Still ipad-tastic in our house. With apologies to those of you who can't stand this stuff, it really is the most beautiful thing out there. I was watching an animated table of elements last night and it really is a thing of wonder. Enough already. Once the 10 year old gets his hands on it, that'll be it anyway.
So let's get these 60s hits underway then. Big weekend of special shows here and an All-Request 60's Friday kicks it all off tonight. I have in mind the perfect opener which has the best opening of any pop song ever. Any guesses as to what it might be?
First to 5 Live for some shouting/reasoned argument with Michael Winterbottom about his new film The Killer Inside Me and Noel Clarke for 4.3.2.1. Then to Radio 2 for that 5 o'clock gig.
Chris did a great Beatles All Request Friday so I'll be interested to know what you make of the 6Os 'A.R.F.'. Hopefully we'll have 2 hours of the coolest music anywhere but that's down to you!
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Have a great Bank Holiday...
Ok well here's the deal. It is Eurovision weekend and all the delights of that extraordinary competition will be brought to you by the great Ken Bruce on Saturday. What I have been wondering is whether it is possible to mark Eurovision without playing any. This will be down to your ingenuity. So songs to mark a European (with er, Israel too) singing competition without any Eurovision hits is the order of the day. Interpret that how you will and leave your cleverness in the box below.
And Nige is on an away week this week so its Salmon En Croute or salmon en croute maybe. Those pastry aromas will be wafting through your radio after 6. If indeed pastry has aromas. Oh well. Have a great Thursday and see you after 5.
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Today we bring you possibly the only radio show dedicated to the sciatic nerve. It is (as we learnt yesterday) the longest and widest nerve in the body and boy don't we know it. U2 have pulled out of Glastonbury after Bono suffered 'severe compression in his and as a consequence had emergency surgery. Sciatica, as any sufferer will tell you, is a right royal pain in the a** and it's time this was recognised with some oldies dedicated to you and that shooting pain you love so much. Suggestions please.
In other news, Gok Wan is on today after 6. His new show started yesterday and he is always good company. Inevitably, I ended up thinking slightly more than normal about what I was going to wear. Hope he likes cardigans...
And heres hoping GCSE Physics is gentler than Biology.
See you after 5!
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Well we kept cool and carried on, and now look it's all gone and got cool again. Well that was fun while it lasted. "The Heat Is On" will have to be put back in its box for a while.
Today we welcome John Motson to Drive and not Gok Wan as I said yesterday. I am recording an interview with Gok today which you'll hear tomorrow and so consequently am wondering whether to change from my rather tatty old t-shirt in his honour. But then maybe I can't be bothered. I certainly won't be donning a sheepskin coat for Motty that's for sure. John's autobiography is out and what a lovely time to speak to him just ahead of the World Cup next month. Motty just after 6 of course.
And inspired by Eli 'Paperboy' Reed, let's hear it for singers with nicknames. That small number of musicians who are not usually known by their first names but other, more pithy, humourous or weird ones instead. You know who I mean. Your top suggestions below, thankyou very much.
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Well let's try but that might be pushing it when it's going to be hotter here than son1 is experiencing in the heart of Africa. A few changes of clothing packed, and we're off...
Hope your weekend was a good one. Mrs M. and I went to see Natalie Merchant at the Hammersmith Apollo. It turned out to be part gig, part lecture as she showed slides of assorted Victorian writers whose childrens' stories and poems had inspired her new album "Leave Your Sleep". She has a great voice and some of the new songs are terrific but with only a 3 piece (and usually 2 piece) band she struggled to bring enough variety into the set. And isn't 2 hours 30 mins always too long for a gig? The devoted would happily have stayed till breakfast but the rest of us were merely tired and sleepy. Moshing was not on the agenda.
Enough. Today.... Well Simon Callow will be on after 6. He's got another one man show , this time about Shakespeare. He's always great company and looking forward to talking to him again.
And music? BBC1 is awash with flowers again for the Chelsea flower show (if you can be awash with flowers) so let's think blooms and all assorted paraphernalia . Over to you petal...
