Matthew White
Matthew White is GWR’s long-time music consultant having previously worked on the long-running GWR British Hit Singles series (1977–2006). He also advises on some of our sport categories – namely tennis and cricket. Between 2009 and 2019, he has pored over an estimated 40,000 published records as proofreader during the course of 12 editions of the world’s best‑selling annual.
Visit Matthew WhiteLargest reward for the return of a stage prop
During a solo performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Indio, California, USA, on 27 April 2008, a special white version of Pink Floyd founder member Roger Waters’ (UK) giant inflatable pig – a regular fixture at live shows since the release of his band’s 1977 album Animals – broke free from its tethers and floated off into the night sky. Festival organizers offered a $10,000 (£5,034) reward and four lifetime Coachella tickets (potentially worth up to $36,900 or £18,577) for the safe return of the prop, which had been adorned with political messages, and even set up a dedicated email address for information relating to its whereabouts. The 12 m long (40 ft) “capitalist” porker was found two days later as “crumpled heaps of shredded, spray-painted plastic” approximately 14.5 km (9 miles) away at the Hideaway Club in La Quinta, California.