Simon Mayo Drivetime Blog

Later...

Simon Mayo — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:26:53 +0000

Wrap up well, bloggers! A cold snap (or 'winter' as it's known) is upon us and the bun-fight at the glove and scarf counter is testament to that. And that we've lost precisely one glove since last year. It might even be time for those of us who look foolish in all hats to brave the sneers of our friends and family and don some kind of head gear to keep the heat in. All my family look great in hats, but I sadly an only get away with Lenin/American army/60s folkie style cap and even then small children laugh and point at me in the street. But I don't want get the flu so I will cope with the embarrassment. If you hear someone shout "Is that a Russian revolutionary, Gen Petraeus or Tom Paxton?" it'll probably be me.

And I'm hastening to work. And it's The Hobbit first thing! The first of the new Peter Jackson trilogy awaits this morning/afternoon and I'm hoping it's a belter. I'm watching for work but it's the movie we have booked for child 3's birthday trip to the cinema with chums at the weekend which will be followed by that spicy chicken place. So I have it twice in six days! Go Hobbit.

Then a top Drivetime with Jools Holland! Some live tunes with Jools at the Elton John piano and Ruby Turner at the mic. He starts and closes our show everyday so it's always good to get some complete Jools songs away and you can hear him and Ruby tonight.

And for the tunes, with two more weeks till the big day, we'll start the Yule-theme going with OFFICE PARTY oldies. Who knows if they still happen in the way tradition dictates - maybe it's just a bowl of peanuts and a cup of tea these days.

But you know what's expected...

Have a well-budgeted and well-balanced Monday, see you after 5.

Swoon

Simon Mayo — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 09:08:32 +0000

So all you need to know is that Anne Hathaway is quite possibly the nicest person you could wish to meet.

And she'll walk off a stack of awards for her performance as Fantine in Les Mis. But to be THAT successful AND that charming (you might want to calm down now. Ed.) is rather rare. I might even go and see it again (really, stop now).

Today's 5 live movie show guest isn't bad either. Dustin Hoffman has directed his first film at the age of 75! It's called Quartet and is a star-studded affair with Maggie Smith, Tom Courtney and Billy Connolly.

It's set in a retirement home for musicians with tangled relationships, clashing egos and warring lovies (anyone fancy a DT bloggers retirement home?). Hoffman is one of those actors we've all grown up with and he's delivered some of the great roles in The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Kramer vs Kramer, Tootsie etc. Hear why he's taken so long to direct on the show on 5 live from 2pm.

And our year of choice for the ARF OPENER is 1994. Anything decent/uplifting/irresistible for us? Drop it at your leisure below...

Have a well organised and stable Friday, see you after 5.

Chillin'

Simon Mayo — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 09:53:39 +0000

Morning to all bloggers, veterans, newcomers and festive dabblers. Comfortably seated in my own house, my own coffee (no one asking me my name for some false familiarity - I sometimes give different names just to keep for variety) and gentle, age-appropriate lighting.

Bristol Library was fun yesterday, they have refurbished the children's area and filled it with some fine pupils to listen to me rabbit on and show them pictures of Dimitri Mendeleev. They like it really.

On the train back I did some prep for interviewing Anne Hathaway this morning, Les Miserables is about to hit the cinemas and what a hit it is going to be. Chris has been saying how much he enjoyed it - Hugh Jackman on Breakfast tomorrow - and it is a stunning piece of work. It's put together by Brit Tom Hooper who must be our hottest director at the moment and you must see it. Anne says she has loved Les Mis since watching her mum in the same role - Fantine - in the original stage show! And she lost 25 pounds for the role; if anyone has looked as though they were really dying on screen better than AH then I haven't seen it. Which is quite possible.

Nige today with a boned and stuffed thigh of something or other. Chicken almost certainly.

And oldies please inspired by this is from BBC News:

Sir Ranulph Fiennes is leading a team of five other explorers in a quest to achieve a feat no other human has managed - to walk across Antarctica in the near permanent darkness and super low temperatures of winter.

