Category : TV/Radio/Web

According to Friday’s Times, as part of an attempt to cut costs, the BBC plans to shut down two of its radio stations by the end of 2011. One of these is BBC Radio 6, better known as 6 Music.

Naturally, online campaigns protesting against the proposals have sprung up, and one name that has been mentioned repeatedly is that of much-loved and greatly-missed DJ, John Peel, who died suddenly following a heart attack in 2004.

As Phill Jupitus so simply yet perfectly put it, killing off 6 Music would be “an affront to the memory of John Peel.” David Bowie added that “6 Music keeps the spirit of broadcasters like John Peel alive, and for new artists to lose this station would be a great shame.”

Best known for his legendary Peel Sessions, which began in September 1967 and ran for 37 years, John Peel undoubtedly helped launch many a career, often by championing music that others would not play. In a 2002 BBC poll to discover the 100 Greatest Britons, he was even voted 43rd, some recognition for his services at BBC Radio 1 and with pirate radio station, Radio London, before that.

For anyone passionate about music, his Top Gear show on Radio 1 every Tuesday and Thursday night made for essential listening. Due to Musicians’ Union rules, he had to include a sizeable portion of non-recorded music in each programme, and, mercifully, live recordings were preferred to the usual chatter.

There exists a vast archive of Peel Sessions, containing 4,000 in all by more than 2,000 artists; including six by Pink Floyd and many from associated acts such as Roxy Music, Roy Harper and Robert Wyatt. Browse by artist or by year.

And so we return to 6 Music…

If you’d like to hear any Peel Session again, Marc Riley invites listeners to share which session they’d most like him to play – and why.

Everyone can listen to 6 Music online, so what better way to help a station in distress?

If you could, I’d like lots of Peel appreciation, as well as Sessions, today.

My favourite has to be Syd Barrett’s. Accompanied by David with Jerry Shirley on drums, recorded in February 1970 and aired the following month, this was later released on Peel’s Strange Fruit label and is an absolute must for any Syd fan.

Thoughts on 6 Music and the BBC in general are also quite welcome; I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking up other imaginative ways in which the corporation could cut back, rather than by scrapping their only radio station with a genuinely ‘alternative’ playlist and where, in true Peel tradition, new acts can be heard on a daily basis.

By the way, if you missed the John Peel tribute single – a version of the Buzzcocks number, ‘Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t've)?’, featuring David on rhythm guitar and benefiting Amnesty International – do look/listen out for it.

…but same old blog. Happy New Year, all.

As I recall doing at about this time last year, I would like to get an apology in nice and early relating to the absence of exciting news of forthcoming albums and concerts. There isn’t going to be any for the time being, I’m afraid.

I’m also sorry that silly rumours still spring up like mould on cheese you should have eaten by now and falsely raise your hopes. I guess some people just need the attention.

So, the random stuff you sometimes like, sometimes hate, will continue in lieu of the kind of thing I know you hope to see (me, too). As ever, I hope you can dip in and out as your mood allows, and I thank you for it.

Pictured is the latest from Lance’s excellent sculpture. How good is that?

And how nice that BBC Radio 2 will re-broadcast the Mermaid Theatre concert during the final week of this month, possibly the first week of the next. Precise details when they’re available, but I trust you’ll all tune in to reminisce about On an Island’s first real public airing, which many of you were able to attend, of course.

In memory of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, who died on this day in 1980, and who was, and quite possibly remains… the best drummer of all-time?

The greatest as you deem only right and just to declare him (or her), your favourites, the best living, most memorable performances on stage or on tape, your thoughts on this contentious ‘100 Greatest’ list… Whatever, let us know.

Additionally, as fate has decreed that this week be Nick Mason Week, how about casting a vote for his finest moments behind the Floyd kit, particularly during his time in Pompeii? (I know what you’re thinking, but his quibbling about apple pie was at Abbey Road and behind a table, not a drum kit, so doesn’t count.)

I’m rather partial to the often insane and frenzied, but always perfect, playing of Keith Moon, myself. Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater is no slouch and Ringo Starr, no matter what anyone says, will always be my favourite. ‘I Feel Fine’ indeed.

Thank you for making this week’s file-sharing debate such an interesting one.

That’s all for another week, but have a great weekend – and don’t forget the Top 10 Solo Albums, as chosen by Planet Rock listeners and would-be online vote-riggers, which everyone can listen to online, on Saturday at 6pm (UK). If you miss it, it will be repeated at the same time on Thursday.

In the interest of good blog-keeping, comments about that are to be left here, not here, please. And I’ll still eat my New York baseball cap if Imagine isn’t included…

If you’d like to talk about any of the above, the chatroom opens at 2pm (UK).

Planet Rock is currently asking listeners to vote for the Greatest Solo Album.

