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.
Hey Ricky,
I’m grateful to Nicky Campbell who provided my musical education on his Into the Night Radio One show. He’s still good value in the mornings these days on BBC FiveLive.
I appreciate those DJ’s who are in it for the musuc and not the ego trip. People like Bob Harris, Paul Gambaccini and Johnny Walker. I first heard Jackson Browne’s Before the Deluge on Gambaccini’s Radio One show at 3am one morning – a moment I’ll never forget – bought the album the next day.
Anita Anand on FiveLive is fun in the evenings – although not for the next five weeks obviously…
The dulcet tones of Rhod Sharp on FiveLive’s Up All Night are a great comfort for occasional bouts of insomsia too.
I can only apologise for my country inflicting Stephen Nolan on a national audience. A walking embodiment of gutter tabloid journalism at its very worst…
Simon Mayo, Nicky Campbell, (Whispering) Bob Harris… these are the DJs that I remember most fondly from my youth, and that fashioned my appreciation of radio. Circumstances dictate that I don’t get to listen to it half as much as I’d like, but my morning walk to work affords me up to an hour or so of Radio 4 or whatever befits my mood, and it’s a great accompaniment to late evenings in particular. Plus of course the BBC Radio Player is a great resource for listening to stations that wouldn’t otherwise be available to me — like this one — although I do always prefer to listen in live whenever I can.
Ham-fisted, though, Ricky? You do yourself a disservice. Try raw, honest, a soulful raconteur…
And to go all whimsical for a moment, the finest — if fictional — radio show ever has to be for me Northern Exposure’s Chris-in-the-Morning on KHBR. The most eclectic playlist you’ll ever hear, a caring, literary and philosophical host, the morning radio show that seemed to play all hours of the day and night as befitted the narrative… The Voice of the Borough of Arrowhead County, Sound of the Alaskan Riviera. “Coffee, commentary and Kafka.” Pure genius. (No offence, Ricky.)
Billy Sloan’s great at answering emails about his own show and what’s coming up and could be interesting on Clyde… seems to be someone who is enthusiastic about new Scottish music. Bryan Burnett’s Get It On requests show from 6-7 on Radio Scotland is also very interesting… great themes each day and lots of great music new and old and wide range of genres, humour and light hearted but again lotf of enthusiasm and open mindedness too. I’ll always remember Bryan for his own Soundcheck show on Clyde in the late 80s and early 90s which heavily focused on the Scottish scene of that era plus singersongwriters like Martin Stephenson also dropped by and did sessions.
I love Tom Morton in the afternoon, sometimes catch Fred McAuley in the morning and then Saturday’s are great fun on Radio Scotland with Off The Ball followed by Sportsound.
it is a shame i went on so much about radio in the previous comments it would have suited this better.
radio is king.
i always haved loved radio even from a wee lad sneeking a listen in the late hours under the covers.
when going to bed with a tranny was an inocent past time.
the only thing i never did like about radio was radio1. i have always hated the way it seemed to dictate listening choices and the effect it had on the charts and it’s power over bands with it’s air play of certain bands. a good few dj’s should have been brought to task. but hey hopefully the singles chart and now with the web myspace etc.
perhaps the listener has the power of choice.
long live radio.
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