Phase one of The Coldest Journey expedition - which aims to raise millions of pounds in donations for the Seeing is Believing charity to tackle avoidable blindness - begins later when the icebreaker SA Agulhus sets off from the River Thames. The journey from a wintry Thames to the ice shelf of Antarctica will take just over a month.

So that's COLDEST JOURNEY EVER tunes please, but not Foreigner as we played that on Monday.

Have a comforting and warming Thursday, see you after 5.

Glitterati

Simon Mayo — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:28:29 +0000

Greetings from the 7am train to Bristol where the lighting is harsh. Full tv studio lights with no make up and 3 hours sleep is not good. I feel like the ghostly apparition of Canon Bob in yesterday's confession. This is all because of my attendance at the National Book Awards to applaud David Walliams and his plundering of the best children's book award (see yesterday's blog for accurate prediction). And what a bun fight it was. Congrats to Clare Balding and Lee Child who won in their categories-I reprised the 'Tom Cruise is too short for Reacher' chat we had on air last year with Lee. He reckons the film will win over the Cruise-doubters! Rachel Joyce was thrilled to win for 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' and EL James was not surprised to win for 50 Shades in the 'Popular Fiction' category. If you've sold 40% of all books in the UK, you're a shoe-in frankly (or shoo-in whichever you prefer).

What we need is a Chris-Mösh to get the festive juices flowing so that's what'll happen after 6. And your oldies please for the last DANDY which hit the shelves yesterday before going online. Tunes to serenade The Dandy and COMICS in general should ease us through till 7.

Have a warms and comforting Wednesday, see you after 5.

Hanging around

Simon Mayo — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 09:41:26 +0000

First apologies for the late posting yesterday. It was in the system but never quite made it to you. Words have been spoken, meetings have been called. Hopefully this won't happen again! And thanks for all the birthday greetings to child 3, he celebrated with the traditional bowls of fizzy fish and then opening a Facebook account. This has been the thing he has been looking forward to more than anything-a modern rite of passage. The evening rang to cries of who had just accepted his friendship requests. I shall point him in the direction of the SMDT page ASAP. I've realised I have no idea whether their is age requirement to join the blog but I shall tell him its 21 anyway.

Suit wearing today as I'm off the to the National Book Awards tonight. Itch has been nominated for best children's book where it will probably lose to David Walliams but even being nominated seems like winning to be honest. So we go with the expectation of a few canapés, the odd glass of prosecco and a cheery evening anyway; no one, especially me, expected to be doing this kind of thing anyway! I shall report, bleary-eyed from a train tomorrow morning.

Today we welcome Boris Johnson to Drivetime. The Mayor of London is, by any reckoning, a unique figure in the UK and whether you like his politics or don't, he is rarely short of compelling. He's had a good year too all in all and he's written a book on London which begins with his account of the Olympic experience. It is fascinating stuff I think and you cab Mayor Boris after 6. I thought we'd do Boris oldies but no! After the baby news of yesterday we should try songs of EXPECTATION. One of the papers has 'Kate Expectations' as the headline today so that seems about right really. Waiting, hoping, expecting- that kind of thing.

Have an uplifting and flattering Tuesday, see you after 5.

Hold on tight

Simon Mayo — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 10:14:09 +0000

So here's the thing. Child three is a teenager from today. A big deal all round of course and I can reliably inform you that the teenage mystique is as strong as ever. Part child, part adult, it is the joy and privilege of the parent to keep them on the straight and narrow.

Having had two of them already, it would be nice to think that we know what we are doing. But then they're all different and we will doubtless be just as flummoxed as anyone else when faced with the usual party/film/friends/tattoo/piercings/work/girls/boys dilemmas. And try not to mess it all up too often. When I woke him up this morning, he told me he needed a few more minutes in bed 'because of the hormones'.

So today is another top show from your Drivetime team with our Bookclub review of the year; some good picks and favourites coming your way. If you have a favourite book of 2012, one that you'd happily recommend to the rest of us, please mention it here!

