The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[french frank]

I trust you don't think identifying french frank as Sarah Spilsbury, Coordinator of The Friends of Radio 3 is a breach of netiquette.

It is a breach of the stated House Rules. I, on the other hand, am not allowed to reveal your identity. I can't quite fathom your long-standing hostility to FoR3 - if I'm right, dating back long before the days of Zucchini, but always noticeable.

If you have a criticism, make it.


If you don't like the forum, you don't have to be a member - didn't you resign once?

[Roehre]

I did think before I posted. I trust you don't think identifying french frank as Sarah Spilsbury, Coordinator of The Friends of Radio 3 is a breach of netiquette. Your photo and biog appear on the FoR3 website and you are quite often referred to as Sarah S here.

I think you overestimate your fame and the effective reach of the forum:

Did you know that just 25 people account for over half of all messages ever posted on the forum? And seem to be ever-present - Tweedledum and Tweedledee account for near 10% between them!

And over 1350 people have posted less than half.
On top of that there are observers, maybe finding their way here by accidently typing french horn into a search engine.

(Hosts should be addressing this, doing what a host should do - making efforts to attract the interest of the huge majority outside the tiny clique who swap 'in' jokes in their senile playground. What's New often looks awfully uninteresting unless you like listening to CDs of long dead artists at home)

The problems with your double identity usually arise from the use of the words "we" & "our". For example: "I explained our objections in a letter to the Queen..." Next a member of the forum says "Thanks for doing that for us french frank. We are all very grateful" Note that he/she is not entitled to say "all" and you didn't do it for the forum. Next you say "Our paper to Roger Wright will say that instead of Breakfast we want live concerts to start at 7.30am..." This statement is still open to the misinterpretation that this is the FoR3 forum. About a month ago a member posted "I can't do without my daily fix of FoR3"! That's wrong.

Simply solved if french frank is for your statements as administrator, your concert-going, views on food and drink, R3 programmes and Sarah Spilsbury is for analysis, evaluations, strategies of R3s output and aims and plausible alternatives.

zucchini,
I'm sorry, but
1) I don't think this is a discussion which should take place within this particular thread,
2) one pseudonym is defining one contributor. French Frank -or whatever screenname is used by whomever- is French Frank and his/her contributions are his/hers and his/hers only. I don't think it makes a jot difference splitting his/her contributions between those done by FF and those by Sarah Spilbury ( btw a name I never will shorten, for obvious reasons). There is enough red tape around in this world.

R.

[AndyJW]

Patricia Hughes

Very sorry to read that Patricia Hughes has died.
According to the obit she was 90. May she rest in peace.
Andy

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

Andy
You may have missed the thread for Patricia Hughes .... Here

[AndyJW]

Yes I did miss this and thanks for the link.

[Nick Armstrong]

The third time this week I think, that I've had to switch off Weber's bloody 'Invitation to the Dance'. What's the fascination with the wretched piece?!

[AndyJW]

........and "Wouldn't it be Luverly" from My Fair Lady!! Surely they're taking the p**s

[Suffolkcoastal]

The third time this week I think, that I've had to switch off Weber's bloody 'Invitation to the Dance'. What's the fascination with the wretched piece?!

I think it's more of a fascination with any old warhorse with the word 'dance' in its title at the moment.

[seabright]

I think it's more of a fascination with any old warhorse with the word 'dance' in its title at the moment.

If only they played Felix Weingartner's orchestration for a change it might make it more fascinating. His combining of the two main themes in counterpoint at certain places is very imaginative, as are many of his instrumental ideas. Walter Susskind's recording is on You Tube for handy reference purposes ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEgU7fo-u64

[Resurrection Man]

This is a wind up surely !

I am afraid not, Rob. Not to worry...lots of CDs to listen to, instead.

Am seriously thinking of removing Radio 3 from my pre-programmed list of stations on the (distinctly FM ) radio.

[teamsaint]

I am afraid not, Rob. Not to worry...lots of CDs to listen to, instead.

Am seriously thinking of removing Radio 3 from my pre-programmed list of stations on the (distinctly FM ) radio.

For all it's faults, surely lots still to enjoy on R3, RM?
Lots of interesting stuff I never get round to hearing, what with time constraints 'n all ....

You can't be going to 1 or 2....4 is too gloomy...CFM surely not..... is local radio the future for you?! at least you will be up with weather, traffic, and church fete dates.

[french frank]

You can't be going to 1 or 2....4 is too gloomy...CFM surely not..... is local radio the future for you?!

It must sometimes occur to people that radio - like television - is not actually a necessity of life

[Resurrection Man]

For all it's faults, surely lots still to enjoy on R3, RM?
Lots of interesting stuff I never get round to hearing, what with time constraints 'n all ....

You can't be going to 1 or 2....4 is too gloomy...CFM surely not..... is local radio the future for you?! at least you will be up with weather, traffic, and church fete dates.

LOL....re-discovering all my CDs plus much recorded over the years.

[Deckerd]

Over 10 years ago when I joined the R3 messageboards, people were saying "I'm leaving R3 and never coming back because they're ruining the channel and blah blah blah blah". It seems nothing ever changes. Speaking personally as someone who has been listening to R3 for just over 10 years, I still think it's a marvellously educational and entertaining radio station, and musically speaking, second to none.

[Bax-of-Delights]

Over 10 years ago when I joined the R3 messageboards, people were saying "I'm leaving R3 and never coming back because they're ruining the channel and blah blah blah blah". It seems nothing ever changes. Speaking personally as someone who has been listening to R3 for just over 10 years, I still think it's a marvellously educational and entertaining radio station, and musically speaking, second to none.

Having been wed to R3 for nigh on 50 years it takes a hell of a lot to break the link/habit and many have hung on because we knew no different. However things have changed. Utterly. With the widespread availability of music from a myriad of sources - classical or jazz (I'm listening to the Danish Jazz8 right now on-line) - the need for R3 in the form into which it has transformed itself becomes less than imperative. While there may be gems among the mundane it is clear that the dross is beginning to encroach on the oases like sands creeping inexorably in from the desert. Breakfast and Essential Classics are hardly beacons of light in this murky netherland and very rarely throw out shards of light. Afternoon on 3 all too often replicates the morning fare, regurgitating familiar - over familiar - pieces in the guise of "live", i.e. recorded, concerts. Add into this equation the gigglefest that is the "merry" - but squirming- banter between Katie Derham and Sean Rafferty at some pre-ordained interval and suddenly the blinkers fall away from the eyes - or ears in this case. I don't need R3 any more because it has signally removed itself from the cultural and intellectual high ground. It is trying to be all things to all people and is, in the attempt, failing. Miserably.