Gordon in the morning: Gaga gear

Gordon Smart wants us to believe that Lady GaGa has been working through a Top gear box set while she's been unwell.

Alright, then. If you say so.

Gordon in the morning: Kasabian not happy

Apparently Kasabian are under the impression they should appear at Glastonbury every year, like mud, Billy Bragg, and those people who steal stuff from tents:

[Tom] said: “I’m not playing second fiddle to those bands. We’re just as good, if not better.

“We’re the ultimate, we’re the headline band. But he didn’t call us, the b******.

“Glastonbury’s on our ‘to-do’ list. All he’s got to do is pick up the phone.

“We’ve got every f***ing right to headline Glastonbury ’cos we’re good enough. It will happen.”

Oh, yes, not just playing at Glastonbury, but headlining the event. By - you will have spotted - right.

It's amusing, actually: Kasabian tend to be the sort of placeholder headliner you'd stick on if you couldn't get your first choice - popular enough to make logistic sense, but not the sort of booking that's thrilling.

Now they're becoming placeholder outragees for the press - not saying Liam-style stupid grand claims, but just squeakily outraged enough to make a headline.

Gothobit: Gary Biddles

Gary Biddles, Cure roadie turned collaborator, has died.

Biddles made deep connections with The Cure - as Slicing Up Eyeballs remembers, he was briefly lead singer during a last-night jam session on the Pornography tour - and was the first call for former Cure members putting together bands. He was co-founder of Fools Dance when Simon Gallup had his time out from the band; after Gallup returned to Robert Smith's side, Biddles joined Lol Tolhurst in exile in the band Presence.

Presence recorded two albums, but the second had never been heard in public until last month, when it turned up on Soundcloud:


Biddles was interviewd by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer a couple of years back.

No details have been made public about Biddles' death.

Collegerockobit: Scott Miller

Scott Miller, leader of Game Theory and Loud Family, has died.

Miller's Game Theory were a plausible-sounding college rock band from the Davis area of San Francisco who found themselves brutally undone by the weight of "the next REM" expectations they were loaded down with.



They nearly broke through to a wider audience with 1987's Lolita Nation, but just as they were poised for success their label went bust and then the band imploded.

Miller moved on to Loud Family, named after the original reality TV family. The band released a series of albums, but struggled from either - depending on which story you believe - an unfashionable connection to college rock, or a intellect too heavy for a general audience.

The band returned from a hiatus in 2006 for one final album, What If It Works?; sadly the question remained moot.

Scott Miller's blog looking at music on a year-by-year basis, Music: What Happened, was turned into a book.

There's a formal statement on the Loud Family website:

I wish it weren't true, but as much as it pains me to write these words, Scott passed away on April 15, 2013. He was a wonderful, loyal friend as well as a brilliant musician, and I will miss him for the rest of my life.

Scott had been planning to start recording a new Game Theory album, Supercalifragile, this summer, and was looking forward to getting back into the studio and reuniting with some of his former collaborators.

If listening to Scott's own music is too painful for you right now, as it is for me, I can tell you that he absolutely loved David Bowie's new album, The Next Day. He found Bowie's late-career resurgence to be hugely inspirational. I'm sure that if there had been a 2013 chapter of Music: What Happened?, one of the songs from that album would have been right at the top.

Scott Miller was 53.

Gordon in the morning: Chop job

Well, this piece from Stephen Moyes in today's Sun is pretty clear:

MICHAEL Jackson’s daughter has vowed to “karate chop” convicted doctor Conrad Murray to make him appear at the family’s trial.

Nothing like making a daughter's distress at a doctor refusing to help her understand her father's very public death into a cartoon.

But still, if you're going to do this, you'd have a good reason for doing it, right? So, where does the 'karate chop' quote come from?

A source said: “Paris wants to kick Murray’s butt. She wants him to explain what pressure he was under to make Michael perform. When she gives evidence she plans to tear him apart.”

Oddly, this unnamed source doesn't even use the words "karate chop", and it's the only quote Moyes uses.

If we assume that there really is a source, and the quote is genuine, it's difficult to see where the karate chopping came from. (If the quote was just made up, that would have been even worse - forgetting to add the actual claim you're using as your headline into the substantiating article.)

There doesn't appear to be anything else on the web where Paris Jackson "vows" to "karate chop" anybody; references to her doing so just lead back to the Sun.

So: a 'news' story which totally fails to explain where this 'vow' was made. Good to see post-Leveson that things are changing at News International.

How Saturdays get engaged

Wayne Bridge, out of Brighton And Hove Albion, has become engaged to Frankie Out the Saturdays.

Tell us, Frankie, how did he ask for your hand?

Wayne took me to a hotel and he got my dogs involved

Hang on a moment, what?

I didn't know my dogs were there and they came in in little bride and groom outfits.

I'm not entirely sure that walking in your boyfriend in a hotel room with dogs dressed up necessarily means he was planning to ask you to marry him. It could just mean he wasn't expecting you.

