Dear Mailing List,
The Late Charlie Gillett used to do something on his radio show he called “Ping Pong”. A guest would bring a stack of recordings and he would answer each selection with one of his own that related to it somehow. I was fortunate enough to play the game with Charlie once and came away with a list of records I had to track down and buy. Plus it was fun.
Nick Luscombe on BBC Radio 3’s “Late Junction” has revived the practice in his own fashion. I will be his guest this coming Tuesday night from 10 to midnight; we’ve already recorded it so I can alert you to the fact that I played a live recording of Teddy Thompson singing a Kate McGarrigle song at Town Hall last May, a rare Zulu harmony track I just bought on vinyl via the internet, a wonderful 1930s calypso about how “of all the singers on the movie screen, the negroes are the best ever heard and seen” and a couple of the examples The Lion uses to make his point. And that’s not all! I even play a few WPSEs that have made it through my exceedingly fine singer-songwriter filter.
For those of you out of range of the BBC, or who better things to do of a Tuesday night, you can hear it for 7 days thereafter via www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/latejunction.
I have also confirmed more “Chinese White Bicycles” date with Robyn Hitchcock:
Oct 4: Santa Fe NM / James A Little Theatre
Oct 7: Austin TX / Cactus Cafe
Oct 8: Houston TX / Mucky Duck
and not to forget Dec 1 in London at the Purcell Room.
Final piece of news is that, never able to resist an opportunity to enjoy the sound of my own voice, I will be recording the audio version of “White Bicycles” in September for audible.com. I’ll let you know the release date as soon as its ready to go.
Now I’m off to hear the steel bands rehearse for the London Carnival.
salut
Joe