Minor 6 Music Shake-Up

[Chicory]

George Lamb got mentioned by a listener on Lauren's show this morning. Fuckin' hell, those were dark days.

The Lesley Douglas years.  She was instrumental in turning the station into a ladsy knockabout bantstravaganza.  Soccer AM in a cheeky trilby.  At least we got Adam and Joe out of the deal.

[Das Reboot]

The Lesley Douglas years.  She was instrumental in turning the station into a ladsy knockabout bantstravaganza.  Soccer AM in a cheeky trilby.  At least we got Adam and Joe out of the deal.

Aye, and don't forget those Russell comedians that they had in them days.

[Das Reboot]

Been trying to remember how the original weekday line-up looked.

Obviously Hawkins kicked the day off in the early hours.

Breakfast: Jupitus - didn't mind his show, he played a lot of stuff that went against the indie guitar narrative that built up around the station back in those days. He also loathed the playlist, and particularly resented having to play the likes of Cold Play and Oasis. Definitely remember him deliberately timing it so that The Importance of Being Idle would be cut off after barely 10 seconds to go to the news.

Mid-morning: Gideon Coe. Pretty much the same as his evening show. He introduced me to The Fall by playing a lot of The Marshall Suite one morning. Fair fucks.

Afternoon: Not sure, I've got a horrible feeling that it was Liz "HIY-AH!" Kershaw. Urrrgh.

Tea Time/Drive: Andrew Collins. Meh. I remember him sulking quite a bit when the suits told him to stop calling it Tea Time.

Early evening/late night: Cannot for the life of me remember how this looked.

Weekends are quite hazy too. Craig's been on Funk and Soul duty from the year dot. Bruce Dickinson had a ROCK show. Maybe Don Letts was there too. Breakfast? No idea. I recall someone called Tasha(?) doing it in the early years but not from the start.

There were a few weekend/daytime subs bench presenters from the early years that pulled off the Nicky Campbell manoeuvre and somehow ended up on 5 Live - Clare McDonnell and Chris Warburton to name two.

[Ron Maels Moustache]

Quoted from the new Adam & Joe thread:

This is going to make me wistful about a more innocent time 😢

I don't anticipate a Collins & Herring reunion

It was weird hearing Herring's voice come up in a package piece about the 2010 threatened station closure, very easy to forget he was ever a presenter on there. And neither he nor Collins have had any mention in all the anniversary shindig. In fact, I think bar Adam & Joe, the only "old" presenters participating were those who're still working at the station.

I wonder if that was a conscious choice to put more emphasis on the successful years of the station rather than the wilderness era when it was barely listened to.

[letsgobrian]

Been trying to remember how the original weekday line-up looked.

Obviously Hawkins kicked the day off in the early hours.

Breakfast: Jupitus - didn't mind his show, he played a lot of stuff that went against the indie guitar narrative that built up around the station back in those days. He also loathed the playlist, and particularly resented having to play the likes of Cold Play and Oasis. Definitely remember him deliberately timing it so that The Importance of Being Idle would be cut off after barely 10 seconds to go to the news.

Mid-morning: Gideon Coe. Pretty much the same as his evening show. He introduced me to The Fall by playing a lot of The Marshall Suite one morning. Fair fucks.

Afternoon: Not sure, I've got a horrible feeling that it was Liz "HIY-AH!" Kershaw. Urrrgh.

Tea Time/Drive: Andrew Collins. Meh. I remember him sulking quite a bit when the suits told him to stop calling it Tea Time.

Early evening/late night: Cannot for the life of me remember how this looked.

Weekends are quite hazy too. Craig's been on Funk and Soul duty from the year dot. Bruce Dickinson had a ROCK show. Maybe Don Letts was there too. Breakfast? No idea. I recall someone called Tasha(?) doing it in the early years but not from the start.

There were a few weekend/daytime subs bench presenters from the early years that pulled off the Nicky Campbell manoeuvre and somehow ended up on 5 Live - Clare McDonnell and Chris Warburton to name two.

You almost got the weekday launch schedule down https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/service_bbc_6music/2003-02-12

Tom Robinson, Janice Long and Chris Hawkins were in the evening slots.

[Das Reboot]

Ahh yes, Tom Robinson's Evening Sequence. Wonder where they got that idea from? I don't remember Auntie Janice on there at all, must have been past my bedtime.

[The Mollusk]

Cold Play

Love this, can't read it without hearing it in a Matt Berry voice, emphasis on Play

[Das Reboot]

Ha, this is one of those rare times that I'm going to take pride in my ignorance. Luckily, I can't recall Bon Jo-vee ever being played on 6.

[Campbell Soupe]

Fucking hell, I didn't realise Chris 'The Hawk' Hawkins has been toiling in 6music graveyard slots, up-at-sillies, and the subs bench for twenty fucking years. You'd think he'd get the message that he'll never be a Yellowcoat, by now. I remember the bright new things on radio 1 would get 6 months on earlies, then straight into a prime time gig.


