Thinking more about the cuts to the BBC and where they should be made. First question is whether we need an inquiry into the role of talent agents and agencies in the cost of talent and the jobs for the boys culture that has arisen. I can't research at the moment, but is it not the case that certain talents who seem ubiquitous on TV often turn out to be represented by the same companies. Someone look into Big Brother, Saturday night ITV, Friday night BBC, Avalon, Open Mike, Princess and Off The Kerb for me would you. I'm sure I'm imagining any sort of correlation, but it would be nice to know. The facts.
Then there's BBC 3. I have a personal bugbear about sport disrupting mainstream programming. And I also wonder what BBC 3 is for a lot of the time. I champion its new drama ( though it's regularly outclassed by BBC 4 in that regard) and it's attempts at new comedy ( though since I've not been on there since 2008 I await an improvement in that regard). But how many repeats of Dr Who and Family Guy do we really need? And why is BBC 3 (& 4) off air before 7pm?
Could we not, as was done with Five Live, turn BBC 3 into the default channel for BBC sport? So when snooker overruns or there is a football match that drunken blokes simply
must not miss, we bump an episode of Dog Borstal instead of having to move Eastenders and scrub BBC 1's Friday night schedule as happened this week
I commend BBC 3 Live for your consideration.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Saturday, 27 February 2010
BBC 6 music et al
The debate rages over proposed cuts to the BBC with serious suggestion that radio stations 6music and Asian network could go. Also a curb on US imports and some sport. In today's Guardian writers speak mostly in defence of the threatened output, though two manage to slag off George Lamb (who does sound like a bit of a tosser) and two cite Two Pints of Lager as something they'd rather see cancelled. Which is amusing in a schadenfreudey way but doesn't answer the question; what BBC services would you cut or trim?
And it seems hard to avoid personal taste. I, naturally, would not miss it if all sport moved onto Sky immediately. Having had an exceptional amount of telly ruined by rugby, football, olympics and bloody darts in recent weeks (a level of interference that usually only happens in the summer) I can't wait to see the Beeb's shared of sport decimated, but I realise I'm in a low-testosteroney minority.
So one has to look at what the BBC should offer and whether it is provided elsewhere. In defending US imports in today's Guardian, Licy Mangan mentions 6 shows that we couldn't do without, not realising that three of them weren't on the BBC in the first place. So that argument self-defeated, the caption mentions MadMen has critical praise but low ratings, the suggestion being that means it shouldn't be on the Beeb when , of course, that is the very definition of something that should be.
What shouldn't be on the BBC then? My quick list:
any radio 1, 2 or 6 show that is duplicated by a national commercial station. I figure some shows on all networks would be threatened by that, but those that are the more eclectic and the less indulgent of egos and wannabes would prosper. Asian network could just lose some hours.
Family Guy. I love it, but it is also on cable. End of argument there.
Any sport with advertisers logos in the middle of the pitch in that trompe l'oiel style that does my eyes in. Also anything with sponsor's name in title or visible throughout. That's simply not public service content, it's commercial content. How much money have we saved so far?
The bloody lottery and any shows about doing up and selling houses. And cookery. If there's anything that (channel) five was invented for, it's that lot.
And I'd quite like someone to stop Jools Holland playing honky Tonk piano along whoever he chooses and replace him with a tv show dedicated to new music. And I'd vote for bringing back Top of the Pops but that's another story.
Those are my random thoughts, ta for listening.
And it seems hard to avoid personal taste. I, naturally, would not miss it if all sport moved onto Sky immediately. Having had an exceptional amount of telly ruined by rugby, football, olympics and bloody darts in recent weeks (a level of interference that usually only happens in the summer) I can't wait to see the Beeb's shared of sport decimated, but I realise I'm in a low-testosteroney minority.
