Flute Into Terror

Lauren Laverne was asking her 6Music listeners to suggest memorable
tracks with flutes in them, in a similar style to Simon Mayo on his show.

With the obvious exception of the Tull of course, some which came in
included "Flute Loop" by The Beastie Boys which I swear has a very
tiny hint of "The Magic Flute", "Here We Go" by Stakka Bo which
was quite a popular radio track in 1993, and "The Bottle" by Gil Scott-Heron.

The last one would obviously fall into my favour having known
it for so many years, although when I started humming the said
flute solo, it ended up turning into the theme tune to The ONE Show.

Here's the song itself with the proof coming in at 16 seconds in.

In the really old days, well 2002, Christ Church College's station
C4 Radio had an RSL for a week and one of their shows
used "Flute Loop" as a bed which was rather distracting
but matched the loose feel of the CSR forerunner.

I may still have audio tapes of that broadcast lurking about
which was possibly my first insight into student radio
and how it should never be taken too seriously.

Only nowadays with CSR being a community and student station
I've not heard positive comments from those in the area
with regards to fulfilling that aim.

I could write a novel about the issue but I'll save that for when
I'm living elsewhere, away from Canterbury.

For now though, a live rendition of one of Adam & Joe's finest.

Fighters Rising From The Flames

This afternoon has been spent watching last Sunday's Wrestlemania 26
which this year was hosted at Phoenix in an open top arena
to give a true atmosphere of the Valley Of The Sun.

Highlights included the fifth consecutive Money In The Bank
ladder match which is always a personal highlight of the event
each year, where Jack Swagger managed to unhook the briefcase giving
him the contract to take part in any title match within the next 12 months.

Also worth mentioning was the no holds barred match between
Bret 'Hitman' Hart and the company boss Mr McMahon where the boss
was double crossed by the man who he had "screwed" 13 years ago
and the match essentially involved Bret beating the shit out of the WWE
head honcho.

The most anticipated bout was a career Vs streak match between
Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker.

The premise being that if The Undertaker lost, it would mean the end
of his 17 match winning streak at Wrestlemania and if Michaels lost
he would retire from wrestling.

I'm not going to give away the details of that match as it
was quite a spectacle to a certain point.

The next PPV taking place near the end of April will definitely
be worth the watch, that being one where all the contests
will be no holds barred.

I'm genuinely missing the nights in we used to have
whilst living in London whenever a big sporting event took place
and with an event like the above, it would have definitely been
on the "must view" list.

Partially Flooded

With the rain thundering it down on my ceiling, things are not exactly
exciting at this time.

But then again they're not too depressing either.

Earlier on today I had an interview for a data admin role
at the Kent Enterprise House in Herne Bay which flowed sort of well.

It was a lot better for me than the messed up open day that happened
earlier in the month where I had no idea what was going on.

Then again anyone who has guested on one of my radio shows
has felt that way at one time so maybe it was a case
of me getting my just desserts.

Whatever happens, I see it as a win win situation as even if
I don't get the job, I'll be able to go on Matt from Leeds's 21st Birthday
Pub Crawl (which I've pre-booked a hotel for), and visit Joey in
Central London in the fourth week of April.

It feels like April, (because of the showers obviously) although
there's still a few days of March left in this so called British Summertime.

Best to take it all steadily eh?

As Much Life As An Empty Fuel Tank

There hasn't really been anything happening today apart
from my radio show.

And is what's started to become a recurring theme it's always bloody
raining outside after I've finished.

I thought it flowed a bit better this week compared to earlier,
although with the week off next Sunday I should give some thought
on how to make improvements.

Maybe a case of not trying to cover too much as there's other
shows on the station such as Soundscapes, the new reggae show
and the dance shows that cover their own respective areas.

However I'd also like the station to get off it's backside
and realise that it's not just designed for students in Canterbury.
They're meant to be aiming at all youths within the city
hence the C in CSR standing for "Community" and not "Canterbury".

Tomorrow sees me making another visit to Herne Bay for a one to one
interview at the Enterprise House.

I'm hoping that it will be less daunting than the episode that took place
earlier in the month although it's only my first try at such a thing.

This could be a possible foot in the door if I go about it correctly.

"Oh, Not You Again..."

I had my uncertainties about the 2009 remake of "The Firm"
but after viewing it, I'd say that it's not bad at all.

And it manages to go deep down in places with regards to
particular issues that are covered.

Whilst the plot of the film is roughly the same, the focus is more
towards young Dom who ends up joining Bex's firm and discovers
that bottling it isn't as easy as presumed when things get too much
to take.

The time period has been changed from the late 80s to earlier
on in the decade with a soundtrack consisting of music from that era
mainly consisting of 80s disco such as "Outstanding"
by The Gap Band, "I Found Lovin" by The Fatback Band
and "Hey You!" by The Rocksteady Crew.

Other differences include the firms themselves changed to different
teams as Yeti's firm are based at Fulham rather than Crystal Palace
and the Birmingham firm has been changed to a Portsmouth one.

Visually, the scenes with the fighting themselves are a lot more effective
than those in the original television drama as it gives you a sense
that they had more in common with riots rather than just street muggings
or pub brawls.

But in general it was really well made and gave you a sense of
how tough it could be from someone who wasn't sure about
joining a gang who weren't into football at all from a
game point of view.

Definitely one worth viewing.

Consistently Searching For Cackles

Sort of alright outside, overcast with sun.

Mum and Dad have already gone up to Leeds to sort collect Olly
so it's just me here this weekend.

Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford last night met my expectations
as it turned out to be rather average.

Everything looked a bit out of place and I was disappointed that
John Bishop got a shorter amount of time with his act than most
of the others including 20 year old routines from Joe Pasquale and
Paul Zerdin.

I should have known that they weren't exactly going to be laugh out
loud funny.

Luckily I'm seeing John at the Hammersmith Apollo in just over a
month so it's probably a good thing we didn't see too much
of what was on offer.

The Bubble on the other hand was a strong finish to the series
with David Mitchell's partner in crime Robert Webb being a worthy
addition along with the ever attractive Miranda Hart.

Shappi Khorsandi on the other hand was useless as always and barely
added anything at all.

Hopefully they'll make another series although on a lower
note there's going to be a fourth series of "That Mitchell And Webb Look".

A sketch show that was funny to start with but ran out of steam
well into it's third series.

My plan for later tonight is to spend it in front of the big television
in the front room with some sort of stock cube concoction
and watching the remake of "The Firm" which received mixed reviews
but is worth giving a go.

It doesn't get any more exciting than that but when living in such
a gutter, nothing is.

More Dosage Of The Best Medicine

I'm in a bit of a mess this morning.

But I'm always untidy when waking up, only I never write about it
in my blog.
It's just a better excuse to give a more genuine sense of things that
I'm doing.

I'm visiting the Chaucer House again this afternoon to speak with
the rather nice women who have been brought in to suggest voluntary
opportunities around Canterbury to pass time, as well as looking
for paid work in other places.

Things need to change drastically.

Well, not to drastic circumstances but to a great extent.

And I will realise that I don't need to base my life around a fucking
noise box that has caused more social problems than provide
entertainment.

Having said that, tonight will see a fair bit of entertainment from
the noise box that also has pictures in it starting off with
Jason Manford's "Comedy Rocks" on ITV1.

Many have been suspicious about this as to whether ITV are trying
to rip off Apollo, but with a line up including John Bishop, ventriloquist
Paul Zerdin, Joe Pasquale and host Jason Manford it looks more
like a revival of "Palladium" or "Summertime Special".

Not that it would be a good thing.

Luckily there's also the last in the series of David Mitchell's
"The Bubble" with partner Robert Webb amongst this week's guests.

