Penniless In Espana

I've managed to sort everything out for our few days in Spain which start pretty early tomorrow morning. Well almost everything as just about an hour ago I noticed a few £10 notes and immediately remembered that I didn't change my money into Euros. It's probably be going to be a case of getting out the old credit card in some places but I doubt there will be anything that takes my fancy to buy as a souvenir. Especially after the keyring that my dad brought back from Cuba which I'm really struggling with getting my key to fit inside it!

Since getting back to Canterbury I've started to feel as if nothing as changed from last year. I've even fallen into the habit of listening to the same records as I was last year in the form of Swing Out Sister, The Rippingtons, Lee Ritenour and other obscurities. Not that they're bad of course, far from it but I'm struggling to find things that take my musical fancy currently and this has been the case since starting Uni as there have been plenty of distractions.
Part of the reason though was because at the same time I had a crush on one of the girls at college and as always, the music I was listening to at the time complemented it.
But I'm not going to be lead up the garden path to blandness, no way. There are too many radio stations guilty of that as it is, local and national.

However one thing that has raised my spirits in the last couple of days has been the Adam and Joe Podcasts from XFM. These are basically highlights packages from the late night Channel 4 duo's XFM programme from last year which I had the misfortune of missing when orginally broadcast due to working in ASDA on Saturdays. You really get a sense of the time they were recorded due to speculation about Billie Piper's acting possibly not being up to standard, hours before the new Doctor Who even started! On that same subject I personally feel that David Tennant in the lead role is a bit too chirpy for my liking and most of the stories are let down by the jolly personas of the characters overacting. I nearly fell asleep during tonight's episode but that's probably more because I'm not too keen on stories set in a historical time period.

However this is probably going to be my last entry into this blog before heading over to Spain so when I return I'll try my best to make what I did there sound interesting. A bit of the old booze may come in handy though whilst I'm there, if I can actually get hold of any!

Now Playing: Swing Out Sister - After Hours

A Mountain Of Dead Horses

I managed to go into Morrisons again to buy a fennel loaf to bring with me on the journey to Spain tomorrow morning. Although it was really cloudy walking there, the temperature was rather warm and probably a taster of what's to come.
It's very difficult for a mealtime conversation to go without someone mentioning Big Brother and trying to give a witty take on who's been thrown out and also with me berating about the whole thing. Why the hell does it have to be stretched out as well? Three whole months of idiocy and contrived chaos.

On the same subject I noticed a bulletin on Myspace, possibly from Andy Bailey about the many things that make you a 90s person, one of them being that it was worth getting up on a Saturday morning to watch "Live and Kicking" or "SMTV" in the latter half of the decade. Especially when you look at the dirge that's on now with "Saturday Showdown" on ITV1 being a cut down version of it's predecessor "MOM" involving Ray, a midget running into doors and knocking himself out.
I also noticed "The Mighty Truck Of Stuff" over on BBC 2 (that's a where Saturday morning programmes have now been relegated to by Auntie) where they were doing a rather desperate Big Brother spoof.
Everyone seems to be running out of interesting or funny ideas but then again the youth of today seem to have more productive things to do on a Saturday morning.

Overall at least I don't have to put up with the idiots at ASDA despite not seeing them for six months. Maybe some of them have moved on. Who knows?... Actually I wouldn't hold my breath.

"Me Ears Are Alight"

I've only just found out about the passing of Desmond Dekker of 'Isaraelites' fame. Especially as last week myself Ross and Josie were dancing to that track at the Roxy! However the thing that will stick in my head the most about that track was it's use in advertising, most notably for Vitalite but another for Maxell back in 1989.

You can see the latter one here which like the Thames Television clip earlier shows how TV ads in the present day (with one or two exceptions) seem to have forgotten that you can have fun with advertising whilst still selling the products. This is equally viable to radio after listening to some of the ads on my dad's recordings of Capital Radio from over 15 years ago. I may have to dig some out and put them onto this blog sometime!

However earlier today I got my photos developed from the antics from last semester and they can be found on the photo link on the right of this page. An interesting selection of the many weird and wonderful people from Harrow campus!

A Summer In "Spoons"?

I'm under a rather tight decision on whether to fill in an application form for a possible job in Wetherspoons as a member of bar staff during the holidays. I've heard it can get rowdy in there at times but I only really need to work for a month before clearing my overdraft. I'll probably come to a decision on whether to hand it in after returning from Spain as I would rather enjoy myself first with probably the only proper holiday I'm going to get this year.

Time still seems to be flying by surprisingly and I keep forgetting what day it is. As a result of this I nearly missed Grooveline this afternoon after getting caught up in sorting material out for the SRAs. But why listen to material from people who are desperate to win awards when you can listen to a show that's deservedly won an award itself! The thing that's irritating me is that everyone who wants to submit material seems very determined to win and I hope that nothing turns nasty between other Universities on the night itself. That's why I've decided to stay clear from the best specialist show category as I'm still getting to grips with things technically!

Some superb material this afternoon including Heatwave featured in the Timeline (quite appropriate as it's one of their songs that the show title 'Grooveline' comes from) and two tracks from Incognito's "100 Degrees and Rising" album from 11 years ago. The first was an instrumental called "After the Storm" which I have underestimated quite a bit, but towards the end of the show when I didn't really expect it, Steve decided to give the standout track a spin in the form of "Everyday"! I've heard that track performed live a few times and whilst I've been ecstatic towards it, nothing can beat the slickness of the studio version as it contains all the elements I like in a positive song. It builds up perfectly throughout and the piano chords and vocal harmonies are spot on.

Stephen also mentioned about the countdown to the World Cup starting in two weeks and whilst I'm looking forward to it my mother is already fed up with the amount of attention it's getting everywhere. To be fair though it's getting a similar amount of coverage as Big Brother, and that's going on for bloody three months! Speaking of which I managed to find this old video file from Thames Television in August 1991 which shows how ITV used to be before it repositioned itself towards a "chav" audience. Even if you weren't living in London it should remind you of a more superior era of television and there's a good choice of soundtrack in the first trailer!

A Long Overdue Upgrade?

I made my way into Canterbury town center with Virgin Megastores being one of my stop off points. This particular outlet has been open in Canterbury for just over a year now as part of the redevlopment of the town center, but I am very weary of the metal staircase after getting a static shock walking up there once and as of now always take the escalator to up to the first floor. I seem to remember Matthew saying to me in a radio lecture that the reason I keep getting electric shocks is because I've got "an electric personality". For some reason though I think that statement's more appropriate to Matthew himself!

One of the main things that took my interest was the mobile phones and the fact that the pay as you go phones have gone down in price so you can get one with video, Bluetooth etc for under £100. However preferring to stay loyal to my supplier I headed to the nearby Vodaphone store where they have a similar selection and sometime this summer I may upgrade my phone for the first time in four years!

Canterbury Does Have It's Advantages

One of these is the Morrison's which sells the delicious Fennel raisin loafs and although they weren't that fresh when I bought them, it's not as much of a journey to get them as it is in London. Surprisingly I didn't buy any crates of VK although cloudy lemonade is a cheaper substitute which is just as lovely and not as bitter.

Last night was rather busy as I was helping Tim Pryor to sort out our entry for the Station Promotions category at this years student radio awards. However whilst what we've got should be worthy of a nomination, after listening to the competion from previous nominations I personally feel that next year I need to make the imaging sound even more sharper. Maybe something along the lines of URY in York who know how to give their imaging a kick up the backside!

My hayfever is slowly starting to disapear although this time next week I may be suffering from insect bites after returning from Spain. To be honest I find them a bit of a turn on actually!

The SRAs Await!

Not a lot has happened today really although this will be the case for the next few months. I'm still sneezing although my throat pain now seems to have vanished.

I've recived quite a few e-mails in the last few days from people at Uni asking to find material for submitting in this years Student Radio Awards, which take place in November. Goodlass and Marshall have asked me to go through their barrage of "funny" material as I believe they want to submit their show for an award. The next few days will probably involve listening to a large selection of mock celebrity interviews, German love advice and prank phone calls that are lacking hooks. It's all a bit of fun though and I should take into account that the duo along with Ross Tilley will be my bosses at the station from September!