Title, author and a couple of lines about why it was so good, please, and we'll get a good feeling about the what you're all enjoying/have enjoyed. And if it was a 2012 publication, so much the better!

And oldies please on the theme of WINTER (cue the 'it's not winter yet' argument from Rebecca and the 'it SO is, the Met Office says so' riposte from me). Definitely not Christmas obviously, but anything else that fits the coldest season please.

Have an encouraging and well-balanced Monday, see you after 5.

Time to kill.

Simon Mayo — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:53:29 +0000

And we made it to another weekend, well done troops. The estate cold and uninviting (partially naked except toffee wrappers and this morning's papers, Mr Jones got run down. Lyrics that just sprung to mind. Not many songs I can quote but Down In A Tubestation At Midnight is one of them). The autumnal leaves still not swept yet and each one reproaching me for my slovenly gardening. Or no gardening at all really. Job 1 Tomorrow I reckon, unless its freezing and then obviously I might be damaging the er, turf and things like that. Fortunately tons have accumulated on the trampoline so I can bounce those off. And burn the rest.
2 show Friday and the first movie show in our new studio which will be lovely. No more Television Centre for me and no more dashes on the central line and breathless cookie-buying if I'm the quiz loser. My arrival at Radio 2 will be even more serene. Guest on 5L is Helena Bonham Carter who stars in Great Expectations with Ralph Feinnes.
All request time then and todays ARF opener from the year of 1972 please. The crown could be yours!
And before we go, thanks to top producer Gary Bones who has execed this show since we started and whose job it has been to read this nonsense before you do to make sure I don't break any rules. Like say ******* *** ******** ** ****** and tell you about ******** **** and ******* *****. Or mention Itch. Things like that. Thanks Gary, top work. Your life is now easier!
Have a chilled and insouciant Friday, see you after 5. and 2.

Hold the front page!

Simon Mayo — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:57:55 +0000

Busy busy blog yesterday. That map reading, sat-nav conversation is a good one! I never realised that so many folk have names for their sat-navs. I mean I know it talks to you but I'm not sure we are encouraged to talk back to it. Though now you mention it, that sounds rather fun. I turn the sound off on mine as it always rather hectoring. Even if I choose the 'sultry Swede' option, it still sounds irritating so I just settle for the images and get lost quietly. But Simon Garfield's book is right about the joys of unfolding a map and just gazing at it, wandering o'er hill and down dale but not leaving your front room. Will kids/grandkids lose the ability to read a map as SG suggested? Seems a possibility to me, particularly if they grow up thinking maps are free along with music, books and papers.
Enjoyed the family newsletter section of the confession and the fact that everyone seems to hate them. One listener calls them the 'boast in the post' and I have to say we have indulged in the past. It seems to be a useful way to tell distant friends/family what's been happening but try to avoid too much grandstanding. Any bloggers do the newsletter thing? And do you read the ones you're sent?
So Nigel is back with another cheese based creation and songs today please about THE PRESS, NEWSPAPERS and JOURNALISM as the Leveson report will turn up today and may well generate a headline or two. Generate a tune of your choice!
Have a perky and chirpy Thursday. See you after 5

There may be trouble ahead...

Simon Mayo — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 08:28:37 +0000

The train south from Waterloo. A bacon and egg roll (with ketchup) and a coffee to hand and (as JY used to say) 'orft we jolly well'. Stockbridge in deepest Hampshire is the destination for this morning's fun and games and not the Stockbridge in the James Taylor song '1st December was covered in snow, so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston'. Not that one. Wrong turnpike.
Then a speedy return to Radio 2 and tonight's top show which will not ask you to lick your elbow, smoke a pipe or another deviant activity but might tempt you to open a map. Our guest is Simon Garfield who has written 'On The Map' an account of our fascination with maps. From the earliest sketches of explorers, treasure maps and google maps, Simon tells a fantastic story. He also addresses the prickly subject of the different ways men and women approach map reading! Tread carefully...
And how about MAP oldies? Plenty of scope for bloggers imaginations to roam free (and special credit to John B Good for his 'This Is Not America' suggestion yesterday- maybe my favourite ever).
Have a fragrant and encouraging Wednesday, see you after 5

