Well, this was an easy one - one of my favourite musical moments - that momentous final Beatles performance on the roof of the Apple Studio. A huge day and not only will I get to be on the roof with them, but I’ll be with them before and after - hopefully they were in a good place that day. It will be great hanging with the boys who wrote some of the finest songs - I can’t wait.

Ancient Egypt is an intriguing time - lots of unexplained things occurred. Things remained constant for hundreds of years - fashion, design, way of life - and it ended quite suddenly. So what was going on back there and then? I want to go and see for myself. I did consider seeing how the pyramids were built or going to a funeral, but opted for a happier occasion – hopefully this will show me how their society fitted together.

I want to see The Staple Singers and searched around for a suitable gig and found this one (the Hampton Jazz Festival). I had one of their albums in my late teens and loved it - a bit of gospel music is a good thing and I’ve seen various acts of that genre, but I now want to see the band that turned my head towards it (well, them and ‎Edwin Hawkins‎’ version of Oh Happy Day). With the wonder of Mavis Staples' vocals, this show also features Stevie Wonder, B. B. King, Duke Ellington & His Orchestra, Donny Hathaway, Freddie Hubbard, Jimmy Witherspoon and Charles Mingus - it makes it an easy choice.

When thinking back over books I’ve liked and authors who have interested me, I have also thought about the eras that they lived in and the environment that they prospered in. For that reason, I was drawn to seeing Charles Dickens and the world at that time and the people and attitudes. It is interesting to think how he was viewed at the time and what sort of people were interested in what he had to say and write. This date is when he read his book ‘A Christmas Carol’ to the Industrial and Literary Institute.

Monterey International Pop Festival: with all these festivals, there are so many good acts to see over their three days, but for this project, I can only pick one day, so I had to see which day had the most acts that I wanted to see. In this case, not the Friday or Saturday, though I would get to see such acts as Simon and Garfunkel, Otis Redding and the Byrds amongst others, but on the Sunday night, not to see Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix or The Who, but to see The Mamas & the Papas. I’m not sure when I first heard them, but I feel like I’ve always loved them and now I get to see them.

I grew up hearing how good Janis Joplin was and having heard her on record, I get it, but I would really have liked to see her perform live - with all her passions and demons driving her forwards. I found this show she did with Van Morrison - I did see him live once and he was awful, so I’d like to see him before the drink started steering him. This will be a great double bill.

Whilst looking for a particular show, I came across this one that sounds like it has a bit of everything, including seeing Princess Diana and Prince Charles. A chance to experience some top talent in an environment where they’d be having fun too - and I’d get to be back stage and see how they interact together too. The acts include Mick Jagger, David Bowie, George Michael, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Paul Young, Suzanne Vega, Level 42 and Big Country.

By the time I knew about the Berlin Wall it was well established and was already the cause of much misery in that country. The demise of the wall was a big moment and represented a shift between the relationship between the West and the East countries as well as this city. I’d like to go and be there on the night it was re-opened, to see how it was for people and for families as the two worlds were reunited.

Another visit to a music festival and once again, it is Glastonbury. Another set of acts that I didn’t get to see but who I would like to have seen. Other than looking forward to seeing these acts, it will be interesting to revisit the fashion and trends of the 1980s in real time and get to view it all from the outside in. Some of the acts that I will be seeing are Ian Dury and the Blockheads, The Style Council, Midnight Oil, Pauline Black, Rory McCloud and Aswad. It will be interesting to see what memories this visit will bring back to me.

When I think about history in relation to my world, it makes me ponder what places were like before I was around, to think about the people, their dress, attitudes and surroundings - to see what they did and how they did it. With that in mind, I’d like to revisit places I have lived, but at a time in the past. Having lived in Melbourne since 1998, I think that I know the place fairly well, but I would like to see how it was over 60 years ago. I have picked this date when there would have been plenty going on as it was the start of the first ever Moomba festival in Melbourne.

Looking back at the British Royal timeline, there are a few eras that I’d like to visit. Today’s visit is to an intriguing and interesting time - it is really difficult to imagine the reality of what those times were like and how people behaved and interacted. The descriptions of those times make it clear that there were power struggles going on and it is questionable as to how much the Queen did or whether she was just a figurehead. I imagine that there was a lot of underhand goings on as well as pomp. I’ll let you know the details when I get back, so I’m heading to her Coronation.

I have thought of the various music festivals that have occurred over time and how visiting them, I have the opportunity to see a collection of folk when they were at their peak. I found this one and the day chosen has the following acts; Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Amy Winehouse, Björk, Rufus Wainwright, Damien Rice, Hothouse Flowers, Sandi Thom, Lisa Hannigan, Newton Faulkner, Fatboy Slim and The Cat Empire. That’s a lot of variety the chance to see bands that I never bothered seeing when I could.