Only those who were in established bands before they went solo count, so your Bob Dylans and David Bowies aren’t welcome on this occasion.

Ray Davies of Kinks fame has put out two corkers in recent years; I particularly enjoyed Other People’s Lives from 2006.

Don Henley can do no wrong in my book. Pete Townshend’s another prolific talent.

Two more that stand out are James Dean Bradfield’s The Great Western and Richard Ashcroft’s Alone with Everybody.

We all know that John Lennon’s Imagine will probably win, but Paul McCartney’s Electric Arguments has some great tunes (which you can listen to here). We shouldn’t forget Run Devil Run either, where David joined his Beatle chum to play some good, old-fashioned Rock and Roll.

If you’d like to vote, you have until this Friday to do so. Voters will be entered into a prize draw to win a DAB radio.

The Top 10 will be revealed on Saturday 26 September and repeated on Thursday 1 October. As always, everyone can listen to Planet Rock online.

I wouldn’t dream of suggesting that you all vote for On an Island, About Face and/or David Gilmour, but I would like to know which others you’re most fond of.

Exciting times, July 1969.

Apollo 11 was more than four hours into its mission and orbiting Earth at a distance of 11,753 nautical miles at this time, on this date, 40 years ago.

David shared his memories of the historic occasion with the Guardian last week; the eerie experimental piece featured in the video below is ‘Moonhead’, the jam that complimented the BBC’s live coverage.

Forget the wonders of space exploration, isn’t it amazing to think of television producers letting a band jam so freely on live TV?

Anyway, I’d love to hear your memories. Where were you, what were you doing, and, if you’re too young to have experienced the exciting event for yourself, what do you make of it all with the benefit of hindsight?

Not wishing to take anything away from the achievements of all involved, and knowing that no discussion of the lunar landings would be complete without the obligatory conspiracy theory, it’s only fair to ask: Do you believe that the three Apollo 11 astronauts – Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins – landed on the Moon on the afternoon of 20 July?

This is a fascinating website faithfully recreating the events in real-time. As well as live transmission and mission status updates, you can download or embed your very own mission tracker and follow developments via RSS feed or Twitter – I know that I’ll be spending many of the 98.5 hours before landing time tuned in to the comings and goings from Houston.

If you were unable to catch David and the band performing on Later… with Jools Holland back in September, and haven’t discovered the performance anywhere online since, part of the broadcast footage is now available for your guilt-free viewing pleasure over on the ‘Live in GdaÅ„sk’ page.

‘The Blue’ (from ‘On an Island’) can be found there, as well as some chat.

Although it really does seem like only yesterday, this was originally televised on 26 September 2008.

Other performances on the celebrated show, or its New Year’s special, Hootenanny, include appearances with BB King (in December 1997), Paul McCartney (in November 1999) and Mica Paris (in November 2001). Not forgetting, of course, the visit in May during the 2006 tour, where David Crosby and Graham Nash particularly shone.

Have I forgotten any others, and do you have a favourite?

Oh, and if you were hopeful of breaking news about a forthcoming appearance, I do apologise.

It’s the Grammys on Sunday. As you know, David has been nominated for Best Instrumental Rock Performance (for the GdaÅ„sk version of ‘Castellorizon’).

There will be a live stream of the non-televised portion of the night’s events from LA – the pre-telecast – over at GRAMMY.com, launching at 16:00 (Eastern).

That’s 13:00 (Pacific), 21:00 (UK).

This will be available on demand throughout February, if you’ve better things to do than watch hours of build-up and only really want to see how David fares.

You can watch the ceremony itself live on CBS in the States. Check your TV listings for details.

In the UK, ITV2 will be showing over two hours of highlights on Monday night, from 21:00 (UK).

Needless to say, you’ll have heard if it’s worth tuning in before then.

Have a good weekend, everyone, and Happy Birthday to Tom for tomorrow.

I’m preaching to the converted here, I know, but someone might like to know that 75 glorious minutes from ‘Remember That Night’ are being shown again on UK TV today (or tomorrow, if you haven’t gone to bed yet): at 09:00 and again at 16:00 on Sky Arts 1 (channel 256) and Sky Arts HD (channel 258).

Sky Arts 1 is also available to Virgin Media (XL) customers now and can be found on channel 284.

If you spot anything of interest coming up in the TV listings, particularly if it’s DG-related, but even if it’s not, please don’t keep it to yourself.

The chatroom will be open later, so you’re more than welcome to call in if you’ve nothing better to do between the hours of 14:00 and 16:00 (UK).

I’m sure you can think of some captions for this one. (Well, you did ask for more cats…)

Meet Bev’s darlings, Suzie and Blackie.

I don’t know why they’re printing out photos of David. If the ladies call themselves ‘Gilmourettes’, maybe they just wanted to get in on the act as ‘Gilmourauders’. You know what cats are like.