On the other hand I have listened to a selection of audio from our competitors and in all fairness some of their material is actually very good. One example is Sport On Saturday from LSR in Leeds which I personally think puts our sports show to shame in terms of features, production and especially the choice of music. I mean compare the above to our efforts here (sorry Ali).
Overall you learn from the best and maybe next year things will certainly get better with the freshers arriving.

The weather here is still rather poor although I get rather excited when the rain is heavy, as being on the top floor of my house means that I get a sound similar to rain pouring on a tent or caravan on holiday! I haven't been in a tent for years actually although that's probably an advantage really.

Even More Bunged Up

My hayfever has gotten worse today and yes, I did go into Canterbury to deposit some coppers into the Coinstar machine. I think this is basically saying that I shouldn't leave the house as I may end up being more poorly. However, I didn't think coming back here was going to be as bad as this!

On the plus side I've just sat through Scummy Man and as expected was gritty and shot in a rough, down to earth manner in the sort of style I tend to like in modern films. For those who will have seen the video for 'Sun Goes Down', it's an extension of a plot involving a 15 year old hooker in the north of England with a taxi driver and a magician taking interest. However some may find it disturbing with the abusive violence given by the male character but it's very effective.

I was interested to find out that Mark Herbert, producer of 'Dead Man's Shoes' also worked on the film and he himself was the inspiration for a short entitled 'Northern Soul' which can be found on the Dead Man's Shoes DVD. It's basically about a young lad called Mark Sherbert (see what they've done) and his determined ambition to become a wrestler despite having no experience at all. A very funny film but you start to feel sorry for the main character and this is helped by the music in the film by the band Clayhill whose music the film was intentionally made to promote. Not really the sort of thing I would normally listen to but if it's put to good use in a film I would take an interest.

Definitley one I'll have to dig out over the summer.

Now Playing: Zero 7 - Home (getting over the disapointment of their latest album)

Hayfever At The Wrong Side Of Spring

I'm still struggling to put up with this hayfever especially as it's nearing the end of spring although I haven't been sneezing constantly. It's just having to put up with annoying pains in the nose and mouth. I spoke to Ashlee earlier on Messenger who's heading back to Lithuania from Latvia where she is currently, and where it's a bit more of a mainstream city with well known brands and shopping departments are dominant as any other big city.

One of the last things I brought in London was a DVD called 'Scummy Man' inspired by the Arctic Monkeys and the song 'When The Sun Goes Down'. I'm interested in seeing short films now and again and although I haven't looked at the film just yet I was interested to find out that it's directed by Paul Fraser who has worked on many films with British director Shane Meadows (24/7, Dead Man's Shoes etc) so it looks promising.

Things are starting to improve as I've managed to back up all the shows from two weeks ago onto a DVD-R (and I even got it done in one go!) and after seeing a post on Stephen H's blog about buying a set of classic SEGA games have put all my emulators onto my external hard drive. When I saw the post title 'Supersonic' I thought it was a reference to the Jamiroquai song of the same name!
It's not the same as playing them on the original consoles as multiplayer modes don't really work on a laptop, but I never owned a games console until I was about 13 years old as my dad used to dismiss them as 'not being proper computers'. So I'm basically using part of the holidays to get back the childhood I never had!

Sometimes You Just Have To Be Honest

My second day in Canterbury and I have got a dreadful cold and a dreadful mouth rash (if there is such a thing).

I've started to realise since getting back here that I'm worthless really, all because I'm a very poor communicator.
It's alright to share an interest in many areas but there's more to life than personal interests which I accept. The only problem is is that I really don't know how to start a proper communication with people and as I have never liked or understood sarcasm I can never really grasp the way in which people talk to each other in order to establish stronger bonds. Good communication skills are important to what I want to do in future but as I struggle quite a lot of the time is there really any point in going on?

There are people who can be incredibly quiet at most times but when spoken to can come out with some of the wittiest lines. I on the other hand am like a vehicle going across a broken bridge and falling off at the drop in the middle.
It's probably becuase of how I have been brought up although I can't blame my disablilty for everything but The family I live with has had no common interests running through it, or a continuous sense of humour as I never hear anyone laughing at home.

I don't like being negative about things but in the long term the above shows exactly what I'm really like. Waking up with a dreadful cold and a bad throat doesn't exactly put you in a positive mood though.

Now Playing: Aquarian Dream - Look Ahead
"Hold your head up, don't be discouraged, happy times are coming at you.."

You've Got To Laugh Sometimes...

I've still not managed to grasp that I am going to be away from the big city for over three months and have ended killing a lot of time since arriving this morning. I've even resorted to creating my own MSN space as if the ones I've got elsewhere aren't enough which can be found at http://spaces.msn.com/robinblamires. Whether I'll add stuff to it is anyones guess but it has some rather stylish layouts that aren't too difficult to adapt. I've also found out today that we're only going to Spain for four nights as Kate and Olly need to get back to revise for their A Level and GCSE exams respectively. Whether they are actually revising is anyones guess but I can't really remember doing a lot of revision when I was taking my GCSE exams so things may go pretty well in the end.

There's still some rather amusing stuff going on and Youtube always seems to have it inside it's large archive made up by various enthusiasts around the world.
I only managed to find out about this incident on last week's 'Have I Got News For You' but it is just one of those peculiar events in live television that deserves a mention here. Just over a fortnight ago IT expert Guy Kewney from Apple computers was meant to be interviewed live on BBC News 24 but they got the wrong person in the studio in the form of a job interviewee! This clip is worth viewing just for his shaky reaction to when the camera switches to him!

Finding the right sort of job in Canterbury is pretty tricky as all the ones I have been seeing in town have been for Sales Assistants, Mortgage advisors, experienced waiters etc.
I probably ought to try for something less ambitious but not one that will put me into insanity and stress for three months. Actually that's what all of the jobs I'm currently capable of will do to me but that's how things go!

The Wonders Of The Wireless

Having got everything sorted with birthday money paid into my bank account and whathaveyou I decided to actually listen to what the garden of England has to offer in terms of "aural pleasure". I've finally managed to get my Bug back to Canterbury although despite rescanning it it's still got all of the London stations listed which I can't actually recieve in Canterbury. Not that I'm complaining of course.

In hope of getting ideas for the second semester's radio features assignment (yes I know it's months away) I decided to see what the BBC had to offer and managed to discover an old pro in the form of Adrian John, best known for being the early bird at Radio 1 throughout the 80s and now covering at BBC Radio Kent. He's certainly a familiar voice in Kent as he has worked at just about every station in the county at one time or another.

Among the items covered were an interview with a woman promoting a vegetarian awareness week and another with an actor from the RSC who are putting on a production of 'The Canterbury Tales' this week at the Kingsmead Leisure Centre in Canterbury. Now the Canterbury Tales were written by Geoffrey Chaucer and not William Shakespeare but they would still have the same effect on me as the Bard, as I'd probably end up falling asleep during the performance. Well, the Miller's tale is pretty memorable actually, but several 10 year old children would say the same thing after reading it's rather dodgy content.

I decided to see what the commercial stations had to offer as well although I now tend to keep a close ear towards the stations imaging no matter how far it goes over the average listeners head. Invicta FM are still speeding up songs by 2% which is makes them the audio equivalent of clothes that have had their colours faded after being washed. KM-FM on the other hand is still playing Madonna and Simply Red on constant rotation and the presenters are still sounding bored. Then again with that sort of run of the mill repertoire who can blame them? Things apparently do improve later on with Neil Faraday providing an entertaining alternative to the dirge that is 'Late Night Love' with Graham Torrington which is impossible to avoid now with GCap inflicting the show around the country. How can a presenter be so perverted to ask such personal questions about an individual's sex life on a radio programme? Then again like as is the case with 'on the edge' radio, the people who call in know what they are getting before hand. I just don't want to go to bed feeling depressed and hardly bother to switch the radio on at all.