Another artist to see and the opportunity to see a classic piece of art being created; Vincent van Gogh’s painting The Starry Night. It depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an idealised village. I want to go and watch him developing this piece but when it was already structured - I want to see him start to add the depth. It is a great picture and captures so much of who Vincent was at the time and how he saw the world.

When I was in my teens, there were so many musical acts coming into my world from so many sources – the influences were varied, but it was still a case of liking what I liked rather than liking what I thought I should like. Well, I hope that it was mostly like that, but I suspect that maybe not. So picking this event would allow me to experience some music that I didn’t necessarily like at the time, but came to like after. This day features acts including Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Frank Zappa, Moody Blues, Byrds, Dr John and Santana.

At the time, this wasn’t something that I would have considered going to, but I am now looking back and I see things in a different light. I like the thought of being at Wham’s farewell show and experience the atmosphere of pleasure but disappointment from the audience - but an overriding aspect would be that it was a party. Their music was fun and George’s voice has always been a great - plus I get to see them before and after the show too.

Because I can’t interact with anyone on my travel in time, it reduces the number of places to go, but I do want to see how people go about their lives and experience the mood and vibe of times and places. This cafe was a rendezvous for the likes of Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, Albert Camus, Pablo Picasso, James Joyce and Bertolt Brecht. I have picked a random date within the right year and I don’t know whether it will be one containing good people or not - but it doesn’t matter - if not, I will enjoy seeing whoever else is around and I can wander the area too.

I couldn’t think of any sporting events to visit until this jumped out. I want to go and see England beat West Germany 4-2 in the football World Cup final in 1966 - the only time they've ever won that competition. What a day that would have been - the noise and crowd and a huge celebration. Football has changed over the years and developed and the player’s skills are immeasurable to those of the team that won that day - but that team did what they had to do.

Since living in Melbourne, I have been to a lot of music and I have heard a lot about the old times and the old bands. A lot of people’s memories of music in Melbourne is from venues and bands that no longer exist, but there is this one show that I have heard talked about in awe - it was when The Seekers played to 200,000 people at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl - a venue where I’ve seen some great acts, but not with a crowd anywhere close to that, so it will be a great experience.

Another classical master - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - an interesting man with a hugely productive and impressive catalogue of music and a great pianist on top of that. His life had its ups and downs and money was an issue during periods of time and he often had to stop his composing to go out and perform to raise funds. In this particular year, he was performing a lot to earn money and I’d like to go and see him at the age of 28 playing his stuff. I wonder whether watching him play his own stuff would have more to it than somebody else doing it. I guess that I'll soon know.

I'd like to visit this building when it was at its peak and the centre of the community in which it sat. It was at a time when the world was very different and the people had different agendas. I’d will have no understanding of what anyone is talking about, but that isn’t what it is about. I would ensure that my visit would coincide with when it was the centre piece of some festival that happened to be going on.

A type of music that has always been in my world is the soul music of the 1960s and 1970s. I didn’t really appreciate it fully until probably my early 20s, though I had always enjoyed it. So I want to go back and see a show with some of the stars of that genre performing in the time of it and when it was still growing. I’d love to see the audience and how they react and enjoy themselves and then wander out with them and see what they get up to afterwards. So this show should be a cracker with performers being Sam Cooke, Otis Reading, Jackie Wilson and Wilson Pickett amongst others.

I am a part-time friend of jazz - it doesn’t always do it for me, but there are some stars of the genre that make it all worthwhile. There are different types of jazz and some suit me more than others. Looking at the following acts, it would be a night to savour - a collection of some of the greats - all on the same bill; Count Basie, Darius Brubeck, Dave Brubeck, Cab Calloway, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, John Mayall, Sarah Vaughan, Grover Washington and Joe Williams. This night would be a pleasure and an education - it would be great to also see how they react with each other socially too.

I think that most of us are aware of the Mona Lisa. I’ve not actually seen it in the real world, but the image is big in awareness, though small in reality. With it being so well known, I’d love to see it being painted with the sitter (Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo) being there and to watch how Leonardo worked. And the smile - is it enigmatic or did he just paint it that way? I’ll let you know.

More music from a magical (according to my imagination) era - just post World War II as people were beginning to live again. I used to listen to Billie quite a bit and, though I like her, it is not always comfortable when listening - there is a lot of her life problems reflecting in her performances. This show is 11 years before she died, so hopefully she hasn't succumbed too deeply into the drugs at this time. She was a unique talent and it will be a great time to be visiting New York again.