Fake edit: actually, that sounded unnecessarily shitty. Hawkins has been a safe-pair-of hands national broadcaster for 20 years..I've not.  Beige pays, clearly.

[The Roofdog]

He used to pre-record the first half of his show and turn up in the middle to do the second half live. Not sure if he still does that, think that was when he was 4-7am or some ungodly schedule but everything's been moved back a bit now. He'd hand over to breakfast then immediately start the tape running and go into the first half of tomorrow's show, must have been a headfuck sometimes.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Maybe he handed in his notice years ago, but due to living both in the present and future simultaneously, he's completely lost track of time and is not exactly sure when he was supposed to have left. So he just carries on, tears in his eyes, waiting for someone to tell him to stop. That day will never come.

[shiftwork2]

Chris Hawkins keeping a 6 figure job for 20 years is an inspiration to all mediocrities (me).

[peteprodge]

The very first hour of BBC 6music has been uploaded to Mixcloud, here: https://www.mixcloud.com/andy-walmsley2/launch-of-bbc-radio-6-music-with-phill-jupitus-11-march-2002/

...back when it was much closer to XFM in its music choices. A lot of a 'indie = white blokes with guitars' feeling to this. Stereophonics are heralded and on the playlist and performing at the launch event! Quite a sausage fest, very unlike the 6music of now.

In summary, it's as if Q or Mojo magazine got turned into a radio station. (Actually, one of those things did happen.)

[SteveDave]

He used to pre-record the first half of his show and turn up in the middle to do the second half live. Not sure if he still does that, think that was when he was 4-7am or some ungodly schedule but everything's been moved back a bit now. He'd hand over to breakfast then immediately start the tape running and go into the first half of tomorrow's show, must have been a headfuck sometimes.

What if 9/11 Part 2 had happened? Doesn't bear thinking about.

[Ron Maels Moustache]

The very first hour of BBC 6music has been uploaded to Mixcloud, here: https://www.mixcloud.com/andy-walmsley2/launch-of-bbc-radio-6-music-with-phill-jupitus-11-march-2002/

...back when it was much closer to XFM in its music choices. A lot of a 'indie = white blokes with guitars' feeling to this. Stereophonics are heralded and on the playlist and performing at the launch event! Quite a sausage fest, very unlike the 6music of now.

And Lenny Kravitz!!

It's quite fascinating this, how the ethos of the station has shifted since it started. Mostly positively, it has to be said.

[Das Reboot]

Speaking of change for the better, The Blessed Madonna - in for the Hobbs - has been fab this week.

[Hound Of The Basketballs]

Better than M-AH for sure, but it might be nice if she glanced over her script before going on air. She constantly sounds like she has no idea what she's talking about, or why she's saying these things. And really seems to have never heard most of the records she plays.

[Das Reboot]

That is true, she does sound a bit like a scatterbrained DJ character on GTA Vice City. Other good news this week was that Nemone was sitting in for Lauren. Glad to see she's still on the subs bench.

Meanwhile, Christ knows why, they're trailing the fuck out of 6 Music's Second Generation Mr Beige, Huw Stephens, sitting in for Iggy Pop.

[Ron Maels Moustache]

Better than M-AH for sure, but it might be nice if she glanced over her script before going on air. She constantly sounds like she has no idea what she's talking about, or why she's saying these things. And really seems to have never heard most of the records she plays.

I think it's nervousness, mostly. I don't know if she pre-records her night-time shows but it did sound like she was struggling a bit with the pressure of being on in the daytime.

That fucking Janice Long trailer has been doing my head in all week. I feel myself doing an involuntary snort of derision every time Bobby Gillespie says "We got fed up waiting for the revolution to happen, so we had to start the revolution." Oh get fucked you arrogant little chancer.

[Das Reboot]

That fucking Janice Long trailer

Err, do you mean Liz Kershaw?

I share your sentiments with Gillespie. I really hope the Chart Music crew get properly stuck into him one day soon.

[Ron Maels Moustache]

Er, yes I did. Must've been tired last night when I typed that. Sorry for accidently associating the lovely Janice with the appalling Liz.

[kalowski]

Fucking Steve Lemacq. Sucking the fun out if the afternoon one dull anecdote at a time...

[Camp Tramp]

We had a full weekend of 6 Festival music, and now they are looking back to it on every show.

Enough already.

[lazyhour]

Oh, they had a festival? I didn't notice!

[the science eel]

The Little Simz set was fucking A. Enjoyed Johnny Marr last night too - the Electronic songs were actually more exciting to hear than the Smiths' retreads

[poodlefaker]

The 6 Music Festival seems to mean Craig Charles has to play Pixies on the FUnk and Soul Show. Nein danke.