Neil Kinnock??

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  • morebritishmusicplease
    • Nov 2024

    Neil Kinnock??

    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
    Banned
    • Mar 2007
    • 24688

    #2
    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.

    Comment

    • JFLL
      Full Member
      • Jan 2011
      • 780

      #3
      Originally posted by morebritishmusicplease View Post
      .... 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.

      Comment

      • cloughie
        Full Member
        • Dec 2011
        • 22110

        #4
        Originally posted by morebritishmusicplease View Post
        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.

        Comment

        • Nick Armstrong
          Host
          • Nov 2010
          • 26516

          #5
          Originally posted by morebritishmusicplease View Post
          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.
          "...the isle is full of noises,
          Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
          Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
          Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."

          Comment

          • antongould
            Full Member
            • Nov 2010
            • 8775

            #6
            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!

            Comment

            • Ferretfancy
              Full Member
              • Nov 2010
              • 3487

              #7
              Originally posted by antongould View Post
              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?

              Comment

              • Nick Armstrong
                Host
                • Nov 2010
                • 26516

                #8
                Originally posted by antongould View Post
                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...
                "...the isle is full of noises,
                Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
                Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
                Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."

                Comment

                • Eine Alpensinfonie
                  Host
                  • Nov 2010
                  • 20569

                  #9
                  When he was elected Labour leader, NK led the singing at the end, and unlike most politicians, he had a really good voice.

                  Comment

                  • amateur51

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Caliban View Post
                    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

                    Comment

                    • antongould
                      Full Member
                      • Nov 2010
                      • 8775

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Ferretfancy View Post
                      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!

                      Comment

                      • Barbirollians
                        Full Member
                        • Nov 2010
                        • 11663

                        #12
                        Give Kinnock credit he is at least interested in and loves classical music - unlike all the philistines who have occupied number 10 since Heath.

                        Comment

                        • Simon

                          #13
                          Originally posted by Ferretfancy View Post
                          The bandleader or the second rate conductor?
                          I think he means what some still call "the disaster". Was his conducting that good?

                          Comment

                          • pastoralguy
                            Full Member
                            • Nov 2010
                            • 7732

                            #14
                            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.

                            Comment

                            • Suffolkcoastal
                              Full Member
                              • Nov 2010
                              • 3290

                              #15
                              So do I pastoral guy. He came to my school when he was shadow education secretary.

                              Comment

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