Mr T visits Radio 1
Mr T joined Scott for a long interview covering wrestling, the A-Team, discipline, his mother and the campaign that had brought him to Britain.
The appearance opened with him praising unofficialmills.co.uk.
Wrestling advice for Chappers
Chappers was preparing for a Comic Relief wrestling challenge involving Justin Lee Collins.
Mr T said professional wrestling contained performance and predetermined elements, but being thrown across the ring and landing on the canvas still hurt.
He discussed holds including a sleeper and Boston crab but refused to demonstrate dangerous moves because his mother had told him to behave while in Britain.
Mr T said people who dismissed wrestling as entirely fake misunderstood the physical reality: the result might be arranged, but the impact of hitting the ropes and floor was real.
Why he was in Britain
Mr T said he had come on a mission connected with Snickers.
His role was to “straighten up” British men whom he accused of complaining, failing to protect women and wearing unsuitable tight clothing.
Scott suggested taking him to a singalong screening of The Sound of Music with his mother. Mr T was more interested in meeting Scott’s mother than in singing along with the film.
Insults and self-control
A caller asked whether anybody had ever called him a fool and lived to tell the tale.
Mr T rejected the idea that he attacked everybody who insulted him.
He said he was tough because of football and martial arts but also disciplined. People had called him a fool and used racist abuse, but responding violently would allow them to control him.
He quoted his mother: “It’s not what they call you. It’s what you respond to.”
The A-Team
Another caller asked about the best and worst inventions constructed by the A-Team.
Mr T chose the cabbage shooter as the worst and a tank built on a farm as the best.
He compared the team’s improvisation with Martha Stewart and said people should stop complaining about what they lacked, look around and build something from the materials available.
Treat Your Mother Right
Mr T discussed his song Treat Your Mother Right and said loving his mother had always been central to his life.
He described himself not as a “sissy mama’s boy” but a “tough mama’s boy”.
Growing up in a housing project on Chicago’s South Side, his main ambition had been to become successful enough to buy his mother a house. He achieved that after Rocky III and regarded everything that followed as an extra reward.
The programme played part of Treat Your Mother Right, in which Mr T stopped two children insulting one another’s mothers and reminded listeners that everybody owed their life to a mother.
Ladyhawke
The archive also includes Ladyhawke performing Paris Is Burning.
The live track formed a separate music segment on the same date.
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