Whatever the case, it will be quite a task beating the hilarity
of last night's "Good News" with Russell Howard which returned
last night for a second series.

There were too many clips that had me cackling.

CSR: My Pros and Cons

Still pretty chuffed but not in any way envious for Fiz whatsoever.

I reckon it's going to take a lot of time for it to sink
in not just for Nick himself, but many fellow radio students who are
queuing to leave congratulatory statuses.

Not that Facebook actually has any congested traffic in that sense
but anyway...

As it's still been worrying me with regards with what I want
to do at CSR and whether to stay involved, I thought it may be a good
idea to make use of a "diagram" of bullet points listing the reasons
for and against.

Positives:

• A platform to broadcast on an FM station.
• Full free reign of music content.
• Possible free visits to gigs and the Lounge festival in the summer.

Negatives:

• Little if non-existent listener reaction. Especially from the broadcast area.
  
• Lack of support from fellow members at the station
  and constructive criticism.
  
• Technicians interrupting by drilling in the other room whilst
  I'm live on air in addition to their overall disregard.
• What I play is barely relevant to the station's target audience
  and certainly not reflective of Canterbury in terms of live music
  and artists who perform in the city.
• If I wanted to get involved in the station outside my show,
  it could distract me from fulfilling proper long term work aims
  and earning money.
  
• The show timeslot, the long distance to the studio, student's timetables,
  exams, differing tastes, are all valid reasons why I don't feel
  as if I blend in with the rest of the members at the station.
• There has been no proper explanation why the Christ Church
  studios haven't been working when I have seen people
  broadcasting from there this year and I haven't been given access.
  
• I get a lot more enjoyment listening to the music I play,
  during in my own time at home rather than in the CSR studio.
  
• The comedown feeling of digression having visited UKC
  many times during my HND course at college.
• The fact that I'm still on a primarily student based station and
  may be wanting new challenges away from radio.

I've probably mentioned a lot of them before, but having them
written down like that rather than in an endless paragraph
should help expand a bit better.

I'd love to do a daytime show but when it comes to planning ideas
I'm not that brilliant and it's when someone else comes up with it
that I can put it to use practically by "designing" stuff on Audition
etc and then putting it to use live.

And it would have to be a two or more handed show, mainly
because it could improve my communicating skills.

It was really good fun doing those sort of shows on Smoke
whenever it was the end of the year as I was always likely
to mess up and if I did I wouldn't take it badly.

I don't think it's any use trying to build strong bonds over here,
because I feel like I'm intruding whenever I make my way to the
UKC campus, and if I was to get a proper job there would be no point
in trying to socialise with anyone attending UKC or Christ Church.

Because let's face it, that's practically all the people involved
with CSR bar 2 or 3 members.

And in no way would I want to erase the many lovely people back
in London who made the last couple of days on my visit really special.

Because whatever happens, there's normally someone to turn to
when I visit the city.

I'll try and rest my thoughts on this subject because there's
really nothing else left, so as far as things stand I will carry on
until my ID card's expiry date of the 31st of August.

I'm definitely playing an old man's game when it comes
to radio presenting, in a time and place where with
regards to content, no one's interested.

A Well Deserved Accolade

I rarely get excited when hearing about the achievements of
fellow radio students, but this time round it's a different story.

Nick "Fiz" Bright, soon to graduate from BAMS 3 radio has been
given a permanent early breakfast presenting slot on 1Xtra from
the 26th of April and I'd see it as possibly the pinnacle of
his many achievements this year including helping Smoke to get
the award for Best Marketing and Branding at the 2009 SRAs.

That due to it being his voice being used on the station idents.

With presenting work at a community station in Portsmouth
I'm looking forward to what the man himself has to offer, bearing in mind
he's always been a genuine fella with a lot of talent,
but plenty of time for anyone if needed and a fantastic sense
of humour.

All that in spite of him being an Arsenal fan.

Fiz has been at the station for a while now, helping out
as a BA on Mistajam's show and also producing a mix that
went out last night.

And with the dissertation due in the week before, that's no better
time to start.

It more or less proves that if you want to hit the top in that
area, you have to get yourself down to London and have
a lot of guts.

It can be done.

A Tale Of Three Scotsmen - Two Soulful, One Extremely Spit-full (Literally)

On leaving Harrow yesterday morning, I got off at Baker Street tube
and proceeded to go on a long walk through London which saw
me revisiting Old Street, into Liverpool Street and towards
London Bridge.

It was here I got a text from Stephen Howie who invited me
for a drink after finishing his shift at CNN and we went to
a pub at Carnaby Street, a place I'd visited last November on
a night out with Pippa and Holly.

About an hour after that I headed over to my hotel for the evening
in Cromwell Road, not too far a tube journey to Victoria, before returning
to Leicester Square to meet up with Steven.

I was a lot more calmer and relaxed than I thought I would although
we spoke about all sorts of things that were far from argumentative
as they would be when there's a load of us present.

The restuarant we went to was one of the many Italian place near
the Global Radio building and had superb service.

It would have been nice to have Caroline with us but the reason she
was absent was because she wanted to see Avatar at the cinema
before they stop screening it.

Obviously there was no better time to do so than on an
Orange Wednesday so she took one of her flatmates with her.

Overall it was really nice and different night out.

However it didn't stop there as pretty soon after, I made my
way over to the Leicester Square theatre where Jerry Sadowitz burst
on stage and started spitting from his spleen (literally) from the beginning
where no public figure in politics or popular culture
was safe from his outbursts.

Rival comics, magicians, Madeline McCann, Susan Boyle,
and even Barrack Obama got the foul mouth treatment from the magician
and it reached a point where I was in more tears than I have been when
admitting to someone to their face that I have a crush.

Only this time it was as a result of hysterical laughter.

If you think Frankie Boyle's vile, believe me, he doesn't come close
to Jerry Sadowitz in terms of rudeness and vulgarity but for
me it was a brilliant night and the best stand up gig I've been to
so far this year.

The two days spent in London has been very enjoyable and given
me a sense of individual space and it feels less like I'm trapped.

On another note it's had me considering my future with CSR even
further as it's really starting to feel like a chore coming in
to do the show on Sunday which is a pure indicator of
"yes, it must be time to hang up those cans".

I'm sticking to the Lounge plan in July, but one thing for
certain is that there won't be a show on Easter Sunday as
I don't want to risk making a bloody long journey to a closed building
and you all know how I feel about pre-recording a radio show.

Just to finish with, I've noticed a tweet from Capital FM's Scott London
saying that people who say "Hello you" should be shot.

Two of my current favourite broadcasters have a habit of that
or have done so (Iain Lee, Lauren Laverne) although I'd say
the same about those who utter the phrase "Good Mornin"
whenever an innuendo is uttered.

That could result in 10 car parks of dead bodies if
that was to really happen.

Possible Improvement

I feel a bit more recovered now with the ideal hangover cure
being a fair dosage of Azymuth from the mid-late 80s.

Perfect departure lounge/Cafe Nero tunage I'll give you that.

Tonight looks OK although we're one down as Caroline's
double booked herself.

Which is probably an advantage as it will allow me to
break my own rules and get more "geeky" than normal
with Steven when speaking, but under my own influence.

And possibly ask myself to be subjected to tough talking.

There's still a back up plan should things change at the last minute.

Although my other concern is how things will go timewise
as they've moved the door opening at the Leicester Square
theatre to 25 minutes past 9pm which is slightly worrying.

On a positive note I've received an e-mail from the University Of Westminster
about an internship scheme for 2008/2009 graduates which looks very
promising and worth looking into, especially as some of them are
for paid positions.

I'm not sure whether they're related to what I want to be
doing work-wise but you never know until you actually try it out.

When I get back to Canters tomorrow, then it will start
to become an antagonising thought.

"Faaahyeerr Flaahhzz"

I'm pretty poorly now after finally getting a lie down.

Always happens and after you've woken up, you sort of feel
de-motivated over the reality of how things really are.

My main concern is how to pass my time between now and 6pm
when I should be making my way to Leicester Square should
my original plans still be going ahead.

To be honest if we're getting any grub I don't even know
where we're going but I hope it doesn't break the bank.

Back on the ground with quite a bump Moyles has just finished
playing Cheryl Cole's cover of Owl Cities "Fireflies" which
has pretty much proved why she mimes all other times.

Which is a shame as the musical arrangement of the song
is really nice.

Chris claims not to know Cheryl that well in his defence,
disregarding the fact that he spent almost a week with her
climbing Mount Kilimanjaro last year.

Again, I'll see how the day goes as it happens.

Which is pretty much the same thing.

"#Hoping Life Gets Better, BETTERRR!"

As I type this blog post, I'm really lathered, listening to some of
my favourite rare groovers one after another.

I can give a list if you like;

"Hanging On A String" by Loose Ends, "Stop Me From Starting This Feeling"
by Loose Ends, "Grand Prix" by Fuse One, "Breakin' Down"
by Julia and Company...

Basically a typical Robbie Vincent playlist but without the gormless
nonsense in between the songs.

Tonight was superb, The Unbelievable Truth recording at the Shaw Theatre
went well with a really good panel involving Fred Macaulay,
Liza Tarbuck, and Charlie Brooker who looked rather untidy but
it fitted nicely into the mood of things.

I won't give too much away but that's partly because I'm too drunk
to even bleeding well remember what happened.

I made my way over to Harrow where at the Junction it was rather
sparse in terms of people I know save from TV students Charles,
Bland, and Mark Case, and the woman who I was meaning to
see all night, Sazzah.

Along with her were Will and Troy, and a few of her mates from
Lowestoft who I haven't seen for a while after various dos etc.

It was good to catch up overall and dish the dirt on various
goings on during our respective times at Westminster although
I was a bit peeved that the video jukebox wouldn't play
the records I'd asked it too, two hours after I'd bloody well
requested them.

In all fairness mind, Swing Out Sister, and The Christians' cover
of "Harvest For The World" (with that amazing video)
may have sounded bizarre following on from Rage Against The Machine,
and 50 Cent.

That may explain that I'm still up at this Bod forsaken hour, almost
retching cherry flavoured VK and listening to any tune
that instantly comes to mind.

I could do so for as long as I want and all.

That way will assure a positive mental attitude for
tomorrow, or should that be today in case initial meet up plans go to
pot or in a more polite manner, change beyond my circumstances.

It will be fine. Whatever happens, it will turn out OK

A More Positive Visit?

A visit to the Mood Clinic has moderately raised hopes and hopefully
they'll be temporarily raised further tonight as it turns out
that former bar girl Sarah (or Sazzah) will be one of those in attendance
at the Junction.

That's going to be worth the visit back to Harrow by
more than long shot.

As for the radio recording, I may just attend the first show if they're
doing two although my main priority is to get there in good time.

Luckily the weather's alright so I should be able to manage.

Let's hope the next two days in London really see changes
and if possible see me receiving good honest criticism
which I guess is needed in terms of finding where to
go next.

Let the coloured liquids start flowing.

Bored And Unwilling

Despite my impending visit this afternoon I feel fucking awful
and as if I'm trapped.
It's recurring thoughts about my ongoing time at CSR,
whether it's worth it and if I should move on.

The fact that it's mainly a student station isn't really
helping either.

I didn't get to sleep for about two hours last night despite switching
the radio on and off, and it's now reached the point where the DAB
in my room can't even receive 5 Live which is nonsense.

To be honest I don't think I've said this before but I find radio
in general to be bloody well intrusive.

I.E. having it switched on at the wrong time when you're not in
the best of moods within a working environment, and
may partly explain why I'm reluctant when it comes to finding jobs.

Hopefully my visit to London will provide inspiration where
first of all I'll be attending a recording of David Mitchell's
"Unbelievable Truth" where I plan to arrive ahead of opening
time in hope of getting in.

Straight after that I'm returning to Harrow although with the Easter
break already started for some, I've no idea who will be about
tonight although ex bar girl Sarah did arrange some sort of do
at the Junction to celebrate a late birthday.

Also Jake who co-arranged the visit has a driving lesson
but I'll probably see him later on in the year on booze crawls etc

Good luck mind.

If the last months have been anything to go by, 2010 is certainly
not living up to be a year in good favour.

Hardly Inspiring

Rather nervous about tomorrow now.

More and more people seem to be disappearing due to other engagements
that have popped up or otherwise just being downhearted altogether.

In all fairness, most of the third years are well in the thick of their
dissertations and the harsh reality of post university life is starting
to bite them on the backside.

It's a pretty hard area to deal with but from a personal experience
it's best to make the most out of what's left at University before
going through hard times.

Then again, I ended up having an extended stay so it may be
different from other viewpoints.

I really need a break, and I mean a proper holiday away from all
angsts as there's barely anything that motivating in the long term.

Even if it's just a week, it will do a whole lot of good and possibly
help to bring things together as I'm not sure as to whether I am
going the right route in the long run.

All that glitters in the short term certainly isn't gold.

"Change My Pitch Up" Literally.

Pretty poor show tonight as I found it a struggle to string a sentence
together.

This wasn't helped by the fact the Chelsea drew against Blackburn Rovers
and Manchester United are now top of the Premiership but I'll have
as much luck of finding sympathy in those areas, as Hazel Blears winning
Miss United Kingdom.

On a more positive/productive note it's worth posting this video
as redirected to me by Denis Cadogan showing how to recreate
the intro to "Smack My Bitch Up" on Ableton editing software.

Only a true vinyl junkie would recognise that Kool
and The Gang sample.

I was also brought to to the attention of a just as impressive
rare groover from more my era (tunewise) by Bernard Wright
called "Spinnin" as sampled by Skee-Lo on his 1995 hip hip
tune "I Wish".

Tomorrow will involve signing on as normal and more letter
and e-mail sending.

I could say "meh" but that wouldn't really go down well.

Having said that I've found a few places that are worth
trying in London that again, may not be radio related but in terms
of being practical would be very well suited.

It's all about getting "practical pleasure" in the long term.

Entertaining The Geeks

Many jingle fans will be familiar with this but for any regular
readers of the blog, I thought it would be worth uploading
this piece of genius known as "The JAM Song".



Written and produced in 1985, this was a thank you card by
Jon Wolfert and Bruce Upchurch to all the radio stations
who used JAM jingles naming all the call letters and
station names around the world including on European and British soil.

Obviously most of the stations will have either changed their
jingles/melody logos or resorted to having no sung idents whatsoever.

However 25 years onwards, there are still plenty of fans, especially
in the UK who know the song word for word,
or should that be letter for letter.

Overall it's a must listen.

Ever Gormless Soul

Another Sunday as normal with Robbie Vincent opening up his
"music garden" as always.

Next week's going to be slightly different as another "legend" from the old
days of Jazz FM and even further back to Capital Radio's "Best Disco In Town"
will be returning in place for Robbie, that being Greg Edwards.

Although his persona can be a tiny bit over the top it will be a refreshing
change from the man who I would perceive to be the Roy Walker
of the station, because although the show content is superb,
Robbie's so gormless he wouldn't notice it if a brick hit him head on.

After seeing Bruce Forsyth being interviewed on Piers Morgan last night
I've realised that both him and Bob Monkhouse were miles ahead
of Roy in terms of being all-round entertainers and yet Roy gets
all the cult status due to Chris Moyles giving him the undeserved
"legend" status when in real life he's just ignorant.

And if you take the "snake charmer" incident into account
Mr Chips was obviously the more popular part of Catchphrase.

"There Must Be More To Life"

I'll do my best not to give away too many spoilers but the Blur
documentary was another one worth the watch for any wannabe
pop historian.

It was interesting to see how following the rise of "Britpop" and
the battle with Oasis for the top spot, Damon and the boys
wanted to shed their "Lazy Sunday" song style in favour of
a more "sub-aggressive" style for their self-titled 1997 album
which included the singles "Song 2" and "Beetlebum".

I personally saw it as the beginning of a long decline for the
band and like many other things, I couldn't understand the hysteria
around it all.

It was easy to understand the bitterness behind the scenes
during the recording of the 1999 follow up "13" with stories
about band members and musicians either not turning up
or turning up late.

I can remember hearing the lead single "Tender" being performed
for the first time on Top Of The Pops and it sounded like a
really good offering with the gospel choir adding to it, until Graham
Coxon started whining "#Oh Mah Baby" turning it into a country throwback.

I sort of went off the band after that.

The CSR meeting was pretty sparse with just the outgoing and incoming
Heads of Specialist in attendance, although Andrew's now going to become
the station manager.

As I've said before, I'll try and refrain from making further assumptions
until Lounge arrives and if I get to go there.

On a different note, I've parted with £20 to see Incognito perform
at the Greenwich Jazz and Beer festival on the Whitsun Bank Holiday
Monday at the end of May.

Hopefully the weather will be good, and even moreso,
I hope they play some new material.

Personally I'd like it if Bluey changed around his live musicians
as it's noticeable that certain tunes don't sound as good when performed
by those who didn't perform the studio arrangements.

Of course they're going to sound different live, but it would be nice
to experiment as it's been done before to good reception.

Hopefully writing this post has killed a bit of time as I'm
very badly starving with yet another of my meat and mushrooms in water
blended with pasta concoctions, yet to be devoured.

Delving Into The Pop Of Brit

Not looking too good outside but that hasn't dampened spirits or whatever.

I had quite a late one last night watching Sport Relief although I'm
pretty certain that everyone will agree that the definitive highlight
was that fantastic James Corden sketch which took everything
that was brilliant about the England team sketch to a greater platform.

Yes, it's a tired analogy but you can tell that it's from a genuine
sports fan who's got guts to say what he really thinks
in front of such athletes.

Shortly after this morning's Fighting Talk I'll be making my way up
to CSR at Elliot College for what I believe is the last music meeting
with Andrew in charge of the specialist department.

The official handover takes place in the last week of March.

As for tonight, with the 6 Nations taking up all of BBC 1's schedule, ITV1
more or less have a monopoly on the so-called "entertainment" side of
things with TV Burp, Push The Button, and Piers Morgan interviewing
Bruce Forsyth.

The remedy will be to finally get round to watching the heavily
recommended "No Distance Left To Run" on iPlayer, looking at the
trials and tribulations of Blur over the last 20 years.

I may watch Pier interviewing Bruce mind, as although he's a knobend,
I actually find "Life Stories" a really interesting programme which
just gets on with it provides exactly what the title suggests.

The said life story of the guest being interviewed and never afraid
to tackle dangerous obstacles.

Yet at the same time Piers doesn't make himself bigger than his
interviewees so as much as I hate to say it, that's a saving grace.

But overall it's all about Bruce and bearing in mind I've never really
seen him in a "serious" TV interview it should be interesting having
seen him on my screen throughout my lifetime I guess.

Audio Boo - Media Boos

"Physical Based Humour"

I was thinking of having some sort of booze night due to Sport Relief
dominating BBC 1's schedule tonight but with a lot of things
happening in the next week or so, I'll probably cut back.

Whichever way, watching it this year will be a completely
different experience to being in a crowded room in the Harrow campus
with boxes of pizza and a lively atmosphere when Smoke's 26 Hour Broadcast
coincided with Red Nose Day 2009.

Of course certain individuals weren't too pleased as this clip proves.

In the meantime, I've discovered a Youtube channel which contains
quite a few vintage episodes of Never Mind The Buzzcocks
dating over 10 years back to what I'd say was the golden era
of the show when Mark Lamarr hosted with Phill and Sean as
strong team captains.

One particularly memorable edition is this one from March 1999
with Billie Piper (or "Billie" as she was known back then) as one
of the guests and leaning towards Mark Lamarr's favour much to the
anger of fellow guest Meat Loaf.

It became a common theme of whenever an American guest appeared on
the show, they would take the game element too seriously with
Fatman Scoop being another infamous example a few years later.

Anyway back to Billie and episode highlights for me include the Iron
Maiden video in the "Freeze Frame" round in Part 3 or to be more specific
the gag at the end over the dancer's transformation.

And the Elastica gag in Part 2 (6.38) where I'd more than happily
change it around, replacing the word "Windsor" with "Westminster",
and the Queen Mother with Maria Way.

Looking back at the vintage episodes proves that back then around
1998-2000, it was possible for an episode of Buzzcocks to have more
than one joke in there.

Nowadays, despite a brief relapse with Bill Bailey and Simon Amstell,
it seems impossible for the series to have more than one joke
per series, and has now reached the point that whenever
a new series starts I'm thinking "When's 'Mock The Week' coming back?".

"Maybe We Should Take It Slow"

In spite of a near crisis on the train to Liverpool Street and mislaying
an HMV bag, tonight went really well.

I know for certain that I will never be going from Stratford to Liverpool
Street via a National Express train again, as I went into near panic
after getting on, and the dot matrix said that it would be
travelling via Marks Tey and Chelmsford which would have been insane.

Luckily it stopped off at Liverpool Street and I arrived to meet Sarah
in good time.

We stopped off for a short drink (a soft one in my case)
before arriving at our destination, the Sweet Basil, a really nice
Italian restaurant where I had a very filling ham and mushroom pizza.

Sarah's been doing well on the documentary making side of things
job wise, but still has her long term sights set firmly on presenting
and unlike a lot of alumni from the BAMS Radio course (especially me)
I think she's got a second to none chance of getting further
if she keeps at it.

She's definitely got the enthusiasm to make it and go really far
having found her feet in the last year.

We had a really good time tonight with hopefully another meet up
taking place in the summer and it helped me to realise that I will
reach my aims if I carry on in a positive manner.

It was on the tube back to Stratford that I realised I'd left behind
my HMV bag containing the DVDs of both respective versions of
football film "The Firm" but after ringing them, they've managed to
find them and I'll collect them this coming Wednesday.

It will be something to do in between the piss up in Harrow,
and a general meet up with Steven and Caroline prior to Jerry Sadowitz.

It's going to be so hard for me to resist doing the joke about Jerry being
Steven's dad, not helped that there's little video footage lurking
about on the internet.

Overall tonight did go quickly but it was really lovely proving that
I love having so many different friends in London.

And also that it's best to go through things steadily to prevent panic,
especially when sticking to tried and tested modes of transport.

Typically Topical?

Walking up to the University to get this week's spoof new recorded
really was the right idea.

It actually took me round quite a bit of Canterbury after deciding to
make the journey all the way to Morrisons to get a much needed
supply of wholemeal bread afterwards.

Next week's spoof news may be the last I do for a few weeks as
there's a lot of similar (and more importantly funnier) stuff
starting on television again such as Have I Got News For You,
and Russell Howard's Good News on BBC Three.

I've heard rumours however that HIGNFY is moving from it's
long established Friday slot and back to Thursday nights
for this series, which hasn't happened since the seires started
back in 1990.

The reason being that BBC 1 want to give the new series
of Ashes to Ashes a higher profile timeslot from what I've heard
although the first Thursday in April for which it's scheduled
happens to be April the 1st.

We'll soon see...

As for tonight, I've been looking forward to this for so long,
finally meeting up with Lamby Bambi herself, Sarah Thompson
for a chance to catch up on things and for her to put me
back on solid ground.

It's going to be a good night, if a bit hectic travel wise.

A Fine Foreign Affair Remembered

It's an overused saying but another good one has gone.

Charlie Gillett, the first ever specialist music broadcasters I took
notice of due to my Dad's obsession with him, has died aged 68 years old.

Guardian Obituary

Charlie's Sunday night Capital Radio show "A World Of Difference" was
commonplace in our house when living in London due to Dad's unlimited
tape recordings, and it resulted in quite a few impressive record purchases
from artists such as Youssou N'Dour, Salif Keita, The Bhundu Boys
and Arrow's "Hot Hot Hot" who Gillett brought to a dedicated audience
within London.

It was quite unnerving to come face to face with the man himself
at WOMAD in 2004, but he was very relaxed and was very welcoming.

As well as a disk jockey, Charlie was also responsible for many
successful record releases on his Oval label including Paul Hardcastle's
1985 number 1 "19", and Touch & Go's 1998 release "Would You...?"

However it will always be as a music broadcaster he will be best
remembered for and in bleak times for radio, it's safe to say
that there probably won't be anyone who can even fill such
shoes to those extents.

And most importantly of all, providing me with one of my
earliest radio memories, proving that it certainly wasn't
a noise box full of pop and prattle.

1942-2010

My Blam Jam Gems - 2: Lemonjelly.ky

This is pretty much an LP that's been omni present throughout the last
decade but after listening to it in full in the last year or so I can safely
say that it fits in to the category of "all time gems" courtesy of musicians/producers Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen.



Originally released as three separate EPs between 1998 and 2000
the record manages to establish an ongoing sound that can distinguish
between other similar acts such as Zero 7 and Roykssop by implementing
a mainly an acoustic sound throughout, yet all the tracks are individual
and don't sound too similar to each other.

One particular technique that plays a part is that of using old instructional
records and tapes and laying them across looped guitar and piano samples
("Staunton Lick", "Nervous Tension") in a similar manner to Mr. Scruff
but a lot less random to create more of a flow.

As the album progresses, a more orchestral ethereal mood develops with tracks such as "King Raam" and the haunting "Kneel Before Your God" which
gives the listener an idea of how the EPs developed
over the three years to create the album itself.

There are also a few lively ones on the record such as the Latin influenced
"Homage To Patagonia" which I swear must have been the rhythmic
influence for "Asereje (Las Ketchup Song)", "Page One" which
covers the broken beat elements with slightly jazzy piano and bass
building into a strong orchestral mover.

All of those lead onto "Come" which provides a calm ending to the record.

Why On Earth Do I Love It So Much?...

Well, let's say that I caught onto it due to a lot of fellow college
students on my Media courses using tracks as backing music for their
short films.

Not to mention it's extensive use on television documentaries and
VT inserts which may explain why it was rewarding to find out that
I actually owned certain tracks after getting hold of the record.

I suppose the most meaningful track has to be "His Majesty King Raam"
due to it being used in a VT of Holly Willoughby when she was
a CBBC presenter showing viewers round her hometown of Brighton
with Holly in distorted slow motion on a merry go round,
and eating fish and chips.

I suppose you could call it a crush track to some extent.

I didn't really listen to the LP in full until mid April of last year
when writing my dissertation and .ky in particular was really soothing
in terms of encouraging me to get the assignment done
without distracting me.

It's still one I dig out now and again when things aren't so good with
"Nervous Tension" still managing to sort out personal angsts,
especially when I had a bit of a breakdown
at the beginning of the year.

We haven't heard much of Fred and Nick since the impressive follow
up in 2002 and a compilation in 2005, but with solo projects in full flow
here's hoping something emerges.

"A Police Car And A Screaming Siren"

I thought I would give BBC Radio 1's newest DJ arrival a go on iPlayer
last night and Matt Edmondson isn't too bad, I'll give you that.

There's a tiny bit of Simon Amstell about him if you've seen his videos
on pocket TV but as a Radio 1 presenter, I reckon his voice stands out
and there's a lot in there to be let out if he gets the chance to cover
the bigger slots.

One particular highlight was the playing of his first television appearance
at just 14 years old on Live & Kicking in December 1999, when ringing up Hot Seat guest Peter Salmon, then controller of BBC 1.

That's Peter Salmon, not Peter Simon who used to co-host the Run The Risk
section of the show, but you could work that out anyway.

Then again they're both from the North and I seem to like Salmon's
down to Earth Burnley accent for some strange reason.

Matt's call (06.05) basically involves licking the backside of the BBC 1 controller
(in his own words) and from my viewpoint this was at a time when the
BBC were on a low with everything that I had previously liked about them now
turned mediocre.

Live and Kicking was obviously struggling against the more loose approach
from Ant & Dec on SM:tv, I had more or less ditched the offerings of CBBC
in favour of the then new T4 (run by a certain Andi Peters) and Radio 1 was
trying to appeal exclusively to an audience of clubbers.

With the departure of Noel's House Party, the BBC's big "Saturday night spectacular" was the notable flop "Red Alert With The National Lottery"
as presented by Lulu.

One of the key examples of how not to produce a light entertainment show.

10 years on things don't appear to be getting any better, especially
with the news that John Barrowman has been given a second series of
"Tonight's The Night" which this time is to be tied with the National Lottery.

It's great isn't it?, the BBC is meant to be investing in "quality programming"
and it's living up to it's fucking promise alright.

And now you know why I constantly moan about Canterbury not having
any decent night spots and all to alleviate my anxieties.

I suppose my main dislike for the programme is that I've never liked
"all round entertainers" being at the helm of a television entertainment programme who want to showcase their singing and movement abilities
as well as being the compere.

I.E. Bruce Forsyth, Cilla Black, Joe Longthorne...

In short, there's areas of entertainment better off on stage than
on screen.

Well Thought Gongs

Dreadful night as far as football was concerned but there were quite
a few impressive results at the Royal Television Society Awards,
the most notable being Charlie Brooker's Newswipe beating both
the X Factor and Britain's Got Talent in the Entertainment category.

Louis Theroux managed to win Best Documentary for his
Prison for Paedophiles documentary and Miranda Hart won best
sitcom for her BBC 2 offering which has been given a second series.

This may be the first St Patrick's Day in four years that I have been
sober but I'm trying to play that down ahead of my meet up with
Sarah tomorrow evening which won't be rowdy as such but a good
chance to catch up and get a better understanding of how things have
been going.

I may have been a bit hard on my old year as a whole in the past
but when you have so many people in one room together
it can get to the point where you don't know where you stand.

With the exception of booze crawls, lesser is better although
that's probably a disguised way of me wanting to be the center of
attention.

But at the same time I would love people to be honest, telling me
to shut up where necessary and help me to talk properly
as opposed to in tangents.

That's what the blog's designed for.

"Life Without Music's Unbearable"

Very empty but educational, that's how I'd sum up today so far.

After doing a bit of shopping in Morrisons I had a gander at the first of
a series of documentaries from BBC Four's "Pop Britannia" season from
very early 2008, or to be more specific "How Pop Songs Work".

This was a very well laid out documentary looking at different parts
of successful pop songs whether it would be the melody, the structure
the lyrics and so on, with examples ranging from "Knowing Me Knowing You",
"Going Underground" and bringing it right up to date (well for January 2008)
with Amy Winehouse's "Back To Black", and Kanye West's "Stronger".

On an even further up to date note, I also had a gander at last night's
Panorama documentary looking at how artists are supposedly losing money
because of illegal music downloading.

I was surprised that they appeared to omit live music altogether,
as with festivals still all the rage and big venue gigs proving popular,
that's what appears to be the major way for recording artists
to earn money record amounts of money in the present day.

It's just another change that many have to get used to, in what Prince
once described as "just another development in the music industry".

At the end of the day however, life is for living, and living is best done
(in the right places of course) with music.

"Jedward, Just A Pair Of Tw*ts"

Barely any idea on how I'll spend today.

Possibly a visit to Morrisons to buy the stuff needed for the bol
I plan to make later on. Not sure what sort of pasta I'll use,
I always want it to be some sort I've never tried before.

That aside I'm pretty certain that many will be reeling in
celebration on finding out that John and Edward have been dropped
by their record label after just one single.

To me that's not a surprise as to be really honest, they aren't the
most quick witted of people if you've seen them in interviews
and beyond their appearances on X Factor they more or less dried up.

One duo I'm more excited about, happen to be Dan Le Sac
and Scroobius Pip who released their second album as a duo yesterday
and the current single "Get Better" is definitely one of my
current favourites around.

It's not as funny as "Thou Shalt" but lyrically it's still fitting
for how things are, and hopefully will be in the long run.

I'd best get stocking up on stock cubes.

"Simple Entertainment For Simple Minded People"

I've been looking over the exhibits list for Monday's job fair and have
more or less decided that what's on offer isn't really for me in terms
of the jobs that are on offer.

As they're only really offering high calibre managerial jobs and self employed
positions, it would look really bad if I made my way over feeling
out of place not knowing what I would want to ask the stall holders.

Therefore I won't be making the visit over on Wednesday
which should save me some money with regards to train fares.

On a more positive note I made a visit over to Chaucer Homecare
where a really nice woman signed me up to their scheme to help
people who have been through mental health get back into work
either paid or voluntary.

With regards to the latter I'm sure there's something I can
lend a hand to, especially when Summer arrives.

Although I've abandoned my outing for Wednesday, Thursday
is still definitely on where I will head via Stratford to Liverpool Street
to meet up with Sarah Thompson from my "old year" of the radio course
who I don't think I've seen since before I fell ill.

We've arranged to go to a nearby Italian restaurant and it's just
going to be amazing, considering there's barely anyone else from
that year who I have spoken to on that great a level, due to either
too much drink, or them preferring to provide others with wet bottoms.

And this is why quality in television in radio is becoming average
and middle of the road as barely anyone cares.

They're more than happy to consume the same dull rubbish everyday
in the same way as a daily meal of beans on toast.

That's certainly the idea I got after watching Simon Cowell's interview
on Piers Morgan's Life Stories earlier tonight.

The rest of tonight's schedule includes the re-viewing of a short lived
Channel 4 comedy/chat show "TV Heaven Telly Hell" as hosted by
Sean Lock and ran for two series during the earlier part of my
time at University.

What you could call "Room 101 with swearing" although at the
right times of course as this fantastic clip with Omid Djalili
demonstrates.

Oddly enough that episode was actually transmitted the weekend
I got admitted into St Martin's Hospital and along with the series
of Mock The Week that was airing, I barely took notice of the fact
that the telly was dominated by belly laughs that summer.

To use another food analogy, a comedy show without swearing
(in the right places) would be like a meat stew or a spag bol
without a stock cube.

Unintentional Causes Of Sleep

Well this isn't a good start to the week with Becks suffering
yet another injury, possibly meaning a no show in South Africa this summer.

I ended up going to bed earlier than normal after attempting to watch
the film "Scum" set in a prison and starring a young Ray Winstone
and Phil Daniels.
I ended up getting rather depressed as a result and was
pretty knackered anyway so lying down was the answer.

And luckily there weren't any thoughts going round me to stop me
from falling asleep.

As mentioned many times I can never feel tired by watching a film
or television programme I know I'm going to find boring, it has
to be one I'm genuinely interested in.

There's tons of yet unwatched music documentaries I have on my
hard-drives and DVD-Rs which may end up as unintentional cures.

One forthcoming programme due to air on BBC Four that won't
have me falling asleep is this one off drama about who the man who
many will agree was arguably the most creative radio presenter to
have lived, Kenny Everett.

Definitely one for the diary.

As for today, a Job Centre visit as always, then I have an appointment
at Chaucer Homecare with further help with finding employment.

And I'll definitely fit in a shopping visit as we badly need
wholemeal bread and other staples that are missing.

Well, my staple products at least.

Unfairly Unpleasant

Tonight's show went fairly well although I'm starting to worry
about whether my anti-Canterbury comments may have gone too far
with station members.

My Facebook fan page for the show has been taken off, and
I'm beginning to feel bad about what I have said to an extent.

Fair enough, in my own honest opinion Canterbury is not
the most exciting place when it comes to night life.

In fact it's more likely you'll get mugged if you head down the wrong places.

But in no way would I want to upset anyone who has come specially
to UKC or Christ Church to study and especially if they've joined
the station.

It's probably best if I don't discuss this any further as it's got
as much chance of finding a positive ending as one about
whether the BBC is better than commercial radio.

Or vice versa.

I'm quite possibly going to do my best to make every day this
week count in the most positive manner.

And that does not included watching tomorrow night's episode of
Glee as I've pretty much come to terms that it's fallen into
"A-Team territory" or should that be "Total Wipeout territory"

I.E the majority of the episodes having identical plot-lines to each other.

Although they're costly, visits back to London really help to sustain my
sanity, and the majority of them are always different in terms of who
I'm meeting there.

I'll do my very best to assure that it remains this way.

"It Just Happens"

Social networking websites could pretty much be responsible
for my impending downfall.

Seeing statuses or photos of others enjoying themselves when I'm
not in the best of moods can be really disheartening and
it can look as if they're doing it at someone else's expense.

Then again I can't really say that with regards to my drunk
photos I post here and to make things fair, I normally
end up feeling really poorly after a booze up.

But at the same time, I've been told by many people not to think
about others doing well and concentrate on what I'm doing myself.

Which is even more true when trying not to think about those who
are in jobs or living conditions they wouldn't want to be in and
are struggling to reach their preferred choice of career.

It may help to speak to others who I haven't spoken to for a long
while and that will certainly be the case on my visits to London
next week.

Although with the Job Fayre on Wednesday it will be a case of
those who I may have never spoken to before and finding
the right steps to go about finding the right money earner
that fits in with how I want to live.

As for tonight, it's probably best to forget about developing
bonds with anyone at the station as quite frankly, I'll never fucking
see anyone there apart from when I do the show,
with them going in and out all the time and taking no notice
of what I'm doing.

If I want things to change I'm going to have to go the route of
having guts and proving that I really do want them to happen.

And I Don't Even Like Wine Itself...

This has had me thinking.

As far as music in the present day goes, I'm really out of my depth
and am longing for something to return that never will on that
great a scale.

An interesting series of blog posts from talkSPORT producer James Masterton
looking back at a Top 40 rundown from around this time 16 years ago
in March 1994.

One of the records dissected is "Forever Now" by Level 42 and it's
pretty evident that James wasn't really a fan of the band, mentioning
that they split (first time round) at the right time as music was slowly changing
and "wine bar harmonies" weren't really in place.

It prompted me to make a jokey comment below on the post,
but as far as brass and piano chords go, it's very similar in style
to "Everyday" released a year later, and in today's current pop climate
it would sound a bit out of place.

I'm sure they could have evolved mind, but when thinking about it I was
born right in the thick of the "sophisto pop", "dance/house/pop" phases
present when purists (if you can call them that) were longing for
proper instruments to return and with acts like Oasis, and Radiohead
(makes spitting noise) on the rise, many saw this as a return to form as far as
music was concerned.

I just saw the latter as a load of steaming musical manure and
could never understand how people got pleasure out of depressing shite.

Do I regret being born during such a time period?

No I don't, even if it does mean that things can sometimes be awkward
on a social level when talking enthusiastically about such artists.

I imagine everyone at school hated that sort of stuff anyway with regards
to Level 42 and Incognito, and as I've mentioned before, at secondary school
you were either a fan of the Spice Girls, or Oasis.

There was no room for Rosie Gaines, or Ultra Nate.

None of the above should suggest that I would listen to records
with "wine bar harmonies" all the time.

There's still a load of booze anthems from the likes of The Killers,
Kaiser Chiefs, Dizzee Rascal, and the Black Eyed Peas that do the
job on a night out in London although I wouldn't have their albums
on constant repeat during my own time.

One things for certain, I'm more likely to find fans of the former nearer
the "big happy city".

"Struggling To Make Sense Out Of Life"

Very empty Saturday and I'm certain tomorrow will be pretty much the same.

Save for an uphill struggle to Eliot College to attempt to present a radio show.

The Let's Dance For Sport Relief final killed time to say the least
although everyone knew that Rufus Hound would win with his
superb Cheryl Cole routine.

If I was still a University student I'm more than certain that
"Fight For This Love" would be one of the anthems of the academic
year although I'd still say it's one of the strongest pop songs
of the last 6 months.

I just hope I don't end up in a job that requires me to hear
music played at me ad nausea on an hourly (possibly half hour)
rate as that would lead to insanity or to use a tired pun; "soul destroying".

On a sort of related note, it's worth sparing a thought for fellow
alumni Ross Powell who's returned to a job at ASDA in hometown Frome.
It's a case of making ends meet I guess, but good on him for having
a lot more balls than I do.

To be subjected to their in-store station ASDA FM Live on a daily basis
really would be a comedown and barely inspiring at all, but hey,
the customers are only likely to be in there for less than an hour
so it does it's job right?

I hope I get to see Ross at some point and would love to visit
Frome myself just for a drink or whatever.

When I get a realistic idea of my money situation I'll see what can be
done although it may be an idea to only go on train journeys
when it's actually necessary.

But that's the problem and choice I have to make, should it actually arrive;

Either be on the dole and make multiple visits to London leading to
possible debt, or be stuck in a dead end job which doesn't even
give you any fucking time to have fun outside work.

At times like this I should be grateful of the current conditions I'm
living in, and that Mum and Dad are possibly doing a lot more to help
than I think they are.

The Fight To Save Stoddart

A campaign group has recently arose on Facebook against the forced retirement
of Wesminster journalism lecturer Patrick Stoddart who under University
guidelines has to retire from teaching at the end the year.

My thoughts on the issue will pretty much echo those posted on there
and although I didn't actually take the journalism course, there was no
other lecturer I have known on the media course who had enthusiasm
impressive knowledge within the subject and could actually make you
want to listen to what he was saying.

No other lecturer (possibly apart from David Gauntlett) has ever managed
to achieve that at Westminster from a personal opinion and I probably
had more respect for him than any of the practical lecturers.

Others could suggest this could be a love in but I was genuinely
interested as Patrick was used a lot by radio students for voicing features
with a delivery similar to that you would find on local television adverts
in the 70s and 80s with a raspy but well spoken delivery.

Unsurprisingly he was an actor in addition a journalist and had done
projects at Yorkshire, Anglia, and ITN.

With someone of that wealth of experience over a long period of time,
it's not surprising that students are opposed to losing him as a lecturer
and that unlike most of the others, I could talk to him about anything
within related television interests from someone who had been there.

And such a modest fella too as proven at the Dissertation deadline dos
especially as he was always the only lecturer who would be bothered
to celebrate with us.

Many BAMS students who are graduating this year are feeling unmotivated
from their courses and to remove one of the only inspiring
and memorable lecturers from the course will only make things worse.

And if I had taken journalism I'm pretty certain I'd be one of many who
would actually look forward positively to attend one of Patrick's
lectures because believe me, I never felt that way to that extent
on the radio course.

That's my own thought on the issue and I'll let those still
at the University continue their campaign.

"Flame Throwin"

After seeing a tweet from Matt Deegan on Twitter about trying
not to use the phrase "Hot Rocking" on air, it immediately brought
this to mind;



Yes, one of my very early JAM jingles which anyone who went to Westminster
after 2006 probably won't recognise as I'd stopped using that on my
show by the time I started using the more soulful sounding ones.

It was originally done for Z100 New York and with the bomb noise
at the beginning, I'd love to get that redone for Oli P, possibly
with the sonovox voice going "WAAAAAN!".

And I shouldn't really be one criticising the overuse of Autotune
in this day and age if the above's anything to go by.

Judging by other responses on Twitter, it's probably a good thing
that I'm missing Pete Waterman's Eurovision search on BBC 1
where from what I understand they've got Bruno Tonioli from Strictly
Come Dancing as a judge.

Says it all really.

Luckily there's episode four of The Bubble on BBC 2 later on with guests
to include Marcus Brigstocke and newspaper columnist/eyesore
Julia Hartley-Brewer.

The last time I saw her on television was on the edition of HIGNFY after
the expenses scandals broke out and Rolf Harris was hosting.

It's easy to forget that it was broadcast on my birthday with the Smoke
stuff taking place the week after, but luckily this year should be a bigger priority
with a Facebook event pretty much sorted.

For the benefit of those who aren't on that labyrinth, I'm planning a
"Stratford To Central Silver Birthday Crawl" which is essentially a pub crawl
from stopping off at all Central line stops from Stratford to Oxford Circus,
and then it's a spree round Central, no holds barred.

I'm a tiny bit nervous about it being the same day as the FA Cup
but as quite a few possible attendees are Manchester United fans
it's not too big a worry.
(Sorry to rub it in again)

Others such as Sami plan to meet up later on in Central, so whatever
happens it will be an amazing day, and weekend as such
with the George Duke gig the night before.

I'll contain myself OK as I'm sure something will go balls up before the
event's meant to take place.

Ending On A High. The Fourth Floor In Fact

Today was definitely my most adventurous day at SE and no better way to
finish my time there.

The morning involved helping to set up a video interview with
urban vocalist Bashy where I had to sit in his place as the "dummy"
before his arrival so the guys could alter any possible reflections or
shadows that could get in shot when not wanted.

Bashy was a really top guy and a lot more intelligent than most
UK urban performers where he told us about how he progressed
from being a bus driver to one of the uprising acts in the scene
with an appearance on the Gorillaz latest LP to boot.

We recorded the interview in a boardroom at Lucid, a PR company that
are a stones throw away from BBC Radio 1's studios.

Or should that be a window smash away from 1Xtra as they
were quite high up.

The afternoon saw me literally going back and forth with visits
to Somerfield, the Nat West on City Road and a camera shop to hire
out a camera lens.

The visit to Somerfield was to buy the weekly supplies for Ronnie Wood
which coincidentally (or so I believe) included brown sugar.

Overall it made me feel more useful, and after delivering the mail just after
5 I was allowed to leave earlier than usual, bumping into Ronnie himself
having a cigarette outside the entrance.

Unlike Brandon Block however, he didn't ask "who's that c-..."
regardless of how deserved it was.

I'd pretty much say that the internship at Somethin' Else really has been
worthwhile, especially today as it allowed me to help out
with a practical task.

That and the positive comments from those I have helped out on have been
really useful so now I guess it's a case of going steady and finding out
how to take what I've gained from there elsewhere.

For now though I'll attempt to have a laid back weekend, until up
to Sunday's radio show where I'll be able to extract my revenge,
nothing nasty mind, on the CSR awards that took place on Monday.

Awards dos and Blamires just don't mix, especially if you consider
that ridiculous acceptance speech I made at last year's Smoke Awards.

"I Ain't Lookin' At Your Backside, It's Lookin' At Me"

Throughout the last week or so it has been impossible to stop raving on

about the latest offering from Professor Green which is really catching

on to the extent that we will possibly be sick of it by the time of official release.

I must have watched the video about 50 times now and I still end up

laughing at 2.08 due to vocalist Ed Drewett's striking resemblance

to almost alumni Pete Cooper.

That aside it's probably the second best video I've seen this year

apart from Owl City of course.

On a related note it's worth mentioning the video for one of Stephen's

earlier tunes "Hard Night Out" which has prompted a similar reaction

due to the bit at the beginning.

Yes, shouting and swearing in a "rough boy" accent will do it for me

any time.

It looks like the sort of thing the most popular boy in school would be

watching with his mates gather round the computer and I would be

laughing sheepishly in the background finding it hard to stop for at

least 10 minutes.

It reminds me of Russell Howard's "calculator banging" gag come to think of it.

Anyway, no time like the present and it's best to let the last day at SE

go by and see what it has to offer.

Even though it's finishing, I've signed up to a careers fayre in Russell Square

this coming Wednesday for university graduates so I'd best spend

the weekend writing down questions to ask in advance rather than being

put on the spot.

I may go on a cheaper train this time round. Best start going steady.

Keeping Your Foot Inside

It's amazing how a train journey can change all initial thoughts for
a blog post by changing my overall mood and perception around what's
happening around me.

I felt rather down this morning after reading a load of online newspaper
articles about graduates having to resort to menial jobs after University
and the increasing number of them that have to do so, employment gaps
making things potentially worse etc.

All of this made me forget that for almost the last two weeks I have
been on an internship that has required me to get up at stupid o'clock
without feeling any reluctance whatsoever.

Best to start looking at other similar opportunities, in the hope I will
find a paid job, ideally in the happy city.

Well, happy compared to where I am now.

And with tomorrow looking potentially good fun, I hope to finish it off
well.

I was particularly pleased when the producer for the Brit 40 said he
was very impressed with the facts I wrote for each artist in this week's
chart and that it was the highest standard for quite a while.

I'd love to do that sort of thing as part of a proper radio
or music related job and I'm sure readers of the blog will understand
why I gave crazy enthusiasm into finding out such random stuff.

The plan for tonight is to finish last night's chicken stew with freshly
made pasta, and to see Alan Carr interview Frankie Boyle on Chatty Man.

As it's on Channel 4 there's guaranteed to be no holds barred so it
should be a rollercoaster of sorts, with a bit of innuendo.

Searching For The Perfect Screw...

Today so far has been stressful where I found out that when it comes

to getting hold of bolts (that you screw in) Old Street is rubbish.

I was sent out to get a load of bolts at a specific length and ended up

having to go all the way to Clerkenwell Screws in Clerkenwell Road

although in no means is this a moan at those asking me to do the task.

No, it's directed at hardware stores who are dreadfully disorganized.

Tomorrow however looks pretty exciting as I've been asked out on

a video shoot for Orange's music show, part of one of the extensions

outside of radio for SE so I'm definitely up for that, even if it just

involves setting up cameras lighting etc.

I can just about remember the technique for screwing tripods,

I.E. "Righty tighty, lefty loosey" so hopefully it will be good fun.

The crew need to leave at 9:45am so I'll probably need to get another

early train from Canterbury but overall, the last day's going to be a good one.

Petty Public Transport

Another poor start to this morning caused by the buses refusing to go to the

University before 8am.

Knowing that there are bigger priorities than hastily written

spoof headlines I decided to get an earlier train to St Pancras

which missed out Ebsfleet this time round for some reason.

On arriving I decided to take the same walking route from Grays Inn

to Clerkenwell Road and I hope today's going to go well in terms

of doing more than my fair share of tasks.

Well, a bigger share of tasks overall.

In the last couple of days after Monday's comedown I'm starting

to consider my future at CSR as it's a struggle to even speak

to those involved with the station on a social level.

I know I should give it time, but this is Canterbury I'm talking about.

I'll attempt to stay at it until the Lounge On The Farm festival arrives

and hopefully I'll get a chance to be involved there.

And if that falls through, well, I probably won't be renewing my

membership card.

I know Laura from college is attending Lounge with her boyfriend but

with the exception of them, there's no one else in this rain gutter

of a city to turn to.

I guess the next step is to start "innovating" if that's possible.

Desperate For Practicalities, and Last Night's Photos

With two more days at Somethin' Else I'm beginning to feel weary about
what happens next and where to go and so on.

Apart from sending e-mails etc there's not really a lot else that can
be done although I'd like to make myself useful in the next couple
of days, ideally by being given even the tiniest of editing jobs
as despite hints, it hasn't really surfaced due to me being involved in other jobs.

Not that I didn't enjoy them, but I would like to make my internship
as varied as possible.

As an aside, when I was walking past one of the computers, it was
playing "Stand" by R.E.M. and it immediately reminded me
of this not so impressive knock off by Jake Franks from
many moons ago...



We both saw the funny side and it should have been used more.

I'm looking forward to seeing him and hopefully Oli and a few
of the other soon to be alumni when I return to Harrow in two weeks
for what will be a pretty long stay in London spanning two nights.

I really will have to cut down in April although my only real
priority is a drink with Joe near the end of the month.

He's still doing well as one of the guys answering the phones
for The Chris Evans Breakfast Show, and a few fellow alumni from
his time at Uni are going even further too.

Moving on to the current crop, a few photos from last night;



Two blues for the goals against Stoke on Sunday.



Manish, Luke and Nicola.



Bundling on the tube.



The legend that is. That's what happens after
too many bottles in terms of photos.



Jamie spots a spillage.



Bit of an in joke around a well known
Harrow venue.

I'm starting early tomorrow as I need to record my dry stuff at
Eliot College for the spoof news which will be more straight
and less sketchy this week due to all the goings on.

That's not to say I won't be picking on any deserving targets, oh no.

For now though I'd best get as much me time as possible.

The "Not Even Half" Pub Crawl

Last night's plans took plenty of turns in more ways than one.

On arrival at Kings Cross there was a bloody long line outside the Shaw

Theatre for the recording of "The Unbelievable Truth".

It wasn't worth waiting for that long, only to be refused entry so I headed

straight over to the pub crawl which by that time had reached Monument.

It was so good to see plenty of "old, new faces" consisting mostly

of second years including Matty ID, Manish, Nicola, Lee Collins, and the birthday

boys themselves Jamie, Luke and Frank.

It was just as well I joined them early as people were bottling it as we went along

starting off with a really knackered Nicola at Enbankment, and then Matty,

Manish and Lee decided to call it off at Gloucester Road.

At this point I ended up losing everyone else and decided that in the boozed

state I was in, it was best to head back to Kings Cross, stopping

off at the Delice France at the station for the second mushroom slice

I had that night.

I'll get the photos up later as my camera's batteries have run out,

and I'm minus the USB cable, but I hope to see most of those from

last night again in a couple of weeks where I will be returning to Harrow

after another recording of "The Unbelievable Truth" which this time I hope

to get into.

I may have to head over to Kings Cross for 3pm in order to have a

good chance.