The Glass Box for Tuesday
is here. Feel free to comment on what you heard - or even what you THINK you heard....
AM UPDATE: and don't forget if you want to clarify something you can always use the listen again function on the Radio 4 website! :o)
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Gentle sarcasm. "...THINK you heard...."
I like that, especially after reading yesterdays GB and the comments therein ......
Si.
Oh Eddie...
A wee warning about that "jazz" would have been nice. As a big fan of Dixieland Jazz I was really interested in this, but then it turned out to be that hideous cacophony of "When does the tune start?" Jazz.
Poor Nigel having to listen to that long enough to record an entire article.
Excellent sound of Summer this evening :) and it fitted in so well after that trail for the Last Night of the Proms!
During the item about the classical musicians who play jazz and have been nominated for an award I thought I must have been sucked into a time warp and ended up back at 1st April. Surely this item was a joke? I'm a drummer and found the so called 'music' played by these classical musicians was one of the most discordant and un-rhythmical acoustic assaults I've ever endured. I can't help wondering if the reason they play this so-called ‘jazz’is because they're not good enough musicians to play proper music?
On the subject of crossing musical styles, one of the best examples I know is Classico Latino - a trio of classically trained musicians from Britain & Colombia who play traditional Latin American music. Try listening to them at www.classicolatino.com - you won't regret it!
SSCat (2) : Wash your ears out with soap, young puss!
;o)
I interrupted a conversation with my SO to exclaim: "Oh, listen to that gorgeous music!"
Don't listen to him Eddie. Play as much of that stuff as you can find an excuse for, as far as THIS frogger is concerned.
(Other dubious musical tastes are available.)
Fifi xxx
Sorry Feefs, I'm with the Cat and Phil T on this one. If this was music where was the melody, the harmony? Where was the rhythm and vibrancy, the sheer uplifting exuberance of jazz?
Just sounded like a bunch of untrained muso's being dragged over a ploughed field with heavy weights tied to their knack**s whilst trying to play their instruments. The cellist sounded totally 'medicated' too. Can't get a job with an orchestra? No problem, play something crap, record it yourselves and get a nomination.
It reminded me of a tale told by my former music teacher about 'free' jazz, basically involving the players playing anything at all with no attempt to string notes together and completely ignoring what the next guy was doing.
Ghastly. It's a dead cert winner at the Mercury.
Si.
Why do ´óÏó´«Ã½ News Journalists always and unfailingly deliver a completely disproportionate reaction to any rail related story? Compare and contrast the 70% of total coverage today with the response to the National Express Coach crash (the second such crash within a year).
Furthermore why do ´óÏó´«Ã½ News Editors give such credence to Louise Christian? This self serving self publicising ambulance chaser remains completely ignorant of the rail industry (or any other industry) practice and procedure but nevertheless her ego allows her to make ludicrous, inaccurate, inflated and unsubstantiated claims about an industry she still cannot understand and Eddie just waves her on unchallenged. What correlationis there between Paddington and Grayrigg other than they both involved trains? WHy not challenge her to justify her remarks about "systemic failure?"
Something tells me she's going to stand for parliament, and will no doubt be assisted by the ´óÏó´«Ã½ describing her as "A rail passenger's champion" or some other such garbage.
Yet another poor day for the wreckage of ´óÏó´«Ã½ News Journalism.........
You remember that internet meme a while back with the supposed pictures of spider webs that varied in cohesion dependent on what hallucinogenic or stimulative substances the spider had been given?
The jazz sounded like the same experiment had been done on classical musicians. Trippy, man.
Yours, in a Jazz Trance (chasing the train),
Pinkle
Regarding the Mercury Awards piece about jazz. I thought I'd ended up at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. That wasn't jazz its what passes for "modern" classical music."Discordant and un-rhythmical" as Phil Tyler commented above.
Jane Tomlinson 'a remarkable woman' what more is there too say....if only there were more like her...we may have a more compassionate world....
Brian
I liked the jazz.....though it did make more sense to me when I imagined the violins being replaced by sax and trumpets.
The fundamental cause of the train crash was attributed to faulty points, citing the Potters Bar crash as a second example.
No mention was made of the fatalities at Tebay a couple of years ago when maintenance workers were killed by a runaway vehicle. In that incident not only were the brakes on the vehicle faulty, considerable effort had been put into hiding the fact.
The fundamental cause of all these crashes is a very poor safety culture in which any procedures there might be are not followed.
It is not just the points that are at risk, checking them is only attending to part of the problem. We should be concerned about the state of all the safety equipment.
Invariably the culture of an organisation is set by the management. It here that we should look for culpability for all these crashes.
Yes, Eddie was correct that the 'plane that flew over the concert on tonight's "Sound of Summer" (from Sunday) was not a Spitfire. Or a Lancaster. (Both Merlin engined) I give up, what was it?
**Early A Lert Thurs, 15:25, Eric giving his a camel-related charity it's outing repeat** Camel milk toffee, anyone?
I haven't been around much recently as I am currently running a conference; last day tomorrow thank goodness. But just having a quick browse and seen what is exercising people's minds; can someone tell me what justifies a piece the length of the one on Today this morning about the new 'fast line' for the TGV which was ALL about the effect this would have on Londoners. I did hear the phrase 'those who llve in the north west', but this turned out to be people who lived in the north west of London. Don't tell me the media isn't Londoncentric. This is all the more galling because yesterday? the day before? there was a piece on the Today program when not only Sarah Montague, but also the ARTS correspondent for goodness sake, constantly mispronounced the name of Pedro Almodovar. I may live at what some Londoners think is the edge of the known world, but I do know how to pronounce his name correctly and I don't have a pronounciation unit that I can't be bothered to consult at the end of a phone line. I'm sorry to sound like a Colonel (Coloneless?) Blimp, but there was a time when this display of unpardonable ignorance would have been unthinkable on the ´óÏó´«Ã½.
And so to bed....
(1)
Did you hear 'but they're 'losing'' or did you hear 'but they're losing' as Mair rather contradictorily says he said.
Of course what he THINKS he said is always interesting to hear.
Just finished watching King Rat which finishes with the idea that the 1945 Labour victory was an exercise in hatred.
Odd idea, isn't it.
Deepthought (14) No idea, I'm afraid.....it wasn't identified in our programme. The only reason I told Eddie it wasn't a Spitfire was because the piece of music was the Spitfire Prelude. If it helps, it was grey......
Please please don't start following the recent annoying trend of Today, that of putting unworthy musical items on PM just for popularity. There again if you do, can you make sure the subject is say Abba or Elton John, I love them.
Seriously though, if that 'noise' was music, then I'm glad I listen to 'speech' radio. Keep talking y'all. I am grateful.
love the gentle plug for listen again. That way we are encouraged to listen BEFORE we comment.
Morning All,
I was in the chair yesterday evening, though I rather wish I hadn't been. Really disjointed news day, with no obvious lead. We had planned to go with some developments on Iraq, but that all fell apart at some time after 4pm. So, not the best programme I have made... but probably not the worst.
Andy King (8)... there are a number of reasons why the rail story was covered more comprehensively than the coach crash the previous evening.
1. This was the publication of an inquiry report, so it provided a number of answers and recommendations.... something concrete to discuss with Network Rail and with Louise Christian (more about her late).
2. We did report the coach crash the previous evening and said as much as we could, which was to give as many details as we had of what happened. We did ask a question about the previous crash, but we have to be very careful about what we say as the case is sub judice - it is going through the court process and we are not allowed to broadcast anything that might be prejudicial to a trial. Likewise, once an arrest was made with relation to the most recent crash, we are limited in what we can say. If and when these two cases come to court, they are exactly the sort of cases we would report on and seek interviews regarding accountability.
3. You may not like Louise Christian, that is your view and you are entitled to it. However, she does represent victims of the Cumbria crash (and has represented victims of other crashes) and is therefore absolutely a legitimate interviewee.
The point about rail stories and road stories is that often, in the case of trains, something can be done as a result of inquiry findings. With the vast majority of road deaths, the problem is down to individual human behaviour/error rather than a failure of checks and processes. You may find out what caused a crash, but how do you regulate/legislate for such variables if people make mistakes or choose to disobey the law.
