Monday 11 January 2010

things i listened to

anticipating the final demise of the tv my radio listening has been increasing.

last night i listened to the suday feature on radio 3 whch was all about the goddodin. not only did it feature david purdie's scots version but there's was loads of old welsh getting spoken. worth a listen.

today i started listening to andrew motion's series concerning the poetry of walking, or so he said. it's worth while listening to them in order as he refers back between them. i like the poems he's talking about but, as always with andrew motion, it's the way he talks about them that puts me off. ther are inaccuracies, such as his insistence that wordsworth somehow is responsible for the modern approach to walking but, even allowing for that, the tone is that of the classroom. it's not that its dull, just that there seems little joy in it. i don't even know if motion likes walking (sic!)

last but definitely not least is kenneth steven on yeats' the lake isle of innisfree. i haven't finished this yet as i'm off out to work but so far it's hitting all the marks as far as being interesting and engaging plus, unlike the motion programmes (sorry andrew) the poeple involved seemed to have anemotional connection to the work.

whatever, they're all worth a listen

6 comments:

Rachel Fox said...

I tried to listen to the Motion because it is very much my kind of subject...but my god...he must be one of the most boring men alive. Perhaps you could tape it and take it in to the hospital...who needs anaesthetics?
x

Marion McCready said...

i saw the motion series but just couldnt face it, did listen to some of Kathleen jamies expedition to rona, she's got such a lovely voice

Titus said...

Ditto with the Motion, I'm afraid.
But I love the idea of Motion possibly not liking walking.

Rachel Fox said...

I listened to the Yeats one this morning too. Loved the story of poet not being able to find the island! Classic. And unsurprising.

And was Kenneth Steven in the bath at one point? Playing with rubber ducks ('and listen I can hear the sound of the lake lapping...' yeh right)?

x

swiss said...

it's ironic that motion had an article in the guardian the other day bemoaning the lack of quality teashing of poetry in schools. if this is his idea of entertainment who knows whta form motionesque teaching might take!

i missed kathleen jamie's rona outing which was a shame if only to compare to her last island thing i heard when she went to stroma which i can only describe as speculative in nature.

i completely agree re the 'sound effects' in the innisfree thing. we also liked kenny 'lightining' steven's miraculously quick planting of the nine beans. but really the line of the programme had to be i will go now, to ennis, free...

Rachel Fox said...

Yes the sound fx...at times it was like the Goons make a radio poetry documentary. But I'm sure he meant well...
x