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BBC 1! BBC 2! BBC 3! BBC 4! BBC 5! BBC 6! BBC 7! BBC heaven! BBC peace! "BBC," Ming Tea (first Austin Powers film) I think I might as well face up it. ::stands up:: Hello, my name is Mary, and I am a BBC Radio junkie. There are certain shows that I listen to as much as possible - Radcliffe/Maconie, Freak Zone, Drivetime with Chris Evans, Desmond Carrington, Alternative Sixties and God's Jukebox (Mark Lamarr). And then there are some - Janice Long, Jonathan Ross, Russell Brand, Tom Robinson, the occasional 6Music show - that I listen to when someone good's going to be on or I like the tracklisting, because I really DO like the fact that tracklistings are provided. Gee, give the people something they can use...what a concept! I hadn't really ever thought about HOW I started to listen to BBC Radio online until asked by Mr. Stuart Maconie himself on July 16, 2008, a day that will live on in my mind as a "memorable moment." (If you were keeping score, I don't think I've had too many memorable moments so far, except for graduating from uni, meeting Duran Duran in Japan, standing on English soil for the first time, and throwing a necklace in the general direction of an on-stage Morrissey while at a Manchester gig.) But before I digress, let me go back to my about-3-minutes of British radio fame. Most summer days in Washington D.C. should be renamed hell. It's hot as hell. Wait a minute; maybe these days shouldn't be called hell because I *know* hell can't be as humid as it is here. The humidity just hangs in the air and after a while outside (e.g., a couple minutes) you can't breathe. I usually can't sleep well even with air conditioning because it's so...blechhh. Somehow I was able to get up (after my Patrick Wolf-primed CD playing alarm clock turned on), put on a decent outfit, have a quick brekkie, and drive myself into work on time, all with my eyes halfway closed. The past couple of weeks had been relentless with the terrible heat. Usually I'm okay by the time I get to work because I'm up and at 'em and I'm good about pushing myself to get things done. It's just things felt a bit...humdrum (if I am to borrow that from Richie Cunningham of "Happy Days"). I usually do not receive that many phone calls at work - nearly everything in my line of work is done either by email (90%) or by regular mail, when I actually need something in hard copy (I work in publishing). But that day, I was getting harassed nearly every hour by strange telemarketing type phone calls. You know, the ones where it's a recording that some computer dialed, so you can't actually speak to someone and tell them to sod off. Usually when I get back from lunch, I turn the volume back up on BBC Radio 2 because before I left, I was invariably listening to Chris Evans's DriveTime and laughing myself silly with the jokes of "Outfox the Fox, "Top Ten Tenuous," or something else that was absolutely mad. By then, the 19.00 hour show is usually on, and I wait patiently for Radcliffe/Maconie to start shortly after the news at 20.00. Their show is nothing like anything I've heard on this side of the Atlantic. They play good music. It's a good mix of new and old. They'll play demos. They have studio guests and wow, they ask pertinent, insightful questions to their guests. Ironically, the two things I like best about Radcliffe/Maconie are "the Chain" and "This Just In." These segments are heralded by music I can name - and it's not because I'm this music supergeek, I imagine anyone who likes music enough should be able to figure out what songs these are based on listening to the instrumental parts. "This Just In" is a round-up of musical news, most of which I would never have heard about if I didn't listen in because it has British and world music news, all introduced by gag one-liners. I can't "fake" them on here because I'm not witty enough to write such things, you will just have to listen to their show one day and decide for yourself. "The Chain" is described on their Web site as follows: "The Chain is our never-ending list of records, with every new track somehow connected to the last. On each show, Stuart and Mark will play three records and discuss the connections that link them." So it's a game! See, I think the Brits are masters at coming up with real corkers for games. Take "The Weakest Link" and "QI." Those shows would have never have been invented in America, nor would they ever fly in America, because Americans can't be bothered. "The Chain" is right up my alley because I don't mean to brag (actually I'm quite embarrassed about it) but I have a pretty vast storehouse of musical facts in my head, including lyrics, band members, associations and connections, you name it, and if anyone was game (no pun intended) for something like "the Chain," I am. I have probably been entering at least 6 suggestions to the game every week. It's only on 4 nights a week, and there are only 3 Chain records a night. I was thinking, maybe if I enter enough times with intelligent choices, one day they might actually pick one of mine. I highly doubted that they'd bother calling someone in another country, but all the same I dutifully entered my number as requested. So the phone rings Wednesday afternoon, about 45 minutes before I head home, and I look at the caller ID. Oh no, another blocked phone number. Must be a telemarketer. The phone keeps ringing. Persistent pests, those telemarketers. But now I'm curious. So I pick up the phone. It sounds like an English woman. This is possible, I am thinking, because I work on and off with an English editor in London. But she's on holiday this week, that can't be right. It turned out to be a nice woman from BBC Manchester. Oh golly, I couldn't believe it when she said she was calling on behalf of the Radcliffe/Maconie show. I'm glad I didn't drop the phone and faint dead away. I could go on and on about this because I talked to Stuart Maconie on air, on Radio 2, and managed NOT to sound like a total edjit talking about Morrissey. I appeared to have really excited Stuart because I was a Freak Zone fan and of all the previous 715 records on "The Chain," there was not a one Stevie Wonder tune among them. And for all of the above, I am really grateful, as it's like one of those surreal moments that you never thought possible. I mean, what are the odds that someone in MARYLAND would get a phone call from a nighttime music show in MANCHESTER, ENGLAND? And it's a small wonder I didn't make a fool out of myself, talking to one of the most famous music journalists to come out of Northern England (this coming from someone whose music journalistic education has been fueled by old and new copies of NME and Mojo, plus the occasional entertainment story from the Independent or the Guardian). I should probably mention here that I did not attempt to visit the BBC Manchester studios on Oxford Road 2 years ago and somehow wonder if this decision somehow worked in my favor in this happening. I remember thinking about this and then realizing I didn't want to walk all that way by myself on a Sunday morning downtown with no one about. It'd only been my third day in England, ever, so you understand the apprehension of a kid from the 'burbs. The only thing I do regret - I do wish there was a way to tape my 3 minutes of fame and my Chain selection, but I don't think it's possible. It'd be nice to keep that 3 minutes for posterity! And it might be worth something someday if I ever get published ;) For now though, you can just remember that #716: "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" by Stevie Wonder was chosen by yours truly! continued later...

2008 - mlmchang