Political Spin: David Torrance

What was the first record that you ever bought?

Me and my friends used to sit and listen to Radio One’s Top 20 many years ago on a Sunday afternoon and a band called T. Rex came out with a single called Metal Guru, and that was the first single I ever bought. I got it from Bruce's Record Shop in Kirkcaldy, which was pretty famous.

Is Bruce’s still open?

No, it's not. When CDs became popular, the demise of Bruce’s just seemed to happen. But some of my greatest memories are spending hours flipping through albums in that shop.

What record will always get you on the dance floor?

Just What I Needed by The Cars and Love Is the Drug by Roxy Music.

What is your karaoke song?

Pretty Vacant by Sex Pistols. During Christmas I did karaoke at a local pub and I managed to clear the pub.

What song is guaranteed to make you cry?

There’s two. One is Flower of Scotland. I’m a big Scotland fan and when it's played in the national stadium or away when Scotland's playing, even my son gets embarrassed because the tears run down my cheeks as we’re singing it. I was at the Euros in Germany in June and when you heard that being belted out by the Scotland fans, it was electrifying. So much pride and passion go into it. The other one is Runrig’s Every River.

What music do you associate with your childhood?

Glam rock and punk, so artists like David Bowie, Sweet, T. Rex, Slade. Then when punk came, it was Sex Pistols, The Stranglers and The Clash.

What song was the first dance at your wedding?

Love Is All Around by Wet Wet Wet.

What record do you absolutely hate but can’t get out of your head?

I never liked Sylvester Stallone, so it's Eye of the Tiger by Survivor [and used in the film Rocky] that I absolutely detest. But once you start singing it, it just stays.

What record would you be embarrassed to owning up to having in your collection?

I'm somebody who still has a great vinyl collection and that’s the only way I listen to music. But I have ABBA's greatest hits in there, between all the AC/DC, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath.

What was the last band you want to see and who with?

I went to see Alice Cooper at the Hydro with my best mate for over 50 years.

What song do you associate with your political wins?

This is really interesting because in 2011, when I was first elected, my election went to a recount and I was [SNP victory] number 65, which gave Alex Salmond a majority. As I was coming out of the counting hall and into the car, I switched the car on and the radio was on playing Heroes by David Bowie, so that stuck with us forever. It was just so appropriate because the media attention was all on you for that one day because you are number 65.