Punked Up In Canters

Last night at the Maiden's Head went pretty well, didn't get too lathered
but that wasn't really the intention.

The Dibiase boys were on good form as usual with a slightly calmer
crowd than when "Tuppence" was the headline act, but appreciative
and encouraging.

Here's a few photos I got of them in action.





Shrubby takes a stand.



Stewart on bass.



Lee gets more aggressive.

I headed back home around 10pm before the main act had even
started playing, spending the rest of the evening with a shell-bol
watching ITV2's review of last year's X-Factor.

Yes, I'm getting a tiny bit excited about the new series, although
in about a month's time I'll be fucking fed up with it all.

My aim for today is mainly to present a radio show (in a loose
sense of the description) but another thing I will definitely
succeed in doing will be having a gander at E4's Inbetweeners
special, followed by the highlights of their rude road trip.

Once again, the idiots at the Odeon in Canterbury have opted
out of screenings, so it will be a visit to the Cineworld in Ashford
this coming Wednesday.

My week seems to be panning out it seems...

Million Dollar Maiden's

It made a change to actually having a lie-in this morning, which
is that extra bit motivating in needing to search harder to find
a job that allows weekends to be more meaningful.

At the risk of sounding like a lazy fucker however, a (non-broadcast)
weekend job would result in me being mentally worse.

That said, today has been anything but lazy as I made my
way up to the CSR studios to import the music for tomorrow's
show onto the Myriad playout which seems to be behaving itself
more recently due to a change in model that it's running from.

I can never be too careful mind, so I'll burn some of the tracks
on tomorrow's show onto CD-R in case.

My plan for tonight is to head down to the Maiden's Head which
sees the welcome return of Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Punk Band
who this time are warming up for HeWhoCannotBeNamed.

To think that next month will be ten years since I met
the members of TDMDPB at college is frightening, and will have
me wondering if those years have been a waste with regards to
achievement.

In terms of having a good laugh though, they've been worth it
in that sense.

Far Too Many Chestnuts Baked In A Pie

My last day at Folded Wing was one that kept me busy paperwork-wise,
only there wasn't actually any paper involved.

You get the idea though, tracklistings, programme log sheets etc
and there was quite a lot to get completed.

When I got a spare minute, I had a chat to office manager Sandie
(who also happens to be the company director's mother) about
one of the delicacies of her hometown Southend, the chicken and
chestnut pie.

This sprang to mind earlier in the day when reading the blog of
American radio consultant Dan O'Day who made a visit to the
area to give one of his talks which you could say was partly
responsible for the Essex Radio group and Essex FM in particular
providing the finest radio of the late 90s, that I have yet to hear
bettered ever since.

As for his thoughts on his stay in Southend, well they sort of echo
my minor but unwelcome illnesses I have had throughout the week.

None of those however got on the way of another amazing week
and I'm sure I'll stay in touch with the guys there who have
rejuvenated my love of the noise box.

Speaking of blogs, hello to Uncle Opacic who happens to read this,
that being the uncle of fellow uni alumni Caroline.

Unless of course his surname isn't Opacic and I've made a grave
error as is often the case.

Staying Up For Prezza

I seem to have happily settled into a routine where due to my commute
to London this week, I'm knackered in the morning when waking up at
5:30am, and pretty much the same when getting back home at 8pm
to the point of being in bed by 10.

With the exception of tonight, as I plan to have a gander
at the special edition of Question Time in the wake of the riots
where one John Prescott will be participating.

As for Folded Wing, the week once again has sped by and I'm
hoping tomorrow will be pleasant as well although I don't exactly
know what sort of jobs I will be given.

Here's hoping however that it will lead onto better things, and it
has given me confidence to branch out into other things in radio.

And more importantly for those reading, it's made me realise that
I'm probably not really suited to presenting.

Typing And Travelling

A rather busy day was spent at the Wing, mainly researching
information for future projects and towards the end of
the day I was completing Excel spreadsheets containing
artist and publisher information for NME Radio.

I've got a couple more that still need doing so tomorrow morning
I shall have something to occupy me on arrival, in case
things are rather shallow.

I'm really getting into the swing of this as a daily routine as
having to travel to and from Canterbury completely takes your
mind off other things, and therefore prevents you from thinking
too much to the point where thinking in itself drives you bonkers.

Best to make what I can of the last couple of days which
I'm certain will pretty much speed by.

Extra Weight Wednesday

Whilst further disruption prevailed to everyday goings-on in London
and beyond, I was back at Folded Wing where once again it was
a mixture of things, more ProTools work, artist research, and
tracklistings.

That's not to say that my week has gone swimmingly as yesterday
I had a rather bad throat, and earlier this afternoon I got
an unfortunate bout of the runs, which I'm guessing is my own
fault for not being throughout when doing my cooking last night.

Hopefully nothing will get in the way of things tomorrow
which I'm guessing will be busy with all sorts of things,
that may need me to work that extra bit harder.

All I will say is that I'll be bringing a carrier bag to bring
a few extra things in tomorrow.

By the time I arrive in London tomorrow morning, Mum and Dad
will already be jetting off to Ireland to stay until the 21st of this
month.

I hope that for their sake, they won't have any problems
getting to the airport.

Another Week At The Wing

So, Folded Wing take 2, and it's been a good and productive start
to things where they decided to throw me in at the deep end
by giving me the task of rough editing an interview via a
software package I have never used before.

That being ProTools, and whilst it took a bit of time to get
the hang of, let's say I did so a lot faster than I did when
being taught SADiE all those years ago.

There's quite a lot else to get done as well this week
a bit more advanced than my first week there in June
but I like a challenge.

Despite the positive side of proceedings, nothing could
keep our minds away from the continuing chaos that
has been going on in London and spreading beyond at that.

I didn't get caught up in the riots myself, but I hear it's
now reached Croydon and although she's miles away in Cyprus
it's a rotten thing to happen on the birthday of fellow Uni
alumni Sirin.

I really hope this doesn't discourage her from making the visit
back to British shores at the end of the month.

As for tonight, it's pretty bare as Mum has gone to the cinema
with Concha and Martin, whilst Dad is in Broadstairs for the town's
folk festival.

I guess it's a good warm-up for Wednesday when both of them
head off to Ireland, although if I end up getting back as late
as 8pm tomorrow, I may not see them at all for two weeks.

A Smoother Soul Ride

A much better radio show this week, mainly due to the Myriad computer
being replaced by one that's years older.

It does mean a single monitor as opposed to a double,
but in radio, it's not about what the presenter can see, no no.

Trying to take things easy tonight as I'm on a train over
to London tomorrow for another week at Folded Wing
which I'm guessing will involve further artist research,
completing tracklistings, and not forgetting the long but
fast-moving queues at the nearby Waitrose where it is
always worth the wait for an apple pastry.

It will be good to see everyone there again too, as they
have an amazing team there who are confident and enjoy
what they're doing and with the superb shows they have
done for the BBC and Red Bull Music Academy amongst others,
it looks set to continue.

Whilst it will be nice to be back in London after what must have
been the longest space of time away from there in ages,
it's a shame it had to be on the weekend where the North of
the city is being destroyed.

It seems to be heading further North, but it's best not to be
too speculative.

Soul Hits The Sands

Margate was my destination today for day one of the annual Soul Weekender
which had a fair few regulars from those likely to be seen at Caister
and other similar events around the country.

Why the Margate event has never crossed my mindset despite
being commonplace for at least a decade, I'll never know, but
all the same it was great to be within the company of people
who genuinely loved the music played an DJs who showed no
sign of ego whatsoever.

Those I bumped into included Ginger Tony from Solar Radio;



Tony Matthews and Pete Collins,



and Roni O'Brien who I have been meaning to meet
for far too long now.



There were two "stages" if you can call them that,
a main stage on "The Parade" for bands to perform on
where Cool Million and the West Coast All Stars will be tomorrow.



And most of my time was spent in the Westcoast Bar not too
far on King Street where all the DJ sets took place with some
fantastic sets.

The DJs themselves, unusually for most of the DJ sets I have
atteneded prior, actually spoke on mic to the crowds, but not
in the cheesy wedding DJ manner oh no.

No, they gave information on what tracks they were playing
every other song, especially for the slightly more obscurer ones
that were played off of real vinyl.



A personal highlight came during Jonni And Messi's set where
they meant to play the Fatback Band's "Spanish Hustle" but accidentally
played the Tony Blackburn favourite "I Found Lovin" hurriedly attempting
to cut it off when they could.

If there was a defining song of the weekend (which hasn't even finished yet)
it would either be Beverley Knight's cover of "Fairplay" from her Soul UK
album, or this rather superb mash-up by Chris Bangs mixing Marvin's
"Sexual Healing" the West Coast Soulstars "Show Me Love".



I aimed to leave at 9pm in hope of getting the last bus to Canterbury
but on arriving at the bus stop at 9:10pm I found out that it didn't
leave for Canterbury until 9:53.

So I headed back over to the Westcoast for a bit more boogieing
to Cool Million's DJ set.

Overall if the soulboys come back to Margate next year, I will
be staying the whole weekend, even if it means staying at
a hotel.

"Keep It Tight!"

Completely forgot to blog at all yesterday, although as it's just
after midnight, let's pretend it's still Friday, and as I'm listening
to a bit of soulful house as I type, I'm still in that mood.

Just as well actually because tomorrow I am heading to Margate
for the Soul Weekender as part of the annual carnival and I'm
a bit nervous as I am going alone yet again and am unsure
if I'll see anyone I know.

Both Solar Radio and Stomp Radio will be providing DJ sets
throughout however and one of those from the former who will
be doing so happens to be Roni O'Brien who I've been wanting
to meet for years, since the days of listening to her "Insatiable Soul"
show late on Sunday nights around mid-late 2005.

As long as the music's on form (and the drinks are good too)
then I'm sure it will be alright.

On another radio related note, it's worth sparing a thought for
Michael Bukht AKA Michael Barry the "crafty cook" from Food And Drink
who in between his cooking exploits oversaw the operations of
Capital Radio, Invicta Radio and launched Classic FM back in 1992.

A fellow Canterbury resident, the last time I can remember seeing
him was at East station when I was just about to head back
over to London after a short visit home in May 2007.

A fine example of a man with a lot to his bow.

Another "False" Story

The various tales of RAJAR results good and bad, appear to have
been overshadowed in radio circles anyway, by this waste of space
(no irony intended) article from today's Mirror about Steve Wright's
so called "weird world".

Just in case anyone needs a wake-up call to inform them
it's the silly season, the above article should have that
duty covered.

Having a gang of assistants to get meals for the "talent"
is nothing special. It's common practice for such things to
happen in the media.

Although digressing slightly, such practices went a bit too
far at Smoke when one team of presenters went as far
as pampering a University lecturer whenever they made
an appearance.

Anyway, the article however also suggests that it is an oddity for
an individual to book into expensive hotel rooms abroad
just to listen to the radio stations and get ideas.

Well at least it shows that Wright actually cares about what
his show sounds like, an example that very few other presenters
in radio seem to actually follow in the present day.

Whether those ideas actually make it to air however is another
story as having listened to audio of Steve's show from 2000/2001
it's still as dated now as it was then.

I try to stick that away from my mind and remember Wrighty from
his not so PC, but unpredictable days at Radio 1 with his talented
cast of characters and rather superb jingles.

The influence has spread to me a bit too much quite possibly,
as I use his old closing theme from the Cheap Radio Thrills library
to end my Drivetime show at CSR every week, although that's
the only similarity between that and his own show.

Because on a technical level, Wrighty's a lot better than I'll ever be.

Stewart Sticks It

Last Monday (27.07) there were one or two messages on Twitter
questioning the absence of The Daily Show Global Edition on More4.

Me, having boycotted More4's transmission of The Daily Show since
dropping the main nightly episodes at the end of last year,
didn't bat an eyelid but it's only now that I've understood what all
the fuss was about through this article and accompanying video.

It turns out that More4 were unable to broadcast the show
due to the content of an item mocking the News Of The World
closure which used UK parliamentary footage which on British
shores is not allowed on comedy or satire shows for fear
of bring politicians into disrepute.

As if it's likely politicians will avoid ballsing up anyway.

Graham Linehan looks into the issue via his own blog, using
an example of Irish Green Party MP Paul Gogarty turning
the air blue in Irish Parliament.

The clip itself as hinted by Linehan in fact was shown on
Have I Got News For You, in December 2009 and was a
treat of some sorts that even if we aren't allowed to see
parliamentary goings on on home shores, it's probably funnier
overseas anyway.

Back to Jon Stewart and in the wake of the news that CD copying
may become technically legal, the rules of using parliamentary
footage by means of satire are another example of a very dated
law in what was (until compliance got in the way) a fast-moving society.

But if anything overall, the attack at Channel 4 near the end is more
than justified for how they got rid of The Daily Show on More4
as a regular nightly programme.

The Aspiration Destroyers

In order to kill much needed time, I decided to go for a stroll outside
Canterbury, taking me from The Old Sessions House at
Christ Church University, to the Morrisons on the
Wincheap Industrial Estate.

Because of the very high temperatures I ended up sweating like
Glenn Beck, Nick Griffin, and Simon Cowell together in the same room,
to the point where my t-shirt was pretty much stuck to me.

On getting into Morrisons itself I even resorted to buying and
immediately drinking (after paying of course) a bottle of Fanta
whilst advancing through the aisles.

Rather nervous about tomorrow as I'm making my final visit
to Kennedy Scott where I've been going for the last year to
allegedly try to find work, whereas what I have really been
doing is an exact copy of the log I have been giving the people
at the job centre, only on A4 paper.

I'm dreading what they'll make me do from here onwards,
but whatever happens, there will always be people and obstacles
of some sort that will do whatever they can to take the soul of of
you wanting to achieve your true ambitions.

Either that, or I don't have the guts just to tell such individuals
to just fuck off.

Constantly Rehashed

A viral definitely worth observing, Everything Is A Remix put together
by Kirby Ferguson is a brilliant exploration of how the "remix" as such
isn't just a technique that relates to music or more specifically
hip hop as stated in the introduction.

I won't give too much away but part 2 is particularly interesting
looking into how the theory applies to films and I'm not the biggest
movie obssesive.

Part 3 on the other hand sort of had me thinking a bit more
regarding "originality" and the fact that whenever people
start at something they have great enthusiasm for, they're
always going to want to emulate their idols.

Hence the fact that at student or community radio there's
always going to be many doubles of Chris Moyles and Scott Mills
but rather than have a go at them for doing so, it's best
to let them carry on, and gradually develop their own style
which seems to be the case at CSR currently.

It's certainly made me feel rather bad about me being critical
towards others during my time at Smoke but at the end of
the day, I reckon that for a station that only broadcast online
we took it far too seriously.

On a similar note regarding originality, a Spotify playlist
flagged up by one Charlie Brooker and compiled by Steve Berry
of songs that sound similar.

All the well known doppelgangers are included, such as
"Taxman" by the Beatles and "Start!" by The Jam, although my
favourite has to be the resemblance between "War Canoe" by
Rolf Harris, and Adam & The Ants 1981 number 1 "Prince Charming".

Regarding a resemblance more to my "comfort zone" or
so to say, how about this one by Fire Island and their cover
of Blaze's "If You Should Need A Friend".

I'll say no more regarding the influence.

August Anxieties

My hopes of getting the month off to a good start have been
hampered slightly as I have had to pull my visit to London
on Wednesday due to change of circumstances beyond my control.

It's not all bad though as 1: it saves me money travelling, and
2: I have another week of work experience at Folded Wing from
the following Monday which I'm hoping will go well.

It's just a case of waiting until then that there's barely
anything for me to be productive with, unless of course
I want to walk to and from a place in just outside
Canters I would normally pay a fair bit of cash for if
I was travelling by train.

If Olly had left his bike over here I could have cycled to
Thanet, especially as this weekend is the Margate Soul Weekender
which I have been "will I/won't I" about for quite a while now.

Of course I need to be in Canterbury on Sunday for the radio show
but could possibly be there on the Saturday.

And the event as a whole is free so it would be good to give
it a go, even if I barely know anyone else who is going.

Actually, certain thoughts aren't too frustrating when written
down, and for a change there aren't any people to blame
for such circumstances.

Ever Still Software

With August approaching there's a sign that things should start to
get a bit more interesting, especially as I'm making a visit over to
London this coming Wednesday.

Tonight's show went reasonably well, save for the usual issues with
Myriad freezing which will quite possibly result in me buying CD-Rs
to burn the music on in future as it appears technology can't be trusted.

We don't have to buy advanced software, just better hardware
especially as we're running off of Windows XP machines.

To be honest, I don't think I have helped out at a radio station
that has used newer equipment come to think of it.

The Job Centre is my main point of call tomorrow, and
with Mum back from Woodbridge and Dad back from WOMAD
I need to pay the rent, although I'm planning on paying it
monthly from here onwards as I'm rubbish at sticking to a
weekly payment.

Jeff Tampers With Marvin

Uneventful day again, but lightened by the return of John Bishop's Britain
on BBC 1 even if half of the material appeared to be half-inched
from Peter Kay.

This was because the topic this week was music and fashion,
and one of the sub-topics was how music can divide opinion
and create healthy debate, something I know rather too much about.

It certainly proved so earlier today via the Facebook group
for Peter Young's Jazz FM show regarding this rather pleasant
(in my opinion) offering by DJ Jazzy Jeff playing about with Marvin.

One listener however wasn't too impressed and showed her
disapproval (constructively of course) via the page which more
or less shows how such fan pages are crucial in modern day radio.

I may make an effort to plug the Facebook page for CSR on-air
during tomorrow's Blam Jam show although it's often the case
that those who are listening (if any) prefer just to listen as background.

Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind being the center of
attention all because of my radio show being rubbish.

"Bad publicity..." and so on.

Virally Ridiculous

With an empty house and a not so bright sky in Canters, I'm rather
mellow tonight, having found it a struggle getting up this morning
even after giving Mum her birthday present at 7am.

It didn't have too much of an effect at the talking newspaper
this week and next week I'm at an advantage as they've got
they've got the engineering rota covered.

I would like to do more however and hopefully when my schedule
becomes lighter at around mid-August I'll return there.

Earlier on in the week, Wednesday to be more specific, The Radio
Academy held a talk in London at how social media is shaping
the way radio is not only produced but listened to as well
with sites such as Facebook and especially Twitter creating show content;
if you can call it "content".

One area they didn't really touch on was radio's relationship with
viral media, and how in my case it tends to be a disruption in that
respect.

Sometimes it can work really well with live streaming, a key
example being the Chris Moyles marathon from earlier in the year.

But surely one of the distinguishing marks of radio is to let the listener
create their own pictures, their own scenarios, and a video such as this trail
for Danny Wallace's forthcoming XFM breakfast show removes
the novelty completely.

An aural concoction that's probably been worked on for hours,
illustrated by a visual regurgitation that barely looks any different
to the tons of self-made music movies that can be found online.

Just my thoughts of course, but then again I was brought
up on the notion that radio is a non-visual medium...

"Someone So Handsome Should Care"

On a day where Morrissey has come out with quite possibly his
most outspoken statement ever, comparing the massacre in Norway
to the production process of fast food restaurants, I've noticed that
one of his biggest fans that being "Producer Kim" (who I know reads
the blog from time to time) has suddenly gone quiet.

Then again if Bluey came out as a KKK member I may end
up reacting in a similar manner, but it's probably best not
to make comparisons to extreme organisations on blogging
websites.

Mum's heading off to Malden for her birthday weekend tomorrow evening after
finishing work whilst I do what I can to kill time before my radio show
on Sunday.

With dad at WOMAD at the same time, it will be relaxing times
well spent although I'm starting to realise that my volatile manner
has resulted in me not being as outgoing as I would like to be.

At least it saves money, and fellow alumni Stoobs has started hinting
about his birthday do for September, even if the invite itself
is barely understandable.

In case Stoobs is reading this, I could be arsed to read it a second time.

From Pulled To Post-Its

After a really bad night trying to lie down, I did the sensible option
of sorting out a doctor's appointment where it turns out I have
pulled a muscle within my right leg.

Once again it's something that I'm too stupid to work out myself
but at the end of the day, aren't doctor's meant to put you down
to size?

Not if you're Jo Brand I'm guessing.

Anyway I managed to get a prescription for tablets which appear
to be reducing the pain of my leg to the point where I should just
about be able to walk up the high hill to the CSR dungeons for
my drivetime show tomorrow.

In fact I need to put the trailer for Sunday's Blam Jam show together,
I only realised this when making a start on the blog post.

I should use this blog as a virtual post-it pad of sorts.

Goody No Shoes (Or Legs For That Matter)

My leg has gotten a lot worse since yesterday, so the first thing I'll
need to do tomorrow is make a doctor's appointment.

My only journey out of the house was to the nearby Londis
which normally takes me three minutes (partly because I normally
run there) but today it took me ten.

So basically my running speed has been reduced to dial-up.

I also need to buy Mum's birthday present either tomorrow or
Thursday where between the day itself (Friday) and the following
Monday she'll be spending it away from Canterbury at both her
mum's house and another house lent to her from friends.

Dad meanwhile is at the WOMAD festival so I may spend part of
the weekend in the front room re-viewing the Hot Fuzz DVD
despite it being repeated umpteen times on television.

I've only seen it about three times mind.

However my main priority is getting my leg looked into tomorrow
as unless I am prepared to shed some cash to get a bus up to campus,
it will be a longer walk to the CSR studios this week.

"Tuppence" Pays Tribute

As is usually the case in these situations, the novelty act known
as K*nt and The Gang have done it again, this time with a song
in tribute to Ms Winehouse called "Amy, It's A Terrible Shamey".

Although it's meant to be affectionate, it proves that nothing
is sacred in the age of celebrity culture or should that be
"public figure culture" considering the jokes that get made
when a member of the Royal Family dies.

The video itself is a light relief to an otherwise painful day
where in my sleep I must have twisted my hip, making
it a struggle to walk although not stopping me all together.

I'm just glad I'm not still at University as what would
normally take me two minutes to get from halls to campus
would take me two hours.

To be fair, that's the typical speed of a normal student
when it comes to getting themselves to a specified
location at a set time.

Which normally means that said people hate you.

Could Be Hotter "In" July

Warm but moderately clear skies outside but still enough to have
me in a state where I am pretty much covered in sweat after
getting back from my radio show tonight.

It went pretty well actually, I got a few nice messages from
Claire in Chichester who I haven't spoken to for a long time
probably about three years ago when me and Stephen were
with her for the Reel People gig at the Jazz Cafe for the
launch of their "Seven Ways To Wonder" LP.

Claire's a big Jamiroquai fan and aptly enough one of the songs
I played near the end was this impressive cover of "Alright"
by German vocalist musician Deniz Ulcay.

Hopefully myself and Claire will meet up again for more gigs
in London pretty soon, with the Drizabone Soul Family
in December being a potential.

There's absolutely sod all planned for next week, bar
my usual drivetime and District Recorder commitments
so if the warm temperatures keep up, I shall actually
get out for a bit.

Although there's only so much that can be down in
Canterbury's outdoors.

"Walks Away, The Sun Goes Down"

The social networking sights have more or less gone into overdrive
with the rather sad but inevitable news of Amy Winehouse's passing.

I'm essentially trying my best to put her overexposure in the
press and media to one side as that unfairly overshadowed
two superb LPs with the latter playing quite a big part during
my time at University.

Having said that Winehouse was known for a lively persona
even in the days of her debut LP "Frank" and was never afraid
to speak her mind about fellow peers, particularly one Katie Melua.

Most of all, the singer was responsible for what has to be my
favourite visit to BBC Television Centre of recent times, that
being the recording of her legendary episode of Never Mind The Buzzcocks
where it turns out that maybe just that once, Simon Amstell was
the voice of reason regarding the singer's extracurricular outings.

BBC Radio 1 have gone into obit mode over the announcement
and if I'm being honest, rather overdramatic using words such as
"shocking" to describe the news.

Oh fuck off.

Just fuck off.

That is just patronising for the sake of it, especially when you take
into account the much worse news that has happened over the last
couple of days in Norway.

That said, I plan to play one of the more jazzy offerings on my
radio show at CSR tomorrow evening as acknowledgement
and as the show's into the summer specials, it will fit in nicely.

"In Five Years Time"

Really exciting times radio-wise as CSR has officially been given a
license extension to broadcast on Canterbury's airwaves until 2017.

Whilst I've had my ups and downs during my involvement, the news
couldn't have come at a better time where things are in a stable
state and my involvement with the station is being put to good use.

However whilst it's not really cool to name names,
if anyone's responsible for us getting the green light it's Mel Lewis
who since the beginning of the year has been the SU Media co-ordinator
at UKC/Christ Church University, and it really has made a difference
to have someone helping to run the station who actually knows
a thing or two about radio.

Not to mention being really helpful and supportive to everyone involved.

Servings of humble pie are guaranteed to be dished out for those
who have doubted us, and with things still gradually improving
CSR will become even more present in Canterbury in the near future.

Probably best for me just to carry on and continue enjoying
things whilst they're still going well.

Expert Exhaustion

With tomorrow being a rather busy day recording and transferring audio
at the Canterbury and District Recorder, I plan to have a laid back
night and finally finishing my Extras marathon with the 2007 Christmas
special.

I'm longing for the days when I get back into the habit of day-to-day
working as it's a lot better to be tired and exhausted than bored
and uncertain about what will happen the next day.

However come August there's a few things going on that aren't
exactly work-related, but will get me on my toes as earlier in the month
there's the Margate Soul Weekender as part of the carnival, and then
towards the end of the month Sirin's coming back over for a short stay
and it's possible she may come back over to Canterbury again.

I really wish it was her who I got on my Summer Soul Show
as co-presenter in 2007, as it would have been far more
understandable for her to be a potential crush, rather than one
who I would have no chance with for reasons of pure logic.

Best to go through things gradually and keep building, as I know
they will come.

The Departure Of "Parf Daddy"

One very big story in the world of radio this morning, so much so that
it's even trending on Twitter.

That being the departure of Andy Parfitt from BBC Radio 1 and whilst
it's an admirable achievement becoming the longest serving
controller of the BBC's pop music station, making it more defined towards
it's target audience, for some reason or other I began listening to it less
and less during his reign.

Whether that's coincidental or not is anyone's guess.

I suppose part of it was that my cab driver to school in the earlier
half of 1999 subjected me to the inane witterings of Zoe Ball
the then breakfast show host, and what seemed like an endless
stream of "Tequila" by Terrorvision played every bloody day.

From here on I realised that I was getting older.

It's easy to be critical but those were early days and by the time
Chris Moyles was on breakfast, things began to stable even further
and like them or not, the likes of him Scott Mills, and Greg James
do have respected and continuously growing followings which are
unthinkable in other UK stations aimed at identical target audiences.

One comment on Twitter that stood out was from Aled off of
The Chris Moyles Show mentioning Parfitt's strengths in being calm
in events of crisis.

One such incident being in July 2007, two days before my visit to the station
when Mark Thompson announced that all competitions on the BBC
would be suspended following increasing use of fake contestants.

At Radio 1's end it meant the 6 Weeks Of Summer competition had
to be dropped, but Parfitt assured his staff that the station was about
more than just competitions and there was nothing to stop them
from being one of the biggest radio stations in the UK.

So to sum it up, even though the station as a whole has gotten
banal from a personal point of view, what Parfitt has done for BBC Radio 1
is nowt short of commendable and most importantly of all kept the
enthusiasm for the noise box alive for "one" thing.

Trivial And Tuneless

The end of a dull three day slog is reaching it's zenith as tomorrow
I am back on Canterbury's airwaves with another drivetime show
which I've just about got everything sorted for.

With barely anything of interest on television (bar the repeats
of Sherlock which I need to have a gander at) I have been
indulging in yet another Extras marathon, and am also about
a quarter of the way into a Buzzcocks marathon right from
series 1.

At this stage (late 1999) Mark Lamarr has established more than
a dislike for Chris Moyles after his apparently "disastrous"
appearance on the show, but hasn't yet turned into the psychopath
he seemingly came across as towards the end of his reign.

Despite resigning from his Radio 2 show last year, reggae has
made a comeback with the Somethin' Else produced David Rodigan
show, a man who has been in dire need for national radio exposure
for too long now.

So actually contrary to the beginning of the blog, there's a fair
bit of good stuff on telly and radio provided you search hard enough.

B-D Clinic

Whilst it appears that in the bigger wide world, the Phantom Flan Flinger
isn't dead after all, it's been another dull day in Canterbury mainly
involving further DVD-R burning.

Hopefully that process will be a thing of the past as whilst
in an electrical store yesterday I went all Brian Potter when setting
my eyes on a 5 pack of recordable BD-Rs.

That's recordable Blu-Ray discs each capable of holding upto 25 gigs
per-disc.

But unlike garlic bread, BD-Rs are a relatively new addition
to the store shelf.

I may need to invest in a new laptop come to think of it, but
by the way my money situation is, that probably won't be for
at least a couple of years.

My plan for tomorrow is to get all the stuff done for the show
i.e choosing a track to include in the bypass, putting together
the trail for Sunday's Blam Jam and whatever else comes to mind.

I should spare a thought however for the more senior members
of the CSR team, who in less than 24 hours have to have all their
entries sent in for the 2011 Student Radio Awards.

They'll get something out of it, whatever happens.

Tragedy Leads To Trending

It's amazing what present day technology can do in the wake
of growing news stories.

With the news of the death of ex News Of The World reporter
Sean Hoare who apparently tipped off the whole phone hacking furore,
it has inevitably lead to one of Twitter's trending topics being
David Kelly.

As for me, I'm more up and down and interchangeable as the weather
in Canterbury and feel rather uncertain about various circumstances.

Even if I do take my tablets, nothing can remain on a straight
platform.

Thankfully today has involved a few laughs courtesy of ISIHAC
on BBC Radio 4 where the rather amusing celebrity duck round
made a re-appearance.

The highlight of which being David Mitchell's mallard take on
Lord Surgar which I honestly couldn't see any difference between
the real voice.

At some point later on this evening I aim to have a gander
at last night's WWE Money In The Bank PPV which I have heard
quite a few good things about from the more hardcore fans.

Another of many things I miss from London, late night
booze induced gatherings with Chris and Tudor normally,
and Phil Harris just ripping the piss out of us all for taking it
too seriously.

We'll have to arrange an X Factor evening sometime this series
now that most of them are living together.

Has to be done.

Hired And Tired

Tonight's radio show went well, the first one I've done sitting down
actually having gotten back into the habit during the drivetime show.

I may stick to this in the long run, but then again I said the same
when I started standing up.

That aside I've got almost 6 shows planned already as
current soul music sounds so much better during the warmer months.

Just a shame that the weather at the moment is utter shite.

At this moment I must be one of few people who couldn't
give two turds about the Apprentice final.

I understand it's popularity but if I was to sit myself down
in my current state I would be bored stupid.

Which in itself is an inaccurate description because the
"stupid" part is already more than valid.

Either that, or I must be one of those who isn't turned
on by Margaret Mountford.

Moving right along...

Plan for tomorrow is to await a phone call from Kennedy Scott
who despite my instructions seem to prefer to call me
on my home number as opposed to mobile, and later
attend the job centre to get the usual signing nonsense done.

Still optimistic I will find something though eventually.

I "think" I have reached the point where I don't spend
every day moaning about wanting to return to London.

Partly because I'm resisting the urge to visit to pay off
a great big credit card bill.

The time will come...

A Summer Of Less Slacking

A long night until 4am resulted in a late start this morning and I'm worried

I may start making a habit out of this.

It was probably just as well as nothing particularly memorable has taken

place today.

Slightly more upbeat for tomorrow as I've got the radio show

later that evening and it's safe to say that I'm probably enjoying

CSR more than ever.

All the pretentious lot have now gone and hopefully it's just

the beginning of more exciting and inventive shows on the station.

Well, more so than mine at least.

Things are starting to take shape with a routine of sorts

taking place on most days of the week although ideally

it would be good to find a money earner.

As is always the case, best to take things steadily and possibly

be more open to options.

Aural Articles

It's been a long and busy day where the best part was spent in the lower
depths of the Salvation Army near Canterbury high street recording
this weeks Canterbury And District Recorder, the blind local newspaper
for the city.

Although the room itself was rather cramped, the way we recorded
it was very advanced and up to date using a USB mixer connected
to a laptop and three mics, with a special piece of software
for arranging all the stories read.

We aimed to get 90 minutes worth of material and when that was
achieved, the audio was transferred onto a large selection of USB
pen drives via a multi-hub where all the data from the master was
stored and then transferred onto 11 USB pens at a time.

The trickiest part was putting everything in the room back
to how it was before all the equipment was set up, so it can be
used for Sunday School in a couple of days.

Overall it gets me out of the house and even if it does get a bit
dull at times, I hope that my involvement with the blind newspaper
will be another thing to pass the time with.

They've got a fair few people helping out anyway so should
with a schedule sorted until Christmas at least, so should
I happen to double book myself on a Friday, they'll be covered
and C&D have a really good track record in terms of being one
of Canterbury's leading volunteering organisations.

As for the rest of this weekend, nothing's really planned apart
from the radio show on Sunday which I've been anticipating for
weeks having not done it for almost a month.

However with Lounge now done with, and now other commitments
on Sundays until possibly Jingleday in September, I won't be
escaping Canterbury's airwaves that quickly.

Stereophonic Summer

My radio show this afternoon went a lot better than last week,
partly because the playout has been given a kick up the backside
or something along those lines.

I'm hoping it will still be behaving itself on Sunday when
I will be returning for the first of this year's Blam Jam
Summer Specials which I'm really looking forward too having
spent the last couple of months sorting out suitable music
to play between now and the end of August.

And no, that doesn't mean every song will include "summer"
or "sunny" in the title although there are quite a few good ones
that do.

Tomorrow there's no rest for the wicked as I'm doing my first
voluntary audio engineering for a blind newspaper in Canterbury
which looks set to be challenging but it's something different and
not too far to get to.

As far as telly viewing goes, Mock The Week has got that covered
although it's a shame that the last episode before the Edinburgh
break is a compilation as they've missed the opportunity
to cover the closure of the News Of The World.

Possibly to cover up any traces of irony linked to
the programme's theme tune.

The Big Green Space

I forced out of bed (not physically of course) to await the
arrival of the new sofa for our front room.

Luckily I didn't have to wait for too long for the arrival but
despite my insistence, Dad took it on himself to help the
delivery people put it into the front room.

And here is the new furniture;



Mum seems happy with it but Dad think it's too bright a colour.

I'm almost done with preparing tomorrow's radio show where
this week I plan to run down the top 5 stupidest baby names.

Yes, everyone else is doing it following the birth of "half past seven"
but if you can give your own spin on a feature and make it
stand out, I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Although if I make anything stand out, it's normally for the wrong reasons.

As for tonight, I plan to finish my 10th anniversary marathon
of The Office by re-viewing the 2003 Christmas specials which
at the time were a much needed laugh during a difficult time
starting my HND Media course.

They're some absolute gems in the episodes such as Brent
taking part in a Blind Date style game in a nightclub,
and an awkward but hilarious mistaken identity with a potential
date from an internet dating site.

As for my HND course, on my visit back to college last week
I found out that they've now abandoned the course and the
degree top-up due to budgeting issues which is disappointing
but I'm glad it existed when I was able to take the course
so to ensure a not so difficult transfer to University life.

I.E dealing with really long essays and so on.

Trapped In A "Round" Shell?

My excursions today only got as far as Tesco Express in Whitefriars
where interestingly they have started selling more "round shaped"
conchiglie pasta, if that's the right description.

Well the texture isn't in straight lines and whathaveyou.

It doesn't get any more interesting than that, seriously although
tomorrow we are awaiting the delivery of a new sofa for the front room.

The question is how it will fit through the front door although that's
more a case of me taking a lesser lazy viewpoint as DIY and removals
aren't really my strongpoint.

That aside I've got stuff to prepare for the CSR drivetime show on
Thursday where at the station itself there's been no rest for the wicked
as production on SRA entries has been top priority.

Although, if this video is anything to go by, I'm wondering if
any work really is going on...

If Ryan, Mel and Daryl happen to stumble across this blog post,
I'm only joking.

De-Cloning For Digital Editing

After a long weekend on a farm just outside Canterbury, hard graft hasn't
escaped me lightly as the majority of today has been spent renaming
a large number of MP3 files on an imaging elements library I received
this weekend.

The reason being is that all the tracks on on a DVD-R rather
than CD so it can't auto-detect the file names, so I have literally
been copying and pasting the descriptions from the PDF documents
that come with it, onto the identically named MP3 files.

One thing I can't complain about is that it's a great time killer
and an excuse to listen to some radio programmes and documentaries
that have been festering on my external hard drives for too long.

One being a programme hosted by Richard Herring looking
into the significance of David Hasselhoff "being a key figure" in the
destruction of the Berlin Wall, and whether that was really the case
through the very parallel histories of West Germany, and the star
of Knight Rider.

I'd best get this re-naming done as soon as, just to make sure I don't
go really crazy.

Lounge, Lekkido, and Lister

Day three of Lounge and luckily not such an early start as yesterday.

Before heading to the CSR stand, my first port of call was
the Playhouse where Lekkido was back making his lobster
moves to an ever-lively audience.



On arrival at "the ranch" things were going strong as usual with
Peter White, and Laura Nunn from the Metal Mondays show
getting things started on-air.



And whilst they were working hard, this was what I was getting up to...



Thankfully that was the only booze bottle I had all weekend.
A few more photos of the CSR team in action;



James Waters, and Helen from "3 Students"


With Peter and the ever-lovely Lucy Harvie-Austin at the Meadow Bar.


Mel and Ryan at the Secret Swapping stall. Any excuse for consequences unsuitable for broadcast.

At around 7pm I headed to The Playhouse for Sunday's comedy
evening where acts included the ever hilarious Canadian
comic Tony Law;



And from closer to our shores, well Bournemouth
Gareth Richards. The only Ominchord player I've seen in public.



Unfortunately Holly Walsh who many were hoping to see perform
was absent for unknown reasons, but that was completely
out of my mind when discovering that a more respectable
(he said nostalgically) figure from the world of children's television
was present, after hearing the compere pointing him out outside
the tent.

That being Nick Wilton,known nowadays as recurring market inspector
Mr Lister in Eastenders, but for me as a four year old in 1989 his voice
graced many a Saturday morning on Going Live! announcing the prizes
on Peter Simon's Double Dare.

"The voice" was more than happy to have a photo taken with me
and I found it incredibly hard to resist the urge of uttering
Peter Simon's line "Nick! Tell them what they've won!"
to the man himself.



That photo's going to get framed and put
next to the one I had taken with "Flynn" from 50/50...

Just before leaving the site I went up to the O/B van where
presenters Mel and Daryl were presenting the closing moments
of the O/B where the last link seemed link a ring announcer
gone insane.

And in the true Blamires tradition I got a photo of them in action
without giving them prior warning.



But at the end of the day, it's the listener that should be
acknowledged as opposed to the camera.

Overall it's been an enjoyable, if at times tense weekend
from a radio point of view, even though I'm starting to feel
like I'm getting old with regards to festivals as a whole.

The Lounge Roamers

It's been a very speedy if not exhaustive second day at Lounge and
what could probably be the event that puts CSR FM well and truly to the test.

Basically, this is our O/B van;



Yes, we did borrow it from "The Kitchen".

This is the nearby mic relay mast;



And this is our main hub, christened "The Ranch"



And we did have to take it down before heading
over to see Katy B this evening.

It should be pointed out that we are minus a table which renders
the station banners we brought with us useless but we've managed
to get by and everyone who has presented has been in a positive
mood whilst having to cope with mics running out of batteries,
the main stage getting very loud, and the studio playout continuing
to be a bitch.

But for a VIP pass (and the occasional press pass for others)
it was worth it.

Myself and James Waters were first on air and more importantly
the first to road test the equipment live on air, and I think we
did a fair job of it.

We were probably the only people to roam right round the ground
as most of the other presenters with all due respect stuck around
at the ranch as it was less noisy.

We didn't see anyone too famous although we got an interview
with Jagga fresh from the main stage, whilst I bumped into another
familiar face, that being Jacob Rickard from BBC Kent Introducing
in the VIP bar sipping on still orange.

Here's a few shots of the other possibly more interesting
things that took place today;



The "Morphsuit".



Blamires and Waters on the case.



James interviews the lead singer of You Say You Say.



Ryan, Lynsey and Jeremy hold the mid-afternoon fort.



Jeremy interviews Jagga. With not a Swagga in sight.



Monday breakfast duo Smiley and A take over
proceedings.



Media co-ordinator Mel gives Smiley a much needed tanning.

I headed home at around 7pm just when everyone else
made their way to Main Stage to see Katy B, Example
and possibly Ellie Goulding who we we were scouring
the site for to no avail.

This in spite of her tour bus being within our reach.

I'll be up for more of the same tomorrow but as I'm not presenting
it should be a lot more relaxed and I may smuggle some booze in.

I may also actually make the effort to see some live performances
especially as Lobster legend Lekkido is returning tomorrow morning.

Lounge Goes Live

Morning.

I am up at this really ridiculous hour at CSR studio 1 in the lower
floors of UKC waiting the arrival of the legend that is James Waters.

He'll be presenting his weekend breakfast show as per usual
before we both head over to Lounge at 10am for what looks
set to be a very busy day of roaming and grabbing whoever
we can to get on the radio, provided they're up for it.

I'm less nervous than I was about two hours ago when waking
up but one thing's for certain, I'm fucking glad I'm not camping
on the Lounge site itself as it was pouring down last night.

Not sure if I'll actually go to any live performances tonight, but if
I can, I may check out Adamski who will be DJing at the Meadow Bar,
and there's no doubt that his set will include the number 1
he had with Seal twenty one years ago.

Best make sure I have a bottle of water with me, and most
importantly, that I remember to breathe...

A Lighter Lounge?

I've arrived home earlier than planned from my first day at Lounge
as tomorrow is going to be very busy, starting off at around 6am
when I will make my way up to the CSR studios at UKC where
James Waters will be presenting live from 8am.

Just to make sure we're on the same wavelength (pardon the pun)
before going live from Lounge itself at midday.

As for the site, it's changed quite a bit to the point where it feels
smaller than it did last year and before then.

There's now a main stage, on the big grass patch where most
of the goings on take place and the Cow Shed is now exclusively
a dance stage and has been given a bit of a redecorating.




By midnight tonight it will be Annie Mac on that stage.

I did get rather emotional when I saw this;



Our old broadcast hub. Why they've boarded it up is anyone's guess.

I did see a few acts on the main stage including Jess Mills and dance act
"The Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosars" but most of my time was spent
in the Meadow Bar where a couple of disc spinners were spinning
some rather superb classic soul such as James Brown, Booker T etc.

It encouraged a healthy crowd of people to get their groove on as
it were, and throw bog rolls all over the tent when things got
really chaotic.

Not to mention the equipment suffering a power faliure which caused
the usual sort of reaction.

Just to give an idea of what went on in there;





Traditional sideshow acts make the occasional entrance.



Ever innovative decoration.

I've also arrived home early because the only way to cure (or heal)
any nerves about tomorrow is to have a right good laugh, which
will be provided by a double bill of Micky Flanagan guesting on
tonight's 8 Out Of 10 Cats, and King Of...

Hopefully he won't resort to jokes about "not getting out of the turning!"

Nervously Awaiting Lounge '11

The morning has been spent visiting Canterbury College as Sally
one of the support assistants is retiring, and I was invited to
her special leaving do.

It did get a bit teary in places, but I managed to hold back myself
and it was really good seeing plenty of old faces after what
is nearly 10 years since I started attending.

I am keen to get to Lounge as soon as I can, although I need
to pick up a prescription from the chemists which don't open
until after 2pm.

The weather's still a mixed bag too so whether I end up walking to
a mudbath is another thing.

Considering tomorrow will be a rather long day I'm wondering
if I will reluctantly forgo seeing The Streets performance
tonight as that's the headline act on the main stage.

I'll see what happens and it will all depend who I cross paths
with as I'm sure there will be plenty of old faces visiting
the site.

Many A Radio Diversion

My first drivetime show for CSR turned out to be more than just chaotic,
primarily due to the apalling behaviour of the Myriad playout, freezing
and skipping at the worst of times, and resorting in me putting in
whatever CDs were nearest to me, in the CD player.

Them being what has become the infamous La Roux album (to
CSR members) and a few ones borrowed from the shelf including
a Blink 182 EP and Green Day's "Holiday".

Aside from that it was rather exciting being on air at the time
the News Of The World closure was announced which means
that Question Time will be one of my viewing priorities tonight.

Straight after the show there was a meeting about Lounge
where it turns out there won't be a studio at all, and all
the links will be done via headsets with a link back to the
studio where someone will be desk driving.

We had a reasonable turn out, but surprisingly James Stokell
head of O/Bs who got the whole event off the ground was absent
due to him engaged in further moonlighting for Global Radio
this time not too far from their base at the Harry Potter premiere.

I won't lie in saying that I am scared witless about this weekend,
but hopefully I'll be having a chat to co-presenter James Waters
tomorrow so we know exactly what we'll be doing on the day itself.

It's not just presenting though, as I will be working six hours solid
on Saturday getting live performances and interviews recording,
marketing stuff etc, so I hope they go easy on me as I don't
want to get too agitated.

I know it will be intense at times so I may need to take things
easy tomorrow, even though I really want to see The Streets
performing live.

For now though I plan to relax in front of Mock The Week and
Question Time where in the case of the former, the theme tune
has caused lots of questions on Twitter.

Ahead Of My Drivetime

Bit of a mixed bag in Canterbury with it being moderately sunny one
minute and raining the next.

It's settled down now, but if it's like that again tomorrow I will be
worried as I am making the long journey uphill to present my first
drivetime show for CSR FM.

As for the show itself, I'm looking forward to it and have got
a few items planned including "Wrongipedia" which is basically
an odd one out style game, and "The Blamires Bypass" which
hopefully will fit into the timeslot.

That's all I'm saying, you'll have to listen to see if such items
work, or whether they'll more than likely fall on their behind.

Straight after the show there's a meeting about Lounge at the
K-Bar in Keynes College which I'm certain will go well.

I really need some good time to relax ahead of it all, so with that
in mind, I may not even get up until midday.

However when you plan to wake up late, you never usually succeed in
doing so.

A Smacking For Hacking?

It's safe to say that in the next few days, Rebekkah Brooks will be
getting more than just a fair share of stick over her resemblance to
Mick Hucknall.

