6music idiocy AKA I hate change

[bobloblaw]

What Liz Kershaw-like grip does the world's dullest DJ Steve Lamacq have on BBC radio management to survive yet another schedule upheaval unscathed?

Forcing Riley & Coe into a half-arsed late(r) night double act at 10pm, cutting their combined hours by more than half, is typically depressing. Maybe one or both asked for reduced hours, but a botched job like this doesn't sound like the answer.

Each of their shows has its own character, informed by their personalities, in the best tradition of music radio. Both will now be diluted.

It's Mayo & Whiley all over again and look how well that went.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

I most certainly will not be dancing around my kitchen island to this.

[Pink Gregory]

surely half of the live sessions are on Riley's show?  Is that the end of those?

[Fabian Thomsett]

1) Don't understand why Deb Grant doesn't have her own show

2) Fuck my hat fact: Mary Anne Hobbs is older than Craig Charles.

[bobloblaw]

surely half of the live sessions are on Riley's show?  Is that the end of those?

they might find a way to have them in the later slot but will probably have to be pre-recorded and with less banter with the band. It also sticks in the craw that they promote Gid's solo show with "as many records as he can manage" when they've cut the show by an hour

[dontpaintyourteeth]

I'm sure Deb Grant is probably great but that pseudonym she used for years seems regrettable now

-sincerely, geezer what named himself after a jandek song

[Camp Tramp]

Daytime schedule is dull

Laverne is dull
Hobbs plays interesting music but her voice annoys me.
Charles is incredibly annoying when he is there.
Lamacq bores me.

I don't mind Ravenscroft and I've heard good things about Deb Grant, but I'm not happy to see Riley and Coe reduced

You could strip an hour each from Laverne, Charles and Lamcacq and fit Coe and Riley in.

[Endicott]

Another vote to get rid of Lamacq completely.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

one of my old workplaces always had 6music on and the decision to put Keaveny on in the afternoon -I know he's gone since- was universally unpopular because of how low-energy and tediously cynical he was. "Oh no, Keaveny- get the aux"

anyway my point is that I wouldn't put anything past the management of that station, after that misfire.

I do still like Hobbs and to a lesser extent Laverne though

[Minami Minegishi]

I'm one of those mad bastards who listens to almost every single Riley show (I tend to play it when working the next day) so this is really fucking annoying for me. 6music are fully turning into a station that simply reflects music tastes (Lamacq) rather than innovating and supporting new bands (Riley).

Also, really love Hobbs and Coe as well.

Can't do Maconie.

[The Mollusk]

Coe's show is just him playing music and talking for about 10 seconds between each song which I find fucking woeful, absolutely no verbal enthusiasm for the music being played, may as well be a robot reading out the song titles. Now the show's been chopped/reduced I'm presuming it'll be even more stilted and shit than before?

Riley's doddering patter and "fun" segments are increasingly tedious but at least he fucking tries, and his enthusiasm for music still shines through especially when nattering with the session artists. What good can be gleaned from his show will most likely be crushed to dust now as well.

Lamacq must have some serious dirt on the gallery of grubby fingers that have nonced their way through the BBC over the decades because there is no other conceivable reason why that drooling slug of absolute fucking nothing shit shit tedious piss artist bowl of cold grey soup with skin on top and utter bathmat caked in years of scum from crusty morning feet and flecks of piss still holds a staggering three hours of premium drivetime radio air five days a week.

[Hound Of The Basketballs]

Coe's show is just him playing music and talking for about 10 seconds between each song which I find fucking woeful, absolutely no verbal enthusiasm for the music being played

Wow, you must have hated John Peel. Give me a DJ who tells us what the song is and fits in more good music over somebody like Maryanne Hobbs and her fake gushing enthusiasm any day. You don't need a radio presenter to try to sell the song to you.

[Clatty McCutcheon]

Yeah, I really like Coe's laconic style - seems ideally matched to the late evening time slot. Not sure what he's going to bring to a "double act", mind you.

[Huxleys Babkins]

I wonder if it'll be like Radcliffe and Maconie where it's effectively a double act in name only.

[Clatty McCutcheon]

Yeah, looks like it could be a bit of a "job share" kind of set-up.

[Endicott]

Yeah, I really like Coe's laconic style - seems ideally matched to the late evening time slot. Not sure what he's going to bring to a "double act", mind you.

Bill me as another who prefers the DJ to get out of the way of the music. Coe plays good stuff, that's enough for me.

Apparently they are going to share Tuesday and Wednesday with Riley solo on Monday and Coe solo on Thursday. They have a good rapport during their handover segments running up to 9pm, so it could work, maybe.