And Pixie had the ring around her neck on a ribbon.

You know this sounds... well... odd? Oh, you do.

I think for people who aren't dog fans it's a bit of a weird proposal so I feel like I only want to tell people who like dogs.

I'm not sure you should tell people who like dogs, either. Or even people.

Gordon in the morning: Unlikely opening sentences of our time

Andy Halls has bagged an exclusive:

AFTER coming second on The Voice last year you’d think Bo Bruce would have the world at her feet.

Really, Andy? Given that the person who won The Voice last year vanished like a metal hippo in quicksand, why would anyone think that the runner-up would have had a high profile?

Anyway, Bo is back now, with an album that adds One Of Snow Patrol to the already-powerful prospect of songs by Danny Out The One On The Voice That People Say 'Is He In A Band, Then' About.

But, oh, Bo tells Andy that she wants to shake things up:

What would your dream collaboration be?
Something really out there. I’d really like to do a Chase & Status thing, or Plan B.

Something that’s so far away from what people expect would be really interesting.

Without wanting to be too harsh, I don't think there's any person wandering round with a section of their brain in which they list likely collaborators for Bo Bruce.

In fact, this would be the likely conversation if you tried to do a poll:

- Hi, could I ask who you think the most likely person for Bo Bruce to work with would be?
- Fiona Bruce?
- No, Bo Bruce.
- I don't know who that is. Who is he?
- She. She's a woman.
- How would I know who she'd work with?
- Here's a clue: she took part in a popular reality TV show.
- [Pause] Oh! It's Viglen isn't it?

Coachella: You might wanna be adored, but being known would be a start

The All-New Stone Roses might be quite a big deal in, erm, NME editorial meetings, but not so much at Coachella, the Guardian reports:

If the Coachella line-up looked like a triumph for the legends of British guitar music – Blur! Stone Roses! New Order! – then the reality proved sadly different. Not only were most punters we spoke to confused as to who (or what) the Stone Roses were, the crowd for both Blur and the Roses on the main stage was far smaller than the kind they've been commanding back home. Should we mock the Americans for not "getting" them? Or ourselves, for assuming anyone cared about our musical legends?

Handily, Spinner has an interview with the band's biographer Simon Spence which explains exactly why Americans might see the name 'Stone Roses' and assume somebody has badly mistyped 'Rolling Stones'.

Effectively, a mix of hubris, arrogance and bad timing led the band to develop a reputation amongst the music industry, and no profile at all in the wider America:

When Second Coming was released in 1994, they were in serious disarray but promoting themselves in America was a priority. They hired a high profile American manager, Doug Goldstein, famed for managing Guns N' Roses, and finally embarked on a major promotional push. Geffen's head of PR, Bryn Bridenthal, described it as a disaster. Goldstein was fired after few months later. He told me they band displayed a love-hate relationship with America 'We'd love to be accepted but fuck you if we're not,' he said. Ultimately, anyway, the whole thing was doomed to failure because, even though he was there, Reni had already quit the band.

With a replacement drummer, they did a short nine-date tour of the US in 1995 in support of the album. It was not entirely unsuccessful. It was not, however the success Geffen wanted. You're right, the label spent upward of $4 million on the band. The album, however, peaked at no 47 on the Billboard charts. The President of Geffen, Eddie Rosenblatt, told me the name of the band became a verb: 'The A&R guy brings in a band, and you say, 'Well, is this going to be another Stone Roses?'

But the band remain incredibly popular amongst paunchy middle-aged men from North West England.

Thatcher: Ding Dong results

So, if you were involved with the Ding Dong campaign, you might be thinking you'd succeeded pretty well: the push to get the song charting became a media obsession; front pages in the Mail, Express and Telegraph; BBC management thrown into panic; Charles Moore's confused egg-features caught in puzzled confusion on Question Time. There was even the spectacular contra-campaign which saw Maggie lovers either unwittingly or witlessly buying a punk song that was also an attack on their hero.

As a way of ensuring that the nation was reminded not everyone revered Thatcher, it worked like a charm.

And it even made number two in the charts.

It turns out, though, that the whole thing was a failure.

Luckily, Louise Mensch is on hand to explain why:

It's so good to see that #HopeNotHate triumphed and #DingDidnt flopped at the fence. Much like her opponents in life :) #Thatcher

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) April 14, 2013

Yes, she really did attempt to hijack the name of the anti-racism campaign to hashtag it. Classy.

Did it really matter that the song only got to number two? Probably not, but there's something very Thatcherite, very 'either you're a winner or you're nothing', about the way of viewing the chart position.

But what of the lowly 35 position for I'm In Love With Margaret Thatcher? Was that hashtag hatenothope, then?

Guys: chart is WHOLE WEEK sales not final position. So awesome of #GranthamStyle to make it in in 1 day...

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) April 14, 2013

Louise doesn't understand much about the charts, it turns out. The Notsensibles campaign kicked off on Friday, which is two and a half days of chart-qualifying sales, not one.