The old Greek philosophers have always been mentioned in discussions and they raised thought-provoking questions and provided interesting insights and theories. I know that I wouldn’t understand anything (both because of language and content) that they would say, but I’d like to go back and see these people sitting together and discussing things. I’d also like to be back there to wander around and see how that world feels like and what it looked like. I’ve chosen a date when Socrates was an old man and Plato a young prodigy.

There are some big names in music and Elvis Presley is almost the biggest. He had it all – the voice, the moves, the personality, the persona – they all made the package that was phenomenon of its time and still carries weight nowadays. And to not only see him perform, but to also get to see Johnny Cash - what a night it will be. (I’m sure that Carl Perkins will be good too.)

There used to be just 7 wonders of the world and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of them - and I am going to go and experience the wonder of it. Babylon is the most famous city from ancient Mesopotamia, and its ruins lie in modern-day Iraq. The gardens were supposed to be spectacular, but I’ll be the judge of that.

I never got to see Queen live and from what people have told me, I have missed out on a great experience. So I think that I will now go and see them at a big show where they can do what they do and a big crowd, full of energy, is the place where I will be standing. (There will be times when I’ll go on stage and look out at the crowd too.) And this show has Status Quo as the support - two favourites on the same night.

Growing up, TV was limited and the content was poor, but I used to like the movies that they showed. A lot of them were black and white ones with Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, and the like. But then there were the big Hollywood ones – all glamorous and bold with huge musical and dance numbers thrown in for good measure. I liked those too and liked watching some of the dancers. When I catch an old movie now, it amazes me how much is just one take with no breakaways. And when with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced, they pretty much filmed them in one stream, start to finish. I’d like to go and watch them do their stuff live whilst filming this movie.

This was a monumental moment where musicians connected the youth to some of the tragedy happening in the wider world, but in a way that the news couldn’t. It proved to be an awakening for a generation where people felt that they had a voice and could make a difference. And on top of that, it was a chance to see some of the biggest acts of the time doing their stuff - such acts as Status Quo, The Style Council, The Boomtown Rats, Adam Ant, Ultravox, Spandau Ballet, Elvis Costello, Nik Kershaw, Sade, Sting, Phil Collins, Howard Jones, Bryan Ferry, Paul Young, U2, Dire Straits, Queen, David Bowie, The Who, Elton John and Paul McCartney. And Mick Jagger and David Bowie recorded ‘Dancing in the street’ for it too. I remember sitting in front of the TV for the day watching. Now I am going to be there.

I love piano players - particularly those who play boogie-woogie, blues and gospel. To me, Jools Holland is the best at this, but having seen him many times, I am choosing to go back to see two masters, namely Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons. Back in the day, they performed together and I’ve seen clips of them and also have them on CD. So now I am going to see them playing together - what a hoot. I’m looking forward to a stroll afterwards and see how things were back in those days in that place.

So we all know about the Titanic - with its 2,223 people aboard (1,324 passengers and 908 crew) of which 1,503 died. But despite the end of the story, I’d love to be on there and wandering around and seeing how people were and what they were doing and seeing the splendour of it. So I am going on board the day before it sank - so I would be looking at people who may or may not have only had 24 hours left to live. That’s a weird feeling - I’d be looking at each person wondering which side of the ledger they will be on. Then again, by travelling back in time, I would be seeing a lot of people who were alive then but also dead in my world now - and there is nothing that I can do about it.

More musical acts that I’d like to see at their peak (as I’ve seen a couple of them later on). I want to see them when they were discovering and creating their music – and it is a chance to check out the hippies and see what the people were like. This show features The Rolling Stones, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana and the Flying Burrito Brothers.

Being an English chap, there is a lot of British history that I know bits about, but not much that I know a great deal about. With my time machine, there are so many events to go to, but there is also just the experience of being amongst people of a different time and experience the culture and ways of a bygone time. I would like to go back and see London at a time when it was very different and I have chosen a date when there was an event on that would cause a stir. When The Great Wheel opened, it was the world’s tallest, standing at 308ft (94m) and it was a big event and one that I will go to and probably spend my time wandering around watching the world go around.

Looking back over my musical past, there is the great thought of seeing Bob Marley perform. Though reggae has always been around, I’ve not really seen much live. Growing up in Leicester, there was a lot of Jamaican and Rastafarian culture there and there was an annual festival in Victoria Park which was my main exposure to it. But it was on the radio a lot and the undoubted king was Bob Marley. I want to go to the show which was recorded for the live record that I had - with the great version of No Woman, No Cry on it.

This was a big part of history in school and movies. Though it will be a messy and distressing event, I would like to be on the HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar and see what such a maritime battle is like. I don’t really like fights or aggression, but what the hell, I wouldn’t be at risk. I would see Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson die but also win – it will be weird to actually experience something that I have heard so much about.

