I was sad yesterday to learn of the death of Robert Sandall. While he is most celebrated as a music journalist, I was more aware of him as a radio presenter. In 2001, when I was discovering my interest in experimental music, I was advised by someone on a messageboard to listen to the Radio […]
Archive:
Radio
Prioritising podcasts
I have realised that I’m easily entertained. I have a pile of CDs that I bought back in October but still haven’t got round to listening to. There are a couple of DVDs that I bought before Christmas that I still haven’t watched. And I’m struggling to play all the games I’ve bought in the […]
If Gillian Duffy is a bigot, then Labour is the bigoted party
My first reaction upon reading about Gordon Brown’s “bigoted woman” gaffe was, “but what if she is bigoted?” My second thought was, “this will probably work in Gordon Brown’s favour”. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time the media got a tad over-excited when criticising Gordon Brown, only for it to work in Brown’s […]
BBC 6 Music should be enhanced, not killed
If the reports that the BBC will close down 6 Music are true, it is a great shame. Of course, this could be seen coming. The BBC has been utterly weak in almost every respect for the past few years, and it is difficult to escape the notion that it is too big, with too […]
Going radio gaga
The country lurches back into its usual routine this week. But with the new year comes changes, and a vital part of everyone’s daily life — the radio — will seem very different. My parents are concerned about what will happen to Radio 2 after the departure of Terry Wogan from breakfast. They were not […]
20 Warp albums — part 2
Continuing my look at 20 Warp albums from Warp’s 20 years. For other articles in this series, please see the table of contents to the right. Albums are presented in randomised order. Broadcast — The Noise Made by People This was the first Warp album I ever bought, and it remains a favourite of mine […]
Iain Macwhirter and the relationship between the media and bloggers
Part one of this article was published yesterday Further evidence that Iain Macwhirter is struggling to see beyond the model of the media comes from the fact that the blogs he cites as “very good and intelligent” are both offerings from the media. Paul Krugman’s blog is funded by the New York Times while Robert […]
Iain Macwhirter inadvertently criticised the media
There was much hand-wringing among bloggers a couple of weeks ago in the wake of an article about blogging written by Iain Macwhirter. I didn’t take much notice of it at the time. After all, it is not exactly surprising that an established media figure would take a swipe at blogging. And if there is […]
Buddha Machine II
A few years ago I wrote about the Buddha Machine, a charming little plastic box that emits ethereal music. It is an interesting object, mostly because the nine loops that it can play are so other-worldly and, despite their brevity, infinitely fascinating. Which is just as well, because they will repeat endlessly. Well, until you […]
Scottish budget: I can’t blame the Greens
Scottish politics became exciting and sexy yesterday. Sexy as politics goes anyway. The excitement is over the fact that the SNP have failed to persuade the Scottish Parliament to back its budget. Cue lots of finger pointing. It’s the sort of thing that makes members of the public disdainful of politicians. I chose to listen […]