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Well I did say it would turn out half decent and this looks like a lovely weekend coming up. Which is just as well as yesterday I sat through the horrible spectacle of a film called The Killer Inside Me which was just vile. Yesterday's programme was a wonderful sun-filled antidote and we'll continue that tonight. Looking forward to 5pm already! Your participation is requested - leave that dashboard-tapping classic in the receptacle provided.
And this will be too late now but remember what those chromosomes are made from! It's GCSE Biology today. I hope we helped.
But first the small business of the movie show with Mark over on 5Live. More Robin Hood business to sort and director Philip Ridley on his new horror film Heartless. Then one dons the leathers for that bike trip to R2 central...
As soon as I thought the end of cold weather would be fun to use as musical inspiration today, I knew that regional differences would lead to protest. 'It's not hot in Glasgow!' came the tweets this morning and that is a fair point. So it is hardly a heatwave but it is the end of that horrible cold spell. And that makes the song selection slightly more challenging. Hot Hot Hot is not really the story here. The weekend looks pretty decent and we are warming gently so let's see what you can find. That box below needs your attention...
And Thursday brings with it the promise of Nigel and his assortment of gastronomic delights. I fear for Sally's involvement here as he promises us fore rib of beef. There aren't many ways of hiding the meat content there. What's a veggie to do? Maybe cabbage or peas is all she will find. And there might just be a little Nige-related confession to spice things up a tad after 6.
Have a great day - see you at 5.05 or send a note.
One of the 3 word reviews of the day on yesterdays programme was 'at last...warmth'. That just about sums it up - is that the hint of warmth on your face? Good grief it might even be summer soon. Heating off, summer wardrobe out. You shouldn't need your vest for a while hopefully...
Today we welcome Tracey Thorn back to the airwaves. Everything But The Girl had so many great tunes with terrific harmonies that a new album from Tracey is something to look forward to. It's called 'Love and Its Opposite' and will be on husband Ben Watt's label Strange Feeling. Tracey is very welcome and she's here after 6.
And for those many families with exam tension dominating everything morning noon and night, we dedicate the show and a whole bunch of oldies as selected by you. I'll open proceedings with 'Under Pressure' and see where we go from there. Respect and sympathy in equal measure. You turn your paper over now...
A hit for Candy Dulfer in 1989 but nothing to do with today's programme merely to provide a headline for the appearance of Lily Allen. She is on the show after 6 and has just returned from Brazil where she has been working on a Save-the-Rainforest campaign. I spoke to her just after she had been seen crying when Fulham lost the Europa Cup Final - you'll get all the details after 6.
Regular followers of my tweets will know by now that occasionally, just occasionally, my spelling lets me down somewhat (although I did get 'occasionally' right first time). So I watch spelling bee competitions with awe. The Times is running one for schools at the moment and it has reached the semi-final stage. The teams have already negotiated words such as 'symbiosis' and 'maelstrom' and now reach the real tough stuff. So for the oldies today we'll have a go at spelling songs. And there are loads of them! Leave your favourites below and we'll put the best on after 5.
And also a confession that you can listen to while eating. See you later...
She's Braxton, I'm Hicks. Well it's my middle name but as you well know the old Braxton Hicks are fake contractions that have set quite a few hearts a-fluttering a few weeks ahead of d-day. This Braxton Hicks combo to get the cardiologist worried stars Toni Braxton, 6-time grammy award winning singer who has a new album called Pulse. Unbreak My Heart and Breathe Again were very big hits and she is great fun. She's here at 6!
Weekend? Any good? Well the best thing on TV (apart from 24 and even more heroic pouting from Chloe. And Dana Dead! Good grief) was the England 20/20 victory over the Australians. The first world title for England seems due cause for a Drivetime full of songs to mark the moment. Let's assume Howzat by Sherbet is overly subscribed and take it from there. Leave your witty and musical ideas below...
It's going to be a top week here you know and we start at 5.05
Here we are again at another weekend eve and another "All request Friday". But some work first. Work that we all secretly dread here at really rather popular Radio 2. Putting programmes together is great, selecting songs is great, reading confessions is great. Gettting photographed for the latest publicity shots can, however, be really rather stressful. Particularly if the Daily Telegraph recently described you as looking like 'a rather jauntily peeling beach hut'. Not that I'm paranoid you understand but pass that foundation factor 10 or whatever it's called.
After that it'll be straight upstairs for the movie reviews at 5 Live with the good Dr Kermode. He will however be at the Cannes film festival which he loathes so that is usually worth a laugh. Robin Hood will be top of the bill.
And finally to hot rockin' radio 2 (220 million listeners isn't it?) and your selection of fine, shouty anthems can be left below.
PS Zoom by Fat Larrys Band is not an opening song, never has been, never will be. Just saying.
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Greetings to all drivetimers. Empty sunny house here, fresh coffee made and Laura Marling blasting out. A good start. Actually as I type this I remember there is a sleeping teenager somewhere but I could have Kiss playing in the kitchen and nothing would move. So I'm fine.
Actually more than fine as it does appear that Drivetime has more, many more listeners than I thought possible. There is always nervousness when taking over a new show (presenters are a notoriously paranoid breed), particularly one as successful as this one has been. John Dunn, Johnnie Walker and Chris created something special for Radio 2 and I am more chuffed than I can say that the audience has continued to grow. Thank you bloggers all!
Just watched the Crowded House video from last night. It's great fun and to watch those harmonies close up was something special.
It's the Cannes movie festival on this week so lets do songs themed around the French, movies, la Croissette and ghastly excess. All at once.
All that plus Nigel with his paella for you after 6.
See you at 5.05
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School run completed. Traffic terrible. As a just out of office minister tweeted this morning 'I blame the government'.
Well much was expected of Gene Simmons last night and much was delivered. What an extraordinary encounter. I was used to doing very long interviews at 5Live and I could easily have kept this one going till 7 o'clock and beyond. If you needed an alternative to the political goings on elsewhere, Radio 2 was the place to be. If you are going to the Wembley gig tonight, it sounds as though you're in for a spectacular show.
And more live music on todays show from Crowded House who have a new album out called 'Intriguer'. The line up now is Neil Finn, Nick Symour, Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod and they'll be playing a new song "Saturday Sun" and, for our Great British Songbook, a cover of Donovan's Catch the Wind. They have always had a fantastic fanbase here and they have a great live reputation. The tour starts in Newcastle on the 18th but a sneak preview tonight after 6.
Oh, and songs for new PM in the box below. You're cooperation is appreciated.
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Ladies and gentleman of the drivetime collective, I bring you Gene Simmons. Kiss are in the Uk on tour (have you seen them? send us a review!) and played Manchester last night. Their current album is "Sonic Boom".. '11 brand new Kiss anthems' as it says on the label and I'm listening to it as I write this, blowing away the late night Sony award induced cobwebs. Well done to Mark Kermode for his win, much deserved of course, and to 5Live for the station of the year award. And to Dermot for winning music programme of the year. Nice one Dermot. As you would expect Chris Evans was a terrific host, getting 37 awards done without time dragging-no mean feat.
And as for music, well we got skewered somewhat by Gordon Brown's statement bang on 5 o'clock and who knows where we'll be by the time we are on air. Maybe the Queen will be in charge. Or the French will have invaded. More haggling? Falling out? A new partnership sorted? Let's keep this flexible. If the news suggests an appropriate tune let us know...
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Greetings from a sunny office amid the detritus of GCSE revision (calculate the volume of a prism etc). I can only claim the computer (which is obviously mine) once the entire house is empty of people and then I can fight my way in past tottering piles of files and assorted text books.
Anyway I'm here and listening to the new Keane EP 'Night Train' prior to their appearance today after 6. We've been playing 'Stop For a Minute' for a while and not only does it sound rather fine but also it's great to have an EP to talk about. A neglected art form. Happy memories of picture sleeves and extra tracks being squeezed onto a 7" piece of vinyl. The only trouble is it has 8 tracks which makes it more of an album really but we'll finesse this after 6.
And covering all bases, we'll have songs about tortuous, protracted haggling. That could be for Cameron, Clegg and Brown or the EU, Greece and the rest. 'We Can Work It Out' 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' that kind of thing. Unless there's a new government by then in which case it's 'We Are The Champions' " Top of the World' etc.
