I try and hide it from the
listeners when I don’t feel up to presenting The Sunday
Alternative, as it isn't their fault. It is wrong that I air the
internal problems when all they want to hear is a carefully selected blend of
amazing music from my own collection. Since the second birthday edition of the
show I have felt at times like the show is weighing me down. Doing the show on
my own has never been something I particularly enjoy, although I did enjoy the rather
sarcastic show that I did on the 22nd of September. Logging in to my
email has become something of a heart sinker just lately, every time a new
email arrives from Trent Sound I can see that our point of view just isn't being seen, recognised, or even understood. I can honestly say that the last
few shows have not been my best and for that I should apologise, it’s
especially sad that this has come straight after the second birthday edition
when spirits were high. The feedback for that show was amazing, (even though
Fiona Sturgess refused to review it for her radio column in The Independent), and I was especially enthusiastic about
the proposed documentary film about the show. Although I still want the film to
happen, I fear that it might not have quite the happy ending it originally
would have been. Actually, the show went quite well and the music – if I may
say so myself – was fucking brilliant as always. I was expecting to receive comments
relating to the fact that I managed to get through the whole show without
playing a David Bowie track, but nobody seemed to notice.
Before all of that business
though, we went to my dad’s house for lunch, it being Sunday and all. The cat,
Roger, came round too.
I haven’t had time this year
to take progress photographs of the setting up of Goose Fair this year, but
rectified that after lunch. They know what they’re doing I’m sure, so I’m not
going to worry about the fact that they don’t appear to be anywhere near ready
to open on Wednesday. There’s a certain order that things have to be done, and
I imagine that their job is a lot harder these days because Nottingham council,
and in particular the health and safety brigade, have to stick their oars in
and try to ruin things. Goose Fair is one of the highlights of the Nottingham calendar
so it amazes me that the council hasn’t made some attempt to stop it.
Realistically they could announce that Goose Fair had been cancelled and
although people would be saddened and angered, nobody would do a thing about
it.
My only concern at the moment
is that during the regeneration of the forest recreation ground, a load of
trees were planted along the pathways. This will make it difficult for the mushy pea stall to set up in
their usual place. Part of me wonders if my drawing attention to last year’s
scandal might have had an adverse effect and resulted in their dismissal from
Goose Fair to avoid further trouble this year with protests and the possibility
of violence. Goose Fair is still thought of (outside Nottingham) as a fairly
dangerous place to go and having cleaned up its act over the last few years, it
would be a shame for trouble to arise if the stallholders decide to ignore the
entire population of Nottingham and stubbornly stay with the squirty bottle
system.
The strangest thing of all is
the fact that the papers haven’t asked me to write a follow up investigation
into mushy pea-gate.
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