So one has to look at what the BBC should offer and whether it is provided elsewhere. In defending US imports in today's Guardian, Licy Mangan mentions 6 shows that we couldn't do without, not realising that three of them weren't on the BBC in the first place. So that argument self-defeated, the caption mentions MadMen has critical praise but low ratings, the suggestion being that means it shouldn't be on the Beeb when , of course, that is the very definition of something that should be.
What shouldn't be on the BBC then? My quick list:
any radio 1, 2 or 6 show that is duplicated by a national commercial station. I figure some shows on all networks would be threatened by that, but those that are the more eclectic and the less indulgent of egos and wannabes would prosper. Asian network could just lose some hours.
Family Guy. I love it, but it is also on cable. End of argument there.
Any sport with advertisers logos in the middle of the pitch in that trompe l'oiel style that does my eyes in. Also anything with sponsor's name in title or visible throughout. That's simply not public service content, it's commercial content. How much money have we saved so far?
The bloody lottery and any shows about doing up and selling houses. And cookery. If there's anything that (channel) five was invented for, it's that lot.
And I'd quite like someone to stop Jools Holland playing honky Tonk piano along whoever he chooses and replace him with a tv show dedicated to new music. And I'd vote for bringing back Top of the Pops but that's another story.
Those are my random thoughts, ta for listening.
Idling in Edinburgh
Hev and I are tapping away on our respective iPods ahead of a day out in Edinburgh setting up her new exhibition. Crocodilopolis (for that is the exhibition's name) follows Hev's Abscission show of 2009 wherein she hid small sculptures around the city and invited people to find them and either re-position them or keep them, photograph them etc.
Abscission (google it) was inspired by a story of dolls in coffins found on Arthurs Seat in the 1850s and which also, she learnt, had inspired a book by Ian Rankin (The Falls, a Rebus story which I'm reading now as it happens). Crocodilopolis is inspired by her visit to Egypt where, in the school she was working with, they had a Nile crocodile in the school pond. Let her tell you the story someday, she tells it better than me.
So we will be secreting artworks (well she will be, I'll be watching) and tomorrow we set up an installation in the Total Kunst gallery beside the Forest cafe which you'll be able to enjoy from Monday.
And it's freezing outside which is why we're happily procrastinating on our nice warm iPods.
Abscission (google it) was inspired by a story of dolls in coffins found on Arthurs Seat in the 1850s and which also, she learnt, had inspired a book by Ian Rankin (The Falls, a Rebus story which I'm reading now as it happens). Crocodilopolis is inspired by her visit to Egypt where, in the school she was working with, they had a Nile crocodile in the school pond. Let her tell you the story someday, she tells it better than me.
So we will be secreting artworks (well she will be, I'll be watching) and tomorrow we set up an installation in the Total Kunst gallery beside the Forest cafe which you'll be able to enjoy from Monday.
And it's freezing outside which is why we're happily procrastinating on our nice warm iPods.
Monday, 22 February 2010
Socks interview - Channel M Manchester
While the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre were touring in the north, playing Preston and Bury, we did an interview on Manchester's Channel M. This is how it looked:
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Gig reports - Socks tour starts good
Am I Polyanna? I'm so Glass-Half-Full that I consider it good luck that my car's broken down and I'm waiting for the AA.
Because, for once, I'm taking advantage of HomeStart, actually waiting in my own lounge for the AA to arrive. It won't start, and I'm at home, that is literally what it says on the card, how perfect is that? And it could have been so different.
I could have been waiting for the AA outside a roadside Premier Inn on the Blackpool Road out of Preston. Or I could have been waiting outside the even more remote Birch Hotel near Bury. Or horror of horrors I could have been in the car park of Aberystwyth University, still facing a three hour round-midnight drive home.
But no, my dear beloved car lets me get through those three nights of touring and waits until Sunday morning to give up the ghost (hopefully just flat battery, but could be as bad as a broken alternator or starter motor, we'll see).
I have, you see, returned from a three night run of the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, in Preston, Bury and Aberystwyth, and they were so totally enjoyable I am in a good mood that can only be dented by a big car repair bill or some unforeseen disaster that I'm sure isn't far ahead.
Each gig has included a surprise or pleasant meeting. Preston, at the Continental, the show is run by a nice chap called Robin, who I ended up roping into doing my sound. He looked and sounded so familiar I simply had to ask him "are you related to Bryan Talbot?" Bryan is a legendary comic writer & artist with a distinctive face and a strong Preston accent. And I realised as I said it how possibly insulting it was to suggest that someone might be related to someone else just cos of looking a bit like them and having a Preston accent. Lots of people have a Preston accent, and I daresay a good few of them look a bit sullen and intense with a well hidden smile. But I asked him, all the same, was he related to Bryan Talbot?
"He's my dad" he replied.
The next night in Bury, the Socks were performing in the studio theatre (which we sold out, thankyou very much) while in the main theatre were Stackridge, a band two of whose members I've known for years. They were in a hurry and flustered having endured the same twice-as-long-as-needs-be journey up the M6 I'd had to go through the previous day, but I got the chance to say a brief hello to Andy Davies. Sadly I missed James Warren, who I don't think I've seen since his wedding. So hi Jim, hope it was a good gig, ours was.
Then the best surprise meeting of all was at Aberystwyth Arts Centre where I was shown to my venue by the Front Of House manager and recognised her instantly. It was Sue Jones-Davies, formerly of Rock Follies and the woman who played Judith in Life Of Brian. Most recently she'd been on the TV in her role as Mayor of Aberystwyth, which job she kept till 2009, and during which time she overturned the longstanding ban on Life Of Brian which the city had forgotten it had placed back in 1979 and not revoked.
As for the shows themselves, they were the best bit, as you'd hope. Preston Continental is a cracking venue, a barn sized extension to a pub, in which a lot of arts theatre takes place and which 80 or so punters fill quite nicely, making a grand noise for Ali Cook first, followed by The Socks (this tour is going out as a double bill in the main, Preston being the first such night).
Bury & Preston both involved a compere called Paul, who runs the regular comedy nights there and wanted to maintain some continuity and brand awareness to we were happy for him to MC for us. However in Bury that didn't work in our favour, as our audience had quite a few youngsters for whom his material was, well let's say inappropriate. That misfire coupled with a contingent of the audience with special educational needs meant Ali Cook struggled to hit the right note with the crowd and only really got them warmed up halfway through. The pure magic worked, but the comedy was falling on silence, which isn't what you want to hear from the dressing room (a dressing that smelled, and probably still does, of Duck wee, but that's another story).
However Ali must have warmed them up well by the end because the Socks had a rapturous response and a perfect show, with adlibs springing up throughout, and laughs in all the right places.
Aberystwyth boded babdly when I saw the venue. A unique echo chamber, the studio theatre is round with a conical ceiling, not unlike an oast house. Looks lovely from the outside, but creates an aucoustic effect whereby if you stand in the middle of the room and shout, your voice is sucked up to the heavens and bounced down as if spoken down a drainpipe. And the seating is arranged to that the Socks set would either be a million miles from the crowd, or have to be stood so close to them they'd walk in and see behind the set (not a good idea for the Socks show). I solved this at the eleventh hours by getting cabaret style tables and chairs laid out for punters to sit on. It worked and we went well.
And, after two night away, I then drove home from Aberystwyth to North Somerset, three hours overnight. And the car started perfectly.
So phew. Thanks to everyone who came, you were great. The average audience size so far is knocking spots off either of our last two tours. And thanks to my car for waiting till now to break down. Now the AA man is, I'm told, 15 minutes away. I await the worst...
Kev F & The Socks
PS: It seems to have been some loose fuses in the car. AA man couldn't find prob with spark plug, fuel, battery, but pushed the fuses in a bit and everything's worked fine since. Famous last words...
Because, for once, I'm taking advantage of HomeStart, actually waiting in my own lounge for the AA to arrive. It won't start, and I'm at home, that is literally what it says on the card, how perfect is that? And it could have been so different.
I could have been waiting for the AA outside a roadside Premier Inn on the Blackpool Road out of Preston. Or I could have been waiting outside the even more remote Birch Hotel near Bury. Or horror of horrors I could have been in the car park of Aberystwyth University, still facing a three hour round-midnight drive home.
But no, my dear beloved car lets me get through those three nights of touring and waits until Sunday morning to give up the ghost (hopefully just flat battery, but could be as bad as a broken alternator or starter motor, we'll see).
I have, you see, returned from a three night run of the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, in Preston, Bury and Aberystwyth, and they were so totally enjoyable I am in a good mood that can only be dented by a big car repair bill or some unforeseen disaster that I'm sure isn't far ahead.
Each gig has included a surprise or pleasant meeting. Preston, at the Continental, the show is run by a nice chap called Robin, who I ended up roping into doing my sound. He looked and sounded so familiar I simply had to ask him "are you related to Bryan Talbot?" Bryan is a legendary comic writer & artist with a distinctive face and a strong Preston accent. And I realised as I said it how possibly insulting it was to suggest that someone might be related to someone else just cos of looking a bit like them and having a Preston accent. Lots of people have a Preston accent, and I daresay a good few of them look a bit sullen and intense with a well hidden smile. But I asked him, all the same, was he related to Bryan Talbot?
"He's my dad" he replied.
The next night in Bury, the Socks were performing in the studio theatre (which we sold out, thankyou very much) while in the main theatre were Stackridge, a band two of whose members I've known for years. They were in a hurry and flustered having endured the same twice-as-long-as-needs-be journey up the M6 I'd had to go through the previous day, but I got the chance to say a brief hello to Andy Davies. Sadly I missed James Warren, who I don't think I've seen since his wedding. So hi Jim, hope it was a good gig, ours was.
Then the best surprise meeting of all was at Aberystwyth Arts Centre where I was shown to my venue by the Front Of House manager and recognised her instantly. It was Sue Jones-Davies, formerly of Rock Follies and the woman who played Judith in Life Of Brian. Most recently she'd been on the TV in her role as Mayor of Aberystwyth, which job she kept till 2009, and during which time she overturned the longstanding ban on Life Of Brian which the city had forgotten it had placed back in 1979 and not revoked.
As for the shows themselves, they were the best bit, as you'd hope. Preston Continental is a cracking venue, a barn sized extension to a pub, in which a lot of arts theatre takes place and which 80 or so punters fill quite nicely, making a grand noise for Ali Cook first, followed by The Socks (this tour is going out as a double bill in the main, Preston being the first such night).
Bury & Preston both involved a compere called Paul, who runs the regular comedy nights there and wanted to maintain some continuity and brand awareness to we were happy for him to MC for us. However in Bury that didn't work in our favour, as our audience had quite a few youngsters for whom his material was, well let's say inappropriate. That misfire coupled with a contingent of the audience with special educational needs meant Ali Cook struggled to hit the right note with the crowd and only really got them warmed up halfway through. The pure magic worked, but the comedy was falling on silence, which isn't what you want to hear from the dressing room (a dressing that smelled, and probably still does, of Duck wee, but that's another story).
However Ali must have warmed them up well by the end because the Socks had a rapturous response and a perfect show, with adlibs springing up throughout, and laughs in all the right places.
Aberystwyth boded babdly when I saw the venue. A unique echo chamber, the studio theatre is round with a conical ceiling, not unlike an oast house. Looks lovely from the outside, but creates an aucoustic effect whereby if you stand in the middle of the room and shout, your voice is sucked up to the heavens and bounced down as if spoken down a drainpipe. And the seating is arranged to that the Socks set would either be a million miles from the crowd, or have to be stood so close to them they'd walk in and see behind the set (not a good idea for the Socks show). I solved this at the eleventh hours by getting cabaret style tables and chairs laid out for punters to sit on. It worked and we went well.