This will be a good day because it is so unreal. I want to be with Neil Armstrong when he first stepped onto the moon – in fact, I’ll jump down before he does – shame nobody will know. I was woken up by my dad in the middle of the night to watch this happen - it didn't interest me more than sleep though - and the picture was so bad, you couldn't make much out anyway. But how magical it will be to be standing on something that isn’t on Earth - but to look across and see Earth there. How freaky this will be, but so exciting too. This will be a giant step for me.

My exposure to blues music came about in my mid-teens and it was a type of music that got into me then and remains strong today - it is hard to know why some music becomes a favourite over another - where does 'like' come from? With blues, it is rhythmic, strong and has many layers and versions. One of the best blues guitarists was Peter Green and I love his stuff with the original Fleetwood Mac. So I am going back to see him do what he does. Plus it is at a place that I’d like to visit and wander around.

Another place to visit is Machu Picchu at the height of the Inca Empire - when it was alive and functional and part of their society. I’d love to see what the folk were like and what they did. It was a meaningful place and symbolic too, so I will go and wander around on a day when something ceremonial is occurring just to experience that culture and those traditions.

This one is to do with the music and the time. The music is great - swing is a lot of fun - it was of its time and I’d like to experience it. I want to see the band live, see the people dance and see the audience enjoy themselves. I’d also like to experience the mood around the place with World War II having started the month before the day of my visit. It is hard for me to comprehend the anxiety that war brings.

This is a simple one. I want to go and see the prehistoric world and get to view the dinosaurs and ‘birds’ and creatures that were inhabiting the world. Imagine the sight and sounds – the size and power – the danger. It would be nice if there was a woolly mammoth around too. What a wondrous thing to see and I am sure that there will be creatures that we have no evidence of and would be amazing – I will be the only person to have ever seen these animals.

Another choice that I didn’t think would feature on such a project, but it came to mind and I like it. I have never seen the Bee Gees perform live, but I have enjoyed a lot of what they have produced over the years and their music is a bit of a soundtrack in my life. So what era and location? Then I found this 'One Night Only' concert - one that I have seen on TV, but now it is a show that I will attend – amongst the star-studied audience. And I can follow it with a wander around Vegas to see what is going on.

I spent my first 30 years in Leicester, so I have so many memories from there and so many experiences born of the place. It hasn’t featured in my life for many years now, but I would like to visit it before I was born to see what it was like back then. So other than see Leicester, I thought that I’d go to my parents wedding and see family and their friends from a different time - this will be an interesting one and a happy occasion. It will be weird seeing people I know and knowing the futures that await them.

Another musical event to go to - this is addressing something from my youth. The Jackson Five were the second gig that I ever went to, but I was too young to appreciate what I was seeing, so I want to see them again but from a slightly earlier time and to see how good they really were. I’ve chosen to see them on their home turf and the bonus is that I will also get to see Diana Ross and the Supremes on the same bill. The third act of that night was, bizarrely, Mungo Jerry - maybe they'd run out of money.

I did have front row tickets to see Aretha Franklin in 2011 at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, but she selfishly cancelled the show due to ill health. So I still want to see her and have found a show from when she was 26 - it will be incredible to see her at that time – in her full glory. And the other acts (Sam & Dave, Joe Tex, Sonny & Cher and King Curtis) would be great to see too. What a night I will have.

The Dandi March (aka The Salt March) was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India initiated by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. It was a 24 day march as a direct (but peaceful) action campaign against the British attempting to introduce a salt taxation and it gained worldwide attention which gave impetus to the Indian independence movement and started the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement. I want to be there for the last day of that march and see all that went on from both sides.

Once again, if I am going to go back to experience music, then finding nights when a few favourites were performing at the same time and place, makes good sense - and here is a cracker! I think some people are best to see when they were caught up in their creativity, so this show in 1966 would fit the bill nicely. Acts featured were Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Fleetwood Mac - how bloody good is that?

Chichén Itzá was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic period. The archaeological site is located in Tinúm Municipality, Yucatán State, Mexico and it was a major focal point in the Northern Maya Lowlands. I want to see it when it was a functioning city and in its best state. I want to wander around and see what was going on in that world at that time – the people, the sight and sounds.

The performers include The Beach Boys and Neil Young. Whilst growing up, different music made its way into my consciousness and one of the acts I remember clearly was the Beach Boys - I have no idea from where they got in, but I remember there being a greatest hits album on the scene at some stage. For a young me, the music was fantastic - I think that I have always liked hearing harmonies, so that might explain it. Whilst looking for a gig to go back to, I found this one and I chose it because a young Neil Young is too good an opportunity to turn down.

I’m not sure that sitting in a plane for the 7 to 8 hours it took to fly from London to New York is worth it, so I’ll join Concorde’s maiden flight an hour out of New York and enjoy the sensation of the speed and the pomp upon its arrival. It was a big deal at the time – a good looking plane that went like the clappers. I’ll also then get a chance to see some of New York from those days. It will be a good day.

Ludwig Van Beethoven was a master of his craft. We all know at least snippets of his music - some great stuff - lots of pomp in some, tenderness in others - and all in-between. I want to go and see him conduct one of his pieces. I can’t find a specific date, but he wrote Moonlight Sonata in 1801 - so that is a start. I’ll find him and I’ll find the performance of that piece – and that is what I want.

My parents had the soundtrack to this movie, so I knew the music as a kid. But I'd like to be at the studios to see Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra working together and also just to experience what it was like when making those big movie productions in the 1950s. I would hopefully get to see Grace Kelly and maybe Louis Armstrong interacting with folk too. It will be interesting to see the glamour of some and the hard working mass of people that make them appear great.

An iconic night awaits me. This was the final concert by The Band as they performed their Last Waltz. My viewing of the film of the concert introduced me to some new music and musicians and led to a time of musical discovery for me. It featured Paul Butterfield, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Ronnie Hawkins, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters and Neil Young. A superb evening showcasing all that talent and The Band themselves – what an impressive bunch of musicians, singers and writers they were.

My first encounter with a 'Carry On' movie was when my Auntie Jose took me to Carry On Screaming when I was a young lad and it scared me so we had to leave the cinema. These movies were a regular features during my early life through to the last one in 1978, and I want to go and see them filming one to see what the people were actually like and to see whether they had fun. I’ve chosen Carry On Doctor as it has all the favourites in it; Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Frankie Howerd, Barbara Windsor, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Peter Butterworth and Bernard Bresslaw.

There has always been a bit of mystery about bluesman Robert Johnson - the whole talk about selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads to be able to play the blues better than the rest. They say that he wasn’t anything special but then, in a short period of time, he became one of the best. I want to go to the recording studio where he cut his famous album, and see him do what he did. It would also be a great experience to see what it was like back then, though I imagine the racism would be challenging.

Oscar Wilde is a legend, but I wonder what he was like to be around. Well, I am going to find out as I am off to the opening night of one of his most famous plays, The Importance of Being Ernest, and will see him before the show and how he interacts with all, and then again afterwards including him partying with his friends. I hope that he is in top form and is the man that history tells us he was i.e. he has the wit and perspective that his words suggest.

This is another visit to the world of soul music and another night to see some legends performing. I was looking for a show that featured Curtis Mayfield - a man with a style of his own. It would be great to see him live, but the show I’ve found has additions that will make it a brilliant night to be at. Gladys Knight and the Pips are great, so looking forward to seeing her. And also Kool and the Gang, as I don’t know what they were like pre-disco, will be interesting. And then to top it off, I get to see Jimmy Witherspoon. It’s a great selection of acts.

This is something that I’m not sure about - I have tried watching ballet and it hasn’t done much for me, but Rudolph Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn are the two most famous stars of the genre (as far as I know) and maybe seeing the two of them will change my opinion of the art. Plus I get to see the best of the best use their craft. If this fails to impress, then I can be sure that ballet isn’t for me.

Well, this looks like a night well worth visiting - a special show for David’s 50th birthday. It had such guests as Lou Reed, Robert Smith, Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Dave Grohl and Billy Corgan. And David of course. I never experienced a Bowie concert, but I am rectifying that today and will get to hang with them all before and after the show too. Bowie featured in my earlier years, but we lost each other as time went on - but my admiration was always there.

21 year old Queen Victoria married 20 year old Prince Albert on this day – a union that bore them 9 children together. I’d like to attend the wedding and then wander around observing the guests and how things happen. And then I will take some time to wander around the London of that day. I prefer this option rather than Elizabeth II as it was from a time where such events weren’t captured as there wasn’t technology to do so.

I was introduced to a lot of music via Bob Harris on The Old Grey Whistle Test - some garbage, some good, some interesting and some weird. This episode was memorable and was the first time I had seen Meat Loaf - when he and Karla DeVito performed Paradise by the Dashboard Light from the album, Bat Out of Hell. It was so different and strong. I loved it and it was a new type of music for me and I still like the album to this day. But I would love to experience the energy when they performed that full on version that night.

