Since 1942, guests on BBC’s long-running radio program Desert Island Discs have imagined what they would take with them into exile. Each “castaway” who visits the show gets to choose eight records, one book—the Bible and the works of Shakespeare are yours for free, so those boring answers are out—and a luxury item. There’s something about contemplating this unlikely scenario over the course of an hour-long broadcast that tends to disarm the guests.

Jarvis Cocker was Sue Lawley’s guest in April 2005, and as you’d expect, he brought along a fabulous playlist. Prompted by Lawley between songs, Cocker tells an abbreviated version of his life story, lingering on events from his youth in Sheffield that are at once sad and hilarious. His mother mistook pregnancy for a case of appendicitis; she forced him to wear lederhosen to school. He fractured his pelvis trying to impress a girl by swinging from window to window. And so on.
 

 
Since the podcast version of the show only includes clips of the songs, I’ve linked to the full recordings in the list below.
 

The songs:

Robert Mellin, “Theme” from The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, performed by Gian Piero Reverberi

Joy Division, “Transmission”

Lieutenant Pigeon, “Mouldy Old Dough”

Engelbert Humperdinck, “Ten Guitars”

Scott Walker, “The War Is Over”

Dory Previn, “Lady with the Braid”

Johnny Cash, “I See a Darkness”

Ronald Binge, “Sailing By,” performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra (castaway’s favorite)

The book:

Richard Brautigan, Sombrero Fallout

The luxury item:

A bed with a mosquito net

 
Here’s the full radio broadcast, for your enjoyment: