Category: Radio

Jonathan Ross and his “Juvenile Radio Prank”

I was flummoxed by how many items and editorials that originated in the UK today about the Jonathan Ross brouhaha didn’t explain exactly what he and his radio pal did. But now I have the story, and it’s strange. Here’s one of many write-ups about it. Sounds like typical shock jock antics, but where everybody knows each other, in one way or another.

Wait! This just came in from our man in Scotland, Petula Clark fan Dave Moncur.

Thought you might like this article which tells a bit about Ross’s fall from grace.

Click here

He is paid £18 million over 3 years, and he and his cohort Brand, thought it would be funny to mock the granddaughter of one of our beloved comedy actors, and to leave a filthy message about having shagged her on the guy’s voicemail.

In England, where they live, that is a criminal offence.

It wasn’t a live programme, it was recorded and “signed off” by a BBC executive.

So frankly, it would, in my opinion be good if there were a series of resignations. The manager, producer and to two so-called stars.

As I write, it seems that Brand has done the decent thing and resigned. Ross seems to be a little too fond of his £18 million to do that, but I hope he will be prosecuted under the Telecommunications Act which makes lewd calls a crime, and hopefully the BBC will sack him. This is not what we all pay £140 a year for!.

Incidentally the said Ross, was horribly patronising and rude to Petula when she appeared on his show in 2002 to promote the Ultimate Tour and Album. She was VERY polite, and a little cold back, but I’m pretty sure the little pipsqueak knew that he had been put in his place by someone who has been a superstar longer that he’s been alive.

From that time on I haven’t watched him or listened to him. Frankly most of his humour is a bit childish and crude. You know, anyone can get a laugh out of saying “fuck” or “wank”. It takes talent to get a laugh out of something less crude.

Hope your health is better now.

Thanks, Dave! Yes, my back is completely better. In fact, it’s better than ever and I can say I’m almost glad it happened.

Sorry to hear that Mr. Ross was anything other than sycophantically worshipful of Petula. The swine. But as a comic book fan, I have to give him credit and thanks for producing “In Search of Steve Ditko”.

Jonathan Ross in a row

The BBC’s Jonathan Ross, who I have praised up and down here, not only for his documentary “In Search of Steve Ditko,” but for his BBC2 radio programme, is in major hot water. I don’t even know yet what the furor is all about, but I heard enough on the BBC World Service on WBUR in Boston to know it’s big trouble.

Petula on Steve Wright’s The Big Show

Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2 promised back here that Petula Clark would be on his show, and indeed she was, last Monday. I missed Cilla Black’s appearance, unfortunately, and if you go back to my Cilla post, you’ll notice “Anyone Who Had A Heart” is almost conspicuous in its absence. That’s because Wright played it shortly before chatting with Petula, and I was saving it for now.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2008/JUN/SteveWrightCillaBlack.mp3]

I let the recording run into the next song, to provide some flavor (excuse me, flavour) of the show. BBC Radio 2 is the only place I can go that gives me the same fun feeling I had as a kid listening to the legendary station Musicradio 77WABC in New York.

OK, so there’s Cilla Black’s cover of Dionne Warwick’s “Anyone Who Had A Heart,” produced by George Martin. That’s an excellent piece of work. Whether or not you consider this recording to be too close to the original, as a vocal it easily holds up in comparison to Petula Clark and Dusty Springfield. Clearly, based on this recording Cilla had the vocal chops, and with nothing else to go on I have to assume it was the way George Martin produced her that kept Cilla Black from greater popularity in America.

So let’s get to Petula’s chat with Steve Wright, shall we?

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2008/JUN/SteveWrightPetulaClark.mp3]

She doesn’t like being called “Pet”?? The last thing I said when I had my two minutes with her was, “Thank you, Pet.” Yikes! But… that was my one chance. Saying “Pet” isn’t supposed to convey to her that she’s thought of as a child star, because she never was one here. Well, what’s done is done, and there’s no taking it back. I’ll know better next time.

BBC Radio 2

The most enjoyable radio listening, by far, that I do these days is over the Net, playing BBC Radio 2. I first got interested because of Jonathan Ross, who did In Search of Steve Ditko. He does a Saturday show, and it’s so much fun, with such a fantastic range of music. Then I started listening to Steve Wright, because he’s supposed to have Petula Clark on as a guest soon. Again, I found the show to be fun, and I was really taken with the song mix. I have no interest in Rap, but Europop has a sound that I enjoy quite a lot. For example, this was one of the songs on Steve Wright’s program today.

[flv:/Video/2008/JUN/Spiller.flv 400 300]

This is “Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)” by Spiller, with vocal by Sophie Ellis Bextor. I flip through Boston radio stations a lot, seeing if anything catches my ear, and almost nothing ever does, so it’s not as though I’m completely inattentive. So why is it I find so much on BBC Radio 2 I’ve never heard before that keeps me listening?

Pet Pitches For Coca-Cola

It’s already been over a year since the PBS program The British Beat, hosted by Petula Clark, first aired. Take a look at this video clip I posted, and you’ll see what Comcast analog cable TV looked like, and why I switched to Verizon FiOS digital.

That show wasn’t the first time Pet had been paired, in a sense, with legendary New York DJ Bruce Morrow, aka: Cousin Brucie. Pet did some radio spots for Coca-Cola in the sixties, with Cousin Brucie doing the intro.

[flv:/Video/2008/APR/PetCocaCola.flv 440 330]

I know that Pet greatly admires the late Dusty Springfield, but as a kid I had a hard time recognizing Dusty’s new songs. Versatile to a fault, is how I would now describe her work. In this regard Springfield was similar to Bobby Darin.

Petula Clark, on the other hand, has a distinctive and immediately recognizable sound that’s all her own, whether she’s belting out a pop tune or a love song. She’s done it all, from small French cabaret performances to lavish Broadway productions. For myself, growing up when I did, Pet represents the same thing the Beatles do — the absolute finest in popular music.