Stuart Maconie

[Satchmo Distel]

His first, autobiographical, book is a corker, but since then he seems to have been churning them out at a far too fast lick, like Barbara Cartland between mouthfuls of After Eights. Fact checking is seemingly beneath him.

It also pisses me off that he knows far less about musical history than he likes to pretend he does.

[Jockice]

Like his mate Andrew Collins then. I enjoyed his books about his childhood and student days. But the third one was all: "Gosh, how did this ordinary boy from Northampton end up meeting all these stars and editing magazines?" Er, ambition, ruthlessness and things like that...

[Oops! Wrong Planet]

Cider with Roadies was an amusing read, then suddenly he had books out whose front covers said he was the heir to Alan Bennett and had the wisdom of George Orwell. Can't see it myself.

[holyzombiejesus]

Hated him ever since he slagged off Razorcuts in NME.

[Famous Mortimer]

I evidently had some sort of allergic reaction to Collins and Maconie in my earlier years, and can't stand either man, find everything they say and write intensely annoying, all that. I'm sure I'd have quite a lot in common with both - Maconie (musical taste) and Collins (being the least funny person in any room I'm in) but so be it.

[Jockice]

I evidently had some sort of allergic reaction to Collins and Maconie in my earlier years, and can't stand either man, find everything they say and write intensely annoying, all that. I'm sure I'd have quite a lot in common with both - Maconie (musical taste) and Collins (being the least funny person in any room I'm in) but so be it.

Was it due to their appearances on some late-night Channel 4 programme in the early 90s hosted by Johnny Vaughan who would  introduce them by saying how funny they were, only for the audience to greet their dialogues with total silence?

[Satchmo Distel]

He's become a jack of all trades - middling DJ, shallow travel writer, nostalgist, talking head for hire

[shiftwork2]

Was it due to their appearances on some late-night Channel 4 programme in the early 90s hosted by Johnny Vaughan who would  introduce them by saying how funny they were, only for the audience to greet their dialogues with total silence?

Naked City.  They would sit in a tree for their bit.  I find the careers of both utterly baffling.

[Phil_A]

It's amazing how Maconie has sustained a career for so long on just the appearance of being knowledgable, which is a good trick until you realise how superficial his depth of insight actually is. It works until you know more than he does
on a given subject and then his carelessness and aversion to fact-checking becomes all too obvious.

Collins really blotted his copybook for me with his poorly informed witterings about alternative medicine. Defending Gillian McKeith is not a hill anyone should choose to die on.

[Jockice]

Naked City.  They would sit in a tree for their bit.  I find the careers of both utterly baffling.

That's right. I could vaguely remember them being up something but couldn't remember what. Apart from their own arses that is.

[Serge]

As someone who owns just about all of Maconie's books, I should probably say a few words in his defence here. I don't think any of his 'travel' oriented books are any worse or less well-researched than most other people writing in the same genre, by which I'd say 'humorous travel writing' (such as Bryson, Tim Moore, etc) rather than 'serious travel writing' (yer Thubrons and Theroux's, etc). The thing that slightly lets down 'Pies And Prejudice' is his continued need to describe people geting on with normal lives in Northern towns and keep interjecting with stuff along the lines of, 'and you thought it was all flat caps and whippets', which seems more like what he thinks a stereotypical reader would think rather than what any normal person would think. But he reins that in for 'The Pie At Night', which is a much better book, and probably benefits from having a proper theme - i.e. 'the North at leisure' - and coming across as less patronising.

His most recent, 'Long Road From Jarrow', is also a decent read, though I do wonder if he regrets much of his anti-Corbyn ire, given that the General Election was called after he had finished the book, and the optimism for Labour's future was brighter thereafter. But then, he's entitled to his stance, and it does seem to be genuinely felt, however much I may have disagreed with him on that one.

I was lucky enough to meet him - I realise that most people might not refer to this as 'good luck', but hey - a couple of years ago at the Derby Book Festival, and he was one of the nicest people I've ever met. I also managed to blag my way into his show (which was broadly based on 'Pie At Night'), which was hilarious and very entertaining (and I'm not just saying that because I got in for free!)

I have to admit that I don't know what he's like as a broadcaster because I don't listen to the radio, but he's perfectly suited in attitude, style and wit for the kinds of books he writes, so I don't have a problem with him at all.

[Jockice]

As someone who owns just about all of Maconie's books, I should probably say a few words in his defence here. I don't think any of his 'travel' oriented books are any worse or less well-researched than most other people writing in the same genre, by which I'd say 'humorous travel writing' (such as Bryson, Tim Moore, etc) rather than 'serious travel writing' (yer Thubrons and Theroux's, etc). The thing that slightly lets down 'Pies And Prejudice' is his continued need to describe people geting on with normal lives in Northern towns and keep interjecting with stuff along the lines of, 'and you thought it was all flat caps and whippets', which seems more like what he thinks a stereotypical reader would think rather than what any normal person would think. But he reins that in for 'The Pie At Night', which is a much better book, and probably benefits from having a proper theme - i.e. 'the North at leisure' - and coming across as less patronising.

His most recent, 'Long Road From Jarrow', is also a decent read, though I do wonder if he regrets much of his anti-Corbyn ire, given that the General Election was called after he had finished the book, and the optimism for Labour's future was brighter thereafter. But then, he's entitled to his stance, and it does seem to be genuinely felt, however much I may have disagreed with him on that one.

