Entertainment For Lively Minds
Podcast 102: from panel games to the pagan calendar taking in Father's Day on the way
Posted by David Hepworth on 16 June 2009 - 3:13pm.
Mark Ellen, David Hepworth, Barry McIlheney and Paul Du Noyer gather in the world's hottest room to examine the scorching issues of the day:
* Does Jo Whiley really get £100k *more* than John Humphrys?
* What's it like for 19 year-old Jay Weinberg to deputise for his dad in the E Street Band?
* When the last newspaper goes out of business, will anybody care?
* What's it like for a woman on one of those panel shows?
* What did our dads used to say about pop music?
* How did the ancient pagan calendar get taken over by the greetings card industry?
Usual drill. Subscribe above or stream below.
Looking forward to this as
Looking forward to this as usual. Can anyone explain why iTunes takes so long to download it? My BBC podcasts scoot through at about 1MB/sec (I'm on VirginMedia 10Mb/sec) but the Word is always much much slower. Is it due to who hosts it and their bandwidth capacity?
PS I'm not complaining! All good things come to those who wait, etc
Sixties Rock stars children aren't children any more
As ever, interesting podcast, because of , not despite, the abrupt "segues".
On the point that you still think the children of rock stars are still youngsters, this is a picture of Bob Dylan's son Jesse, born 1966 , and now a director of American Pie 3: The Wedding, and Obama's campaign video "Yes we can." (A diverse CV.)
He is five years younger than me, but if you'd asked me to guess how this man was related to Bob Dylan, the picture on the cover of Blonde on Blonde would have come to my mind, and I would have guessed that this was maybe Bob's uncle.
Are you sure his dad
isn't Woody Allen?
Do we need broadband?
By coincidence I awoke in the early hours a couple of days ago from a nightmare with a nuclear holocaust background. I got up to go for a pee and my first, dream influenced thoughts were "There's no water, food or electricity". The need for broadband strangely wasn't there. As I came to my senses and realised the world was normal I was relieved, but thoughts of broadband were still not in my mind.
Glad...
I'm not the only one who has to get up in the night for a piss. My father-in-law (from Munich) sleeps right through (and he's 70) - even after large amounts of beer - it concerns me.
..and on that point
As far as Broadband goes ,the frustration of "not getting what i'm paying for" in terms of download speed,is a new neurosis i am cultivating..and on the subject of newsprint:i did a double take a day ago to see that Janet St Porter is now writing for the Daily Mail!..if you cant beat em join em? from her perspective? keeping your enemies close? from theirs?..or have i got totally screwed ideas on the subject? Pragmatic popular signing for them,inroads into far bigger readership for her i spose.
Another great giggler (regarding Barry Cryer)...
Mitch Benn from The Now Show, and the much lamented (by me, anyway) It's Been A Bad Week on Radio 2. Listen to any show, and right front and centre is the New Richard Stilgoe(TM) laughing generously at everything.
Also, and I haven't watched them for a while, we have Connie Booth being the only person laughing in the early episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus. (She was in the audience, rather than performing). Michael Palin has recently noted this, as it was the only spur they got in the otherwise barren early days of the show.
The recent revelation that Prunella Scales's laugh in Fawlty Towers was based on Booth's laugh should make it easy to spot.
I've recently listened to the Beyond The Fringe album (produced by George Martin!) and Dudley Moore was corpsing even back then.
Great podcast!
The chat about father's day was a classic.
I rather clumsily commented on the previous Skype podcast thread, that although technically I understood it was a success, it lacked the usual chemistry. Well, can't moan this week, it was bang on form.
Cosmic chemistry man!
Four old mates having a chat and a laugh - fabulous stuff.
I love all the diifering tones, voices and accents - with a particular mention for Paul "Boulevardier" du Noyer's laconic delivery - particularly the line delivered in response to Richard Williams' somewhat pompous self-denial of the joys of Zep
Fathers day sort of!!!
Enjoyed the chat about fathers and music. Can't comment as mine died when I was a child but luckily I have my mother who bought her 1st cd The Bodyguard soundtrack(!!!) and complained to me that side 1 was fine but when she turned it over that side 2 didnt work
Recently I was in Glasgow with her and made the mistake of going into Fopp. She shouted across the shop for everyone to hear "Look Steve Simply Red's Greatest Hits for £5 do you want it?"
We left immediately
Your mother sounds like a
Your mother sounds like a person worth knowing, Steve. The story about the CD reminds me of when I first introduced my father-in-law to a personal computer. He asked me how did one move the cursor on the screen. I told him to move the mouse around - so he picked it up and waved it in the air.
Ahead of his time
Isn’t that how the Wii works?
My father and The Sex Pistols
Have just been listening to the podcast whilst driving to the hospital to see my father who is unfortunately seriously ill and so loved the chat about fathers and music.
Today fathers and sons can appreciate the same music in a way that wasn't possible in the 60s and 70s when the generation gap seemed wider. My father was into brass bands and military music so we had little in common musically. Imagine his horror at The Sex Pistols! When I said I was going to buy Never Mind The Bollocks he forbade me to buy it. The argument went along the lines that I was going to buy it (his reply was he would smash it up) and hide it in the house. I would then play it on the "family" record player when he was at work. His response was that he would take the needle to work each day!
Looking down at him tonight I would love to be able to have the argument again.
How did other Word reader's fathers react to punk or any other musical styles that they couldn't appreciate?
Good luck mate
Been through that myself and it's a long, hard journey, but keep on keeping on doing it. That's all you can do. I hope you get to come out the other side of it. All the best.