And yet, oddly, while suggesting you had to make adjustments for the short time the Love campaign was running...

So there you go. A song they planned to be at No. 1 when Lady #Thatcher died - mobilised for in advance, bought all week - #DingDidnt #fail

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) April 14, 2013

Except Thatcher died on Monday and the Ding Song campaign didn't get underway until Tuesday, so, er, it didn't have a full week's sales, either.

This Tweet is even odder:

And despite weeks of planning I'm still betting ... #DingDidnt - fingers crossed!! #HopeNotHate

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) April 14, 2013

Weeks of planning? How would the Ding Dong campaign have had weeks to plan? Unless Thatcher had phoned up a couple of months back - "I've just seen a fortune teller who's advised me not to bother getting started on the Borgen box set..."

HA! #dingdidnt Planned since 2007 and couldn't manage what Ant and Dec did with no planning in a week. Victory for decency and respect!

— Nik Smith (@niksmith84) April 14, 2013

Except, again, Nik, Ant and Dec's sales ran for a full week. And I think they sold about 10,000 fewer copies.

So, there we have it: Tens of thousands of people buy a record specifically to show a lack of respect for their hero, and yet it's still a victory because Ant And Dec had got to number one with only the top-rated Saturday night TV show.

History is going to judge us all harshly, isn't it?

Justin Bieber visits the Anne Frank House

Of course, it ends in shallow disaster, as Bieber signs the guest book:

"Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber."

To adapt the words of the publisher who rejected the Diary Of Anne Frank: "The boy doesn't, it seems to me, have a special perception or feeling which would lift that guestbook entry above the 'curiosity' level."

Deftoneobit: Chi Cheng

Chi Cheng, founder member of, and bassist for, The Deftones has died. His mother issued a statement:

This is the hardest thing to write to you. Your love and heart and devotion to Chi was unconditional and amazing.
I know that you will always remember him as a giant of a man on stage with a heart for every one of you.
He was taken to the emegency room and at 3 am today his heart just suddenly stopped. He left this world with me singing songs he liked in his ear.
He fought the good fight.You stood by him sending love daily. He knew that he was very loved and never alone.
I will write more later. I will be going through the oneloveforchi site and any other information may not be reliable.
If you have any stories or messages to share please send them to the onelove site. Please hold Mae and Ming and the siblings and especially Chi’s son, Gabriel in your prayers. It is so hard to let go.
With great love and “Much Respect!” Mom J (and Chi)
Thank you to Phil and Hostgator.com for being kind enough to upgrade my server at no charge to handle the increased traffic to www.oneloveforchi.com so it won’t crash again. We appreciate it so much.
Thank you One Love Fam for your love and support. -Gina Blackmore

Cheng had been semi-comatose for four years following a vicious car accident and subsequent medical complications. Discharged from hospital more than once, his health would take a lurch for the worse and he'd find himself back in.

Chi Cheng was 42; he died yesterday.

Bookmarks: Wire

Over on Sweeping The Nation, there's some lovely Wire from the late 1970s. You should - arf! - dot-dash over there to watch.

Listen with No Rock: Vini Reilly & Dave Haslam

At the start of last month, Dave Haslam interviewed Vini Reilly about his experiences of depression. The event was organised by CALM and the hope is that it'll persuade people to ask for help if they need it. You can find more about depression at the CALM website or can call the national helpline.

This week just gone

The most-read things so far this year:

1. Neil McCormick's Telegraph piece looks a lot like an Observer piece
2. Liveblog: Brits 2013
3. Robbie Williams beileves lack of Mod led to Oasis fall-out
4. We know Kimberley Walsh wasn't lip-synching
5. NME's best singles of 1993
6. RIP: Nic Potter
7. Karftwerk v Communist China
8. Rick's comment on the Thatcher Ding-Dong
9. Simon Cowell snubbed
10. Simon Worrall tribute album

These were this week's interesting releases:


Kurt Vile - Walkin On A Pretty Daze

Download Walkin' On A Pretty Daze



Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School Of Medicine - White People And The Damage Done

Download White People



OMD - English Electric

Download English Electric



The Knife - Shaking The Habitual

Download Shaking The Habitual

Reebok dump Ross, eventually

Plimsol company Reebok have ended their relationship with Rick Ross after somebody pointed out his pro-rape song:

Reebok released a statement on Thursday announcing it had severed ties with Ross.
"Reebok holds our partners to a high standard, and we expect them to live up to the values of our brand," the statement read. "Unfortunately, Rick Ross has failed to do so. While we do not believe that Rick Ross condones sexual assault, we are very disappointed he has yet to display an understanding of the seriousness of this issue or an appropriate level of remorse. At this time, it is in everyone's best interest for Reebok to end its partnership with Mr. Ross."

For a company which makes things for people to run in - they also manufacture singlets - they seem to move incredibly slowly. But they got there in the end.

Thatcher: Suddenly the Ding Dong row makes sense

Now, finally, the reason for the Ding Dong fuss has become clear, thanks to this BBC News report:

DJ Paul Gambaccini said Sunday's show had become "part of the BBC history of censorship".

