Educating Herself
Herself likes the radio.
I got her a new one recently. It’s a neat little box that I run off the Interwebs [saves a mess of cables]. The main thing is that it has good quality sound even if it doesn’t have Athlone or Hilversum on the dial.
I usually am within earshot and can hear the gentle murmur of music [Classic FM] or speech [RTE Radio 1] wafting out of her room. I saved a load of other stations for her but she rarely listens to them.
I was sitting here this morning, reading mails and staring out the window when suddenly she banged up the volume to Very Loud. The sound of Freddie Mercury and Queen singing Lady Ga Ga at the Live Aid Concert filled the parish [and probably destroyed a scene or two in the Disney film – I can but hope].
When I first met Herself back in the days when everything was in black and white [you’ve seen the photographs?] she was an ardent fan of Gilbert O’Sullivan. He was king and she loved him. It was a massive tick against her in the Pros and Cons list but was something I just decided to suffer.
My own musical tastes are fairly wide. I like classical and I like a lot of pop, though I tend to block my ears against the vast majority of modern shite. Opera and Jazz are a huge no no. A while ago I was in her room one evening flicking through the television channels. I came across the Queen concert in Wembley on the Arts channel and tuned in. I expected the usual complaints but instead she asked me to turn it up. We watched/listened to the whole thing. Herself was converted. She is now an avid Queen fan and could listen to them all day.
I like Queen. I wouldn’t rate them as the Best Group Ever [no one really fits that slot] but I would rate them as the Best Performers. Freddie Mercury had an ego that overflowed Wembley Stadium but he was a genius when it came to crowd control and audience participation. He also had an incredibly powerful voice.
The sound of Lady Ga Ga finally faded and Herself turned down the volume again.
“I don’t know why I ever bothered with that Gilbert O’Sullivan fella” says she. “Queen are brilliant.”
She has just changed channel.
She has just turned up Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus.
We have come a long way since Gilbert’s day.
Lady O' Gaga surely?
Indeed. One of the Galway O'Gagas.
Ah, Droitwich, Hilversum, Motala, Lahti, Athlone…those were the days!
Whatever happened to Shortwave? Come to think of it, whatever happened to Medium and Longwave?
Brings to mind one of Van the Man's more eccentric offerings….
https://youtu.be/a2GpEoZrS04
My first time walking into the Boscombe Academy, a proper theatre, someone played 'Hammer to fall' . Blew me away.
I've only just discovered your blog and you've already managed to horrify me.
Please advise Herself that Gilbert O'Sullivan is a treasure and that she should return home to his camp.
One of my aunts bought me O'Sullivan's first album on 8-track in the early 70s and I memorized every note, every chord change, every word. I used to "play" piano on my nightstand while listening to his music. Last year, my wife and I learned that Gilbert was coming to Knoxville, Tennessee, a few hours from where we live, and I bought tickets. Right after that, the China Bat Virus Kung Flu hit, and Mr. O'Sullivan postponed the concert for a year. The year passed, and now he's cancelled it completely. I'll always be a fan of his, but his production and touring staff are pissing me the hell off.
Come back, dear lady Herself. Turn from Farrokh Bulsara and return to Ray O'Sullivan.
Good Grief! I didn't realise he was still around. He's even older than me which is saying something. Some people just don't know when to quit?