moon landing on radio… In World War II, radio was used to communicate inside ghettos. It’s a powerful thing. I mean, you go on air, you put your mic on, you play something, or you do something and these frequencies sort of just vanish into the ether.” For him, it’s magic.
A Global Phenomenon
Goode gets to put all kinds of sound into the ether, whether through radio or at an event. He says South Africa is currently going through a musical revolution, particularly when it comes to urban sounds.
“Amapiano is an anomaly. It’s an extraordinary thing where a genuine, original South African genre of music, which was born and bred here, is now heard in clubs, live shows and festivals all over the world. Our own superstar DJs – Durban Gogo, Shimza, Black Coffee – these guys spend more time DJing in Europe and in America than they are in South Africa.”
“Music in this country – like everything else – was segregated and it’s definitely not that anymore.” In fact, Goode says it’s like Mandela’s dream to see all the different cultures dancing to the beat of an urban sound.
“Our music is not just being consumed locally, but it’s being gobbled up worldwide, which is fantastic.”
Rubbing Shoulders With Giants
Apart from rubbing shoulders with international giants like Rihanna and the likes, Goode is now flirting with the idea of working on some music with local talents like J Something from Micasa.
He makes no secret of the fact that travelling with Rihanna was intense. They did seven concerts in seven days in seven different countries, including Washington DC, Mexico, Canada, Berlin, Paris, Stokholm, London and New York. “Essentially, we flew around the world in seven days. We’d land, get off, get shuttled to the show, watch her show, join an obscene party and then back on the plane where the party would carry on. It was insane. This went on for seven days. And somehow, I survived!”
J Something represents what our country is, though. “He’s got the moves, he’s sexy, he’s cool, he’s funny, he’s slick… Also, holistically, he’s in the same place as me,” Goode says. “[J Something’s] got kids, so he’s a dad. We have the most incredible conversations about things like how to better yourself as a man; how men actually need men… We should be proud to be men. There are some good men out there,” Goode says.
Exploring New Avenues
When it comes to his new role at Good Hope FM, he’s especially excited about entertaining the kids in the car – something he never knew he’d be good at and have fun doing. They say if you can stand in front of a class of thirty primary school children and you can make them laugh hysterically, you should be in radio. “When you get the kids, you get the parents,” says Goode.
Essentially, his playlist for a long weekend road trip would entail all the anthems from Peppa Pig, songs from Ben and Holly and Cloudbabies. Baby Shark will definitely also make an appearance. “And, let’s go retro. ABBA, Mama Mia,” he says. He might also play the playlists of both SING movies and after experiencing his singing talents first-hand, we recommend you listen out for a bit of Aladin too! “All the songs that Robbin Williams sang in Aladin. That will melt them!” Goode adds.
Roger Goode on Family Life
On balancing work, life and family, Goode says: “It’s the most difficult, painful thing and I cannot get the hang of it. According to the three-year-old Halo’s dad, there is no users’ manual. “There’s no textbook and I have no idea what I’m doing.” He adds, though, that his wife is from another galaxy. “If ever there was a Mary Poppins of moms, she’s that. I never thought I could ever meet somebody whom I can fall more in love with every single day that I am around her. It’s like I’ve got Peter Pan syndrome. I never thought I’d get married and settle down – I was a complete playboy; a wild child; insane. But, you know what they say: You get governed. Sent someone who will straighten you out. I also never thought that a little girl could be so lucky to have Kyla as her mom.”
One of the biggest struggles he’s been having lately is wanting to be liked and loved by his daughter. “So, the problem is, I say yes to everything. I am her slave, struggling to be the angry headmaster with her, too nice, too soft, too sweet. She’s completely got my number and she’s using it – like her mom does.”
A hiding from the Universe
Goode says that when a child comes into your world, it’s almost as if the universe is giving you a hiding. “You suddenly wake up to the reality that you’re actually responsible – entirely – for this little human being and your sphere of concern shrinks, rapidly.” He believes that every human being should go through that. “It really does straighten you out. Suddenly, you can’t be selfish. Even if you fight it, you can see it changes you. It changes your priorities, your perspectives, your concerns. It’s insane. Forget any narcotics; any kind of substance you can take to escape. That is the biggest, wildest trip you can possibly go on – having a kid.”
The Child Inside
Having a child does not keep Roger Goode from having fun, though. “I still walk around and behave like an 18-year-old,” he admits, saying that he sees everything from the point of view of an 18-year-old. “So, for somebody like me, it’s a very difficult thing to try and force yourself to suddenly grow up and become serious.”
Goode still drops his daughter off at school and kicks the classroom door open, singing songs. He makes fun of the headmistress and dances with the teachers. “To the point where [my daughter, Halo] came to me one morning and said: ‘Hey, Daddy, just behave yourself today, okay?’”
Did you know?
Roger Goode is an avid LEGO collector. “I’ve got all the collectors’ Star Wars. I’ve got a cupboard with boxes of all the collectors’ stuff – still sealed. There is something about it that takes me back to when I was a kid and I was carefree – best times of your life! Before you get to about eleven. Those are the best times of your life.” One of his favourite family pastimes is to play LEGO with his daughter, Halo.
Happier In Sobriety
Roger Goode has been sober for four years. “It’s not a big deal. I treat it like I just decided one day not to have sugar in my coffee anymore. It happened when my little girl, Halo, was born. I decided it was time for a new chapter.” He adds: “I had fun; had a good run, being a DJ, and all the crazy things I did going down the rabbit hole… I cannot stress this enough to people. Just try it for three months and see if you can get it to six months and the next thing, you’ve done a year. The best sell I can give you is you won’t recognise yourself. Your anxiety will disappear, you will be able to tolerate stress, you won’t get worked up, you’ll be a happier person; a healthier person.”
If you’re in the Western Cape or travelling down to the Cape, tune in on Good Hope FM between 06:00 and 09:00 to hear what Roger Goode is getting up to. “If you don’t leave that show laughing at something, we can’t be friends anymore,” he jokes.
