Absolute's blokeishness makes for sweet music ? but will John Cooper Clarke prove a hit with the Poles?
Elbow: Live at St Paul's Cathedral (Absolute) | video
Radcliffe and Maconie (6Music) | iPlayer
A Forensic Look at Infidelity (R4) | iPlayer
The No 219 Sodcast Project (R4) | iPlayer
I forgot to mention this last week, but no worries: Elbow's stunning gig for Absolute Radio, in the crypt at St Paul's Cathedral (the first time any pop group has played there), can be heard, as well as seen, on the station's website. There are also interviews and performances from the likes of Iggy Pop, the Vaccines, Beady Eye and Kings of Leon as well as other performers at the Isle of Wight festival.
I am always surprised that more people don't tune into Absolute: as a station, it caters for the mainstream alternative music lover like no other place outside the BBC. Admittedly, it's a bit blokey ? there are few female voices ? but it has some genuinely funny presenters such as Christian O'Connell, Frank Skinner and Dave Gorman, as well as properly produced documentaries, very unusual for a commercial radio station. So, give it a go: it's on 105.8FM in London, and around 1200MW across the country. Or, of course, you can access the website. By today, you'll be able to hear indie king Geoff Lloyd's interview with Paul McCartney, scheduled for last Thursday and Friday. Oh, and check out Ronnie Wood's mad Absolute Classic Rock show, too, where he twangs guitar and sounds a lot more coherent than Keef. Someone at 6Music told me they'd love to poach Ronnie. Hold tight, Absolute!
Over on 6Music on Tuesday, Radcliffe and Maconie were holding as tight as anyone can when national hero John Cooper Clarke is on air. They talked Black Sabbath, specifically the lyrics to "Paranoid". "They could only have been written by a nutter? 'Finished with my woman 'cause she couldn't help me with my mind' ? well, what woman could?" wondered John. Also, Cooper Clarke's gigs. "You're going to perform in Poland?" asked Stuart. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that?" said John. "What would they get out of it? It's not even proper English, is it? It's riddled with slang, not even modern slang. Do they know what I do?"
Radio 4 on Friday wondered that, but about errant spouses. A Forensic Look at Infidelity had Nicky Taylor, a lively presenter usually seen on TV, sit in a car as an all-female investigative team followed a man whose wife suspected he was having an affair. Turned out: he was. "He's getting out? oh God. Now she's getting out. She's quite pretty?" breathed Nicky. "They're kissing! Oh, I saw the kiss!" And you thought, That's why this is a radio documentary. On radio, you got excitement followed by upset; visuals would have added humiliation to the mix.
I enjoyed The No 219 Sodcast Project, where poet Ian McMillan fought the corner of kids who play music on their mobile phones on the bus (though the term "sodcasters" is terrible). "If young people see sound as preferable to no sound, then, if anything, they think they're doing people a favour," said a contributor. "They think, if I play some music it's going to enhance the experience for everyone on the bus." Aw, sweet.
Jennifer Garner Poppy Montgomery Evangeline Lilly Lisa Marie Keira Knightley
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