I know this may not be obvious from my ham-fisted attempts at being a DJ but……I love the radio. By that I mean all radio.
I have often bored one of my good pals who works in the upper echelons of the broadcasting world on my love of the radio. I usually say that there is no time of day or evening when I couldn’t tell you where I’d be on a radio dial. Here are some of my radio heroes: Derek Cooper, Richard Gordon, Jack DeManio, Humphrey Littleton, Nick Clark, John Peel, Jenny Murray, Fi Glover, Simon Mayo, Sandi Toksvig – I salute you all; but let’s not forget Iain Anderson. Master of all he surveys and easily the warmest, most welcoming voice you’ll hear on radio.
There are some great things on radio out there. I heard a lovely programme on Radio Scotland about gay people of different faiths reconciling their sexuality to their beliefs. The stories were moving and very honest. That’s the kind of thing you only catch if, by some chance you are twiddling the dial on a long journey. I also love Pick of The Week on Radio 4 where you hear snippets of great things that have passed you by. I often hear this on a Sunday when I’ve dropped my eldest daughter at the airport. This hour then leads to my big radio dilemma …I’m a huge fan of Brian Burnett’s Brand New Country. (it should be on more than once a week but that’s another issue) but I also love listening to my pal Billy Sloan’s Clyde show which plays at the same time. Billy plays a wide range of new things (I first heard and loved Franz Ferdinand there) and loved the fact that he is big upping The Hold Steady who I think are wonderful.
When I’m not in the car I usually listen to the radio in our kitchen. It’s there that the best news programme of all comes on every night at 5. PM presented by Eddie Mair is news as it was surely always meant to be. Witty, discerning, non ego-driven and concise. Very often the ex presenter of the programme, Hugh Sykess reports from the middle east in such a way that you feel as if you are standing on the dusty street with him. Genius. All this is made possible by the style of the main man Eddie Mair. And where, I hear you ask, does Eddie hail from?
…..Yes folks that golden city on the north bank of the silvery Tay – Dundee.