There is a lot of art that I either like or find interesting. Andy Warhol produced some landmark pieces as well as some garbage stuff. Or is all art good and we like some and not others? Anyway, I have chosen Andy because it would allow me to visit his studios (called The Factory) where so many impressive visitors went. In 1965, Salvador Dali used to hang out there and it is seeing those two together that is my choice of visit.

Now here is a big show. The old music paper, The New Musical Express had polls with all their readers and the winners were announced at a special show each year and there would be performances from the big bands of that year - it was very prestigious and a big thing at the time. And in 1964, performers at the concert were The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark Five, Gerry & the Pacemakers, The Hollies, Billy J Kramer & the Dakotas, Manfred Mann and The Searchers. How great will that be? I hope that I can hear them perform above the screaming. I’ll let you know.

Most conversations about famous musical events would tend to lead towards mentioning Woodstock – it seems to be the pinnacle of the hippy era and I’d love to be amongst the folk enjoying the freedom that they felt, the music that they loved and the drugs that they chose. Looking at the three days of the festival, I picked the one with the acts including Santana, Canned Heat, Credence Clearwater Survival, Janis Joplin, Sly and the Family Stone, The Who and Jefferson Airplane. This should be an interesting time.

When Truman Capote was at the height of his popularity as an author and as a public figure (following the publication of his non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood, earlier that year), he threw a huge masquerade ball (known as the Black and White Ball) and guests included Henry Ford, Candice Bergen, Norman Mailer, John Steinbeck, Irving Berlin, Vivien Leigh, Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow. Reading about the ball, it was a massive affair and I will enjoy seeing how it actually was.

I love the voice and music of Solomon Burke - one of the best - but a man I never saw live. So looking for a show, the obvious place would be with Jools Holland and on his show as they had recorded together at various times. And when I found a show and saw who else was on (Pulp, Jimmy Cliff, Chrissie Hynde, Robert Plant, Jeff Beck and Tom Jones), it was an easy choice and one I am looking forward to being at the recording.

The Parthenon is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, dedicated to the goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their patron. I’d like to see it when it was new and being used and see how it fitted with the community. So a chance to observe a very different time and see how the world feels at that time and see what the people were like - and to see the building in its full glory.

I was in Harlem once and saw the famous Apollo Theatre - the location of so many incredible shows - a place in the hearts of many. All the best blues, jazz and soul performers have played there over the years. I want to go to a show there, but rather than way back, I have chosen one that is contemporary to me. It is an evening that features Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles and others. I’ve seen Ray twice, but never saw Marvin - until now.

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni painted the Chapel between 1477 and 1480 at the commission of Pope Julius II. It is a famous and impressive piece of work and I’ll get to see it in full colour and up close. I’d also like to be wandering around the Vatican and seeing what was going on. Maybe find some secret places where archives exist that might throw some light on events – maybe there is a special section about lizard people.

This show features Slade, Sweet, Mud, Sister Sledge, Chi-lites, Heatwave, Alvin Stardust and Boney M. My formative years of music were post-hippy and pre-punk - yes, the glam pop times of the 1970s - where the music was fairly vacuous but was also a lot of fun. It has many associations and memories for me and is also a link to innocence and hanging around without a care in the world. The event that I’ve found is a retrospective event where some old acts got together to recreate those times. I’d like to go to this day to hear the music and watch the crowd re-live their youth and see how much fun it is. This might be a disaster.

George and Ira Gershwin wrote so many wonderful songs - classics - too many to list - some are favourites of mine of which so many people have covered them. I want to go and see George perform and have picked the premiere of Rhapsody in Blue where he was on piano. And many important and influential composers of the time such as John Philip Sousa and Sergei Rachmaninoff were present. I am really interested to see the audience and then to head out to wander the streets afterwards.

Choosing the next classical act to see live, was an easy choice. I want to hear the music and I want to see the crowd and I’d love to see them dancing. It is the king of the waltz, Johann Strauss II and I’d like to be there when he is performing the Blue Danube and I found just such a night. I imagine that the fashions and ways of that place and time would be both strange and wonderful.

When I was in my teens, I had a record of Woody Allen doing stand-up comedy and I loved it - what a funny comedian he was - and he wrote great stuff for others as well. I also read a couple of his books and they were funny too. He was my sort of comic and has since made some of my sort of films - some classics. So it will be great to go and see him do his stand-up - when that is who he was and that was what he did.

Another iconic show and it occurred before I arrived in Australia, but I’ve seen it on TV. It was the last Crowded House show before they called it quits and was on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. The atmosphere would have been great and the crowd were singing along and people were both happy and sad. This will be a great night to be at.