You know the drill...
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When all is in flux, there is one thing you can be certain of. And that is that an "All request Friday" will be there for you at the end of an exhausting week. However you voted and whoever is the Prime Minister, Tom Jones, Queen, Rainbow, Neil Diamond and Led Zep will be requested -nay demanded - by the Drivetime faithful. And good for you. Keep it coming.
As one listener mentioned yesterday, maybe what should happen now is that we should wait for Andrew Lloyd Webber to step in and save his favourite loser. Who will be Dorothy? Who will be the Tin Man? And who maybe could be the wicked witch?
In our house, we managed to stay up till 2ish but when David Dimbleby said "let's go back to the barge and Andrew Neill..." the thought of spending more time with a bunch of well-oiled celebs sharing their ignorance with us was a tad too much and we bailed out. Ho hum. Wonder if that'll be booked again for the next election. In October maybe...
Anyway it is time to declare now for your favourite Friday opener and pop into the box below. Make it big! Make it loud!
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Wow that was some night. A houseful of assorted footie types all there to witness the glories of finishing fourth. Who'd have thought it? As the evening moved on to bourbon I knew Thursday would dawn with a certain pain behind the eyes. And so it proved. And then son1 called from Uganda where he had been watching City/Spurs in a bar. Top stuff indeed...
So first to 5Live for the movie show, moved to Thursday as there might be a tad too much election news tomorrow. So it's Kermode and a great interview with Russell Crowe 2-4 and then back to R2 for a top drivetime show with some of Nigel's rhubarb trifle to look forward to.
And a confession from the polling booth! See you at 5.05...
Just got round to watching the "This Week" film Mark Kermode and I did last night on the election broadcasts. Memorable for 1) Andrew Neil clearly not having read his script before hand and therefore Mark became Kermond for some reason and 2) by being filmed from ground level it gave you an exclusive view of the soles of our shoes. The mud was some of Highgate's finest.
So , with clean footware, today's Drive brings you Don Mclean singing in the studio. His choice of a great British song is a tad tricky and might cause a diplomatic incident of some sort but we'll get through it. He is a truly remarkable singer-songwriter and really looking forward to his songs tonight.
Still got a stash of Robin Hood related tunes to play, but happy for more suggestions if fresh inspiration has struck...
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Show back to normal today with a measly 2 hours. Just 5 till 7 is all we have, hope you all enjoyed the longer version we had yesterday. It was one of those bank holidays where it wasn't a huge wrench to leave the hail effected family picnic and head on off to Radio 2...
This morning I'm filming a small piece for "This Week" on BBC1 tonight with Dr Mark Kermode. They have asked us to look at the party election broadcasts as pieces of cinema and to review them as such. And what fun we have had. If all goes well thats on BBC1 tonight at 23.45. Peaktime I'm sure you'll agree.
Today we have Dave Stewart on the show after 6 . He's written a business manual of all things-find out more tonight. And as the new Robin Hood film opens this week, lets have songs inspired by arrows, forests, Nottingham, robbery and men in tights. You get the picture...
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Yes still here, Bank Holiday or not. I will tell the family, as I wave them a fond farewell at the wind-swept, bone-chillingly cold picnic we'll be on, that the nation demands Drivetime as usual. They will shrug their shivering shoulders and disappear further beneath the travel rug.
From the warmth of the studio (and starting at 4! A whole extra hour!) we'll continue the celebration of the Great British Songbook with some of the finest songs you'll hear anywhere. Sir Tim Rice will (hopefully) be on hand to enlighten us with his insights. He'll doubtless be somewhere hot and lovely and we'll pretend not to be jealous.
Also today, a guitarist labelled by Eric Clapton as the best in the world. He's the Grammy winning Albert Lee and he'll be in the studio after 6. If you remember his wonderful 'Country Boy' song, a big hit for him and for Ricky Skaggs, you'll know his style is breathtakingly fast. Virtuoso indeed. Look out for Albert after 6.
Homework Sucks and Confessions as ever and, reassuringly, in their usual place. See you just after 4...