In some religions of Northern Europe, the Gambaccini is a mythical creature whose appearance sharing an opinion on the deceased represents the start of that person's journey into the afterlife.

The argument over a song has obviously been crafted to tempt the wise counsel of the Gambaccini from the spirit world.

In related news, it seems that Rob Wilson, Tory MP for Reading East, doesn't know very much about recent history:

However, the Conservative MP for Reading East, Rob Wilson, said the track should be played in its entirety.

He said: "I think that Margaret Thatcher would be horrified having helped free millions of people in eastern Europe and been the symbol of freedom around the world that she could in any way have censorship in her own country."

That's right, Rob. The woman who spent our cash so lavishly trying to stop publication of Spycatcher, and who created the farce where Irish Republican statements had to be rendered like some form of badly-dubbed foreign movie would be horrified at that. Jesus, the woman even tried to redact British Airways plane liveries.

Thatcher: A rival campaign, as Cooper fluffs it

Whoever would have thought the legacy of Thatcher would turn out not to be a debate over the merits of Keynes against Alan Walters, but a silly spat over a song from The Wizard Of Oz.

It's telling that the big fans of Thatcher have, through their orchestrated attacks on the BBC, managed to turn what might have been a sombre week of reflection into a giggling morass of point and counterpoint over the Munchkin's signature tune.

It then gets funnier, because they cry "but you keep talking about it", thereby churning the story on and on. What would have been a Facebook campaign to control the commanding heights of the lower 20s of the chart has instead become the dominant theme of Thatcher coverage.

Clearly, now, more people are buying the record to make Charles Moore go even more vermillion in the face than to dance on Maggie's grave. Every column inch in the Mail turns what had been a bad taste kick of a corpse into a much more cheerful tweak of the establishment's nose.

But hey: why don't the Thatcher fans try and counter this protest by showing how much she was loved by a portion of the population?

Ooh, Louise Mensch. I understand you've got an idea?

HASHTAG OF THE WEEK for whoever came up with #GranthamStyle - to buy #ImInLoveWithMargaretThatcher here - itunes.apple.com/gb/album/im-in…

— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) April 12, 2013

Uh... I was thinking more of that Thatcher single where she read the Gettysburg Address, or maybe Telstar, which was one of her favourites. But, er, yes, if you want to endorse The NotSensibles, a group who were self-identifying as being not sensible, clearly taking the very piss out of the idea of anyone being in love with Margaret Thatcher, go for it.

I'm expecting Nadine Dorries to be pushing Shipbuilding in the belief that all that talk about reopening the shipyards is an endorsement of Thatcher's industrial policies.

Meanwhile, after days of speculation over whether the BBC will or won't play Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead on Sunday, Radio One's uncomfortable-in-a-suit controller Ben Cooper has managed to concoct the most wonderful fudge by proclaiming that they'll play five seconds and talk about the song.

He was on BBC News a short while ago, trying to suggest that what might appear to be fudge is something else entirely - maybe butterscotch, or cinder toffee.

At one point he said something which will only prolong the agonies - that it was inappropriate to play an attack on a person "who hasn't yet been buried".

Which means that a week on Sunday, once the former Prime Minister is in the ground, he might have to drag through the decision again. Does the change in status from above to below the horizon suddenly make a difference?

There's no indication why five seconds is any worse or better than the full fifty-six seconds. Either the song is offensive - in which case, don't play it; or it isn't, in which case play it in full.

Cooper suggests when Rage Against The Machine was number one, they edited that record and this is the same thing. Except it isn't, is it? There's a difference between removing a "fuck" from a record going out on the radio, and removing fifty one seconds of a track not because of the content of the song but because of the imputed motivations of the people buying it.

Cooper wasn't going to please everyone; instead, he's created an illogical mess.

Catatonia, Kenickie & Pulp lead Sony Music Awards shortlist

Just time for a quick look at the Sony nominations - congratulations to Lauren Laverne, Jarvis Cocker and Cerys Matthews for their recognition. Seeing those names together makes the awards list look like the cover of Select magazine.

Also nice to see Danny Baker getting better treatment here than he got at Radio London.

Breakfast show of the year (10 million plus)

Breakfast – BBC Radio 3

Chris Evans – BBC Radio 2

The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show – Absolute Radio

KISS Breakfast with Rickie, Melvin & Charlie – KISS

Today Programme – BBC News for BBC Radio 4

Breakfast show of the year (under 10 million)