Pleased the item on the Mercury Prize has stirred so much argument. I was going to buy a copy of the Basquiat Strings for my wife's birthday, based on word of mouth. I'm very relieved I heard the PM piece... I think I'll go for Pink Martini's new one instead.
Toodle pip
Rog
Hey Roger!
Never mind your editing decisions last night - (news editing, I mean, & I'm sure they were all marvellous decisions), the Sound of Summer choice was a cracker! Frogger friend Gillian, my SO, my daughter, (the voices on the sound clip) & the concert I was in. You've got my vote for editor of the year already.
(Vested interest! What are you talking about?)
One thing to add to point 3 that Roger the PM editor made at 20, is that I DID ask Louise Christian about the cost of rail safety compared to other forms of transport. But in what was quite a long recording, something had to be lost and that was one of the points. Let me see if I can get the uncut recording and post it on the blog.
What I picked up from the rail report was that the crash seemed to have happened because somebody stopped doing his job before it was finished *in order to knock off early*, missed the fault and the rest followed.
This may be complete rubbish, but that was the impression I came away with.
If it's true, I'd have said it wasn't accident or whatever, I would call it manslaughter, and I'd expect someone to be prosecuted for at the very least wilful dereliction of duty.
It may be that I have got that impression because it fits in with an occasional rant I get into, about 'oh it'll do' being the way we now seem to think, and how that is likely to be lethal because it is not in fact good enough...
I'd be really glad if someone can reassure me that I have got that wrong. Someone, please?
Did I really hear in the 5.30 bulletin, "Two British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, next-of-kin have yet to be informed"?
D Winslow
It happens all the time.
What if there are no next of kin. Surely if more people with no next of kin worked in the Army and got killed nobody can find out that the said soldier died in action or blue on blue attack
Theoretically if all the soldiers had no next of kin. the war casualty would zero. Zilch
They know the soldier has died but we don't know that they knew but did not tell us that knew so nobody has to know. Even if we wanted to know that a soldier has died, we cannot know because his next of kin does not know about the death because the soldier does not have a next of kin so nobody as any need to know except for the people who who knew.
Regarding the comments by some of the above on the Basquiat Strings I don't think they have the first clue what they are talking about. I have no problem with them not liking the piece, as music of such rich texture and complexity must be a bit startling if you are used to Dixieland or Abba.
However, I get irritated when people start talking as if they understand music when it is clearly outside their area of expertise. For example saying things like 'discordant and un-rhythmical ' is a spurious way of trying to make 'I don't like it' sound authoritative.
I was disappointed that these comments were selectively quoted on Friday's round up.
24 D Winslow and 25 Anil
I have always thought that the radio and TV news, and newspapers should not report the deaths of soldiers until the next of kin have been informed. The familles and friends of all the men still serving out there, will be so unnecessarly upset. So please wait to announce who they are until the poor parents know.
Ann Andrews
Do you agree with me if soldiers with no next of kin died a terrible death in the battle field then no one need to know because there are no next of kin to inform in the first place so the need to know does not arise.
Did you know that Green Card soldiers who gets knocked off by a sniper called Juba (AKA The Baghdad sniper) is never reported even if he had next of kin because a Green Card soldier is technically NOT a US citizen
The Us Army have never seen Juba. They hear him, but by then it's too late: a shot rings out and another US soldier slumps dead or wounded.
There is never a follow-up shot, never a chance for US forces to identify the origin, to make the hunter the hunted. He fires once and vanishes.
Juba is the nickname given by American forces to an insurgent sniper operating in southern Baghdad. They do not know his appearance, nationality or real name, but they know and fear his skill.
And thus bleeding hearts like you will not be unnecessarly upset. By the way the correct spelling is "unnecessarily"
Ann you need to go to back to "School of life"
Ann Andrews
One day Juba might just visit the UK on target practice. He might get bored in Baghdad.
So if I were you I would sleep under the bed.
Reminds me of an uncle of mine who a drunken buffoon said he made absolute fools out of mosquitoes by sleeping under the bed after tying a mosquito net!!!!!!!!