Did you catch it? Did you hear me? Was Saturday 23rd February suitably enlivened by hearing my voice on your radio app? Look, if you missed it, I totally get it. You were too busy for top quality bantz and exciting radio chat. It’s fine. I’m sure you’re happy in your slightly less-glamorous world. LOLZ.
 |
| The magic is about to happen. |
I rocked up to Wandsworth Radio’s HQ forty minutes before the show started. I knew I was going to be on air for the full two hours, and that I’d be talking about my book. Other than that, I didn’t have a clue what to expect. At five to one, Martin Adams arrived. I'd say it takes absolute balls to turn up five minutes before a live two-hour show, but fair play to him. He let me into the building, into the studio, and we sat at the desk.
 |
| Maria McErlane! |
I’ve never been inside a radio studio before. I don’t know what they should look like. All I can say is that Wandsworth Radio seemed IMPRESSIVE. There were monitors and microphones, a glass window with people working behind it, and a screen with the time on. Best of all, there were headphones. Suddenly I was Maria McErlane to Martin’s Graham Norton. It was thrilling!
The show started. A song and some ads, then we were on. The specific questions are a bit of a blur now, but I do remember hitting the ground running with some period chat. Classic. This was not instigated by me (for a change!) but in reference to the concerns of my book’s protagonist. I explained that I’d written a recent blog about the topic. Quick as a flash Martin responded with, ‘Was it called On The Blog’? I found this hysterical. There was more music. There were more ads. Then we carried on chatting once I'd got over my giggles.
So, the other things I can remember. There were some tweets from lovely young people with questions about writing and books. Thank you Abi, Sophie and Oliver! My cousin messaged from Australia - she was listening at midnight. My sister tweeted in with song requests for her kids. The niece was in luck as This Is Me was in the music library, but the Neph was disappointed that the Wheels on the Bus was not. Then Martin started mixing it up a bit. Questions about feminism, the Me Too movement and the Daily Fail cry of ‘Hasn’t equality gone too far?’ He was excellent at pushing the right buttons to make me want to talk at length about a topic. I could have gone forever about consent, and the fact that there is no such thing as ‘trivial’ sexual harassment. I could have talked for days about how we haven’t even scratched the surface at tackling systemic inequality, and so much of what we consider 'the norm' or 'standard' is skewed towards male centrality. But alas, there were more songs to play and more ads to share. Then we talked about Eurovision. There was a question from a listener about what I’m writing next, and a bit of chat about teaching, although that came earlier. Like I said, it’s a bit of a blur.
Martin Adams balanced everything beautifully. There was a seamless mix of chat, ads, music, and listeners' tweets. Not an awkward pause or patch of dead air once. I appreciate that this is probably a minimum requirement for a radio presenter, but it was down to his professionalism that the whole thing felt like a good old natter, instead of what could have been a nerve-wracking experience.
 |
| Am I talking about Leeza McAuliffe, Eurovision or the patriarchy? You decide! |
 |
| Martin Adams - an accomplished pusher of buttons, both metaphoric and literal. |
Before I knew it, it was three o’clock. The two hours had flown by. There was a final plug for the book, and I got Reach by S Club played for my family before we went to the news. By four minutes past three, I was outside in the sunshine, saying goodbye to Martin. Then on my way to Queenstown Road Station to start the journey back to Merseyside.
 |
| The time flew by! |
So, what have I learnt about my flirtation with live broadcasting? Well, I really enjoyed myself. I found it easy to talk about things I care about, but frustrating when I couldn’t finish a point because we’d moved onto the next thing. I was touched that listeners asked specific questions about my books and writing, and I enjoyed the whistle-stop nature of the whole thing. I do think I communicate better when I get to write things down, but as a lovely change, it was great fun.
There was just the one downside. I’d come prepared with a playlist of song requests. In the end, only a fraction got played. So, just so you can appreciate what you could have been listening to, here’s that list in full.
Small Town Boy - Bronski Beat
Spin Me Round - Dead or Alive
It's a Sin - Pet Shop Boys
Dreams - The Cranberries
Have a lovely week, folks.
Edited on 27.2.19 to include the link to the radio show once it had been made available.
Edited on 27.2.19 to include the link to the radio show once it had been made available.
No comments:
Post a Comment