I was lucky enough to meet him - I realise that most people might not refer to this as 'good luck', but hey - a couple of years ago at the Derby Book Festival, and he was one of the nicest people I've ever met. I also managed to blag my way into his show (which was broadly based on 'Pie At Night'), which was hilarious and very entertaining (and I'm not just saying that because I got in for free!)

I have to admit that I don't know what he's like as a broadcaster because I don't listen to the radio, but he's perfectly suited in attitude, style and wit for the kinds of books he writes, so I don't have a problem with him at all.

i like his radio stuff actually. I listen to Radcliffe and Maconie most days. I've only read a couple of his books. They're okay. I've never met him, although I have been in the same room as him. Twice. The last time my view of him was blocked by Guy Garvey's enormous head. It's like an ox's.

[Serge]

It's like an ox's.

I can believe this.

[Brundle-Fly]

I loved Cider With Roadies. And his Blur biography was pretty good. Freakzone on 6Music is excellent and on the whole. enjoy RadMac. 8/10

[Famous Mortimer]

lies

I hate him so much that I like you less now :)

I presume I saw them first on "Naked City", given I watched it (although I remember nothing other than how much I disliked Caitlin Moran, another hatred which has carried through to the present). But it's definitely their status as professional short-term nostalgists that I hated the most. Although he has that classic anti-Corbyn stance of every wealthy liberal who'd rather things not change all that much, thanks; so fuck him even more (I only just discovered this about him).

Anyway, I'll shut up now. Sorry.

[Sebastian Cobb]

he strikes me as a bit of a wrister.

[Oops! Wrong Planet]

I loved Cider With Roadies. And his Blur biography was pretty good. Freakzone on 6Music is excellent and on the whole. enjoy RadMac. 8/10

I rate him as a broadcaster, and Freak Zone is a goldmine. Not really sure about the earnest/facetious writing style, but maybe that's what his publisher is asking for.

[Peter P. Parrot]

Love Radcliffe and Macone but found Pies and Prejudice a bland read. Sub-Bryson UK travel waffle.

It really didn't help that he's a northerner whose view of the north is entrenched within the M60. In the book the entire North East gets tossed off in a chapter at the end where he basically says he doesn't know the North East at all and doesn't care to find out.

[Serge]

Sub-Bryson

To be fair, every single other writer in the same genre is sub-Bryson. Even a half-hearted Bryson book (Hello, 'Notes From A Big Country'!) is usually funnier than any other comic travel writer. Even Tim Moore.

[studpuppet]

Love Radcliffe and Macone...

"My name is Macone: M - A - C - O - N - E - MACONE!"

[Sin Agog]

To be fair, every single other writer in the same genre is sub-Bryson. Even a half-hearted Bryson book (Hello, 'Notes From A Big Country'!) is usually funnier than any other comic travel writer. Even Tim Moore.

Mark Twain's travel writing is funnier.

[Neville Chamberlain]

To be fair, every single other writer in the same genre is sub-Bryson. Even a half-hearted Bryson book (Hello, 'Notes From A Big Country'!) is usually funnier than any other comic travel writer.

Except Tim Moore!

Even Tim Moore.

Oh.

[Serge]

Mark Twain's travel writing is funnier.

I was unaware of this - I will have to check it out!

Except Tim Moore!

Oh.

Moore would be in the Top 3 comic travel writers, possibly Top 2.....!

[the ouch cube]

He wrote that godawful jingoistic 'Yanks Go Home' thing for Select, didn't he? Knob.

Quite enjoyed Pies & Prejudice though, even if it was just a thimble-deep pootle-around

[Oops! Wrong Planet]

Over a week and no one's mentioned he's pals with Peter Kay yet.

Hi. My name's Stuart Maconie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-00BlmM7gxs

[poodlefaker]

I'm sure I read somewhere once that his dad wrote books about obscure classical music, but I can't find a reference to it now.

[kidsick5000]

It's always a joy when I dip back into Radcliffe and Maconie (which I fear given my age is doing that thing of being seen in my mind as "the new show" while lasting longer than the entirety of the Mark Lard collaborations combined) - and finding that Mr Maconie is on holiday.
I don't actively dislike him but his 'I'm northern but I've read a book' schtick can get on my tits.
I'm expecting he has a list of appropriate book titles he can apply to any of his future work. "Pickled Eggs and Proust", "Blackpool Pierrot", "Waugh and Peas (and whippets)" or similar bollocks.

[FredNurke]

I'm sure I read somewhere once that his dad wrote books about obscure classical music, but I can't find a reference to it now.

That's probably Robin Maconie, who wrote on Stockhausen - but he's no relation.

[Ray Travez]

I'm expecting he has a list of appropriate book titles he can apply to any of his future work. "Pickled Eggs and Proust", "Blackpool Pierrot", "Waugh and Peas (and whippets)" or similar bollocks.

Ma, He's Making Pies at Leigh

[Oops! Wrong Planet]

Bacup Little Siouxsie. Growing up listening to punk rock in Lancashire.

The Name's Bootle, Baby. Growing up listening to P-Funk in Lancashire.

Ashton-under-Lyneman. Growing up listening to Jimmy Webb in Lancashire.

Clitheroes. History of Lancashire's feminist writers and musicians.

That last one is real, out this March.