I dunno, the Ravenscroft and Grant new music show looks like a decent prospect, I just wish it wasn't fucking up the only two decent shows on 6 on Monday through Thursday.

[iamcoop]

I've said this a million times in various threads (as have others in this thread) but Lamacq's show is just fucking woeful these days.

His patter, his musical beds, his choice of records are all genuinely insufferable.

How many people exist that genuinely enjoy listening to Carter USM, Catfish & the Bottlemen, Blur and fucking Menswe@r every evening?

His inability to move on from Britpop, the 90's, the Dublin Castle and shockingly banal landfill indie is actually quite disturbing now. It's like somebody with dementia playing Matt Monroe on their gramophone every evening to try and conjure up memories of their wedding day. It's fucking pathetic.

I used to be able to tolerate him whilst waiting for Riley but I have to turn him off now. Just fucking appalling radio from somebody totally out of touch with modern music that's just cashing it in.

They should've given Craig Charles' slot to Jamz Supernova, she's fucking excellent and plays loads of great stuff.

Don't mind Coe or Ravenscroft, and Riley is a bit cheesy but plays good stuff.

I know it's very easy to complain about 6music but at least a few years ago you could clearly see what space it was trying to occupy. I don't really see what the fuck it's supposed to be anymore really.

[Kankurette]

Lamacq must have some serious dirt on the gallery of grubby fingers that have nonced their way through the BBC over the decades because there is no other conceivable reason why that drooling slug of absolute fucking nothing shit shit tedious piss artist bowl of cold grey soup with skin on top and utter bathmat caked in years of scum from crusty morning feet and flecks of piss still holds a staggering three hours of premium drivetime radio air five days a week.

It's a far cry from his Evening Session days. I heard so many great bands through that show. It got me into Sleater-Kinney, amongst other things. Trouble is, the music world moved on and he clearly hasn't.

[The Mollusk]

Wow, you must have hated John Peel. Give me a DJ who tells us what the song is and fits in more good music over somebody like Maryanne Hobbs and her fake gushing enthusiasm any day. You don't need a radio presenter to try to sell the song to you.

There's heaps of middle ground to be explored between "fake gushing" and nothing at all - where's the band from? Where did you hear of them? What does their music mean to you? Are they good or even better live? If they're an older band do they have any significant spot in musical history? Did they influence anyone or pull from other notable influences? What label are they on? Is the label notorious for putting that sort of stuff out or otherwise generally worth checking out?

If you're a good host a lot of these points can be addressed concisely and provide a wealth of context that, even if you're not someone like me who loves burrowing off down endless musical rabbit holes, creates the sort of intimate rapport that makes music radio less a torrent of hits and more a personable and welcoming experience. Coe's three hour weeknight late spot, where the vast majority of listeners are no longer on their way to, powering through the drudgery of, or driving home from work is the perfect cosy space to stretch out and chat about the music. Wasted opportunity if you ask me.

Also worth noting that we live in entirely different times now from when Peel was on the air. Pre-internet days you'd take all you could get when it came to having a real alternative music digest, and a radio personality which is almost entirely defined by the music he's playing was probably quite a thrill. We now live in an age of everything all at once and instead of being brilliantly convenient it's actually frequently overwhelming, and having a place you can go where someone zooms in on a specific thing and highlights a few other things in its orbit and tells you about its personal significance to them can be a wonderfully soothing human experience.

Despite mainstream radio and streaming services being outwardly as inclusive and diverse as possible, music - the greatest art form this planet has ever known - is doomed to a fate under these platforms of being commodified to the point where it's just a soulless algorithm-driven deluge of absolutely everything. "Oh this is good! Next song. Oh I remember this classic! Next song. Oh this one is just alright but it'll be over soon. Next song." Repeat. You could feed Coe's broadcasting history into AI and his shows would be replicated very simply. That to me is a very sad and miserable prospect.

Sorry for the long post. Meds are fucking with my head still.

[Hound Of The Basketballs]

Also worth noting that we live in entirely different times now from when Peel was on the air.

Exactly, and with iPlayer or Shazam you can identify the tune yourself straight away and have checked out their label, discography, merch and tour dates before the song's even finished. Which leaves more time for the esteemed selector to play even more things we might like.

Nobody should need told if a song is good or important or interesting, and hearing what songs mean to strangers is as interesting as hearing about other people's dreams. As in, not very interesting at all.

[Midas]

If it's an upcoming/unreleased track, it likely won't be identified by Shazam, so I don't mind the occasional brief mumble from the selector noting the track title/artist/label, but I think much of the 6 Music gibbering and news updates is decadence that must be hissed and spat at

[Vodkafone]

Another vote to get rid of Lamacq completely.

