Mick... Off... Gone

Some sad news from Liverpool: after 27 years, Mick Ord is leaving Radio Merseyside.

He's risen up to the top of the station; it's now the most-listened-to local station outside of London, which is quite an achievement in a pretty competitive market.

He's off to edit the religion and ethics website, reports the Echo. Yes, that's what I thought, but it really would be a spectacular misprint.

PMS under threat

Venerable Radio Merseyside music show PMS (né The Late World Noise, etc) is on the block as part of the current round of cuts forced on the BBC by a vindictive Tory government. They're looking for messages of support, and I think they thoroughly deserve them.

Please Mention Site

An email arrives from Roger Hill, where he suggests he's been told we might be interested in the relaunch of Radio Merseyside's PMS site.

PMS or LWN or Rockaround has been a feature of Liverpool music life since - jesus - 1977, and it's heartening that both that show and neighbouring On The Wire in Lancashire have managed to survive attempts to force a national brand onto local radio music programming; and it's great to see that the team is still expanding their empire into enhanced online stuff.

Worth checking out for the music even if a Liverpool gig guide won't help you much, certainly.

The press release also winningly suggests that Roger Hill is a "as part of the radio landscape on Merseyside as Tony Snell or Billy Butler." He's going to have to hide from an angry Pete Price demanding to know why he's not a yardstick, you know.

That website again: PMSradio.co.uk

Gordon in the morning: An end to welfare

Blimey. Gordon Smart might not reflect his employer's stance on binge drinking, but he's clearly a supporter of the Sun's distaste for welfare payments. Robbie Williams has been helping out his girlfriend's mum, which would seem like a nice thing to do.

Gordon isn't so sure:

Robbie's made it clear how much he loves Ayda, but it seems a bit much to extend his generosity to her mum.

At least put her on the payroll and get her working.

Yes - if the woman's got her two legs, send her out digging holes. Anything else smacks of socialism.

It sounds like we're going to have sit through another long lost Beatles song:

A FORGOTTEN Beatles song begun by George Harrison has finally been completed - 40 years on.

Harrison, who died in 2001, scribbled the first ten lines of a number called Silence (Is Its Own Reply) on a piece of scrap paper in the 1960s.

On the back of the paper were instructions on how to reach Beatles manager Brian Epstein's country house in Sussex.

It's not clear how much of the original song was there, although the chorus - "down the A23/ turn left onto the Haywards Heath road/ it's the third entrance on the left" - suggests not very much.

This has, at least, been completed away from the heart of The Beatles industry:

The lyrics remained ignored until BBC Radio Merseyside host Spencer Leigh asked contemporary songwriter Dean Johnson to finish them.

There is, though, a lingering problem. Generally, if a scrap of lyrics has been discarded, it's because they're not very good. Could that be the case here?

"I'm happy to say it's only a dream, When I come across people like you, It's only a dream and you make it obscene."

Makes you think, doesn't it? Mostly, it makes you think "woah, I wish George Harrison had invested in a shredder."

Radiobit: James Klass

Genuinely sorry to hear of the death of James Klass.

The 44 year-old worked on most of Merseyside's radio stations, including Radio City, Radio Merseyside, Juice and many of the pirate radio stations which came out of Toxteth.

He died of bowel cancer on July 12th; his funeral is in the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral tomorrow.

Booking some time at the Clinic

More good news from Merseyside: Clinic have lined up a spring tour:

08 / 04 Bristol, The Thekla
09 / 04 London, 229 Club
10 / 04 Brighton, Audio
11 / 04 Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
12 / 04 Manchester, University

Prior to that, they're doing a show for BBC Radio Merseyside. The recording takes place on February first; tickets are being given away to lucky winners of a mail-in contest on the band's website. More fun than Ringo Starr stood on a rooftop, innit?

Damon Grant dies again

Simon O'Brien has quit his job as a Radio Merseyside presenter after accidentally calling for the government to be fucked on air:

The station received a number of complaints from listeners after the howler at 6.30am.

It came when O’Brien played a trailer for a Roger Phillips show due to be heard tonight.

The programme Phillips Extra, due to air between 6-7pm, looks at the planned regeneration of Liverpool’s Edge Lane and the needs of people affected by the plans.

But a recorded chat between Phillips and O’Brien ended with the 42-year-old former Brookside actor clearly heard saying “fuck the government, fuck the planners”.

It is understood it was recorded at the end of last week.

But an editing blunder meant the swear words were accidently left in.

We're a little lost as to if O'Brien has resigned because of his sloppy editing - which seems a bit of a harsh reaction to a small, if pungent, slip - or because he has views, which can hardly be right. Sure, he shouldn't express them while in a BBC presenter's chair, but it was an error - and, again, that seems a bit of an extreme punishment for a small mistake.