Supper's Ready

Simon Mayo — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:52:15 +0000

My house, my desk, my coffee. No schools today so I get to do the wild and windy school run and I detect an end of term weariness amongst us all. Understandable methinks. So here's a thought...shorter nights are only 3 weeks away. So if the proximity of Christmas scares you, that is a consolation I feel.
So Michael Morpurgo. What a guy. I could have spoken to him for twice as long as I did and then gone to the pub for more. He is such a master and yet so humble that we can only marvel. I have spoken to him a few times now and each interview has left me wanting more. To be able, still, to write in a state of permanent surprise is a wonderful gift. Long may he rule.
Today is Steve Hackett day. He released Genesis revisited 2 last month and is off on a world tour next year. He's essentially updated some old Genesis tunes (like really old-Horizons, Ripples etc) that he co-wrote. There is a hard core of Genesis fans that might even consider this a golden era for the band and you can hear more after 6.
And oldies marking the announcement of the new boss of the Bank of England. So we need CANADA oldies please. Mark Carney may be taking British citizenship but he's Canadian for now so let's celebrate ALL THINGS CANADIAN please. Never been, love to go, come and get me. I'll even visit some schools if you like.
Have a strong and reassuring Tuesday, see you after 5

Are you sitting comfortably?

Simon Mayo — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 08:24:45 +0000

Grim old train journey this. Dark clouds, huddled travellers. However, heading for the bright lights of Winchester with a song in my heart and a bacon roll in my stomach. My relentless cheerfulness will get them in the end.
A weekend when I finally pressed 'send' on book 2 and of hoping it doesn't come back with a 'see me' attached. I also had to write the acknowledgements in double quick time and I'm now hoping I haven't forgotten anyone. Then it's the dedication. Much angst. The last book was dedicated to child3 so should I do child 2? Child 1? All 3? Maybe wife1. Or Tottenham Hotspur FC. Or the drivetime bloggers maybe...that needs to go today too...too much indecision is not good for you..
Today we welcome the rather clever Michael Morpurgo to Drivetime. One of our best-loved authors and storytellers, he has had over 120 books published, been children's laureate and received the MBE in 2006. Warhorse has been such a huge hit for him-the latest production is wonderful-and Private Peaceful is about to be a movie as well. He has 2 new books out 'A Medal for Leroy' and 'Where My Wellies Take Me'; a novel and a poetry anthology respectively. And he's good company too. And we should do STORYTELLER oldies please.
Have a smart and ingenious Monday. See you after 5.

A happy throng

Simon Mayo — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:28:20 +0000

Assuming all our roofs are on and hair is in place, here we go for another fabulous Friday. And having been grateful all day yesterday in the Thanksgiving way, we had the Radio 2 presenters gathering-that-wasn't-a-party in the evening. Although we all come out of the same speaker, we rarely get to see each other. I see Steve and Jo of course and sometimes Lord Bob and Jamie C but that's usually it (occasionally Chris and Mark Radcliffe at the gym, Mark with his clothes on). So an evening with Ken, Jeremy, David Jacobs, Claudia W and the Dark Lord is not to be sniffed at. Speeches were made, propaganda film were shown and sausages were nibbled. When I left- to cries of lightweight-, Matt and Rebecca were still going strong and maybe are still there with Nigel Ogden and Frank Renton getting the next round in. Party on.
Movie show today on 5L with guests Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth-not a bad double act. They star, along with Alan Rickman, in a remake of Gambit which originally starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine. It's got a Coen brothers script (though it doesn't feel like it) , Colin F loses his trousers and Alan R does his Sheriff of Nottingham act again. I watched it next to Claudia W who laughed a little more than I did but there are some good gags and a Colin/Cameron movie will always find an audience.
Then to R2 towers and today's top year for the ARF opener is 1984, so the gauntlet is laid...
Have a stable and sure-footed Friday. see you at 2&5

Thanks etc.

