The first thing I do in my studio is to turn on Radio 4 and I'm not alone, in 2005 The Bankside Gallery in London hosted an exhibition called 'The Artist and Radio 4' Norman Ackroyd, Raymond Briggs, Kaffe Fassett and Zandra Rhodes are among the famous creative names who describe their relationship with Radio 4. Numerous other artists sent in examples of their work and accounts of the role radio plays in the conscious or unconscious working hours.
It these days of pod-casts and "listen-again" I have accesss to radio stations and broadcasts from all over the world, so maybe my listening habits will begin to change. But for now I leave the radio tuned to Radio 4 and let the mix of programmes drift through the studio - I might be consciously listening, I might not, but it keeps a part of my brain occupied while the creative bit creates. At the moment the chef Jamie Oliver is talking about chips and school dinners.
What's your radio tuned to?
There's something rather comforting about radio 4. I listen to it when I'm working alone in a house so I don't completely lose touch with the world.
ReplyDeleteI invested in a digital radio companion when they first came out and often listen to Oneword. This reads different books to you all day in an eight hour loop. Great for catching up on the classics.
Radio 7 is great for comedy and drama.
My mother said she was standing alone at the backdoor one night, trying to see and beckon in any of her cats that were lurking in the garden. She said it was so dark and quiet, you could see the stars and all of a sudden, carried on the breeze, she could hear the shipping broadcast being played somewhere in the distance. She said it felt so comforting and there was something so familiar and calming about it all.
ReplyDeleteMine is constantly tuned to Radio4 as well. There was an amazing programme this morning - Michael Buerk interviewing a South African man who went out to Bagdhad to rescue the animals there in the zoo. If you get a choice listen again to "The Choice". It had me laughing and crying - really!
ReplyDeleteLove Radio National - I suspect it's a bit like your Radio 4. Again, I drift in and out of listening, but it's wonderful in the background.
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for your comments - this was a cunning plan to find some recommended radio stations to locate via my husband's new wi-fi internet radio. There are almost 7000 stations available!
ReplyDeleteCS - Radio 4 is definitely my first choice, I occasionally listen to Radio 7 when I'm working late and into the evening repeats of programmes from the morning! But thank you for telling me about Oneword - yesterday afternoon I listened to "The Canterbury Tales".
Lucy - the Shipping Forecast on Radio 4 (LW) is pure poetry! The rhythm of the words and the names of the sea areas is unique.
Matron - I listened to "The Choice", and yes it made me cry and laugh.
Lucy - Thank you for recommending ABC Radio National. Right now I'm listening to a fascinating programme about the Australian landscape.
My husband's favourite find of the weekend was Demented Radio.
Now that you can easily get the ABC, try ABC Classics.My listening begins at 5.30am (here 1730 GMT;)with a lovely mix of good music,interesting comments by the announcer,interviews...and if I come in to the office and really want to listen I bring the portable radio.I think I need a laptop!
ReplyDeleteYou might like to find Wisconsin Public Radio www.wpr.org My Sister is glued to a programme called 'callin all pets' which is a phone-in animal psychology programme.
ReplyDeleteNow you have me curious if I can get this station from the US via the internet. I'll have to consult my 17 year old.
ReplyDeleteI usually listen to CBC radio one or two. It depends on my mood. (CBC is the Canadian equivalent of the BBC).
ReplyDeleteThese days,I'm often found listening to my nifty MP3 player though.
Meg - A few years ago it was tricky to successfully tune to Radio Suffolk! Now we can get thousands of radio stations - it just takes so long to choose which to listen to. To listen to Radio 4 just click on the link in the blog and then click on 'Listen Live' or 'Listen Again'.
ReplyDeleteKate - I'll take a listen to CBC 1 & 2. I was given an ipod nano as a present, but it's so shiny and cute I don't want to get it messy when I'm gardening or painting! So I listen to my old pocket radio which only picks up Radio 4 LW - this means during the summer the cricket commentary replaces the usual programes. TMS (test match special) now that is an English institution! and it's strangely addictive