Neil Kinnock??

[Guest]

I haven't been in here for a while - just to add another strand to the 'Essential Classics is crap' debate, I'm surprised not to find a criticism of the increasingly inexplicable 'celeb' guests inflicted upon listeners. The other week I had the programme on and to my horror the feisty-voiced Sarah Walker announced proudly her guest was 'one of the most famous Welshman in the world, "Baron" Kinnock'. I nearly vomited on the spot! WHAT ON EARTH did they think having this ghastly old politico windbag and overpaid EU commissar would do for this lamentable show? I daresay he could dredge up one or two feeble and thoroughly spurious thoughts about classical music in between Sarah's unctuous oodles of hero-worship (is she insane or what?), but - really! And this week I gather it's the general manager of Cheltenham Race Course - a well-known figure in the world of music, if there ever was one!
I sent a blistering email of complaining about Kinnock, who is I would think THE LAST PERSON anyone would want foisted upon them on what's supposed to be a music programme, and I hope a few others did, too, but I don't suppose it will have any effect. I can only conclude that Roger Wright, who used to seem like quite a reasonable sort of person, has finally completely taken leave of his senses in the intoxication of total power! I think it's very sad that someone of real knowledge and discrimination in music like Rob Cowan should lend his support to this rubbish - but I suppose he has a family to support, or something.
It's really depressing what has happened to Radio 3. Do you think any of them ever come to this site to hear what people really think about their dismal efforts? Is there any hope?

[Bryn]

mbmp, if you bothered to peruse the membership list for these boards, you would find at least one leading Radio 3 presenter there. Others have occasionally visited. As it happen, Doc. Walker's marriage partner was a contributor to the old BBC Radio 3 message boards for a while, but found the bile churned out but those of your ilk rather too much to put up with.

[JFLL]

.... the general manager of Cheltenham Race Course - a well-known figure in the world of music ......

To the world at large, the Cheltenham Festival now means a horse-racing 'festival', so maybe this is just acknowledging the eclipse of the real Festival. Has Rob Cowan asked him yet whether he'd mind renaming his horse-races, as somebody else had got there first? Do you think he'll be having as guest the director of the music festival? I hope so, but won't hold my breath.

[cloughie]

I haven't been in here for a while -

...obviously, the threads show the whole guest idea is I think disliked by many borders, not only is it an inappropriate use of R3 music time, but the choices are more often than not annoying BCs rather than FWs and sometimes not essential classics not even classical at all.

[Nick Armstrong]

crap ... inflicted ....horror ...vomited ...ghastly ... windbag ... commissar ...lamentable ...dredge ...feeble and thoroughly spurious ...unctuous oodles ...insane ...blistering ...foisted ...intoxication of total power!... rubbish ... dismal efforts? ...

Splendid rant, mbmp

In fact I think you have missed previous wide-spread pillorying of this 'guest celeb' format.

I have to confess I catch a number of these, and have enjoyed some. Kinnock was actually more interesting that I'd expected, Rev Richard Coles likewise... But the barrel scraping choices like the racing bloke this week highlight how, in principle, week-in week-out, this is a misconceived idea. The good ones should do a Private Passions or a Saturday afternoon slot like Heffer, the bad ones should be allowed nowhere near the R3 studios.

[antongould]

Agree as usual with my learned friend and I too found NK better than I had feared - he told a nice story about Ted Heath which typically I have forgotten!

[Ferretfancy]

Agree as usual with my learned friend and I too found NK better than I had feared - he told a nice story about Ted Heath which typically I have forgotten!

The bandleader or the second rate conductor?

[Nick Armstrong]

Agree as usual with my learned friend and I too found NK better than I had feared - he told a nice story about Ted Heath which typically I have forgotten!

So have I!! I do remember his rather moving story about that horrific-sounding late-night motorway crash in which he escaped injury, and remembered the last movement of Brahms 1 playing on the car radio throughout...

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

When he was elected Labour leader, NK led the singing at the end, and unlike most politicians, he had a really good voice.

[amateur51]

So have I!! I do remember his rather moving story about that horrific-sounding late-night motorway crash in which he escaped injury, and remembered the last movement of Brahms 1 playing on the car radio throughout...

A Ford Mondeo ultimately travelling on its roof, I think

[antongould]

The bandleader or the second rate conductor?

Thinking back it was the second rate conductor who in the story didn't seem to feel he was second rate!

[Barbirollians]

Give Kinnock credit he is at least interested in and loves classical music - unlike all the philistines who have occupied number 10 since Heath.

[Simon]

The bandleader or the second rate conductor?

I think he means what some still call "the disaster". Was his conducting that good?

[pastoralguy]

I met Neil Kinnock when he visited my school as leader of the Labour Party. I asked to speak to him after his speech and he spoke to me (a spotty 17 year old!) for half an hour!

He didn't have to do that but he did!

I have a lot of respect for him.

[Suffolkcoastal]

So do I pastoral guy. He came to my school when he was shadow education secretary.