Seriously though, the circumstances that have resulted in the call
for her resignation are disgusting and proof that the ongoing
phone hacking issue really has gone too far.

Back on home ground it's an Indian summer of sorts as it's
started raining, yet you wouldn't notice judging by the heat
in my bedroom.

To be honest I'm hoping there's a bit of rain at Lounge this weekend
just to see how we deal with things, if it did start pouring.

I'm sure the technical and O/B team (who I should add have had
the foresight to actually get the event off the ground) will have
all the risk and recce assessments covered in the run up to it all.

Only two more days now, although the anticipation sort of begins
on Thursday when I present my first drivetime show at CSR FM,
where I'm guessing there will be a lot of building up and so on.

I'm just hoping that people don't get protective about it all
in fear that we may jeopardise the station winning an SRA this year.

When you let things like that get to you, you forget about why you
enjoy doing such things in the first place.

Creating An Ear-Catcher

I've just finished the first episode of BBC 2's Secrets Of The Pop Song
where over three programmes, songwriter Guy Chambers attempts
to write a specific type of pop song for an artist that's relatively
known, but not to such a great big scale as, um, well Adele for example.

This week the focus was on ballads, with particular lineage to the
power ballad where Chambers was collaborating with otherwise operatic
performer Rufus Hound to produce what ended up being an anthemic
ballad, along the lines of "One Day Like This" or any of Take That's lead
singles.

I won't give too much away in case anyone reading this hasn't seen it
yet, but the most interesting part was about the Ultimate Power Club
a series of nights where really rowdy people crowd together to "scream"
out classic power ballads.

The next one in London takes place on the 19th of August, and
I really think that this would be the perfect night for myself, Chris Chilvers,
Phil Harris etc to attend.

Mainly because I dislike that genre of music, and it would be a great
excuse to have the piss ripped out of me, with lots of drinkage thrown in.

It has to be done.

Next week's programme looks exciting as Guy with the help of Mark Ronson
will be attempting to write a "breakthrough hit" for little known vocalist
Tawiah.

A vocalist who I'm quite a fan of, as her EP "In Jodi's Bedroom" helped
me get through what was a rather tough 2008, especially the ballad
"Every Step".

Letting The Love Ring Out

My first visit to the Royal Festival Hall proved very entertaining
with the soul stalwart that is Al Jarreau providing an amazing
show last night.

I was sat up in the top balcony where there were quite a lot of spare
seats on the lower rows so when the show itself started
quite a lot of us moved down to get a better view of it all.

Jarreau himself was fantastic and very energetic throughout
and had an amazing backing band with him including Larry White
on piano, and an amazing bass player/backing vocalist who did
his own song in the second half.

Songs that were performed included in the first half "Easy", "We Got By"
and a special guest appearance by jazz guitarist Earl Klugh which
went down really well.

The second half featured "Boogie Down", covers of "Take Five" and
"She's Leaving Home" and not forgetting the theme from Moonlighting.

When it comes to beatboxing you could suggest that Jarreau was
the original Crazy Frog and there was quite a lot of that during the
performance, as well as quite a few jokes about those who turned up
late, possibly because they were watching the Wimbledon men's final.

I left just after 10 before the show finished because I had to get
the last train from St Pancras back, and it was definitely the best decision.

As for today I'm not too good and have made a doctor's appointment
due to rather annoying pains I'd prefer not to go into.

I doubt it's too serious but I really want them dealt with.

My Last Visit To London For A Short While?

The Al Jarreau gig taking place tonight may probably be my last
visit to London for a while as I'm rather determined to start saving
in order to pay off my credit card at least.

This even goes as far as turning down an Incognito gig at Ronnie's
in August, but to be honest it's an expensive venue anyway and
a bit too fancy for my liking.

Plus it was the only gig I've been to where they didn't do "Everyday".

As for tonight, I've never been to the Royal Festival Hall before
so this should be an experience, only I'm hoping it doesn't go on
for too long as I have to leave at 10pm to make sure
I get the last high-speed from St Pancras at 10:40.

That said I'll probably enjoy it more when I get there because
as I write this I'm in a rather uncertain mood to the point where I may
fall asleep.

It may be worth running from St Pancras to Waterloo in that case.

Coming Like A Ghost Town

If you've been having a good time constantly for five days,
then it's safe to say that you end up in a bubble of sorts,
and mine has burst on finding out that many high street stores
such as Habitat and Thorntons have annouced that they are closing down.

It was joked about on 8 Out Of 10 Cats last night, but it hit home
this morning when en route to Sainsbury's in Canterbury, I drew my attention
to the New Dover Road which now seems to have become something
of a graveyard.

The Planet Lazer/Studio 41 club has been demolished, the bowling/ice rink
has shut down after only 18 months, and the Blockbuster store is looking
in a sorry state, still displaying "BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO" at the front.

It's possible the HMV in the town centre could be next, but to be
honest they're all in a sorry state at the moment.

I can remember when I was 18, I went on a special outing
to London to visit as many record shops as I could in Central to
find the elusive jazz CDs I was craving for.

Nowadays it turns out they're not so elusive at all.

Departing The Wing, And Longing For Lounge

It was rather poignant leaving the Folded Wing building for the final time
this week, as my placement had just sped by to the point that
even a rotten night in a youth hostel on Monday didn't ruin it.

Still at least it's better than leaving there thinking "thank goodness
I don't have to go back there on Monday" which has happened
before, I won't say where of course.

It was nice for the staff there to give me a card and overall it
was a pleasure to be in the company of people who were confident
(but not cocky) about what they were doing and sounding like they
enjoy it too.

It's also made me more confident about speaking to other people
as they seem interested in a lot of things I'm interested in as well
not just music, but at one point a few of the guys were chatting
about Gilbert The Alien of all things.

Best of all, it's given me new ways of thinking about potentially
daunting situations.

Not that there were any, but to put it into perspective, whilst
I was working on short-term tasks, I wasn't thinking "thank goodness
I don't have to work on this great big project" but more about
what I would do if I was given such a task, and how to break it down.

Overall it's been quite an experience and I'm hoping it's not
the last I see of the Folded Wing team.

Having said that, to say any further radio related goings-on are sparse
would be completely wrong as I've been asked to co-present
with the legend that is James Waters, kicking off the Lounge On The Farm
weekend on CSR on the Saturday.

Yes, they've finally come to their senses and let the technical
team go ahead with their plans for the portakabins.

This year the arrangements are different as although CSR will
have a presence on-site, only presentation and technical staff
will be around as the editing and post production will be done at
the UKC campus.

To be honest, I reckon they only put me on air because they know
I've got tickets to the festival and because I'm just on air
on the Saturday I'll have free reign for the remainder of
the weekend to do what I want.

Seriously though, I'm really up for it and am hoping that the
weather will be as good as it is this weekend.