Stephen Hall’s blog

Do you actually like country music?

nobody@vox.com(Stephen H) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:38:23 +0100

******** I've been asked to write some articles for my radio station's new website, and I'll be sharing some of them here for you to read and enjoy [or diss and delete, the choice is yours!] ********

That's the question many people ask when they find out the kind of radio show I present, and they usually say it with a look of disbelief.
Of course they already know the answer. No-one would choose to spend 2 hours a week playing just one style of music unless they're really into it.
But let me try and tackle the question behind the question: Why do I like country music?
First, I've never been afraid to be considered "uncool". Which is just as well because country has a huge image problem in the UK. If all you listen to are British radio stations you could be forgiven for thinking all country singers are either aged 60+ or no longer with us (except for Shania and that bloke who did Achy Breaky Heart).
And should someone accidentally stumble into a UK venue staging live country, chances are they'll be watching some middle-aged bloke plodding his way through a flat cover version of Lucille.
Some Americans think we're lagging 20-30 years behind the States in most respects. In our perceptions of country music, we are!
Don't get me wrong; my collection's full of Patsy, Hank and JR Cash but rock music didn't die when the Beatles split up, and country too has found a crop of young, dynamic performers.
That's something I first discovered through the morsels offered by Bob Harris on his overnight Radio 1 show in the 90s but I still didn't think of myself as a country "fan" until a few years ago when Britain was blessed by a new (and sadly short-lived) radio station called 3C. Country music on tap, 24 hours a day.
At first it seemed a bit strange to my English ears. Half the songs mentioned god or obscure American placenames but what even I couldn't miss were the fantastic melodies and the fact that most of them could actually sing in tune.
(Not a big deal I suppose but more than most modern pop singers seem capable of!) And if you, like me pay close attention to lyrics, you'll find country is a treasure trove of stories covering aspects of everyday life that no pop songwriter would even try to tackle.
Ah yes, but doesn't that confirm another prejudice? Country's just so damn depressing!
Well sometimes yes. My rough estimate is that about 7 out of 10 songs are positive overall but what about the rest?
I think most of us would settle for seven positive days in every ten, and if there are downbeat days in life why not have songs to reflect that?
I don't know about you but when I've been having a rough time it's been very reassuring to hear someone expressing similar feelings - even if that person is just a singer on the radio.
And in those upbeat country songs, what is it that usually makes the characters happy? Not vast amounts of "bling" or the pursuit of more material possesions - often just sharing a few cheap beers with their friends or doing somebody a good turn.
Uplifting, heartwarming, corny, cliched, morose - country can be all of these things, sometimes all in the same song.
Like most things in life it's not everyone's cup of tea but ever since I turned on to it I've been going out buying new albums for the first time in years.
If you want to know why, give it a good listen. Then you might end up asking a very different question: what took me so long?

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We All Know Someone Like That

nobody@vox.com(Stephen H) — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:29:04 +0100

Well maybe you don't.....in which case I think you're lucky.
I'm talking about people with dominant personalities. Not quite bullies as such, but guys who are too used to getting their own way in life! I work with one and it's starting to really get me down.
I'd welcome your advice on how you cope with this type of person.
When I was younger, I used to just keep my mouth shut and try not to upset them. That keeps them happy but it's also so-ooooo frustrating!!
Now I'm able to voice my opinions with more confidence but they hate anyone disagreeing with them and that leads to a tense, awkward atmosphere which is really uncomfortable.
Have you found a way to stop them controlling everything without it turning personal?
If you have, I'd love to hear from you.

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I've Never Been Keen On These Lists But...

nobody@vox.com(Stephen H) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:48:41 +0000

Here's some of my most - and least favourite TV shows.
Obviously I'm not going to change your mind about any of them but I just thought it might be cool if we like and hate the same ones.
Starting with the best, then the runners-up, then the ones I have to avoid:

TV GOLD
Seinfeld, Frasier, Cheers, Without A Trace, Cold Case, Baseball On 5, Medium, The Catherine Tate Show, Have I Got News For You, American Idol.

TV SILVER
Law and Order, Will & Grace, I'm Alan Partridge, Judge Judy,Ghost Whisperer, The X Factor, Quincy, Ironside, Most Things Featuring Russell Brand.

TV TRASH
The Jeremy Kyle Show, Little Britain, Donal McIntyre's Street Crime [and other sensationalist programmes like it], Borat, Anything Featuring Dom Jolly.

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Some Very Overrated Things....

nobody@vox.com(Stephen H) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:34:57 +0000

1) Mobile phones
2) British TV comedies
3) Watching Motor Racing
4) Robbie Williams
5) Widescreen TV
6) The song Bohemian Rhapsody
7) The film Pulp Fiction
8) Sandwich Wraps

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Some Things I Miss.....

nobody@vox.com(Stephen H) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:28:30 +0000

1) My grandparents
2) Baseball [between November and March]
3) The days I could take a bus journey without having to listen to people shouting into their mobile phones
4) Pretzel Flipz
5) 3c Radio
6) Scotland in major football tournaments
7) Clive James' TV shows

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