And just look at Suzie’s eyes. An evil genius if ever I saw one.

Thanks for sharing, Bev.

The chatroom is open between 16:00 and 18:00 (UK) today.

If you missed David on BBC Radio 2 last night, you can – hopefully – listen again here or here. Comments about the programme to be left at the previous post, please.

This is an early reminder to find time this week to listen to Radcliffe & Maconie.

Their show is on BBC Radio 2 tomorrow night (Tuesday 9 December), 20:00-22:00 (UK).

Re-scheduled from September, it includes ‘Echoes’ live from GdaÅ„sk in its glorious entirety.

I’m sure you’ve heard it a few times already, but it’s always good to hear David on the radio, isn’t it?

And – breaking news – it’s just been revealed that David will also perform Syd Barrett’s ‘Here I Go’ for the very first time.

You can listen to the show online no matter where you are, live or on demand (listen live, just in case).

If you’re in the UK, tune in to 88-91 FM on the night. Alternatively, listen through either your DAB digital radio or television set: channel 0102 on Sky, 902 on Virgin and 702 on Freeview.

You want the second hour.

If you want the chatroom, it’s now open – and will be until 15:00 (UK).

You won’t want to miss this, I’m sure.

David will perform Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Albatross’ next week: on Jools Holland’s Radio 2 show, Monday 10 November.

He’ll also be chatting about ‘Live in GdaÅ„sk’.

Everyone can listen live online, so set space in your schedule between the hours of 22:30 and 23:30 (UK).

You can listen later, on demand, for one week (courtesy of the BBC iPlayer), but possibly only if you’re in the UK, so do try and catch it live, if you can.

The chatroom has just opened, so feel free to call in. It will be open until 12:00 (UK).

This is Barbara’s dog, Hunter Beaudreaux, who was adopted by Barbara after his original family lost everything thanks to Hurricane Katrina.

He’s lovely, Barbara. Thanks for sending your picture in.

If your pet will pose for a photo, and doesn’t mind you sneaking in something DG-related, we’d love to see your furry, feathered or flakey friend here. Just get your picture online and include its URL with your comment.

Don’t forget that extended ‘Live in GdaÅ„sk’ on VH1 Classic (US-only) tomorrow, from 17:00 (EST)…

Nor your last chance in the UK – unless you’re in Wales* – to see the final part of ‘The Story of the Guitar’ (on TV, anyway): BBC4, Friday, 23:00 (UK).

* It’s on BBC2 Wales on Sunday 26 October at 23:20 (UK).

You have three more opportunities to see the extended ‘Live in GdaÅ„sk’ on VH1 Classic in the States this week: at 01:00 (EST) this morning, at 17:00 (EST) on Thursday, and at 19:00 (EST) on Saturday.

Please check those times for your own peace of mind, as there is some confusion over listings.

If you’ve seen it already, what did you think of the additional tracks?

Extra songs included in the broadcast are ‘Speak To Me’, ‘Breathe’, ‘Time’, ‘Breathe (Reprise)’, ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ and ‘Wish You Were Here’.

If you haven’t seen it, do set your TiVo.

Who has TiVo, or something like it, anyway? I’d love to know.

Still with the USA… Coming up on RAVE this week, ‘Scotty Moore and Friends: A Tribute to the King of Rock and Roll’. That’s Wednesday afternoon at 13:00 (EST). David performs ‘Don’t’.

Then, on Saturday 25 October, an hour-and-a-half from ‘Remember That Night’, starting at 17:00 (EST). It’s repeated in the early hours of Sunday morning – at 03:00 (EST).

The guitar mentioned a few months back – a Mexican Strat, painted by Gerald Scarfe and signed by all members of Pink Floyd – is being auctioned online from Wednesday 15 October. That’s next week.

If you’re interested in bidding, you will need to register first.

The winning bidder will also acquire the first edition of a limited box set containing eight prints from ‘The Wall’, each of which has been signed by Gerald, as well as a signed book.

A portion of the sale will go to a charity close to David’s heart, Crisis.

Don’t forget ‘Remember a Day: Richard Wright in His Own Words’ tomorrow night, BBC Radio 2 at 19:00 (UK). You can all listen live online, or for a full week later at your convenience, courtesy of the BBC’s Listen Again feature.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

Harder than the last, I imagine (if you can cast your mind back that far), today I’d like to know your ten favourite albums from the Seventies.

However, to make it a little easier, please vote whether the first half of the decade (1970-1974) was better than the second (1975-1979) and select a maximum of ten – that’s right, ten – albums from each half (so you have 20 in total, enough for most people to trawl through, I’m sure).

Alternatively, one list of ten would do. Maybe as two lists of five, as I have done?

Do include the year, as it would be interesting to see which is most-often mentioned.