The Andrew Peach Show – BBC Radio Berkshire

BBC Tees Breakfast – BBC Tees

Sam & Amy – Gem 106

Steve & Karen's Breakfast Show – Metro Radio

Xfm Manchester Breakfast Show with Tim Cocker – Xfm Manchester

Best music programme

The Dermot O'Leary Show – Ora Et Labora for BBC Radio 2

Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service – BBC 6 Music

Lauren Laverne – BBC 6 Music

The Ronnie Wood Show – Somethin' Else for Absolute Radio & Absolute Classic Rock

Zane Lowe – BBC Radio 1

Best entertainment programme

Charlie Sloth – BBC Radio 1Xtra

The Danny Baker Show – Campbell Davison Media for BBC Radio 5 live

Geoff Lloyd's Hometime Show – Absolute Radio

Greg James – BBC Radio 1

Kate Lawler – Kerrang! Radio

Best speech programme

Alan Robson's Nightowls – Metro Radio

Iain Dale – LBC 97.3

The JVS Show – BBC Three Counties Radio

The Listening Project – BBC Radio Documentaries with BBC English Regions & BBC Nations for BBC Radio 4

Witness – BBC News for BBC World Service

Best sports programme

5 live Olympics with Peter Allen and Colin Murray – BBC Radio 5 live

Keys & Gray – talkSPORT

Mary and the Minstermen – BBC Radio York

Not Just Cricket – TBI Media for BBC Radio 5 live

Rugby Nation - Town and Country Broadcasting for Nation Radio, Radio Pembrokeshire, Radio Carmarthenshire, Bridge FM and Nation Hits!

Best news & current affairs programme

BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat – BBC News for BBC Radio 1

File on 4 – BBC Radio Current Affairs for BBC Radio 4

Newshour – BBC World Service News for Current Affairs for BBC World Service

Nick Ferrari at Breakfast – LBC 97.3

The Nolan Show – BBC Radio Ulster

Best coverage of a live event

Hillsborough: Truth and Justice – BBC Radio Merseyside

Judgement Sunday – Final Day of Premier League (Matchday Live) – talkSPORT

London 2012 : The Olympic & Paralympic Games - BBC Radio 5 live

Paralympic Sportsworld – BBC Sport for BBC World Service

Radio 1's Hackney Weekend – BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra

Best community programming

Ciaran's Cause – Real Radio North West

Crossroads – PRA Productions for BBC Radio 1Xtra

Make a Clean Break – Prison Radio Association for National Prison Radio

Walk for Harry – Free Radio (Birmingham)

Word Up – Prison Radio Association for National Prison Radio

Music radio personality of the year

Charlie Sloth – BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra

Christian O'Connell – Absolute Radio

John Suchet – Classic FM

Ken Bruce – BBC Radio 2

Lauren Laverne – BBC 6 Music

Music radio broadcaster of the year

Cerys on 6 – BBC 6 Music

Jamie Cullum – Folded Wing for BBC Radio 2

Johnnie Walker – Wise Buddah Creative for BBC Radio 2

Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie – Smooth Operations for BBC 6 Music

Suzy Klein – BBC Radio 3 & BBC Radio 4

Speech radio broadcaster of the year

Danny Baker – Campbell Davison Media for BBC Radio 5 live

Eddie Mair – BBC Radio 4

Nicky Campbell – BBC Radio 5 live

Stephen Sackur – BBC News for BBC World Service

Victoria Derbyshire – BBC Radio 5 live

Radio journalism of the year

Becky Milligan – BBC Radio 4

Capital East Midlands News Team – Capital FM East Midlands

John Humphrys – BBC News for BBC Radio 4

Jon Donnison – BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service

Michelle Livesey – Key 103

Best use of branded content

Classic FM's Tasting Notes paired with Laithwaite's Wine – Classic FM

The Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show with Wickes – Absolute Radio

Kerrang! Radio The Darkest Hour – Kerrang! Radio

Sky Bond - Absolute Radio – Absolute Radio

The World's Largest Pub Quiz with Bells – LBC 1152

Best promotional/advertising campaign

BBC Radio 6 Music Celebrates Kraftwerk – BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 2 & BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 6 Music Celebrates Punk Britannia - BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 2 & BBC Radio 4

Classic FM's More Music Breakfast Campaign – Classic FM

The Gothic Imagination – BBC Radio 4 & 4 Extra Presentation for BBC Radio 4

The Olympics – BBC Radio Xtrails, 5 live Station Sound, Fresh Air Production, BBC A&M, BBC Nations and Regions for BBC Radio

Best competition

500 Words – BBC Radio 2

Coca-Cola Fan Reporter – talkSPORT

Round Our Way on Xfm Manchester – Xfm Manchester

Talk To The Animals – Geoff Lloyd – Absolute Radio

Two Strangers Risk It For A Biscuit – Real Radio Scotland

Best station imaging

106 JACK fm (South Coast)

BBC Radio 2

BBC Radio 6 Music

Capital FM Network

Classic FM

Best music feature or documentary

6 Music Celebrates: 50 Years of the Cassette – BBC 6 Music

Black is a Country – Brook Lapping Productions for BBC Radio 4

Titanic: Minute by Minute – TBI Media (with BBC Drama) for BBC Radio 2

The Art of Garfunkel – BBC Radio 2

The Story of Ed Sheeran – BBC Radio 1

Best news feature or documentary

Adventures of a Blue Badger – Alfi Media Ltd for BBC Radio 5 live

Assignment/Crossing Continents: Uzbekistan – BBC Radio Current Affairs for BBC Radio 4 & BBC World Service

