Archive on R4 8pm tonight. Bertrand Russell.

[salymap]

the First Media Academic. Robin Ince explores Russell's career.

[aeolium]

Thanks for the reminder, salymap. I think this was a programme which was supposed to have been broadcast last year, but for some reason was replaced by something else (Euro crisis?)

Was Russell the first, though? What about C E M Joad or C S Lewis?

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks for the reminder, salymap. I think this was a programme which was supposed to have been broadcast last year, but for some reason was replaced by something else (Euro crisis?)

Was Russell the first, though? What about C E M Joad or C S Lewis?

It depends, of course, on what you mean by 'C E M Joad'.

[aeolium]

It depends, of course, on what you mean by 'C E M Joad'.

I mean the man who desired the destruction of capitalism and tried to bring it about by not paying fares on the trains, S_A

[Serial_Apologist]

I mean the man who desired the destruction of capitalism and tried to bring it about by not paying fares on the trains, S_A

OK - I never knew that! I was thinking, rather, of the way in which Joad would prefix any response to any question posed on The Brains Trust by saying, "Well, it all depends what you MEAN by......" God, etc.

[salymap]

OK - I never knew that! I was thinking, rather, of the way in which Joad would prefix any response to any question posed on The Brains Trust by saying, "Well, it all depends what you MEAN by......" God, etc.

What was it that Commander Campbell used to say, "When I was last in Africa" etc? Brains Trust prog is mentioned in tne RT today. By the way there are quite a few BR talks available on our websites here.

[amateur51]

Was it a Peter Cook sketch that went...

"I had that Bertrand Russell in the back of my cab last week ... one the greatest minds on the planet ... so I says to him, Bert I says ... what's it all about? ... and do you know .... he couldn't answer me!!"

[vinteuil]

I think it all depends on what you mean by "depends"...

I shall try to listen. I like Robin Ince. And, to the extent that Russell was the first Reith lecturer, there is a case for saying he was the 'first' media intellectual - but I look forward to hearing what young Ince has to say...

[aeolium]

First or not, for me Russell was the best to listen to - that distinctive, fluting voice combined with a wonderfully fluent prose style. I hope there are plenty of audio extracts from Russell's talks.

[Chris Newman]

I was deeply involved in Youth CND (YCND) in the sixties and heard Bertand Russell give his famous resignation speech from the Labour Party at Euston Friends Meeting House. At the time my frieinds and I thought it wonderful but years later watching events realised that the American Ralph Schoenman, his secretary, whom I met shortly afterwards (and who looked the double of the wonderful heldentenor Alberto Remedios, which does not mean I liked him, Schoenman) was very much and far too much in charge of Russell's affairs. Nevertheless, I have always held the greatest respect for Russell as a thinker and philosopher, and have no regrets for opposing the actua lAmerican and Britain's almost involvement in the Vietnam War. Harold Wilson was as dodgy as Tony Blair.

[amateur51]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTJ213F35EY

[Serial_Apologist]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTJ213F35EY

They don't do humour of that calibre any more - too subtle for today's UK audiences.

[DracoM]

Not a lot of close analysis of Russell's thought. Just a R4 biopic. Disappointing, large on generalities, little on detail.

[aeolium]

To be fair to Robin Ince, I don't think it pretended to be a programme that went into Russell's philosophy to any degree - and that could hardly have been done in one programme anyway. It was mainly about his career as a public figure and, later, as a broadcaster, as the title suggested. I thought it was a good brief introduction, especially for people who did not know much about him, with quite a lot of extracts which gave a flavour of his interests, his style, his thought and his wit. It wasn't really a biopic as there was an awful lot about his life left out, for instance his educational theories (and practice), his interest in literature and friendships with many literary figures (Colette being one of his lovers) such as Conrad and Aldous Huxley. And of course his survival of a plane crash into a Norwegian fjord at the age of 90, which he attributed - as he did his long life generally - to his life-long habit of smoking.

It is a pity that there are really no characters in broadcasting today who can compare with Russell in the power of his intellect and his unique combination of wit and high seriousness, and the great range of his interests - perhaps the figure who came closest in recent decades was Isaiah Berlin.

[vinteuil]

- perhaps the figure who came closest in recent decades was Isaiah Berlin.

It was good to hear Russell's voice again - marvellous. I wd love to hear Isaiah Berlin's again too - both of them had remarkable speaking voices, which as a child I much envied and failed miserably to imitate...