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neil_denham's review
The worlds longest apology letter to Lesley Douglas. Quite interesting though (as a previous listener of his show!)
goldiefan's review
5.0
I only discovered Radio 6 a few months ago so this was a very entertaining account of the early years I didn't know about. Not too detailed about the acts appearing on the show, but still very good.
audreyintheheadphones's review
4.0
The best way to approach this book is by skipping Chapter 1 entirely. In Chapter 1, Jupitus wearily recounts his c.v. and attempts to drop the reader into the middle of his career in radio. If you read this chapter, you run the risk of believing Jupitus can't write and that the book consists solely of a BBC name-dropping fest.
And then you'd miss all the fun.
Beginning with Chapter 2, we learn that Jupitus has been a devoted fan of the medium of radio since childhood, and from there, his love affair with radio spiraled gloriously and deliciously out of control. The tales of his early childhood, living above a pub with his mercurial family are both vivid and tender, and took me right back to one pre-dawn morning in my grandmother's own kitchen, where, the two of us having risen before the rest of the household, she made me tea in a proper china cup, to go with margarine-spread toast and Radio 4.
Tons of info about the history of breakfast radio. Tons of info about how the radio sausage gets made in a corporate setting. And tons of music references; each chapter ends with a themed playlist.
And while it becomes clear that the end of Jupitus' radio career turned into a maudlin, laddish bacchanal, it's also impressive how astutely he owns up to that, and to how his preconceived notions about not just radio but the human condition, have changed for the better.
The one thing that doesn't change is Jupitus' own view of what makes good radio, and a lot of it dovetails with my own views on the same. Here in our local market, one of the morning shows features a phone prank piece, which has always struck me as not so much "entertainment" as "illness". Jupitus spends a full and entertaining chapter deconstructing the traditional His n' Hers banter-style morning show, pointing out the not-remotely-hidden intersectional biases supposed to appeal to the average listener. Likewise, he's a big fan of making setlists that integrate music from several genres, and that is full-on my jam, ha ha.
It's hard for me to be objective about this book because it's very much a book for independent radio nerds, and I am totally an independent radio nerd. I suspect that if you aren't super into radio, it won't be nearly as enjoyable read.
And then you'd miss all the fun.
Beginning with Chapter 2, we learn that Jupitus has been a devoted fan of the medium of radio since childhood, and from there, his love affair with radio spiraled gloriously and deliciously out of control. The tales of his early childhood, living above a pub with his mercurial family are both vivid and tender, and took me right back to one pre-dawn morning in my grandmother's own kitchen, where, the two of us having risen before the rest of the household, she made me tea in a proper china cup, to go with margarine-spread toast and Radio 4.
Tons of info about the history of breakfast radio. Tons of info about how the radio sausage gets made in a corporate setting. And tons of music references; each chapter ends with a themed playlist.
And while it becomes clear that the end of Jupitus' radio career turned into a maudlin, laddish bacchanal, it's also impressive how astutely he owns up to that, and to how his preconceived notions about not just radio but the human condition, have changed for the better.
The one thing that doesn't change is Jupitus' own view of what makes good radio, and a lot of it dovetails with my own views on the same. Here in our local market, one of the morning shows features a phone prank piece, which has always struck me as not so much "entertainment" as "illness". Jupitus spends a full and entertaining chapter deconstructing the traditional His n' Hers banter-style morning show, pointing out the not-remotely-hidden intersectional biases supposed to appeal to the average listener. Likewise, he's a big fan of making setlists that integrate music from several genres, and that is full-on my jam, ha ha.
It's hard for me to be objective about this book because it's very much a book for independent radio nerds, and I am totally an independent radio nerd. I suspect that if you aren't super into radio, it won't be nearly as enjoyable read.
halfmanhalfbook's review
4.0
Very amusing trawl through the mind and music collection of Phill Jupitus.
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