Lawrence of Arabia – Man and Myth – Just Radio for BBC Radio 4

The Bombardment of Homs – BBC Radio Current Affairs for BBC World Service

The Left to Die Boat – BBC World Service

Best feature or documentary

Belongings – TBI Media for BBC Radio 3

Bon Voyage – Julia Scott Productions for BBC World Service

Bruising Silence – Just Radio for BBC Radio 1

Dying Inside – Unique The Production Company for BBC Radio 4

Titanic: Minute by Minute – TBI Media (with BBC Drama) for BBC Radio 2

Best comedy

Isy Suttie: Pearl and Dave – BBC Radio Comedy for BBC Radio 4

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme – BBC Radio Comedy for BBC Radio 4

Meera Syal's Asian Comedy Night - BBC Asian Network & Tonic Productions for BBC Asian Network

My Teenage Diary – Talkback (part of Freemantle Media UK) for BBC Radio 4

Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast - Fuzz Productions Ltd & Sky Potato Productions for British Comedy Guide

Best drama

Beryl: A Love Story on Two Wheels – Savvy for BBC Radio 4

Easter & Christmas Diaries – BBC Radio 4 & 4 Extra Presentation for BBC Radio 4 Extra

The Grapes of Wrath – BBC Radio Scotland

My Boy – Somethin' Else for BBC Radio 4

The Resistance of Mrs Brown – BBC Radio Drama London for BBC Radio 4

Best use of multiplatform

InStream from Absolute Radio – Absolute Radio

Letter From America - BBC Radio 4/Audio and Music Interactive for BBC Radio 4 & BBC World Service

The Listening Project – BBC Radio 4 and BBC Nations & Regions

The Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Nick Grimshaw – BBC Radio 1

Radio 1's Review Show – Somethin' Else for BBC Radio 1

Station of the year (under 300,000)

KL.FM 96.7

National Prison Radio

Touch FM

Station of the year (300,000 to 1 million)

BBC Radio Humberside

BBC Tees

JACKfm Oxfordshire

Station of the year (1 million plus)

BBC Newcastle

Fun Kids

Metro Radio

UK station of the Year

BBC Asian Network

BBC Radio 5 live

Classic FM

UK radio brand of the year

Classic FM

KISS

Smooth Radio UK

Thatcher: The medium wave goodbye

There's a nice piece about Thatcher's influence on the media by Maggie Brown over on MediaGuardian, although if focuses on TV so doesn't mention the damage she and her government wrought to commercial radio.

The delicate ecosystem which supported genuinely local radio - often doing interesting things - got disrupted in the late 80s when the Thatcher government issued an edict that simulcasting was a waste of scarce resources, and if stations continued to broadcast the same programmes on FM and AM, they would have to surrender one of the frequencies.

Spooked, the incumbents suddenly felt compelled to launch entirely new stations, at a stroke doubling their day-to-day costs while - generally - not increasing the size of the audience. With the economics of the industry trashed, the result was a series of takeovers and amalgamations which has led to the current situation where "local" radio is now anything but.

Thatcher's insistence that you shouldn't get the same breakfast programme on two wavebands in one place has resulted in people hundreds of miles apart getting the same breakfast programme and local news rapidly vanishing.

Thatcher: More on the Ding thing

In case you read No Rock away from the site, I just wanted to draw your attention to Rick's comments on Ding Dong, because you should read them.

Thatcher: Charles Moore has questions

You'd think that, after his time spent as musical egg Ludwig on children's television, Charles Moore would understand the charts a bit better than he appeared to on last night's Question Time.

Actually, it was something of a surprise to see Moore on Question Time at all, given the fuss he made about not believing he should pay for a TV licence.

The convicted criminal Moore was appearing on a current affairs programme which, rapidly, had changed its location to Thatcher's Finchley and reformatted itself as a Thatcher special; on a channel which on Monday had cleared what felt like seventeen hours of prime time for a soft obituary which nobody watched, and is planning lavish coverage of her funeral. Naturally, then, Moore saw nothing but hate coming from the BBC.

As an example, he referred to the Ding Dong erm, ding dong, which - shortly after saying that vile people were being "bigged up every day" (really) he described this way:

I heard today a ludicrous thing on the PM programme. They're trying to get... basically the BBC is trying to get this Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead um, up to the top of the charts...

Hang about. The BBC are trying to do this? How, exactly?

... by going on and on and on about whether it should be banned and all this nonesense.

He then went into a strange sidebar on how Thatcher is Dorothy.

So, in Moore's view, merely having a debate about if the song should or shouldn't be played if it makes the Top 40 is "trying to get this up to the top of the charts."

On which basis, this will make him furious:

If only Charles Moore knew people at the Telegraph, he could remonstrate with them for trying to get Ding Dong to the top of the charts by going on and on and on about whether it should be banned.