I have not included the obvious ones, partly because they’d only cancel each other out.

The chatroom opens at 14:00 (UK), closing on time to catch the Q Awards on Q TV at 16:00 (UK).

- Black Sabbath, ‘Paranoid’ (1971)
- The Doors, ‘L.A. Woman’ (1971) 
- George Harrison, ‘All Things Must Pass’ (1970)
- The Who, ‘Who’s Next’ (1971)
- Neil Young, ‘After the Gold Rush’ (1970)

- Kate Bush,’The Kick Inside’ (1978)
- Bob Dylan, ‘Blood on the Tracks’ (1975)
- Bob Dylan, ‘Desire’ (1976)
- The Eagles, ‘Hotel California’ (1976)
- ‘Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ (1976)

Q Magazine awarded David an Outstanding Contribution to Music award at yesterday’s Q Awards, which he dedicated to the late Richard Wright.

You can hear what David had to say as he accepted his award, here.

You’ll find a link to Q Awards with Russian Standard Vodka Highlights – Monday – 18:00 on the right, under LISTEN AGAIN. You may wish to jump to 01:10:00.

You can also catch the awards ceremony on Q TV every day this week. See the calendar for details.

Well done, David.

This is just fantastic…

Courtesy of Liam’s dad, do click for a better look.

Thanks for giving us a peek, Liam. Love it.

See how Polly captured this scene, here.

If you have something for us to see, just get it online and include its URL with your next comment.

Did you see ‘The Story of the Guitar’ last night? If not, and you’re in the UK, you can catch it on BBC iPlayer until Sunday. No David on this one, but an interesting look at how the acoustic guitar developed, nonetheless.

Don’t miss next week’s, as it will be about the electric guitar.

That’s BBC1, Sunday 12 October, 22:20 (UK).

Please note that it starts an hour later in Northern Ireland.

There have been reviews a-plenty added to the archives this week, if you’re interested.

Alternatively, if you’ve got your ‘Live in GdaÅ„sk’ – or maybe just a vivid imagination and unwavering faith – and can write one of those snappy one-line reviews that you see on the back of DVDs and books (there’s probably a name for them, but I’ll be damned if I can think of it, hence the hopeful squashing together of words that make up this post’s title), don’t be shy. Some of us could do with a laugh.

Linda’s “It rocks a big one” will take some beating, mind you.

Remember: less is more and it should fit on the CD cover. (Those of you still without the deluxe set have probably pictured that large, smooth box quite enough, right? I don’t want to make it harder for you. Or easier, depending on which way you look at it.)

Besides, it needs to stand out alongside someone else’s five star rating and another’s unnecessary exclamation marks.

So, very briefly, sum up the album in a way that would suitably intrigue those who hang around shops, idly browsing, during their lunch hour.

Something else to look forward to on UK TV: the three-part ‘Imagine’ series, presented by Alan Yentob and entitled ‘The Story of the Guitar’, which David has contributed to, starts this Sunday at 22:20 (UK) on BBC1.

Just as the month is drawing to a close, here’s one for September: our very own Paul Sexton with Guy Pratt.

Thanks for sharing it with us, Paul.

If you missed David talking to Guy on Planet Rock over the weekend, by the way, you can still tune in until the week is through. Simply click LISTEN NOW, followed by Last 7 Days: Guy Pratt and you’ll see details of the GdaÅ„sk special directly underneath.

If you didn’t miss it, have already said all that you wish to say about it, and have nothing much left to say about anything of relevance, the chatroom is open tomorrow – yes, that’s Tuesday – between 15:00 and 17:00 (UK).

A quick round-up of reminders.

First, the Planet Rock/Guy Pratt interview you were expecting tonight is now on Sunday at 17:00 (UK). Listen online. If you’re in the UK, you can also listen through your TV or DAB digital radio.

Before that, you might be interested in a radio special – which includes an interview – from Belgium, which starts on Sunday morning at 09:00 (CET), on Classic 21.

There’s more from Later… with Jools Holland tonight, as part of a BBC night dedicated to David. That starts at 21:10 (UK) on BBC4 with an hour from the GdaÅ„sk concert, plus the ‘GdaÅ„sk Diary’ DVD extra, followed by another documentary: ‘The Pink Floyd Story…’ (originally broadcast in 1994).

Turn over to BBC2 or BBC HD immediately after that, as David will be performing ‘The Blue’ and ‘Remember a Day’ for Jools, from 23:35 (UK).

The BBC4 programmes are repeated in the early hours of Saturday morning – from 01:30 (UK).

If you can’t wait for your next fix, here is something from New Zealand’s 3 News, something from today’s Sun newspaper, and, if you haven’t heard it yet, last weekend’s US radio special in full.

The Blog’s now closed for the weekend, but will be back on Monday.