I have read about and seen on TV the impact that can result from powerful acts of nature, so I want to go and experience the power of it in person. I realise that it means that I will be observing an event that caused mass destruction and loss of life and property, but I can’t stop it and it did happen. When Krakatoa erupted (plus the subsequent tremors), there was destruction to all the land surrounding it plus tsunamis that caused havoc to all in its way. Estimations vary but probably around 100,000 people died as a result.

This was another easy choice. To be at such a momentous and important day would be amazing. I want to be there, amongst the masses to experience the Martin Luther King Jr. ‘I Have a dream’ speech, during the march for jobs and freedom. A Hugely significant time in US history and a fine man with the right words - a calm and strong voice where it was needed.

Thinking back over music I have liked, there is much to choose from. Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganoni is a favourite piece, and though I have seen it performed, I’d like to see it from its time and to see Sergei Rachmaninov playing the piano to one of his own pieces. It will also be interesting to see the audience and how they interacted with the music and each other.

I have heard (and seen) enough to know that Mae West and W C Fields were funny. I have chosen a time when they were working together on the 1940 film, My Little Chickadee – a comedy-western film where Mae wrote the original screenplay and Fields contributing to some parts. I’d like to be with them when they were writing it to see them as people and to see them having a laugh. After the film, they were no longer friends as Mae resented Fields getting all the credit for her work, but I will see them before that time. And then to go and have a look around the neighbourhood they were working in.

Whilst growing up, the echoes of Rock ‘n’ Roll featured quite loudly. It was in movies and on TV and had a huge energy to it. It felt more like a changing of the guard than previous incarnations of musical styles. This was kids proud of their music and that it was theirs and was so different to what their parents had been listening to. So I would like to experience the music when it was fresh and see the dancing and energy that surrounded it. This show features Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Bill Haley, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley and The Everly Brothers. A good experience awaits me.

Back in 1851, the original Crystal Palace (designed by Joseph Paxton) was built in Hyde Park for The Great Exhibition. It was a magnificent building and provided the housing of a ridiculous 14,000 exhibitors! In 1854, it was relocated to Penge Common in South London where it remained until fire destroyed it in 1936. But I want to be at the Great Exhibition and see it in its full glory. It would have been a massive day.

This is a special one too. I’d like to go to see Eva Cassidy’s last ever recorded performance - where she sang that great version of What a Wonderful World. She was in pain and on drugs and she knew the end was coming (it arrived three months later), yet she sang the song with such feeling - a magical moment but sad too. I will be the only one there who knows that she will become big - to those there, she was a singer/friend/relative who was dying. This visit is for all the talent that remains undiscovered.

I think that the joy of a time machine would be to see different people in different eras and see what the world and people were like in a different period of human development. So an obvious one would be to go and see Julius Caesar and see what it was like during the Roman times and experience the customs and culture from then – just a normal day to see what Julius did with his time.

Back in the world of blues, there are plenty of artists to admire and listen to, but some stand out more than others. One of these is Stevie Ray Vaughan who I used to listen to a lot and I’d like to go and see him perform live. I found this gig and he performed with another talented individual, Jeff Beck. It would be a great night to be amongst a happy crowd.

Looking at the Kings and Queens of the British past, a figure looms big in size and reputation - Henry VIII. He was a man who changed things to suit his selfish desires and who probably lived and arrogant and selfish life - but an intriguing man too. So I have chosen to go his marriage to his second wife, Anne Boleyn (the mother of Elizabeth I) – what a weird experience this will be – different times.

I am a big Leonard Cohen fan and have been pondering on where I’d like to go and see him. There are many shows to choose from but I wanted a later one as there was more material to choose from. I first got to see him in 2009 and it was as wonderful as I had hoped for. But rather than going to a show, I would like to go and see him rehearsing for that tour - his first in 15 years. I’d like to see him talking and practising and interacting with those around him. I’d like to see the man at work.

I am interested in the indigenous population of Australia, but my experiences are all related to the aftermath of the white man taking over this place. I would like to see a community in the place we now call Melbourne, in the time before they were invaded - just to see how they went about life. The Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung, Taungurong, Dja Dja Wurrung and the Wathaurung people make up the Kulin Nation - I’d like to observe the Wurundjeri people doing whatever they were doing on this date.

Back to the world of soul - to this famous night celebrating 25 years of the Motown record label with all those stars performing to Berry Gordy Jr. It included the Jackson 5 followed by Michael doing a solo set and it was the show when he first performed his ‘moon walk’ to an audience. Other acts performing were Lionel Richie, The Commodores, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells and Martha Reeves, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Temptations and The Four Tops. What a night it will be.