And, after two night away, I then drove home from Aberystwyth to North Somerset, three hours overnight. And the car started perfectly.
So phew. Thanks to everyone who came, you were great. The average audience size so far is knocking spots off either of our last two tours. And thanks to my car for waiting till now to break down. Now the AA man is, I'm told, 15 minutes away. I await the worst...
Kev F & The Socks
PS: It seems to have been some loose fuses in the car. AA man couldn't find prob with spark plug, fuel, battery, but pushed the fuses in a bit and everything's worked fine since. Famous last words...
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Heavy socks giggery commences
Hi Scottish Falsetto Socks fans. Don't forget some heavy gigging starts this week. Tell any of your friends or contacts who live near these venues to come see our show:
Feb 18 Preston Continental (+Ali dbl bill)
Feb 19 Bury Met (+ Ali dbl bill) - SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!!!
Feb 20 Aberystwyth Arts Centre 8pm £8
Feb 23 Taunton (support slot, Cafe Mambo)
Feb 25 – Farnham Maltings (+Ali dbl bill) 8pm £10
And check out our latest video, a song which we hope doesn't come true during any of these gigs:
See you all soon we hope - love, The Socks
Feb 18 Preston Continental (+Ali dbl bill)
Feb 19 Bury Met (+ Ali dbl bill) - SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!!!
Feb 20 Aberystwyth Arts Centre 8pm £8
Feb 23 Taunton (support slot, Cafe Mambo)
Feb 25 – Farnham Maltings (+Ali dbl bill) 8pm £10
And check out our latest video, a song which we hope doesn't come true during any of these gigs:
See you all soon we hope - love, The Socks
Friday, 12 February 2010
Operation Farnham, Feb 25 - Go go go!
Initiate Operation Farnham!
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre's show at Fanrham Maltings Theatre on Feb 25 has only sold 8 tickets! Here are the details: http://bit.ly/6AsWK2
(In contrast our show at the Leicester Square Theatre in London, which isn't on till April, has half sold out.) So Farnham falls into a strange hole. Does no-one live there? Are they all doing something else that night? Socks fans, it's up to us to sort this situation out!
Do you know anyone who lives in Farnham, or in nearby Guildford, Woking, Basingstoke, Winchester, or any point inbetween? Then tell them the Socks are coming, give them the link to the theatre (above) and let's sell this baby out!
Tell everyone you know, the Socks are going to rock Farnham! We're counting on your help (there are now over 1000 members to this group, so through six degrees of separation there's no-one we don't know. So somebody must know someone in Fanrham, QED). Sell Sell Sell!
http://bit.ly/6AsWK2
Thanks, and love
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre
The rest of the tour: http://bit.ly/8P0lxc
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre's show at Fanrham Maltings Theatre on Feb 25 has only sold 8 tickets! Here are the details: http://bit.ly/6AsWK2
(In contrast our show at the Leicester Square Theatre in London, which isn't on till April, has half sold out.) So Farnham falls into a strange hole. Does no-one live there? Are they all doing something else that night? Socks fans, it's up to us to sort this situation out!
Do you know anyone who lives in Farnham, or in nearby Guildford, Woking, Basingstoke, Winchester, or any point inbetween? Then tell them the Socks are coming, give them the link to the theatre (above) and let's sell this baby out!
Tell everyone you know, the Socks are going to rock Farnham! We're counting on your help (there are now over 1000 members to this group, so through six degrees of separation there's no-one we don't know. So somebody must know someone in Fanrham, QED). Sell Sell Sell!
http://bit.ly/6AsWK2
Thanks, and love
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre
The rest of the tour: http://bit.ly/8P0lxc
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