However tonight sees the return of a radio comedy favourite in the form of "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" on BBC Radio 4 in which there are guaranteed to be plenty of new definitions in the 'Uxbridge English Dictionary'. For example
Urdu:"Liverpool hairstyle"
and Beaverbrook:"a nude bathing area"
There's quite a few others at this site under the New Definitions section and plenty other selections from the show although it's not as funny as actually listening to it on the programme itself. Surprisingly I've never really gotten into "Mornington Crescent" or even playing it over the internet along with the many ISHIAC fans who are mental enough to do so.

My Return To Home Turf

I left pretty early this morning having sorted my gear out last night giving my keys back to Denise one of the halls staff present. I would have loved to have left by waking up the occupants of room 31E in the same way they have done to me many times but I decided otherwise in the end. I won't be seeing them again anyway so it's probably good overall.

However when heading back on the train I started to realize that there are a few things pondering me with everyone moving to their own properties next year, I probably won't be on as good speaking terms as I have been and I'm starting to feel rather left out. Just because I'm not as quick witted as these people are, there were several visits and escapades I really would have love to have done this year and just wasn't told. Especially as I'm rather grateful to them and have tried to do things for them when needed both inside and outside of radio work.
But why should I look back at the negative parts, it could have been a lot worse and the last year has been far from that. Hopefully the people I will be living with in halls next year will be a lot nicer and lively without being intrusive and here's hoping they will be first year BAMS students!

This isn't really the sort of thing to write about being back in Canterbury and I don't mean to write about things in a negative manner. But bearing in mind what I've written about my hometown before it's what's expected really and as it's not exactly sunny outside I can't really think about positive things.

However with Messenger working to the full without firewall restrictions I can actually see who has updated there messenger space! Although they are not as big as the MySpace boom, they are certainly better looking and looking at Kim's MSN Space with the bright colours and positive comments has certainly made me feel a tiny bit better about being back here. With the large amount of CDRs I've had just unpacked from Saturday there's no excuse to be bored overall and I may have a go at altering the job letter template while I'm here before heading to Spain this weekend. Hopefully we'll bring the sunshine back with us although the rest of my family don't seem to look at things that positively.

Now Playing: Incognito - Morning Sun
"In time, everything changes. Nothing stays the same..."

"The End Is Near" (It's Only The First Year For Goodness Sake!)

Tonight was my final night on campus although it was a pretty low key affair as everyone else is still staying until chucking out time at the beginning of June. Quite a few people were present at the Undies for Joey's little birthday do including Pippa, Chris, and Rosie whose present for Joey was the entire set of Harry Potter books knowing that he's one of those whose never got into the wizard phenomenom! Josie, Ross and Matthew arrived later and even Tudor was present to record Goodlass compering the Undercroft's 'Deal Or No Deal' but I'll go onto that later.

Joey managed to order pizzas as planned although it was difficult to find a takeaway service that wasn't petty about delivering to University campuses. It was worth the wait though and we even got Viennetta Ice Cream which I have been dying for after sipping many of those shots which have a similar taste! Goodlass managed to be on top form for 'Deal Or No Deal' with lines such as:
"Right, the banker says you're shit and are doing rubbish"
Ricky was on hand to help out with the techinical side as we now had musical cues from the TV series including the underscore of the theme tune which managed to get stuck in many peoples heads by the end of the night! He was also in charge of the Powerpoint display with the prizes although he got a bit too keen on the booze resulting in the wrong prizes being eliminated at the wrong time in the final round!

Getting back from the Underpants as always was eventful with a rather noisy stranger on campus in awe of Leeds Utd chanting loudly despite losing to Watford earlier. He obviously knew Pippa as he was hassling Joey to give her a hug to the tune of 'You're Not Singing Anymore' Not the best way I'd like to say goodbye to everyone but you don't want to get too emotional. However I did say bye bye to Jo Cave just before entering the flat as it would only be fair to say goodbye properly in a sober manner and she's definitely one of the nicest people I've met here at Uni. I'm quite gutted that she's apparently planning to move near Central next year but we're still staying in touch.

Some of the things I'll remember from the people here:

Matthew Linfoot (Senior Radio Lecturer): "Radio by the way, is a non-visual medium"

Ross Goodlass: "Stay Classy"

Ricky Marshall: "Spantastic"

Ross Tilley: "I Know Nothing About Punk"

Edward 'Tudor' Burke : "Feff Off"

Steve Jones: "Alvin Or Theodore. No one likes Simon"

Aussie Ashlee: (On hearing a song by Jet) "Yay, they're Australian!"

Tim Pryor: "No One Knows"

Jo Cave: "Yeah, Baby!"

Josie Edwards: "Party In Flat 10!"

Everything's now packed up and I shall be leaving for Canterbury early tomorrow morning. I really don't know how I'm going to cope back there for three months but hopefully I won't distance myself from anyone I've met in the last 8 months.

Now Playing: Swing Out Sister: Blue Mood

In the Most Tense Of Times

Having only woken at 12pm and being without a television I've only just found out about last nights incident on the Lotto draw in which the studio was invaded by members of Fathers 4 Justice. Looking at this from a television perspective 'Deadly' managed to do a superb job adlibbing at this tense moment especially due to the fact that they had to finish at an exact time due to the Eurovision Song Contest. And I wouldn't exactly complain if they failed to link up on time.

But what irritates me, (and I'm sure similar things have been said) is how the hell can these people who want to see their children, go on live television in a prime time slot and terrify a large amount of children watching at home? Certainly not good parenting role models. Then again I'm sure quite a few people found it exciting at the same time but I didn't think it was a very professional thing to do and credit of course to Alan for keeping things going. (I never realised his voice was reveberated to a great extent!)

There's an interesting clip of Eamonn on Sky News about an hour after the incident in which he actually speaks to Guy Harrison about the invasion. Whilst he may have a fair case will many of the younger viewers have an idea of what's happening?
(Video encoded by Asa Hicks)

"I Bet That You Look Good On The Kitchen Floor..."

Myself, Ross Tilley, Josie and Matthew, a friend of Ross's from his hometown had quite an eventful night in Central London. It started off intending to go to the Nellie Dean pub in Soho but not before being given a grand tour of the area by Ross in an attempt to impress Matthew but doing the opposite for Josie.

We made it to the Roxy about an hour later where Ross nearly didn't get in thanks to a photo free NUS card! The drinks were rather steep and all with a bottle of Smirnoff Ice costing over £3. This is probably why I stayed sober most of the night. The choice of music at this nightspot has to be the most random as you'd here a Morrissey track being followed by one by Five or Johnny Cash but it was all part of the fun. There were even a few Eurovision favourites fitting in well courtesy of tracks by Gina G, ABBA and even Bucks Fizz which confused a few people!

The journey back on the nightbus was rather noisy as expected this time with a few 16 year old girls talking very loudly in 'street slang' and giving us renditions from 'Grease'. I very much doubt my leather jacket I was wearing helped either but thankfully they didn't notice. I certainly won't be missing the N18 whilst out of the big city.

A Mundane Summer Awaits...

Well, it's just sped by, my first year at Uni is reaching the end already although I'm going to do my best to make sure I go leave in the most positive of ways, although that's always my aim really! In just about half an hour I'll be heading to Flat 10 which is normally a place I normally tend to finish a night off at! This is en route to I believe the Roxy Club in Central London where we celebrated Tim's 21st birthday a couple of months ago. If I'm in the mood I may buy a cocktail if they're on offer!

I had a visit from Tim earlier today actually, who gave me a birthday present consisting of two packets of Haribo Strawbs (other brands of candy are available) and it's probably going to be the last time I see him in London. A visit to North Devon will certainly not be off the cards in the near future! Definitley one of those who has been supportive throughout this year and probably the best person I've got to know here. Welll!

Looking back over the last year I had no idea I would end up doing all the things I wanted to do involving radio, especially in the dreadful first six weeks, but after getting to know a few more people and getting practically involved I feel that I have been at my most productive at anything that I've done. Getting my own show was a first but becoming the head of production was an added bonus. However it's the team effort overall which has kept me passionate and given me the will to keep going. I just don't think I'll be able to cope for the next three months in Canterbury although I'll try to keep the entries in this blog as interesting and consistent as possible.

This is because I have never got the same sort of encouragement from many people in Canterbury (with a few exceptions and few is the operative word) as I have done here, but the opportunities in radio there are certainly not as accessible. Anyone who reads this probably doesn't realise that they are giving me more confidence whilst I've been here and the fact that I'm still speaking to people who have left Uni for pastures new is extra special. Looking at my Myspace it seems my friend space is made up entirely of those who I've met at Uni (excluding musicians and TV presenters of course!)

However it's tonight that's important and I hope I don't end up dozing off in the Roxy like I did in 333 last Saturday!

Not The Most Comfortable Living Conditions

Well I've had a fair amount of stuff removed from my room and sent back to Canterbury quicker than I thought. The only problem is, I'm reduced to writing this on my bed without a quilt cover or pillow and just a sleeping bag to lie down on so it's difficult to get relaxed in here.

However tonight I maybe making one final visit into Central after reciving a text message inviting me, although it does mean at the same time I will have to make another journey back on the dreaded nightbus! Then again if this does go ahead I have a feeling that I will end up being one of the metals on there if I have enough to drink!

What Do I Want Removed?

Tomorrow my mum's arriving to take back a large amount of my things back to Canterbury before I return there on Monday. I'm still rather puzzled on what I want to be taken back immediately although it shouldn't be a too difficult decision as there are several books, DVDs and recordable CDs that I haven't even touched since moving here.

I'm hoping my final weekend will be a pleasant one with no flat parties taking place when I least expect them. I very much doubt I will be allowed to bring a sleeping bag into the campus library! Bearing in mind that apparently there are fines for setting the fire alarms off in the halls, it should go rather smoothly. Well until Sunday at least when it's Joey's 21st!

The Possiblities!

I've just had a look through the jobs on Media UK and discovered an advertisement for the role of "Station Audio Producer" at Southern FM in Sussex. However in the job description it mentions
"Do you own a copy of Powershot......or you can you add a film clip to a Station V/O to make a really "wacky" sweeper........Then DO NOT apply for this position!"

Now the fact that that I have used Powershot (really dated lasers and drone FX) quite a lot in my material could screw up my opportunities but it doesn't really state what is needed except for someone who can produce material that "makes you have an eargasm".

There's a similar job offer for station producer this time at Wyvern FM in Worcestershire which is bloody miles away although the person offering the job did used to work at Neptune in Dover years before it turned into KMFM like all the others in Kent. I think I shall stay grounded for now but it's useful to know what is needed and what isn't in my choice of career goal.

My Final Malharia Night!

Well tonight certainly has shown a lot more than just improvement! Just before Area, I spent about an hour in the Undercroft with Jacko, Steve and Joey who popped in for a short while and sent a rather derogatory text message to Tim Pryor at home in Devon watching the launch of Big Brother 7 only to be sent an equally derogatory text back. All done in good humour though!

After arriving at "Malharia" there were a few more familiar faces such as "TV Tom" Barbour, "Lords and Ladies" Lawrens and the stunning Jo Cave, but I'll go onto her later. Quite a few pirate costumes and pencil moustaches were present with the music as always being on top form, the usual selection of mid 90s dance, current indie and a bit of Shy FX towards the end of the night.

By closing time Jo was abosolutley off her trolley and proceeded to drag me back to the flats going all the way to the top floor and back down again! I really hope she sobers up soon but I'm definitely going to miss her the most throughout the summer!

Some Things Are Just Too Good To Be True...

The latest example being digital cameras sold in Woolworths at £50. Despite buying the camera a few days ago I only opened it this morning and finding inside, the USB Cables, the instruction manual, the carry case but no camera! I brought the camera back to Woollies where they were unable to replace it but they gave me a refund.

I probably will try and wait for my overdraft to clear before buying a new one but you get an idea of how some places aren't as organised as they should be. Aside that nothing else has really happened today that's worthy of writing down so maybe tonight at Area will see some improvement.

'Don't Let Matthew See This'

I've finally managed to start having a look at the video podcasts made last week for our Big Broadcast Bonanza and the crazy antics that we've got up to. Apologies to those with slow connections and the fact that they are quite large but I can assure you that in terms of radio documentaries it's no 'One On One' (a documentary on a day in the life of BBC Radio 1 seen by many a jingle enthusiast)
I make an appearance in Podcast 3 towards the end so you can get an idea of what I do in between the records and hear Jo Cave's superb impression of a dog barking to illustrate the one I'm trying to giving away! It's not as bad as my reaction at the very end when I find out that opening the battery slot isn't as easy as I think.

This Sunday will be my final night in London which will be spent at the Undies for Joey's 21st birthday party and I've heard that Ross Goodlass has been given the permanent role of the host for the Undercroft's Deal Or No Deal after doing a superb job last week. Hopefully someone will bring a video camera to there as well as this performance would definitley warrant a place on a showreel!

Yet Another "Amazing" Find!

Things are starting to die down now as my return to Canterbury draws nearer. I've been organising things and sorting them out into an orderly manner as being me, I have a dreadful obsession of having things organised specifically and when they fall out of place I get really agitated and discouraged. The unusual positioning of my blog layout last night being an example.

I made what I hope will be my final visit to the Radio Studios before September to collect some various bits and pieces, and amongst the things I found lurking about was this advert for the Yates Bar featuring the voice of Showbiz Marcelle! It's very difficult to put the woman behind a microphone as it will always distort!

Speaking of distortion I may head over for the final time this year to Area 51 tomorrow night where I belive it's Pirate Night. Quite a few people at Uni have an obsession with the pirate dress sense so I expect quite a good turnout. What's more, it's not that expensive to get in at £2 although I doubt I will be dressing up in the appropriate apparell! It will probably be a good excuse to bring the digital camera with me once I've managed to find a cheap SD card.

Problem Solved!

Well I've finally managed to find out why everything was positioned in a funny manner and this was because of a corrupted post. Then again quite a few people think this whole blog is corrupted but If I'm upsetting anyone that's certainly not the intention. It's just a bit of fun overall! I do need to change that photo although the ones that were taken last week are rather embarrasing!

Burnin'

I don't know why my photo and my profile have moved from the right panel to the bottom of the page, but if anyone does it would be useful to find out how to put them back in the right place as I'm useless at HTML code.Aside that, I recieved a call from Tim earlier saying that one of his fellow presenters at Lantern would be interested in going to a Jingle Mad meet up after the success of the North West Radio night in order to meet Hirsty! It was a female presenter too so it would be a first for one of these get togethers! To add further embarrasment I managed to find an edition of 'The Friday Lunchbox', the predecessor to Smoke Radio, broadcast for an hour every Friday throughout 2004. This edition in particular covers the Urban Music Festival back in May 2004 and the music really takes you back to that period. I don't think I've ever heard Tim Pryor sound overly enthusiastic! Also featured are the delightful Sophie Pringle, Showbiz Marcelle and special guest appearances by Trevor Nelson and Lemar. Hopefully we'll be able to match that on Fresher's Week come September!

Does Work Ever Stop?

As I write this I'm busy burning and organising CDs into the two new CD wallets I bought earlier today in order to lighten the load for mum when she comes to collect my stuff to return to Canterbury this weekend. The flat is reeking of Shisha from the room next door but I'd rather have that than put up with loud noises.

I had a chat to Ashlee earlier who is now in Lithuania, and is getting to grips with the place although she doesn't excatly know how long she's planning to stay for. I also managed to find a podcast off the LBC site involving a 1984 Christmas tape containing many screw ups and sweary bits. These were introduced by LBC's Head of Jingles, Chris Lowrie who is definitley the campest man ever working in radio beating Dan P by miles!

More Than Just Pound A Pint

As I type this I am at my most tipsy I've ever been after returning from my final pound a pint night of the academic year. A really good turn out as well with Sophie from Smoke Signal being present who apparently is also a fan of Incognito! Other people who were present included Jo Cave who I really must make sure I see before leaving and Sarah 'Lamby' Thompson who was the only first year student to have her feature broadcast on Smoke Radio. Apparently my London Maze feature was too dated to be played on air, but at the end of the day, fuck it, I only get stuff that I've produced played on the station more often than any of the records!