This is my opportunity to go and visit some of the old school performers at a well-known place. I contemplated going back to see the Moulin Rouge at its prime, but found this gala night celebrating its centenary, that sounds like a hell of an event to go to. Just look at who was performing that night - Charles Aznavour, Lauren Bacall, Ray Charles, Tony Curtis, Ella Fitzgerald, Gipsy Kings, Margaux Hemingway, Barbara Hendricks, Dorothy Lamour, Jerry Lewis, Jane Russell, Charles Trénet, and Esther Williams. This is certainly a different type of night.

In terms of comedy, there are many people over the years who have made me laugh, but few more than Spike Milligan. On the radio, TV and the written world, he was consistently funny and I want to see him just being who he was. I loved the Q5 through to Q9 series, but when he first really won me over was the Q6 series - I used to laugh my young head off and so I’d like to go and see him rehearsing that series - where he was telling the others what the scenes were and what their roles were and them they just trying to do it without laughing - which they rarely managed.

I never got to see Cat Stevens, though I have seen him since he returned under his name of Yusuf Islam. I found a gig where other performers include The Walker Brothers and Jimi Hendrix (and even Englebert Humperdink!). It would be great to see him when he was fully into what he was doing, though it is early days before he had written some of the songs that I like of his, but I don’t really mind. It will be interesting watching the audience too - I imagine that there will be all sorts there.

I remember the build up to this event and I remember learning about what had occurred and adjusting my understanding of the history. We all knew that Apartheid was a terrible thing, so seeing it start to change was a great thing. I am going to that momentous day that Nelson Mandela was released from prison in Paarl, after 27 years, and walked through the crowd in Cape Town. And then to hear him talk with so much grace and knowledge was very impressive. Now I want to go and feel what it was like to be there and experience it happening.

Back again into the world of Soul and some of the stars of that genre performing at the ‘Celebration Of Stax Records’ show. Another chance for me to see Solomon Burke and Mavis Staples (my two favourite male and female soul voices) plus some other stars - Al Green, Eddie Floyd, Isaac Hayes, Carla Thomas, Michael McDonald, Booker T. & the MG's and Little Milton. A hell of a night and some great songs - couldn't have planned it better myself.

With all of history to choose from, I have contemplated some famous buildings to see and have wanted to see them when they were being utilised. I’d like to see the people interacting with them and the general community that surrounds them. This is one such building having been built by King Solomon – intriguing to see the world of that time and the people and the culture and the way of life.

I have always been a fan of Kate Bush – her music, her words, her stories and the intrigue of who she is. I failed to see her live when she toured in 1979 and I didn’t realise that she wouldn’t tour again until 2014 - at which time I was living at the other side of the world. So choosing when to see her is between those two occasions. I think that I’ll choose the latter as there was so much more of her music that she could choose from whereas the first had limited choice. So finally, I get to see her and having heard the music from the concert, I know that this is going to be a very happy day.

To honour people in the US back in the day, huge parades would happen through the streets and the crowds would line the streets and hang out the windows. And from those buildings they would throw/release paper down onto the street and parade below. I'd like to experience this tradition and watch the folk doing what they do. I have picked the occasion of the ticker-tape parade for Charles Lindbergh, following his solo transatlantic flight – it will be great to be amongst all that celebrating.

This will be a top night of blues with many different styles within the genre all at one event. Performers include B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, Phil Collins, Dr John, Etta James, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Paul Butterfield and Billy Ocean. It is a great collection of folk and has all the ingredients for a fantastic night.

This is a literary and artistic moment and a chance to see a major influence on society then and now. I am heading off to see the opening night of Midsummer Night's Dream, and to see William Shakespeare in attendance. We don’t know much about him as a person, so it will be interesting to see him move and talk and gesture. And to see who the audience were and how they behaved. And also to see what it was like to put on a play back then. It’s going to be a good day.

This is what the festival was called before it became known as the Glastonbury. An early musical favourite of mine was Marc Bolan and T-Rex. For a kid, it was pop but not too poppy - something more. OK, obviously looking back, there wasn’t that much more, but I want to go and see them performing and see what his audience was like. Rather than go to something like Top of the Pops, I have chosen a festival as it would be an environment where he could be more himself - so it is T Rex with other acts - get it on.

Everything that has happened in the past has impacted on the world today in terms of who is here, where they are, etc. But some things have influenced more than others and World War II is about as big as it gets. Few events have influenced that amount of people and that amount of countries – and also the movement and deaths of so many people, and the devastation of families, communities and countries. I want to go and experience what it felt like when people realised that it had finally ended and the good guys won.

Whilst trolling through the archives looking for an Amy Winehouse gig to go to, I came across this gem. Other than Amy, it features Prince and Beverley Knight. What a special night it must have been and now I am going to go along and see for myself - the talent of these three people is huge. It is amazing how many special nights I am finding - this is one that I really want to experience.