A mailing list I’m on drew my attention to a phone interview on Radio 5 last night by Stephen Nolan, with Philip Pullman (author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, my review here). What follows is probably one of the most unbelievably rude treatments I’ve heard of a well respected author by somebody who seemed intent on foisting viewpoints on Pullman that he didn’t share or state.
I’ve long stopped listening to music radio for just this reason. Whilst Radio 5 isn’t music radio as such, it’s this sort of mindless blathering on the part of the DJ that I can’t stand, striving to fill silence with something. It’s all so much worse on talk-radio, where it’s merely the size of the DJ’s ego that can fill the gap. In this case, throw in a religiously biased axe to grind, and you’re ready for blood-boiling (in me at least).
The subject was on the teaching of the secular/atheist/humanist perspective in Religious Education classes. Thankfully, the other interviewee (Graham Taylor) did a good job of backing Pullman’s case of taking the religion out of school altogether. I’ve been sent an MP3 of the interview, which I’m hosting for the benefit of the secular mailing list I’m on. Make sure you’ve a sound constitution and an ice-bag nearby to calm yourself if you’re anything like me. (listen to it here). The Stephen Nolan Wikipedia page says it all. “somewhat in the style of Jeremy Clarkson“. Yikes.
If you prefer a DJ-less music experience, and like supporting independent musicians, check out Indie Feed. I’ve just purchased a couple of tracks from the Techno Squirrels (Best. Band. Name. Ever.) on iTunes, and certainly now fear the day I have to go back to listening to pundits with inflated egos wasting valuable music-playing time with opinionated, argumentative and outrightly rude crap, like this guy.
March 6th, 2006 at 8:23 pm
I blew a fuse at that interviewer.
I have been confined to bed for the past five weeks and have been doing more listening than normal. That particular interviewer has no standards or manners at all. I am baffled as to how he keeps his job with the BBC. Controversial is alright, sheer rudeness is never right.
I have actually complained to the BBC for the first time in my life.
March 7th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
I didn’t hear that interview but agree with you about the quantity of inane twaddle on so called music stations. Recently my daughter had been listening to a local station in the car, so I thought I’d leave it on that station and listen in for a while for a change. I gave up after SEVEN MINUTES of the “DJ” wittering on about nothing in particular and no music whatsoever.