Stuff I’ve enjoyed

Best of Today - Bjorn Ulvaeus Guest Edits Today - BBC Sounds - Bjorn from ABBA seems like a good egg

BBC World Service - Witness History, Pong and the birth of computer games - #TodayILearned that Pong was first installed in a bar called Andy Capp’s. I don’t think it had anything to do with this cartoon character though

Episode 119: The Pogues - Every Album Ever w/ Mike Mansour & Alex Volz | Podcast on Spotify - The Pogues are probably my favourite ever band, and I’ve been listening to this podcast episode where two guys who don’t much like them listen to all the records. Anyway, they describe the more folkie stuff as ‘hobbit-assed music’…and I’m definitely going to use that phrase as often as possible

132. A Christmas Carol - The Rest Is History | Podcast on Spotify - Another podcast episode about A Christmas Carol…..it’s very good on possible locations. I still can’t see the parallels with the Bible story though…not in any significant way

A John Waters Christmas / Susannah McCorkle : Fresh Air : NPR - This was fun - John Waters talking about some of the marvellous music on his Christmas CD (Fat Daddy, Little Cindy, Akim, the Chipmunks and a galaxy of other stars)

BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, A Christmas Carol - This is well worth a listen for fellow Dickens nerds. I don’t really agree with their emphasis on a specifically Christian basis to the story. Whatever CD’s private beliefs, I feel the nods to the Christian origin of the festival are the barest minimum that he could have made at the time. Not exactly the lippiest of lip service, but not central to the most inclusive of tales. But I barely scraped English Lit O-Level, so…

Chestnut Roasters, Part 2 - Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia | Podcast on Spotify - #TodayILearned that both Careless Whisper and Wake Me Up Before You Go Go get more annual radio play in the US than Last Christmas

Hit Parade - Chestnut Roasters Edition - I enjoyed the warning on the Chestnut Roasters Edition of Hit Parade. ‘This podcast contains seasonal Wham content. Whamageddon players discretion is advised’

Pat Nevin has musical memories “even better than scoring a diving header against Arsenal” - Enjoyed this - Pat Nevin talking to Mark Ellen and David Hepworth from The Word and Old Grey Whistle Test etc. Pat’s got a copy of the NME interview he did back in the ’80s. For me seeing a Chelsea player in the NME was a little bit like seeing Bowie on Top of the Pops was for many others

BBC World Service - Witness History, Plane spotters - I like this story. I can see both points of view, in that I get the attraction of spotting trains and birds and aeroplanes, and I also get why other people would see such a thing as ridiculous and implausible

Mel Brooks looks back without regret in book ‘All About Me!’ : NPR - Nice anecdotage from Mel Brooks. He’s at the White House receiving a medal. He’d previously rejected it under George W because of Iraq. Brooks: “Hey, can I have two. I turned it down before”. Obama: “Sorry, just one per customer”

Hit Parade takes on 80s pop acts Cyndi Lauper, The Bangles, and Aimee Mann. - #TodayILearned that the Bangles Eternal Flame was inspired by the flame burning at Elvis' grave at Graceland

Show 254 - Anthony Scaramucci - The Political Party - Listening to Matt Forde talking to Anthony Scaramucci…and Scaramucci says his family was both blue collar and middle class. I don’t think that would be possible in the UK