BAIBS Thursday 10/01/13

There's a shop at the end of Nether Hall Road with Cukierenka in large, friendly letters (tip of the hat to Douglas Adams again) in the window. Anyone with even the smallest knowledge of languages (like me) knows that must have something to do with cakes. Just to confirm this the shop's called Sweet Bakery. The most staggering thing about this shop is that, despite walking past it's open door five times a week, I've never been in. Sheila North (Sine FM's Book It) has been in and kindly left some cake for me. It was like a coffee plantation dipped in goo, rolled in a bed of walnuts the size of Luxembourg and thrown back in the goo for good measure. Epic is the word I'm looking for.

Whilst munching on said cake I was tweeting with Mark Butcher (Ex England and Surrey batsman, occasional right arm medium paced bowler) on various cricketing topics. One of the which the fact that I remember his Dad making his one and only England appearance. This just made me feel old. Still, on the radio, eating cake and talking cricket - it felt very Test Match Special. Non cricketing fans may need to do a fair bit of googling here. Whilst they're doing that cricket fans can make their own googly jokes.

So on this here site I've found all kinds of weird and wonderful statistics about who reads the blog and how. I love a good statistic. It would appear that this blog is read not only in the UK but also in The U.S., Germany, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, China, Poland, Malaysia, Israel, France, Australia and Gibraltar. I'd love readers from any of these places to get in touch with me. Not Gibraltar. I know who you are! I'm intrigued as to how you stumbled across the ramblings of a tall, clumsy, voluntary radio presenter.

I was asked today why I never play Queen on the radio. It's not never. Quick bit of maths. I've been in sole charge of the breakfast show playlist for roughly 2 years now, 5 shows a week, probably 35 tracks a show on average, allowing for time off that's about 17,500 tracks played. Think I've played Queen 4 times. Told you it wasn't never! The reason is two-fold. I'm not a massive fan. I saw them live in 1986 and Freddie Mercury was undoubtedly one of the greatest showmen I've ever seen but musically, like Muse, I've never really got them. I can see why people do and I like the odd song, I'm just not a big fan.

The other, far more serious, reason is political. I blogged some time back about politics in music. As I said then I don't expect every act to have political leanings and have no problem with their music being apolitical. But I do feel they have a duty to, for want of a better phrase, send out the right message. Queen played a string of dates at Sun City in 1984. Sun City, the gambling and entertainment centre in Bophuthatswana, essentially South Africa as the rest of the world refused to recognise Bophuthatswana as an independent state. In 1984 apartheid was still in full effect and whilst other artist were setting up Artists Against Apartheid, Queen were happily taking their millions of Rands in the name of entertainment. Not for one minute am I suggesting any member of Queen supported the South African government but it was a naive and terrible decision to play. Any artist who played there (and there were sadly many) was turning a blind eye to the horrors of apartheid. I still feel a tad guilty if ever I play Queen as if I'm party to it all. I still feel guilty for paying to see them live!

No live show tomorrow, Cherry Blossom's going under the knife! But I have pre recorded a show for your delectation. Could be a late blog tomorrow too depending how much her gall bladder wants to stay put.

I'm off to eat salmon and try on a tux. That's how posh I am!

Laters

SS

Playlist Thursday 10/01/13

Tom Hark - The Piranhas

Pretty Vacant - Sex Pistols

Roxette - Dr. Feelgood

Hold The Magic - Officer Kicks

Tux On - Marillion

Somewhere - The Pilots

Two Princes - The Spin Doctors

God Is A DJ - Faithless

Supersonic - Oasis

Don't Save Me - Haim

Love Spreads - The Stone Roses

Going Underground - The Jam

Rise - Public Image Limited

Never Fade Away - Spector

Road To Nowhere - Talking Heads

Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm - Crash Test Dummies

This Is Real - The Enemy

The Pretender - Foo Fighters

Johnny Comes Lately - Steve Earle ft The Pogues

Burn This City - Famous Villains

Monster - The Automatic

If I Had A Million Dollars - The Barenaked Ladies

Alright - The Subways

Along For The Ride - The AVIT Blues Band

Miss You - The Rolling Stones

My First Love - Paper Aeroplanes

Lip Up Fatty - Bad Manners

Where Are We Now? - David Bowie

Live And Let Die - Guns 'N' Roses

Leather Jacket Love Song - The Cribs

You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse

Maggie May - Rod Stewart

Cindy Incidentally - The Faces

Give Up - Miles Kane

Rough Boy - ZZ Top

Barriers - Suede

Gangsters - The Specials

Tick Tick Boom - The Hives

On Trial - The Tricks

Hello, I Love You - The Doors

Egyptian Reggae - Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers