Radio 4 horror, civilisation collapses

James — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:45:32 +0000

Returning in good spirits from open mic at the Star of Kings, was quite well disposed towards the idea of Book of the Week on Radio 4 and a cup of tea before bed – until being informed by the announcer that it was “a beautifully written account of” whatever it was, which (to judge by the opening eight words) it wasn’t particularly, and which even if it was, that’s a thing I surely get to decide for myself rather than being told. It’s the literary equivalent of the epithets ubiquitous in the food industry. My current favourite is the HAND-FINISHED WITH QUALITY FONDANT sign attached to the cupcakes in our local Percy Ingle. It’s not that there’s any danger of anyone being deceived into actually believing in the beauty, quality or generations of inherited craft skill that these irritating tags advertise. The introduction to the reading signalled quite clearly not that the writing was, in fact, beautiful but that BEAUTIFUL WRITING had appeared at some point on some God-forsaken flip-chart at a media strategies away-day and BEAUTIFUL WRITING is what has been produced and BEAUTIFUL WRITING is what we’re damn well going to get. See also, “This play deals with issues of mental health/transgenderism/eating disorders…”, which borrows the form of a scholarly introduction, pointing out deep structures and themes which may be obscure at first but, once revealed, enhance the reading/listening experience. The difference being that any play introduced as “dealing with issues of MENTAL HEALTH” is guaranteed to be about as subtle as a sledge-hammer, given its origins on that same old flip-chart in that same old conference centre. Culture by committee, smells like to me.

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Radio 4 horror, civilisation collapses