It's been a pretty good birthday really with txts, emails and Myspace messages coming in well including a message from Hit 40 UK's Hirsty on my Myspace page!

The music played at the Undies was on top form with the usual stuff i.e 'My Humps', 'Two Can Play That Game' and 'Billie Jean' alongside weird choices such as 'Jump' by Kriss Kross and 'I Should Be So Lucky' by Kylie Minogue. The night ended with me getting dragged home in a metal trolley similar to the one I used to take rubbish to the tip at ASDA, back to my flat by Steve, Sophie and her brother Stuart (if I remember correctly). This resulted in Steve demanding to get his mail even though the mail room was closed and Sophie knocking on the window of her old room in the halls. Hopefully I will see her again at Joey's birthday party this weekend. Way to leave Westminster eh?!

Now Playing: Incognito - Everyday (Well they wouldn't play that at the Undercroft would they?)

Now I Can Start Celebrating!

Well I've managed to sort out all my bugbears by signing up for my chosen modules, reserving a place in the halls and recieving my birthday presents! Well it's only really money but I used it to buy a digital camera from Woollies at £50. The only problem is that I forgot to by an SD card! And it would have been nice to illustrate the events of tonight with a few photos.

On a more lighter note, in the last week certain members of the radio team have brought my attention to Youtube.com a site where various people have been uploading videos of all kinds. Some of the funniest include Boris Johnson playing for Liverpool, and a Myspace send up. There's also a moment from the X-Factor involving a wannabe Eminem from Yorkshire in the appropriatley titled 'The Most Deluded Prick In The World'.
But there's also a fair share of music videos and most interesting for me was the video for Incognito's 'Nights Over Egypt'. I'm sure one of the guys appearing in the video is actor Max Beesley which wouldn't be surprising considering he played percussion for the band in the mid 90s. This was after his disastrous TV review series 'Surf Potatoes' with Dani Behr from the people behind 'The Word'. Aside from that, It will certainly be difficult to get off that web site.

Although broadcasting finished on Friday, key team members of the radio staff are far from finishing business with the station. Head of Marketing Ross Goodlass has been talking to Rayhan about the possiblility of sets at Area 51 and throughout Fresher's Week in September. There's also a good chance we'll get Danny Wallace to make a personal appearance now he's a patron of Smoke Radio! As for me I've started to catalogue material recorded from last week and am currently in Studio 5 dubbing stuff as I type, musing from a discussion with the senior radio lecturer this morning on what to do my 7-10 minute feature on in the Autumn even though it's months away. Listening to all these pre-recs of the specialist output from last week, I don't think I've come across one that hasn't included 'Teardrop' by Massive Attack. A very popular track used by students for video pieces on the BTEC Media course whilst I was at Canterbury College. A stunning track though.

It's weird though that we've got another whole week of broadcasting in September before lectures even start, but I'm pleased everyone is forward thinking and this sort of commitment would be unheard of on any of the media courses I did in Canterbury. Still at the end of the day we're all helping each other!

Keys To The Door...

Well today is my 21st birthday but I've been up to all sorts of stuff which has delayed me in seeing whether I've recived any presents. This morning I went through the painstaiking process of choosing my modules for the second year. A lot of improvement could be done to the design of the online registration forms by clearly stating out what time the lectures are taking place rather than having to look through all of them indvidually, This is because as soon as I've found a module I like there is another one taking place at the same time so I have to start filling it out all over again.

I'm also feeling rather uneasy as I'm meant to be having a meeting with the halls manager about where I'm living next year and apparently it seems that only people with medical conditions can live in the halls in the second and third years. This could be inconvinient for me because as much as I would love to live away from halls I'm not sure who I would move in with and how to go about costs. For now though I'll look ahead to tonight where I hope it will rowdy enough at the Undies!

Ross Tilley, Penny, Eleri and myself at Ashlee's redecorated parking sign.
(Photo taken by the girl herself!)

An Australian Ornament!

Tonight was Ashlee's last night on campus and it was spent down the Underpants on the second Deal Or No Deal night. This time it went a lot better partly due to the involvement of Steve Jones and Ross Goodlass taking turns playing the role of Noel Edmonds. Goodlass especially did a superb job with a typical exchange with a contestant going along the lines of
Goodlass: 'Audience what do you wanna say to the banker?'
(Customers shout raucosly)
Goodlass: 'They say Banker you're a t***"

Ashlee even got to have a go at the game winning a twisty Vienetta shot. Not what they're actually called but they do taste very much like Vienetta ice cream. However the big moment came when they went into Super Deal Or No Deal with all the prizes doubled meaning the highest prize was £100. There was obviously some backdoor dealing before the game as contestant Mark Richardson managed to pocket the lot although it was very well paced with 'Under Pressure' by Queen and David Bowie playing whilst he had to make the final decision.

The game did run past closing time and the staff were forcing everyone to drink quickly after the game had finished although one person in the form of Mancunian monkey Dave Baldwin took his glass of beer out of the bar with bar staff hassling him up the stairway to return them with him just acting like all stereotypical mancunians would. As if things couldn't get any worse, Ashlee had to part with a few things that were too big to fit in here suitcase including a Five Live T-shirt from the BBC, a white jacket and a broken bra. We decided to stick them on a lampost outside the street unaware that there was a security camera fiming us at the same time!

The photos Ashlee took of this 'spectacle' should be on her blog soon linked on the right hand panel of the site. But I'm really going to miss you Ashlee if your reading this and will definitely be one of the most liveliest and nicest people I've met here at Westminster Uni. Who says Harrow is dull now?!

Now Playing: Grooveline - Blast 1386

For Old Times Sake

Well tonight's finally arrived and I shall being saying goodbye to Ashlee at DOND night at the Undercroft not too far away from now. Not a lot has been happening today and I decided to have a rummage and found a few things that have completely slipped from my mind since starting Uni.

In the days before I had hands on experience within radio I used to create montages of my favourite jingle packages and I managed to find one here for KVVL-Kool FM in the Quad Cities. I don't know exactly what the four cities are but after producing several spoken IDs I've forgotten how good the Dallas sound is. You'll probably recognise the last two cuts that are featured on that montage!
Maybe when I get some extra bob I'll get a few more sung stuff done and maybe one or two for a few other presenters. Get those lyrics in to me now people!

I still can't really grasp the fact that tomorrow's my 21st birthday but hopefully the mail room in halls will have one or two things in there and I may have a couple of drinks later on. It seems that May's the common month for birthdays here on the radio course.

Dreadfully Tangled

In the last few hours I have stumbled over a few difficult decisions. One being in Sainsbury's having to decided whether to buy either spiral or bow shaped pasta, and less trivial, whether to stay in London for slightly longer as I've just recieved a text from Joey inviting me and several others to his birthday do at the Undercroft next Sunday.

Bearing in mind that in Canterbury my family have been going through problems with the car it may be likely although the original intention was to leave Harrow a couple of days before heading to Spain where I will be sunning at the end of the month. If I do turn up to his birthday party it may be worth getting him to compere the Undercrofts 'Deal Or No Deal' with enthusiasm like his, and after last weeks embarassing attempt it may be much needed!

333, Well Almost.

I arrived at Lizzie's house at around 9:30pm and quite a few people were there although the costumes weren't too elaborate. The birthday girl herself was dressed up in a pirate costume, whilst Ashlee was dressed up as a witch with a rather decorative hat to match and Tom Farthing was dressed as a Mexican. Well, for the first half of the evening anyway.

We headed up to Old Street in London for the second consecutive Saturday in the case of myself and Ashlee, but I wouldn't call it the most convinient place in London and this is mainly because of the heavy lack of cash machines. Finding the 333 club was pretty difficult as well resulting in some people heading back to Harrow after going all the way from there to Old Street but those who stayed found the club eventually.