Simon Mayo — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 08:46:24 +0000

Morning all. A lovely (wild, stormy, floody) day here, with a trip to some where! Who knows where! The leaves are piling up in vast wet piles around the estate waiting for someone to get a grip. I have a feeling everyone is thinking that person is me (precedent m'lud) so if I could just stop running around to assorted schools and presenting assorted radio shows, the garden might look as though someone could give a monkey's...Maybe this weekend (but probably not).
Hope everyone enjoyed Taylor Swift and her germs yesterday. There was a moment when I was going to greet to her and one of her entourage tried to tell me that was ok to go and talk to her now. I think I might have used my rarely seen withering 'it's-my-show- and I'll-greet-who-I-like' smile. And all was well.
Today and entourage-free, Nigel with a veggie stew with shallots and other earth goodness. The Nigel deal is that with 5 seconds to go before the end of the post-6 o'clock song, there's still no sign of him. Then, as I open the fader to start wittering, he appears in a flurry of sweat, flowery shirt, floury pastry and steaming pots. And we're off on another culinary delight.
Oldies please today for Thanksgiving Day. We did this last year of course but it's a great festival and I wish we had it here. A big old feast linked to being grateful. What could be better? So songs of THANKS AND GRATITUDE please and it'll be our small contribution to the day.
Have a count-your-blessings kind of day, see you after 5.

Like Ever

Simon Mayo — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 08:51:18 +0000

Good morning from a wet and gloomy car/station/train/school. As my old colleague Jane Garvey tweeted yesterday, if only there was a winter,party based celebration on the way...
Having explained about my chat yesterday with Naomi Watts, an unusual turn of events meant that Naomi turned into Ewan McGregor who plays her husband in the film The Impossible. Fortunately Ewan is always a brilliant, thoughtful and engaging guest and all was well. I had to lose my questions about Princess Diana (she's just finished filming a bio-pic) but otherwise (hopefully!) no one, apart from you dear blogger, will be any the wiser.
Today Taylor Swift graces us with her presence. One of the biggest American country and pop singers in the world does a turn. The stats on Taylor are staggering but Grammys and CMA awards and 20 million album sales tell their own story. She has a huge entourage which is unusual among the stars that usually come to R2 but when you reach Taylor herself, she is delightful. A woman in control of her career and team (it seems to me) and if her new album is anything to go by, someone poised to try a few new ideas. Duets with Gary Lightbody and Ed Sheeran are very good I think and the Lightbody track particularly show a generous nature-it sounds more of a Tired Pony/Snow Patrol track really. But he won't be here and Taylor will from 6.
And oldies today please for THE LAST TYPEWRITER which was made yesterday. My mother had one and was very fast too. As a kid she used to tell me how useful it would be if I could learn to type. Ha! I scorned, who's going to need those skills? I had no intention of being a secretary after all and so ignored her advice. You were right ma! If only I'd listened I'd be able to blog at twice the speed...
Have a vigourous and thorough Wednesday. See you after 5

Healthy options

Simon Mayo — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:52:24 +0000

And I'm off again! To the wilds of High Wycombe this morning before turning round and heading back for a lovely drivetime. Also today a chat with Naomi Watts who stars in The Impossible, a movie about a family caught up in the tsunami of 2003. And to say it is a terrifying ordeal for the viewer, is an understatement. A more harrowing opening hour I am yet to see (with the exception of The Road; nothing beats that). She is quite something. Her character (it's a true story) is the mother of 3 boys and she has a comfortable opening 5 minutes before being washed away and having a nightmare 100 minutes. I left the screening exhausted.
So after Naomi, which we are recording for the movie show, it's all systems go for DT with Greg Wallace as our guest. Fruit and veg expert, writer and greengrocer, and Masterchef host. His book is Life on a Plate and he's on from 6 of course. And let's do FRUIT AND VEG oldies please. Consider it part of your 5-a-day.
Have a an ordered and controlled Tuesday, see you after 5.