Thatcher: strange bedfellows

It's just a coincidence... it's just a coincidence... it's just a coincidence...

But the current front page of the BBC One website does make it look like Morrissey is trying to restrain himself from pouring tea over the former Prime Minister.

Send not to ask for whom the Ding Dong tolls...

There's a thoughtful piece from Dan Martin on the NME site right now which explains why he won't be buying Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead, which is right... up to a point.

Martin's view is that it makes "us" as bad as "them":

On the most very basic level, Thatcher’s ideologies are repulsive, because their basis is mean-spirited and nasty.

And it’s according to those very basic principles that I would identify myself as a member of the left.

Cut through the rhetoric and the politics of the right are those of selfishness. Selfishness in turn is inherently mean.

I’ll tell you what else is mean: celebrating somebody’s death with a tedious chart-hyping Facebook campaign.

Well, yes. As I said on Twitter on Monday, there's nothing to celebrate in the death of a frail, lonely old lady; nor is there anything to celebrate in what she did to the nation.

But this doesn't make Martin totally right.

First of all, it doesn't make any attempt to understand why people may - all these years on - still be so angry as to do actually make good on those threats to tramp the dirt down.

Dan tries to suggest he gets it:

I was born three days before she came to power and grew up in a Merseyside community that she decimated. It was impossible not to be politicised; I remember singing ‘Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead’ to myself on the day she was deposed. Nobody had died, and I was 11.

Dan, are you sure that you can compare being an eight year-old kid on the Wirral (a place which has so made its peace with the past that it often has a Tory council these days) with, say, the experience of people who were born into a mining village and now live in something that isn't even quite a village?

Aren't you falling into the trap of that other Tory PM, the one who wanted us to condemn a little more, and understand a little less?

More importantly, though, is the very premise of the piece:

Margaret Thatcher ‘Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead’ Campaign Is An Embarrassment for the Left

Well, no. No it isn't, unless you believe that there are only two sides in politics; that there's a wobbly line down the middle of the world, somewhere off to the left of Nick Clegg, and that everybody on that side is one team - Thatcher, Cameron, Clegg, Williams, Hitler, Attila The Hun; and everybody on the other is the rest - hopefully Miliband, Benn, Stalin, people downloading Ding Dong and Attila The Stockbroker.

This 'you're either with us or against us', this 'them and us' - that's one of the brittle legacies of the Thatcher era. Billy Bragg had a song called 'Which Side Are You On', but that fell into a false dichotomy; that was Thatcher's trap.

You still see it today - The Sun's stock in trade is to suggest that everyone on the left is involved in some sort of group-think, that welcoming the renationalisation of the East Coast Line means you also want to liquidate the Kulaks.

Louise Mensch is so firmly convinced that there are only two options she made a fool of herself on Twitter claiming that because Tony Benn was able to say something positive about Maggie, he therefore "loved" her.

And this... well, this is the same. Some people are truly, truly happy that Thatcher is dead. Some people find it amusing to sing a song that celebrates that death, although they might feel ashamed of themselves if they realised they were glorying in death much as Thatcher gloried in slaughter. Some may even have a party while they watch the funeral.

These people may all be to the left of Thatcher. But they are not "The Left", and they are not even "the left".

Because politics that is just two choices isn't politics, it's screeching.

And that's part of the world Thatcher tried to create. You're fighting a battle in a playground she defined.

Be disgusted if you wish; condemn if you must. But don't suggest that anyone who opposes Thatcher represents everyone who opposes Thatcher. Because there are, actually, many alternatives.

Thatcher: Express angry at prospect of Chart show playing record in the chart

Here's a story from The Daily Express. Skip past the the headline and first bit - where a person who does drama sessions at school is misleading described as a "teacher" to ramp up the outrage - and focus on the foaming about the chance Radio One might play Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead this weekend:

BBC radio chiefs risk a furious backlash by playing a song which has become the anthem of anti-Baroness Thatcher protesters, it emerged last night.

The chart hasn't been compiled yet; the record hasn't been played yet; there is no backlash, furious or otherwise. But the Express has the blood pumping.

A massive online campaign has seen Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead, taken from the Wizard Of Oz, rocket into the Top 10 of the official midweek charts.

But with the tune a strong contender for the No1 spot this weekend, bosses have failed to rule out playing it during the official countdown.

In a statement the BBC said: "Radio 1 will run through the official chart update as normal, however, we only play a selection of entries each week.

"The chart show on Sunday is an account of what the public has been buying and we will make a decision about playing it when the final chart positions are clear."

Oddly, the Express doesn't seem all that bothered about the chart shows on commercial radio, who are presumably in exactly the same position. And those music TV stations who run down the charts too. Almost as if this was more about having a pop at the BBC than an actual story.

Isn't the point the Express has missed that the only expression of "furious backlash" here is that demonstrated by people who are buying the track in the first place?



Margaret Thatcher looked stunning, yes;
but why no nipples in the Daily Express?

Perhaps John Cooper Clarke for number one next week, then?