I can't remember too much that happened in there as I was half asleep most of the time but there were three floors, hard house on the ground floor, electro garage in the basement and 80s on the first floor. However the first floor would only let a certain amount of people in at a time so at around 2:30am we decided to leg it out of there although there was the issue of getting back to Harrow. Luckily myself, Ashlee, Tom and Rosie pooled together to get a minicab back rather than take the dreaded N18.

Tonight's probably the last night I will see Ashlee here at uni and she has been a brilliant and lively person to be with and was partly repsonsible for giving me (and quite a few others) the idea to set up this very own blog. Hopefully she'll find some destinations to fill the gaps between Lithuania and Australia on her return home and we'll definitley be missing her, and her enthusiasm for all thats Oz!

Just Pipped at the Post (In The Literal Sense!)

So the Hammers just missed winning the FA cup after penalties but both them and Liverpool gave a superb performance in one of the most excting cup finals I've seen.
Some of the highlights included Paul Konchesky's goal for West Ham in the most unexpected way hitting the post and entering back into the box, and Steven Gerrard equalizing just as they were entering stoppage time in the second half.
What I couldn't understand though was why Rafael Benitez looked really pissed off whenever he was seen on camera even at the games high points.
Whilst watching the game Stephen was chatting to me on messenger whilst listening to the Hearts V Gretna Scottish FA cup final. They also went to penalties with Hearts coming out victorious but it was an achievement for Gretna to get into the final considering that they weren't even in a league 4 years ago.

I'm really excited about tonight as this is probably my final outing into Central this academic year but I'm a bit nervous as we're starting at Lizzie's house, not too far away in Kenton. This is because back in January on the night I first met her and Ashlee nonetheless she organised a party at her house which quite a few of us went to from the Underpants only to find a really irritated landlord threatening to call the police. Hopefully we won't stay there too long for the same to happen again and it should go well overall.

Villainous? Well I Think So...

I've managed to find something from Top Shop in Harrow that I plan to wear to Lizzie's birthday night out in the form of a short leather jacket and a pair of dark rimmed sunglasses as I'm attempting to pass myself off as Chopper Read, the Australian criminal who had a biopic made starring Eric Bana in the lead role. Quite fitting really considering Lizzie spent the first semester of the year in Australia at the Uni where Ashlee is from although strangely the two never met until they were in London.

With all radio and Uni work completed I may try and see if ASDA will hire me again when I return from Spain in June or adapt the appliacation letter that Concha and Martin made for me and send it to potential employers in Canterbury. The one thing that this whole week has shown is the software and equipment we have at Harrow Campus has allowed me to do things that I never would have been able to do at places such as Canterbury Hospital Radio and if I'm being honest I can't see myself returning there in future. I'd best start getting my radio CV and showereel sorted to send to stations left right and center! Speaking of which I need to speak to Mr Pryor about our submition for the station sound category at the 2006 Student Radio Awards and what we're going to include as there is a lot of imaging to go through.

In the meantime I'll stay a bit more relaxed for the rest of the afternoon as it's the FA Cup final and just for today I'll be behind West Ham as it would be brilliant to see the team nearest to my birthplace lift the silver trophy although they will be put to the test, considering that Liverpool haven't been hadicapped in the same way as Spurs were last Sunday.

A Premature Birthday?

This Monday I will be 21 years old although I'm not sure wether I'll be doing anything on the day itself as I have been to many dos of all sorts as of recent. Tonight is no exception as Lizzie is having her birthday party starting off at her own house and moving on to a club in Central which plays cheesy eighties and electro music which I'm looking forward to but there is a key dilemma.

Lizzie wants everyone to be dressed up as rogues or villains and I haven't really made time to look at these costume hire places and have only just found a next day delivery service online. I may have to head into Central London earlier on today to try and find something menacing or at least distinctive that isn't too expensive. I'm not too sure who else is going although Aussie Ashlee is planning to wear the same black dress she wore yesterday at the awards, with the addition of a witches hat which fits in well although I don't want to wear anything that's too novelty.

Awards Anarchy

The Smoke Radio Awards took place at the Comfort Hotel in Harrow where myself, Ross, Steve, Tudor and Ricky rushed from the studios to in the pouring rain. The turn out was superb with third year students including Melanie Spence, Sam Gregory (who had a bit of an obsession for my blue tie), Hari, and even Sophie Pringle from Smoke Signal made an appearance. Everyone was dressed in superb clothing, the most notable being Julia Lyubova's bright red dress and Adam from Shuffle's loud shirt and tie.

The meal we had before the awards went down well although it was quite a while before things got underway. Winning the trophies were Steve Jones, Goodlass and Marshall, Andy B, Julia, and Josie. There were also gold certificates for less serious awards which I won three of for best specialist show, hardest working person, and rather bizzarely, best dance moves. There were also audio contributions from Tim Pryor and Kim Moore and other absentees were acknowledged in nominations such as Fabian, and Ali O'Boyle who played a very important part in helping me get to know the radio students in the first semester. However at the end of the day you've got to be there to win!

Our original plan was to head to 'Petri' a bar in Harrow but the surprised reaction from senior radio lecturer Matthew Linfoot suggested that we should go elsewhere. The Fat Controller was our chosen destination where Tudor felt the need to record my drunk dancing on his camcorder and Matthew felt the need to join in with 'Shout' by Lulu when the song started playing! All of us were there until around closing time when Josie demanded everyone to head to Flat 10 for yet another flat party.

Looking back on the night I never thought we would get the entire radio team rat arsed at the end of a superb week of effort and entertainment! Seriously though everyone has put a lot of effort into the last five days and hopefully the same will be done in Fresher's Week in September.

Smartened Up And All Set!

Just an hour away from the Smoke Radio awards, everything is getting exciting. Danny Wallace gave a superb interview earlier today talking about his experience as a student at Westminster and his career and can be found here.

All the shows have been on top form particuarly Goodlass and Marshall on air as I type who got an unexpected visit from Rayhan who waxed their legs live on air! Ross Goodlass was also set the challenge of getting a drink from the shop within the playing time of a record which could have worked well, but the shop was closed! As all the shows have been on top form I may give each show their own podcast cutting out the songs rather than create a highlights package.
Everyone is dressed up smartly and tonight should be a great success. Whether I win anything tonight is another story.

Who Left The Waterworks On?

Well it's finally here. Our final day of broadcasting this year and I had no idea I would get over emotional about it as I'm happy but I'm trying very hard not to break down and failing really badly! It's just been brilliant that we've come a long way in the last year and being involved with Smoke Radio has been a key part of my time at Uni which has given me a lot of ideas of how radio is done professionally.

We've got a guest lined up in the form of author Danny Wallace who used to study the very course I'm studying now 5 years ago. He'll be doing a phone interview for Smoke Signal and there's guaranteed to be surprises galore tonight at the Smoke Radio awards. I'll need to head up back to the flat to get smartened up and I'm sure there will be more than one sort of DJ present tonight with the smart outfits!

I've Never Broken Down At A Gig Before...

...until tonight. This was the result of an outstanding performance by Phillip Bailey of 'Reasons' an Earth Wind and Fire track that I've never really cared for but his vocal performance of that song at the Wembley gig just about had me in tears as it was just stunning. It may have been partly due to him including an extract from 'Over The Rainbow' in the song but this was just one of the many highlights of Earth Wind and Fire's performance tonight. The musicians were on top form, most notably bassist Verdin White whose white shirt and green trousers reminded me of Andre 3000 in the video for Outkast's 'Hey Ya'.

It all went pretty quickly as they were done by around 9:30pm and on getting back to campus I headed straight to the Underpants for a few drinks before the Doctors and Nurses night at Area 51. There was a bit of a revelation between two of the presenters on Smoke who had a go at me on air apparently for not telling them about the Earth Wind and Fire gig that they would have loved to have been at. They apologised to me though and although I haven't actually heard what they said I doubt I will take it too seriously.

This week is certainly tugging at the heart as my first year at uni is coming to an end and it will be really sad to say goodbye to people, in some cases permantley as Aussie Ashlee's heading to Lithuania next week. Definitley one of the most lively people I've met at Uni and I'm looking forward to what she and everyone else will be wearing at tomorrow's Smoke Radio awards at a posh hotel in Harrow!