From existence, preferably.

[Endicott]

Nobody should need told if a song is good or important or interesting, and hearing what songs mean to strangers ...

This is precisely why Guy Garvey's show is unlistenable to me.

[Pranet]

This is only  mildly annoying to me, as I don't listen to any radio much these days, but if I was going to listen to 6music it would either be Riley or Coe so it is annoying. I really liked Gideon Coe's show (when I listened to it).

I guess they want to ease the old guard out but it might have been more honest to bin either Riley or Coe totally rather than this mish mash. Though I suppose they would prefer this, takes them that bit closer to retirement. Not sure if they have many other alternative employers, mores the pity.

I can't listen to Ravenscroft- it isn't his fault, it is mine- his dad's show meant a lot to me (as it did to loads of people) and listening to him just feels a bit weird to me for reasons I can't explain. Again, this isn't anything to do with him.

[Pauline Walnuts]

Forcing Riley & Coe into a half-arsed late(r) night double act at 10pm, cutting their combined hours by more than half, is typically depressing. Maybe one or both asked for reduced hours, but a botched job like this doesn't sound like the answer.

Is that what they do when they want to get rid of people?

[The Mollusk]

Exactly, and with iPlayer or Shazam you can identify the tune yourself straight away and have checked out their label, discography, merch and tour dates before the song's even finished. Which leaves more time for the esteemed selector to play even more things we might like.

Nobody should need told if a song is good or important or interesting, and hearing what songs mean to strangers is as interesting as hearing about other people's dreams. As in, not very interesting at all.

Some of the greatest and most meaningful music I have ever heard has come from the enthusiastic recommendations of friends. If you're a good radio personality then to many you are like a friend, not a stranger. Ezra Furman's guest shows on 6 Music are a testament to this. The intimacy, warmth and love she exudes when talking about the music she's playing means that even if more than half of it isn't to my tastes I'm still more than happy to stay tuned and see what else she has in store for the rest of the show. If you just want to listen to a slurry of songs vaguely catering to your tastes why not just strip out the human entirely and stick some endless Spotify suggestions playlist on instead?

[iamcoop]

I can't imagine Riley and Coe are on that much (compared to Keaveny who was on about 150k), but given most BBC decisions these days are cost cutting exercises or attempts to appease a far right government that despises it's existence (despite basically running it now) I wonder if this is as much about saving money or covering their arse after Lineker-gate as it is about moving people on to attract younger listeners.

Riley is very critical of the government on his Twitter, compared to someone like Lamacq who's probably never thought about anything other than Strongbow and Ned's Atomic Dustbin in the last thirty years.

I'm probably looking too far into it but the world of the BBC is increasingly unhinged as time goes on.   

[Famous Mortimer]

I've said this a million times in various threads (as have others in this thread) but Lamacq's show is just fucking woeful these days.

His patter, his musical beds, his choice of records are all genuinely insufferable.

How many people exist that genuinely enjoy listening to Carter USM, Catfish & the Bottlemen, Blur and fucking Menswe@r every evening?

His inability to move on from Britpop, the 90's, the Dublin Castle and shockingly banal landfill indie is actually quite disturbing now. It's like somebody with dementia playing Matt Monroe on their gramophone every evening to try and conjure up memories of their wedding day. It's fucking pathetic.

He's just a more modern example of classic rock radio DJs, who still think people give a shit about Journey or Foreigner. He'll be the guy who excitedly mentions how good a reformed Shed Seven are in 2038, when they realise there's money to be squeezed out of their middle-aged fanbase and go on the nostalgia circuit.

I'd suggest that Lamacq only hears new music by accident these days.

[gilbertharding]

I have no objection AT ALL to people, even radio DJs who are enthusiastic about music, and tell you bits and pieces about the music they play. Not at all.

It's the 6 Music House Style, which treats everything with the hushed reverence of a museum curator whose thesaurus somehow keeps falling open to the exact same page every time. Which coins phrases like 'wondrous tunage'. That's what I find wearying.

Someone (I think Simon Price) criticised the tendency - with specific reference to Jo Wiley (who I know is not on 6 Music): these people don't actually like music. They like musicians.

[gilbertharding]

He's just a more modern example of classic rock radio DJs, who still think people give a shit about Journey or Foreigner. He'll be the guy who excitedly mentions how good a reformed Shed Seven are in 2038, when they realise there's money to be squeezed out of their middle-aged fanbase and go on the nostalgia circuit.

I'd suggest that Lamacq only hears new music by accident these days.

He really should be on Radio 2 now, doing a weekly Sounds of the 90s show (instead of Fearne Cotton, frankly - in spite of the fact this would free her up to infect other time-slots).