Today's show 08/04/11

It seems only a few days ago that my blog passed some significant milestones. 1000 reads, then 1500 reads, and yesterday evening it passed 1800 reads. Again, I thank my readers for taking time from their busy lives to read my ramblings.

Every now and again I am contacted by somebody with a "Have you seen this?" email and a link to a web page. This one from The Guardian written by Miranda Sawyer was sent to me yesterday, in which she comments on Ken's/Rob Brydon's 1st April show before moving on to yours:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/apr/03/radioplayer-ken-bruce-jeremy-vine

My favourite paragraph is this one:
... A proper, properly funny April fool. Unfortunately, it made everything else afterwards seem like a mickey-take as well. And Ken was followed by Jeremy Vine. As regular readers may know, I have been worried about Jeremy recently: if you compare him with his previous incarnation as a Newsnight/Panorama presenter, it's as though he's been subject to nightly brain-washing by the Daily Mail. Post-Ken, he went straight into an item on speed cameras and I really didn't know if it was a joke or not.

To answer her question, your whole show is a joke on every single day and not just on 1st April.

 

Interesting, don't you think, that Ms Sawyer considers your relationship with your favourite member of The Dead Tree Press Preservation Society - The Daily Mail - to be as unhealthy as I do. Again, you see Jeremy, it really is not just me.

OK... on to today's four good reasons to switch to 6 Music at 12:

1) SHOULD WE BOOK A HOLIDAY TO PORTUGAL? - The Chancellor is meeting other EU finance ministers to discuss an emergency bailout for Portugal. Do we have a duty to book a holiday to Portugal to boost its stricken economy? : Who are "we"? You and me? I don't think so! I find it a little odd that you chose not to do a similar item for Ireland when they had their emergency bailout. I've had some lovely holidays there, but perhaps you prefer the sun of Portugal to the green softness of Ireland. Oh, and by the way, I do not need you to tell me what my duty is, what to do, or what to think. YOUR duty is to provide a quality radio programme every lunchtime, but that seems to be beyond you. Next...

 

2) CLOSET NATURIST BANNED FROM HIS WINDOW - A man who said he was a closet naturist has been banned from standing naked at his window for ten years : The words that tell me all I need to know about this story are "Find out more in this Mirror article". I can't ever remember you featuring a story from the uber-rag that is the Daily Mirror. Has it really come to this? From frontman on Newsnight to reading stories from the Mirror? Oh Jeremy, you poor, poor man. Next...

3) CUTTING YOUR PETROL BILL WITH MARTIN LEWIS - After 1, our money saving expert Martin Lewis joins us to tell us how to cut our petrol bills. Start by emptying that boot and taking off the roof rack… : I have immense respect for Martin and what he does, and the only fly in his otherwise pure ointment is his willingness to be a guest on your programme. Next...

4) FOOTBALL RIVALRY: BRIAN CLOUGH AND DON REVIE - And we discuss the rivalry of two footballing legends: Brian Clough and Don Revie : I hate football with a passion, but I remember hearing of these two characters in the 1970s. The web page link goes to an itv.com page (First the Mirror, then ITV - was the Daily Mail not published today?) where there is a 26 minute interview with them that dates from 1974. After 30 seconds my eyes were starting to close. After a minute I was losing the will to live, but I managed to revive myself and hit the Stop button. That was close! I have a special tag for stories such as this on my blog: Sport zzzzzz... I consider that to be an accurate description.

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - first with the news from 1974.