Let's Groove Tonight!

I managed to get a new hard drive in exchange for my buggered up one this morning for no cost at all. I don't think I've lost too much material as it's backed up on CD and on the Uni network.
Today has been pretty chaotic as another setback has occured the running of the station in the form of us being unable to make external phone calls from the studio due to the Uni cutting off our link for some reason that's not known to me.

However on the plus side tonight I will be seeing the colourful extravaganza known as Earth Wind and Fire at the Wembley Arena! This will probably be a once in the lifetime opportunity and I'm certain that despite the absence of a few band members the reception will be ecstatic and the positivity will be on a large scale!

It Had To Come To A Head Somewhere

Well my show went pretty well tonight with Joey operating the desk and co presenter Jo Cave being very appreciative of my musical choices. A key highlight was near the end with Jo, Ross Tilley, and Edward Burke getting down to 'Everyday' by Incognito! However halfway through the show my external hard drive stopped working and it was a challenge to continue the rest of the show knowing that a lot of material could be missing. I think I got through though and Jo, Joey, Ashlee and everyone else who came in were very helpful over the issue.

Although I've still got the reciept and the hard drive has a warranty tag I'm a tiny bit deflated and not sure if I want to go to the Earth Wind and Fire gig at Wembley tomorrow. I probably will in the end as I've been through situations like this before and have come to terms, and quite a lot of stuff is backed up on the Uni computers.

However I've probably proved that I'm very speedy with handling storage equipment and need to be more relaxed. As proved on the show earlier listening to Natalie Cole's La Costa really helps!

Fully Loaded!

Really exiciting here today as the Smoke news team managed to arrive at Wembley to record a feature on the Embrace video for the World Cup. Head of News Ross Tilley even managed to get an interview with Danny McNamara although an interviewer from another radio station apparently nicked all of Ross' questions for his own interview. A lot of magpies in the radio industry eh? In spite of that a major scoop for Smoke Radio and hopefully there will be more to come.

Myself on the other hand spent the day buying a few things for tonights show although as I type it's bloody difficult to concentrate as Andy B's guide dog Yansy is barking very loudly and running around the editing room! I really shouldn't have bought a set of headphones that came with a free foam football that she's been playing with!

'I Like The Way You Dress'

Now that I've grasped the concept of the drop down menu on the blogger this should go out here and not on the Smoke Radio podcast blog like the last one did! Plenty of goings on today the most embarassing during Josie's Punk Show when myself, Joey, Ashlee and Tudor hollered our way through 'Air Hostess' by Busted although I was convinced when Joey said 'diabolical' it sounded like something quite different!

Lots to get done for tomorrow including a visit to Curry's Digital in Harrow to buy an extra set of headphones so that Jo doesn't have to sit in the 'fishbowl' opposite the studio when presenting with me. Why the Uni can't get an extra set of headphones is beyond me but at least it means she'll be able to set on the desk whilst presenting as she normally does. Check out the photos to see why! Hopefully they'll get one of her in her binbag dress made by Chris Jones as part of a challenge set by Dan P!

Succesfull Scoops

I managed to finally go to the laundrette this morning to get my clothes washed. I still haven't worn my new T-shirt that I got whilst in Canterbury although I'm saving it for my show tomorrow! Hopefully there will be photos taken as my co-presenter Jo will also be wearing something desireable.

We've managed to get a scoop for Smoke Radio in the form of one of our staff being sent to a secret location in London tomorrow, for the shooting of the Embrace video for the World Cup. Now the lyrical content of the song doesn't contain any references to football but whoever is going has been told to wear an England top. Steve Jones was suggested but has refused to go because of his commitment to the 'land of his fathers'. Maybe I would need to splash cash out on an England top....

Why Do I Put Myself Through This?

I'm in the library on Harrow Campus as my flat has been invaded by loads of people and is very noisy and this unwelcome intrusion makes it impossible for me to get the editing done for tonight. The Undercroft was pretty noisy as they had some really dodgy records being played which myself Josie, Ashlee and the Tudor Gent all gave the 'crossed arms' an arm signal for 'No Deal' of the Australian version of Deal Or No Deal according to Ashlee.

Personally I thought it started to improve as they started spinning Loose Ends, Soul II Soul, and even a bit of Lisa Stansfield! One to include on Bubblegum Soul maybe?
However by that time everyone was pretty lathered and I thought it would be best to get over to the library as it seems to be the only quietest place on Uni. Even the street on Harrow Campus has Smoke Radio blasting out of the television monitors but then again that's probably a good thing.

I Wish I Suffered Insomnia...

As I write this I am nearing the end of a long day in the radio studios although ahead of me is a long night of editing for the podcast of the days highlights. I may head over to the Undies for a few drinks beforehand becuase, well I deserve it really!

Highlights today included a prank phone call by Ross Goodlass phoning up Sainsbury's saying that he couldn't turn up at work because of a rather unpleasant illness. Also Aussie Ashlee did her Australian special which included a contest for the best fake Australian accent which lead to an attempt by Jacko who sounded more like Sean Connery than an Australian. I was given a present by Cat and Ina for helping out which was some chocolate truffles. However as I am not really partial to them I decided to share them out as everyone has done a superb job today and I hope this will continue for the rest of the week.

Stay classy Westminster!

We Have Lift Off!

The Big Broadcast Bonanza commenced at midday today and the radio rooms have been packed. This is partly because the third year students have been in to hand in their dissertations and some decided to pop in. These included Showbiz Marcelle who is probably on of the most ecstatic people I've met studying radio, Tim Pryor and the Richard and Judy of Smoke Radio AKA Sam and Hari.

I have been busy right from the start of this morning and there haven't been too many problems apart from computers logging out at the wrong times resulting in me losing audio. I'm not too downhearted as there's a lot to get done anyway and it will probably continue to go well until Wednesday at 7pm! I've still got to sort the playlist out and buy an extra pair of headphones for my female co-presenter who will be giving me a hand. I'll say no more..

Riiiiiight!

Tonight saw Tim Pryor back on Uni turf with the main aim being to hand in his dissertation. Tonight though he met up with myself and a few others for a few drinky poos down the Underpants where they were playing a poorly executed 'Deal Or No Deal'. This was partly due to the dreadful microphones and the poor attempt at a Powerpoint presentation to show the status of the game. Ross Tilley was the first one called up having never seen the game before and it made me laugh when he asked 'do I have to answer any questions?'. Tim also managed to win a bar tab after being chosen for the bonus game with the 3 envelopes and apparently we're being promised champers for the start of tomorrow's Big Broadcast Bonanaza!

We headed back to Josie's flat where we were drunk enough to stage our own attempt at a game show, this time with the help of a DVD version of 'Catchphrase' which lead to people shouting 'Egg and Spoon Race!' and 'Speeding Bullet' at random points although they felt really ridiculous doing so! Where's Roy Walker when you need him?
We also learnt that Steve's new co-presenter for Smoke Signal tomorrow really likes being touched up on her legs whilst on air, and questions were asked such as 'Joe Haddow or Dan P?' and 'Dale Winton or Richard O'Brien?'. It's amazing what Malibu and Coke can do to you.

Now Playing: Marcos Valle - 'Parabens'

A photo opportunity with two legends from the world of soul music radio! That's Stephen Howie from Blast 1386 and Sandra C from Solar Radio. Taken from Thursday night's gig with the Rebirth. 

"It's Not London It's Laandaan!"

I've just returned from what has to have been the worst nightbus journey I've travelled on. In front of me were a bickering couple having a repetitive argument on whether Mr T said 'Don't Make Me Mad' or 'Don't Make Me Angry' and behind me were a couple of 'gangstas' playing hip hop at full blast on a mobile phone and smoking joints. I just can't stand the egotisitcal behaviour of people who think we have to hear their obscure and repetive music whether we like it or not and it's very antisocial.