Gordon in the morning: Liam Gallagher applauds treating fans like rubbish

I'm sure somewhere in the middle of this, Liam Gallagher thinks he's making some sort of hilarious joke:

LIAM GALLAGHER has started getting his excuses in for BEADY EYE’s new album title, BE.
And, strangely enough, he’s putting the blame on JUSTIN BIEBER.
Liam said: “My theory is that it’s gonna have BE on the cover, and then on the back I-E-B-E-R.
“Biiiiieee-ber! I’ve got his f****** back, man.”

Obviously, having lumbered the album with such a clunky title - not even working up the being arsedness to make it self-titled - there's got to be a creation myth. This isn't it.

Hang on, though: there's more:

Liam also defended Bieber after the little trumpet went on stage late at The O2 arena last month, claiming more bands should do the same.

He said: “Anyone who goes on two hours late is f****** right in my book, man.

“All these so-called rock bands that sit backstage going, ‘Hey, let’s wait 15 minutes’.

“F*** that, wait two hours and 15 minutes! No one will beat that, ever.

“So get off his back, man — I am a Belieber!”

To be honest, Liam, if you want to linger out backstage indefinitely, I don't think anyone would much mind.

Gordon in the morning: A national outrage

Leigh Holmwood, looking after TV for the Sun, reports on a shocking show of disrespect to a national figure who, while divisive, has unquestionably won ratings:

SIMON Cowell has been snubbed by Bafta — with neither Britain’s Got Talent nor X Factor nominated for TV awards.

They were left out of the reality and constructed factual category ahead of the May 12 ceremony.

Wouldn't there have had to be some sort of reason to expect the clapped-out X Factor and the dancing dog to have been selected as the best of the year before you could consider this a "snub"?

Thatcher: The reckoning

Back in 2009, No Rock And Roll Fun put Thatcher to the ultimate test: Was pop music better when she started, or by the time she'd finished?

Morrissey unlikely to be asked to deliver Thatcher eulogy

Morrissey has offered a Thatcher obituary for The Daily Beast.

Given that Thatcher was probably the only person who could dig heels in more firmly than Mozzer, you won't be surprised to hear that Moz isn't exactly holding back the tears:

Thatcher will only be fondly remembered by sentimentalists who did not suffer under her leadership, but the majority of British working people have forgotten her already, and the people of Argentina will be celebrating her death. As a matter of recorded fact, Thatcher was a terror without an atom of humanity.

After yesterday, when news outlets abandoned any attempt at balance or analysis - to have the television on was a glimpse into what it must be like to be in a Gove-approved history class - it's refreshing to have an alternative view.

And from one of David Cameron's favourites, too.

[Thanks to Michael M and @richstanton]

Michael Jackson loved UK gun laws, apparently

Did the UK's relatively tight gun legislation lead to Michael Jackson choosing London for the comeback that never happened?

Yes, according to Jason Pfeiffer.

Hang on, who's Jason Pfeiffer?

Jackson's friend and dermatologist

Ah. Well, that makes sense. Who knows our secrets better than the person who writes the prescription for face cream, eh?

Tell us more, Jason:

"The last time I saw him he ways saying his goodbyes to everyone in the office," Pfeiffer told The Sun.

This really does sound like in the construction "friend and dermatologist", the skin care was much more significant than the friendship.

"It was like he knew he was never coming back, and he would often say he thought he was going to be shot on stage.

"He said the comeback was in England due to the gun laws there.

"That's why he ditched a US comeback as people had access to guns here and would shoot him. He thought America was too dangerous.

"But he still had some fears that he would be shot on stage."

I hope nobody ever showed him Velvet Goldmine.

Happily, Michael wasn't shot on stage. Although the amount of painkiller swilling round his system, he probably wouldn't have noticed if he had been.

Rockobit: Chris Bailey

Chris Bailey, bassist for The Angels, died last week.

Bailey joined The Angels in 1976, after a reshuffle saw original bassist Doc Neeson take on lead vocals. Before, he'd been a member of loose collective the Mount Lofty Rangers alongside AC/DC's Bon Scott, Peter Head, Jimmy Barnes and some welders.

The band managed to be at the heart of a mini-riot on the steps of Sydney Opera House when a New Years Eve gig went to shit; Bailey was knocked unconscious by a thrown bottle and Neeson received injuries requiring hospital treatment.

He remained an Angel through their glory years, leaving in 1982 to try his luck in America. His luck didn't play well in the US, and he returned to Australia a couple of years later, playing in (and then managing) Gangajang.

As is so often the case, there was a bunch of muddied reunions of The Angels in subsequent years - Bailey joining a 2001 troupe called Members Of The Angels; then The Original Angels Band (despite him not being an original Angel); an actual reunion as The Angels in 2008 (the only one to feature Doc Neeson); and, finally, The Angels With Dave Gleeson. His illness led to him leaving this latest iteration of the band last year.

Chris Bailey was 62; he died from throat cancer on April 3rd.