Product Description

This is an account of a year in the life of BBC Radio 1 during a period when attempts were being made to reverse a trend which had seen the loss of millions of listeners and the departure of leading disc jockeys. The author was allowed behind-the-scenes access, including management meetings.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #124014 in Books
• Published on: 1999-07-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
At first glance, a year in the life of a radio station seems a curiously insubstantial topic for a full-length book. But Simon Garfield was fortunate that the 12 months he spent as a fly on the wall of Radio 1 were among the most eventful in the station's 30-year history. To put the ensuing revolution in context, it is important to remember that for many years Radio 1 had been the country's only national pop network, and as such, its stranglehold on the nation's pop tastes was unquestioned. Garfield's arrival coincided with a change of direction: under controller Mathew Bannister, the network was determined to ditch its middle-aged image.

The general impression of Radio 1 at the time was summed up by comedian Harry Enfield's archetypal babbling DJ, with the music always coming a distant second to the egos: "Tuesday's the only between Monday and Wednesday-type day we've got, mate. It may not have the glamour and excitement of a Saturday, or the mournfulness of a Monday morn, but it's our Tuesday, the good, old-fashioned, honest to goodness, down to earth, great British Tuesday, and if those Eurocrats, Bureaucrats and other Bonkerscats try and take our Tuesday away from us, they'll have go get past me first!"

In the end it was Chris Evans who single-handedly gave Radio 1 some credibility--and probably prevented it being privatised; and Garfield's chronicle of Evans' rise and fall is riveting--a first-hand account of truly Machiavellian court politics. --Patrick Humphries

Customer Reviews

The best book I've ever read about British media
I find myself re-reading this book several times a year and I've lost count of the number of copies I've given to friends.

Insightful, well-written and very amusing.

If you think that Smashey and Nicey ARE the best characters Enfield and Whitehouse ever wrote then this is certainly the book for you.

Great interviews about the rise of Radio One, the era of the 'personality DJ' (I honestly used to listen to DLT every Saturday morning and LOVE 'snooker on the radio') the rebirth of the station in the early 1990's, the Chris Evans period - it's a great read, even if you have no interest in Radio One.

Larding it Up!
A simply wonderful account of how minor celebrities become corrupted by the thrill of being in your homes. Even the most minor DJ comes across as being a couple of records short of a collection.

The continual abuse of Bates and DLT does become a bit tedious but there is normally another hysterical story about their ego's just around the corner.

It's even got a soppy bit, as Mark and Lard recount how they were shafted over the Breakfast show, however one has to congratulate all the people involved for being willing to show their foibles and DEEP flaws for everyone to look at.

An interesting insight into the decline and fall of radio 1
Simon Garfield perfectly captures the ego's and personality clashes of those who have worked at Radio 1 in the last ten.

He interviews in depth all those involved at the station and paints a dramatic picture of the tantrums and sackings.

With the exception of John Peel & Jo Whiley, each DJ seemed hell bent on appearing as arrogant or as stupid as possible and this makes for entertaining reading.

What Garfield seems to neglect, is that Radio 1 is still not cutting-edge in the music or DJ department. Yes, there are no longer the Smashee and Nicey's of old but their music policy, obsession with the play-list and 'comic' DJ's are certainly not 'in touch'.

He charts the upheaval of the old guard by Mathew Banister's and their replacement and suggests that Radio 1 is no longer populist or concerned with ratings. This is untrue. When Radio 1 were heralding Britpop, young Britons were heading for Ibiza and the dance clubs. Now Radio 1 is on the bandwagon (4 years late), the so-called 'youth' of Britain are looking elsewhere for their music.

What Garfield best demonstrates is the stupidity of the BBC and their obsession with management consultants. This coupled with the arrogance of those DJ's who think they are at the top of the radio ladder, make for compelling reading.

If you want to know how un-professional the media industry is in Britian, read on.