Maybe it was because the show
had been announced as the last one, but I didn’t have the same feeling today as
when I originally quit Trent Sound in November 2012. I remember walking around
town that fateful day on Wednesday 7th November 2012, (I had
resigned the day before) and observing the collective brave face that people
were putting on in spite of the news. It reminded me of Monday 1st
September 1997, the day after Princess Diana was killed. Some of the older
readers might remember the strange feeling of sadness that hung in the air that
day, nobody quite knowing how to conduct themselves. Perhaps in years to come
the Daily Express will continue to be obsessed
with the final radio edition (for now) of The Sunday Alternative.
I am joking of course, it isn’t
that bad. Of course it is similar but not quite the same.
The fact that it had been
advertised as the last show (for now) had undoubtedly softened the blow, but I’m
sure that culturally I have created something of a hole in the world.
Personally, I wasn’t feeling as sad as I expected when I walked out of Trent
Towers (not an actual tower) for the penultimate time, (the final NottinghamLIVE takes place this coming Wednesday). There
were no guests this time; I didn’t want to do a show with live music as it
might have made things a little depressing with a final live performance. I
didn’t even play any new music this weekend, depending instead on music that is
already in the system.
During the show I wrote out a
closing speech to read out at the end. This is the first time I have ever used
anything resembling a script in all the time I have worked in radio, but I
wanted it to be just right with nobody missed out in the thank you dedications.
As I read it out there was no emotion, no tears, and just another song and then
it was all over.
As far as I am concerned, The Sunday Alternative is my favourite of all of my radio
shows. It is my baby and I suppose it is the thing that I am best known for,
(not that I am particularly well known). The show has had its ups and downs, in
terms of live performances and co-presenters, but I have hopefully kept the
standards up during its life. When the show returns it will be a solo presented
show, but only if I have live music involved too. Without live music then the
show becomes a chore to do. If you listen to the archive of shows, you can
actually tell the shows that I am not enjoying doing. Reading back through the
notebooks for the show I can even tell myself that I didn’t enjoy a particular
show; these are the ones where I deliberately play a long song just so I can go
out for a cigarette. I have plans for the show that will mean the name
continuing and as a result also continuing to be an important part of the music
business and radio itself. Creative freedom is very much the key to the magic
of the show, which is part of the reason I intend to go it alone in future. The
next radio station will have to allow me to do the show with no input, which is
something I value above all else.
As I said on Twitter yesterday…
It's not the end, it's the beginning!
— TheSundayAlternative (@SundayAlt) March 16, 2014
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