I apologise profusely to all female visitors of this site in advance.
This is going to sound a tad misogynistic, but what do the following have in common: Zoë Ball, Sara Cox, Edith Bowman, Emma B, Nemone, to a lesser extent Jo Whiley, Harriet Scott etc?
Answer: They all can be so dull as dishwater it is impossible to stay riveted for more than 30 seconds without displaying a nervous reflex to mentally self-harm, or at the very least switch to Radio 2 or Virgin, where chance should find a more courteous disc jockey not committing verbal diarrhoea over such a bland and unimportant programme as Sex and the bloody City, which by the time the last series rolled around, I disparagingly referred to it as “Old Dogs on Heat”. Other topics to induce bleeding ear-drums include weightloss, some bloke they thought was quite dishy, or the pains of being pregnant etc.I really don’t care about any of
The last woman to evoke a sense of charm on Radio 1 was Lisa I’Anson. Even though most of us are not aficionados of that genre, she was the precursor to Trevor Nelson; opinionated, smart, encyclopaedic, and engaging. The only woman to match that level were Janice Long, Mary Nightingale, and Liz Kershaw. The latter two probably showcasing a more eclectic taste in their playlist, but I would quite happily prefer to still hear Katrina from ‘Katrina and the Waves’ play outstanding singer-songwriter music (Aimee Mann, Sarah Mclachlan, Shawn Colvin, Eddi Reader, even the Dixie Chicks to some extent) than have to endure what passes for “hip” overplayed ad nauseum, coupled with another uninteresting anecdote about something no self-respecting fan of music would give the proverbial ‘two hoots’ for.
There are obviously relative newcomers with opinions, and are incredibly under-rated in their worth, like Vic McGlynn on 6music and Lauren Laverne on XFM, but I do wish some more women with personalities and passion for music were more visible rather than celebrity status or looks. After all, what matters most is the music, the rest should keep you listening in between. Tabloids have been quick to point out the ‘ladette’ culture as a key factor in the shift to coffee-shop radio. It’s just a shame we have mouthy madams with nothing to offer humanity in terms of philosophical debate, polluting our airwaves with such smug mediocrity.
Something has to be done!
Craig Aston.
Comments?!!
Probably the most significant end to a prominent established timeslot in recent memory, second in comparison to the notable cull of disc jockeys in the transitional period of the mid nineties. Mark ‘n’ Lard carried out their final Radio 1 show on Friday 19th March, as they look forward to pastures new (Radio 2 and 6music respectively).
As casual listener recently, I grow nostalgic for when they were the show du choice during the glory years of the Radio 1 resurgence from 95-99. They had a lot more freedom on their lesser know night time show in 1994, and consequently were at their funniest during that period, but thankfully were given the breakfast slot vacated by Chris Evans, which despite the main criticism being repetition, played great music, had great interaction with the leading bands of the time, and humorous characters set to voice effects.
As casual listener recently, I grow nostalgic for when they were the show du choice during the glory years of the Radio 1 resurgence from 95-99. They had a lot more freedom on their lesser know night time show in 1994, and consequently were at their funniest during that period, but thankfully were given the breakfast slot vacated by Chris Evans, which despite the main criticism being repetition, played great music, had great interaction with the leading bands of the time, and humorous characters set to voice effects.
Fat Harry White, Alan Ball (no relation), and the bizzy buzzy bee game co-ordinated between Supergrass, Blur, James, Mansun and other archetypal Britpop acts was the career zenith on a critically revered show, but due to stupidity from the bosses and a need for ratings they were sacked to their relief as family issues had largely conflicted against the timeslot, and subsequently moved to the afternoon timeslot vacated by Nicky Campbell. Family also dictated a necessity to broadcast from Manchester rather than London, and by their own admission, the flexibility once enjoyed had been tightened due to the timeslot. The format for the show reflected the playlist and often remained repetitive for minor periods (6 weeks average). Gradually, the move to a more homogenised playlist that sounded as if it had been sampled straight off an MTV or Smash Hits video channel, left more experienced and discernible DJs like Mark ‘n’ Lard, Steve Lamacq, Simon Mayo, and others finding it harder to remain content in the job, and a sense of apathy seemed to creep in.
Lamacq has seen his show reduced to one night, Mayo has left to join Radio 5 along with Nicky Campbell, and Radcliffe and Riley take their experience and taste in good music, irrespective of demographic, to their new shows where hopefully they will be more appreciated. Thankfully, their final show demonstrated what the show would have been like if they had been given complete autonomy concerning the playlist. As a ‘last day of term’ it was thoroughly entertaining due to collaborations with guests Travis, obligatory well-wishes from bands they had championed over the years, like Divine Comedy, Belle and Sebastian, Grandaddy, and Elbow. They also educated where Johnathan Ross would normally fail - playing a classic Ultravox track from 1977 “Young Savage”, when Mr. Ross feels more content to subject us to Stereophonics records. The finale for this extravaganza featured a Keane tribute from Travis, a Travis tribute from the Shirehorses, and the ‘coup de gras’ - “Crazy Crazy Nights” by Kiss, to set up the neat yet contrived half a catchphrase “Stop...
”.Their skits and catchphrases were once described by John Peel as “all That bollocks”, but it is a timely reminder that Mark ‘n’ Lard educated and entertained, and in the wake of Colin Murray and Edith “Scottish Sara Cox” Bowman replacing them next week with one can only imagine will be the same-old playlist, some meaningless claptrap concerning Sex and the City, and some ‘trendy’ games to appeal to the Heat generation, as I pray for the chance to work in an office that plays either 6music or Radio 2, where it is promised that any comedy will be off-the-cuff instead of scripted and Radio listeners are the equivalent of broadsheet readers, while Radio 1 will be firmly ensconced amongst the tabloids.
Craig Aston.
Comments?
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