Enough moaning, the reason I was out was because it was Aussie Ashlee's birthday do which involved myself, Dan P, Joey, Pippa and the birthday girl herself going to the Macbeth bar in East London to see 'The Late Greats' a metal band for which Joey used to be their drummer. They gave a stunning performance and this was followed by a visit to a nearby restuarant similar to Wagamama's but the name escapes me. This time round I wasn't too impressed with my chicken and noodle soup as it had beansprouts and onions but it was a lovely resturant overall.

Currently watching the video footage of Steve England's jingle seminar from Friday's Northwest Radio Night, which includes a clip of the computer from '2001 A Space Oddysey' singing 'Daisy Daisy'. This in comparison to the sonovox that has been used for many jingle clients including your's truly. Apparently Johnnie Walker's real name is Peter Dingley and I would have loved to have heard the sonovox voice put that name to music!

Preparing For The Rush

I managed to spend most of today in my flat and be more relaxed in the run up to next week. I spoke to Tim on messenger who missed out reporting on quite a big story with a fire breaking out in the Barnstaple area. On the plus side Lantern/Gemini/Orchard etc put the story at the front of the bulletins ahead of the continuing debate on whether Tony Blair should resign.

I should be seeing Tim tomorrow night where we're planning to go to Yates in Harrow for a fundraiser for Radio Northwick Park and everyone's invited! (If they are happy to pay a fiver on the door) I'm also hoping he'll be able to contribute to Smoke's week of broadcasting which starts on Monday as he was the very first voice on the station when it launched around this time last year. Speaking of which, time for a quick plug!

Definitley Not One For The Children

That's how I'd sum up Billy Elliot The Musical which my family and myself went to visit earlier tonight. I'd never actually seen the film before so I didn't really expect the content to be earthy but that's how I tend to like most of my humour without being too juvenile! The child in the lead role did a superb performance and the visual elements looked really good although we saw a bit more than we were meant to as we were sat on the top row!

This was my first musical since going to see 'Mamma Mia' on a secondary school visit back in December 1999 although the thing I will remember most about that visit is that it triggered a crush on the helper I had looking after me on the visit along with the Rose Royce track 'Is It Love You're After' which I had playing on my Walkman on the way back from the performance! That's possibly what lead me to where I am now in terms of music although ABBA seemed to have passed me by for some reason in terms of being a serious fan of them. Not that I'm bitter of course.

Do I Ever Get Any Rest?

It appears that I have quite a big schedule in addition to the radio lark that is dominating my time here in the next few days. Starting off tonight I'm heading to Central London once again to meet up with my family who are going to see Billy Elliot, The Musical. Tomorrow night I'll be Shoreditch Bound as Ashlee is having a birthday do tomorrow which as far as I'm aware will start off with a gig by 'The Late Greats' a band which Joe Haddow used to be the drummer for. Best of all it's free!

Today we were testing out a big piece of machinery that will enable us to do direct outside broadcasts into the studio. Apparently it works via a SIM card from a mobile phone and Joey nearly left his one inside the machine after testing it out! Cutting edge technology from the University of Westminster eh?

Evil...Jazz...Who?

The title of this blog relates to the initial impressions of Shuv one of Stephen's mates who was at the Rebirth gig earlier tonight after Stephen explained who the band were. It was really good to meet him for the first time and the gig itself was superb. Before heading for the Jazz Cafe we went to Wagamamas as planned and I went for the easy option of just a chicken raaken which was basically a soup with chicken and noodles.

When arriving at the Jazz Cafe it was pretty sparse but there was a woman spinning some superb tunes before the band arrived. Stephen even felt tempted to go up to her and request Earth Wind and Fire! After a few drinks we went up to the main dancefloor itself to see if there was anyone we'd recognise and Sandra C turned up looking superb on her birthday (I didn't ask her age!) We had a photograph taken which I should upload when either Steve or Sandra sends it to me, and this was probably the first gig I've been at where I have been more than a little tipsy!

There were quite a few encores including a superb medley consisting of Roy Ayers 'Running Away' and the short but sweet 'Brazillian Rhyme' by Earth Wind and Fire. And I managed to get all the band members to sign my copy of their CD which I shall being giving away next week on the show! As I type this I've just returned to the flat where I've discovered a packet of water bombs on the kitchen table. Then again with the weather we've had today a few wouldn't go amiss!

Annoying Disruptions

The preparation for next week is contiuing to go well each flat having a poster advertising 'The Big Broadcast Bonanza'. However there was something else in the window of my flat as one of them has put a curtain up and decorated the table for a meal with his girlfriend, preventing me from using the kitchen at a time when I'm pretty much starving!

On the plus side tomorrow looks pretty good with the Rebirth gig and Stephen's planning to meet up in "Wagamama" a Japanese resturant in Camden. I've never really tried Japanese food before so I will try and take it easy with what's on offer but it should be a brilliant gig overall. I've also heard Aussie Ashlee's planning a birthday party on Saturday starting at 'The Fat Controller' pub, which I'm not too sure about as they've changed the age limit to over 21. Then again Joey Haddow works there and he's not turning 21 for a couple of weeks, a few days after mine so I may try to pull a few strings if this is the case.

Holding The Bag

Today was the deadline for the Understanding Broadcasting essay. Apart from my own essay however I also had to had in a Media Technology essay on behalf of a certain Tim Pryor and quite a few fellow BAMS students decided to take advantage of this and get me to hand all their essays in rather than wait in the long line to the UG office. One in particular, Steve Jones put his surname and forename in the wrong sections on the yellow form!

Apart from that it's just been another day in RP1 burning CDs and uttering random numbers at regular intervals. Josie and Ross made a visit searching for bands doing signings at HMV without much success. Josie isn't really to sure about next week as whether her show will be a punk show as normal or an emo show. Now I don't know a lot about emos but Josie has been likened to one quite often with that bright red hair!

Busy Busy Busy!

The preparation for next week's Big Broadcast Bonanza has been going non stop for most of today and looks set to continue up to Monday. The Shuffle boys came in to pre-rec their two hour special looking at the Z-A of record labels although not necesarily done in alphabetical or reverse alphabetical order. Some pretty eclectic stuff ranging from Marlena Shaw on the Chess label to 'On A Ragga Tip' by SL2, a rave classic from the early days of XL Recordings!

Joey and Jacko, heads of programming and stealth respectively have been in overseeing things and even Matthew the senior radio lecture has been offering his softly spoken kind words. Although I'm enjoying the work it is a lot of pressure but this is what's needed really when preparing for a big radio event and hopefully with the promotion we're giving, it will pay off.

Is Steve Jones Really From Wales?

That was one of the questions asked after everyone got tipsy at the Undercroft tonight. It was good to see more people back again including Pippa and Chris, Leah and Lucy, and Jo Cave who is as flirty as ever. It was pretty sparse to start off with but there was a DJ present as always on a Monday spinning a bizzare selection of disco, cheese and even a bit of DnB!

The set ended just before 1am with 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkley which is pretty much established as a Uni anthem, but the chaos didn't stop there, oh no. Eleri, Penny and a few other girls were pushing everyone to go to a party at flat 10 even though they didn't actually live there. It took us ages to even get near the flat as they insisted on lying in shrubs, climbing trees and stealing eggs from other flats. Myself and Steve decided to head back to our own rooms in the end as we were completley knackered and rather wasted if I'm being honest.

Things are finally getting back to normal!

It's Official. I Have Prizes!

I went into Central London today as it's probably the only opportunity I will get this week apart from the Rebirth gig this week and the Billy Elliot musical. I managed to get a couple of things to give away as prizes on my show next week one of them being a copy of 'Soul Lounge 2' which looks as if it's got some great material from artists such as Martha Redbone, Angela Johnson and even Ce Ce Peniston!
I also went into Hamleys for the first time in over a decade where I managed to get something else that I'm keeping secret until the show goes out! I was disapointed though to find that they've removed the arcade from the basement of the store as it contained a space simulator that span round at a very fast speed.

I have vivid memories of Andi Peters trying the ride out when he used to to the video game reviews on 'Going Live!' and it looked as if it it would be difficult to concentrate on the gane whilst being turned inside an out continuously. If only they'd left him in for longer!