Tuesday 8 March 2011

Spinal Tap or The Rutles - Discuss

I have recently rediscoverer of The Word Podcast. I first came across it some time ago but the sound quality on the first couple I listened to was so poor that I didn't bother keeping up with it.

Stonehenge!
Originally uploaded by Der Ohlsen
For some reason, I recently decided to give them another go and have been listening regularly now for a couple of months. They seem to have sorted the recording quality issues and you now at hear what everyone is saying!

The format is essentially that of two old duffers talking nonsense to each other with occasional interjections from who ever else happens to be about! It has to be said that normally that kind of description would make me run a mile. It is precisely the sort of zoo format radio (as practiced by Messrs Evans and Moyles) that drives me nutty. But somehow, I don't find it annoying in a podcast.

Mostly they talk nonsense, but often there are nuggets buried in their banter and usually their guests are very interesting (a recent-ish favourite of mine was Wilko Johnson in podcast 144).

The particular focus of this post, however, is a series of Tweets sent in by a regular podcast listener. They take the form of So-and-so or thingumy-bob - Discuss. I think the point is that the answer doesn't matter as much as the discussion and they take novel or obscure targets rather than well worn debates like "The Rolling Stones or The Beatles". For example, two recent Tweets posed: "Duran Duran or Spandau Ballet" and "Vivian Stanshall or Ivor Cutler". (For the record, I disagreed with the podcast's pronouncements in both cases.)

I though this would be a format that I could shamelessly steal and use on this blog. Whether any other debate topics ever appear will depend on your reaction to this one. So here is the first of what may be a series of debates:

Spinal Tap or The Rutles - Discuss

2 comments:

Amanda Wilson said...

I've heard of Spinal Tap but never heard of the Rutles until now and I dont know why. However been doing my homework(yes swot I know lol) and discovered them how cool are they!!!!! need to watch more :) more than spinal tap I think! sorry not a lot to discuss but thanks for the intro to something new( well for me anyway and Eric Idle ! bonus )

David said...

Hello Amanda

Welcome to Rutland!