I remember
watching the famous Grundy/Pistols episode with my father. At its conclusion, I'm not sure who was the more embarassed. My father let several seconds elapse before uttering the bone dry observation "well, they're certainly a colourful crowd aren't they?".
All best wishes to you Pinmonkey
Army man
My Dad was in the army, down to earth type and although I wanted desperately to shock him senseless by the Sex Pistols and Punk Rock him and my mum were just too laid back about it all!
It wasn't how the plan was meant to go...even on long car journeys when it was my turn to put the cassette in, they never batted an eyelid when Discharge's "Ain't No Feeble Bastard" spewed out.
They supported me throught my punk rock fledgling musical years (I don't mean they were the first act at one of our gigs...oh, you know what I mean) and were always welcoming with tea and biscuits for all the band and entourage - mohicans, leather jackets etc.
The first time my now wife met my parents she remembers my mum in the kitchen washing up after the sunday roast singing "Pretty Vacant" - I stil thank my mum to this day as I'm sure it sealed the deal as wife is huge punk fan too!
Must be a difficult time for you Pinmonkey, thoughts are with you.
How many buttons
you should have fastened/unfastened on your polo shirt is of huge importance
The jacket buttoning rule was well explained, I thought.
Yes, but what's the answer?
I see people wearing polo shirts with all the buttons done up and think they look complete tools - but is it me that's being sniggered at for being uncool?
To be honest....
...I think it's all to do with how big your neck is. The polo shirt hasn't been made that Brian O'Driscoll could button up. But the average member of an indie band would have to button it up for fear of its slipping off altogether.
Well I haven't had to worry about that
for a few years now, so I won't attempt to do all mine up and asphyxiate myself in the attempt to look with-it.
Do people still say "with-it"?
unless
in fact, you are a 17yr old mod or some sort of oddball - then it should never be worn with all the buttons fastened.
The advised course of action is to leave the top one alone undone.
Although, on my recent Cornish sojourn, I may have left all 3 unfastened at the Sun's zenith.
The rule - above all - is that polo shirts are the only shirts with a short sleeve and buttons that it is permissible to wear.
If you have ever worn a short sleeved shirt with a tie - then I suggest you seek urgent counselling.
Thanks for clearing that up sheev
I was having a bit of a wardrobe crisis before heading out to paint the town red on a sunny Friday night - I'm just taking the tie off now.
McD
"If you have ever worn a short sleeved shirt with a tie - then I suggest you seek urgent counselling."
Once you've finished your shift.
No.. it's actually ok.
"If you have ever worn a short sleeved shirt with a tie - then I suggest you seek urgent counselling."
As Homer says "cause sipowicz does"
I think what you should say is:
If you have ever worn a short sleeved shirt with a tie voluntarily - then I suggest you seek urgent counselling.
Unfortunately some of us have to work in offices where even now in the 21st Century dress code is enforced.
How about a tie with a polo shirt?
The collar goes a bit curly and sometimes hides the tie, so I commend a big knot. This will also prevent the zipper of your cardigan catching on it.
Heavyweights
Wow. What a line-up: Ellen, Hepworth, Du Noyer, McIlheney - it's like Jagger, Richards, McCartney and Powell. And thanks for reminding me about Father's Day - just made the postbox!
It was a cracker wasn't it.
Are you in the frame for another appearance soon Mr. Collins?
It's all gone quiet on the squirrel, Mitford and Lamb front round here!
Next
I may be included on the special souvenir Glastonbury podcast, being recorded this weekend. Hope so.
Cozy Or Enoch?
Ellen is clearly McCartney, I've got Hepworth down as Mick and Du Noyer as Keef, so I guess that makes me Powell. Er, is that Cozy or Enoch? Or Baden-Baden?
Aha!
barneytabasco - you are Barry McIlheny and I claim my £5.
Now
all that remains is the Unmasking of The Sheev.
Rumbled!
Just back from a mate's 50th. Chatting to a bloke in the bar and he suddenly asks me "Are you Barry McIlheney?" Turns out he's an avid listener to the 'cast and recognised the accent. Weird. Cue a thoroughly enjoyable 30-minute natter on all things Word. 'Night all!
Powell
I also had you down for Cozy, Barry. You can be Robert if you like.
Paul Du Noyer
Accusing I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue about being "very pleased with itself".
Oh how we laughed!
I told you
I'm Rod Lidl or possibly Alan Aldi
Are you sure...
...you're not Van Morrison(s)?
bowie jr
Going back for a moment to asking "how old is their kid again?", the young white duke has a film out. Of which his father is proud but on whose soundtrack his music is absent. This fluff from BBC news still manages to discreetly weave in, at my count, 6 well-known phrases or sayings. I only noticed at the rather conspicuous use of 'tin machine'.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8111382.stm
The mixing desk still needs some attention.....
I know this has been remarked on before, but please, please, please, try to get the sound team (ahem) to place the microphone(s) somewhere close to all the contributors on the podcast. One simply cannot have the podcast on in the background and do other things (work, stuff like that). One has to constantly hover over the volume dial so that the person who sounds like they are 50 yards away whispering from inside a zipped up sleeping bag, is audible. On 102 it was Paul Du Noyer - how rude is that ? He flies in from his island to jolly things along, and us punters can barely hear him. Shame on you, Wordies.
I could only be bothered to write this as I enjoy the casts so much, so please consider this well meant "feedback" and keep them coming - greatly appreciated.