The London Ear // Show 117 // May 7 2016 (Repeated May 14 2016)
On this week’s show, I took a little break from interviews and let the music do the talking. Here’s what happened:
1. Drake Feat WizKid and Kyla: One Dance
2. Shura feat Talib Kweli: TOuch
3. Barq: Gentle Kind of Lies
4. Jake Morley: Watch Yourself
5. Radiohead: Burn The Witch
6. Red Hot Chilli Peppers: Dark Neccessities
7. Five Grand Stereo: David Bowie
8. Funeral Suits: Tree of Life
9. Slow Riot: Trophy Wife
10. David C Clements: Coast
11. Johnny Rage: Do What You Can
12. Bill Baird: World Gone Deaf
13. Rykarda Parasol: The Ruin and The Change
14. JD Kelleher: Imagery
Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online.You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.
Don’t forget to check out the RTE 2XM website. You can keep up with me here.
Eurovision and Me or How Johnny Logan Ruined My Eurovision Dreams
I guess it’s not surprising that I like Eurovision, I love good ole pop music. But Eurovision is a different, camper, way way dodgier beast. And I love it!
Watching Linda Martin’s performance of ‘Why Me 2016’, shot me back in time to when I declared war on Norway and The Herreys for beating Ms. Martin into second place with ‘Terminal 3’. I also remember the following day’s headline, from either The Sunday Press or The Sunday World (the two newspapers of choice in our house), which read ‘Terminal 2’. Clever, but I was heartbroken even making a ‘I hate Sweden’ sign and putting it beside my bed.
My Eurovision journey starts long before 1984 though. The first song that I knew all the words to was the 1976 winner ‘Save All Your Kisses For Me’, the U.K. Entry from The Brotherhood of Man. Yes, in 2016, it’s the creepiest song ever but in 1976 it was all innocent fun.
Looking at the Irish Eurosong winners for the eighties, I can still sing the chorus of them all, even Maria Christian’s ‘Waiting Until The Weekend Comes’. But, it was always Johnny Logan that really was the star for me.
He lived in Ashbourne, Co. Meath. He was our Eurovision hero. When he won in 1980, he became the ultimate Irish poster boy and his face was plastered over my bedroom wall. Sure, saying ‘I love you Ireland’ would never do any harm.
Shay Healy wrote ‘What’s Another Year’, Johnny sang but he wrote ‘Terminal 2’ and did so well. He was more than just a singer, he could write as well.
Round about now was when I got it into my head that I could win Eurovision. Yip, ask my Mum. I was fully prepared to win. My party piece was Nicole’s 1982 winner, ‘A Little Peace’. I had sung Bucks Fizz’s ‘Making Your Mind Up’ at my Auntie’s wedding in 1981. If Dana won in 1970, Johnny won in 1980, I would win in 1990. Simples. That’s why Linda Martin didn’t win. I could accept that.
I had decided that I would be on The Late Late Show performing and chatting to Gay Byrne the week before I jetted off to rehearsals in some foreign country. I’d have an entourage, I didn’t know what an entourage was, I would have lots of assistants doing things for me, like getting me coffee and translating from foreign, strange, European languages. If Johnny Logan could sing and write more than one Eurovision winner, I surely could do it too. I just had to. Easy.
Then in 1987, disaster struck. Johnny Logan won the Eurovision with his composition ‘Hold Me Now’. My theory and hopes for winning the Eurovision were dead. I was elated that Ireland won but gutted I was wrong. I’d have to find another way to music but now, I could now never win the Eurovision.
I still kept the newspaper cuttings from The Sunday World and the garish giant Johnny Logan poster with yellow background but Johnny had ruined by Eurovision career. It’s something I’m still coming to terms with, but I don’t begrudge him his victory.
29 years later, I’m still trying to figure out how to get to Eurovision. Hey, if it’s good enough for one of The Saturdays, it’s good enough for me.
Eurovision 2006: Brian Kennedy, Paula Gilmer, Fran King and Una Healy,
//Sidebar//
Today after nearly 3 years in the UK, I opened my treasure trove of music scrapbooks and posters that were on my bedroom wall. Here’s that Johnny Logan poster from 1980.
Original Johnny Logan Poster from 1980 as from my treasure trove box of goodies
Original Johnny Logan Poster from 1980 as from my treasure trove box of goodies
Original Johnny Logan Poster from 1980 as from my treasure trove box of goodies
Full Size Poster on my Apartment Floor – Poster is 36 years old!!
Original Johnny Logan Poster from 1980 as from my treasure trove box of goodies
Get yourself stuff in the Youtube Eurovision wormhole. Here are some of the songs I remember and a couple that friends feature in.
The London Ear on RTÉ 2XM // Show 116 with Eoin Glackin // April 30 2016
A couple of months ago, I went to see Wyvern Lingo in The Lexington in London. There was a guy there who I thought I recognised. It was Eoin Glackin. He was over in London recording tracks for what would become his ‘Club Classic’ EP. I caught up with him to find out more.
Here’s what happened:
1. The London Ear Intro:
2. Slow Riot: Trophy Wife
3. The Mighty Stef: Capri Sun
4. John Grant: Voodoo Doll
5. Karrie: Tryin to be Honest
6. Dermot Barrett: Decisions Decisions
7. Bill Baird: World Gone Deaf
8. aboveDat: Addicted
9. Catfish and The Bottlemen: 7
10. Band of Horses: Casual Party
11. Chat with Eoin Glackin Part 1
12. Eoin Glackin: Understand You
13. Chat with Eoin Glackin Part 2
14. Eoin Glackin: Club Classic
15. Prince: Diamonds and Pearls
Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online.You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300.
Don’t forget to check out the RTE 2XM website. You can keep up with me here.
I first heard of Soundmite about 18 months ago. I met Steve, one of the gents behind the social audio app at a pre-drinks for the Next Radio conference.
I immediately fell in love with the idea. A social audio app with which you can post 21 seconds of audio. Enough time to share what you’re up to or what you’re listening to, enough to get an audio bite size look into someone’s day. And, short enough that you won’t get bored by a lengthy monologue.
I find it handy to use for audio trails for The London Ear. If you heard a radio ad promoting a radio show, that’s a trail. 21 secs is more than enough.
Each ‘Soundmite’ is 21 seconds is a good length of time to pick out Tunes of the week, recommend a new music track and in a time that doesn’t break any copyright rules as you’re using it for fair usage, reporting or reviewing. Very clever.
My Profile on Soundmite
Where I think Soundmite can and should really come into it’s own is with radio stations getting listeners to leave their feedback and using a hashtag to filter. If a listener is concise, they can leave feedback about new features, tracks, jokes, etc and a producer can play this soundmites straight from the internet. You don’t have to fear the wrath of the public on live radio. At 21 seconds long, you’ll be able to vet each ‘mite’ before playing out on air.
Soundmite is currently iOS app and I use it on my iPad. Younger users, I think, can make the best of this on iPods.
There are a few little things that would be great to add to the app. The ability to embed individual soundmites would be great.
Try it out, give it a go, get your username now! I think once this app is developed for Android, it will really take off.
