I was awake early. Very early. The reason – I was due to appear on Romesh Ranganathan’s BBC Radio 2 show, which goes out at 10.00am BST.
This had been planned for a few weeks. It happened as a result of a message I’d sent to the show on the subject of accordions. A lovely member of Romesh’s team, Anna got back to me saying that they didn’t have time to play it but would I like to appear on the feature “Family Three Tunes” in a future show. Anna was particularly keen that this should be Saturday 19th July, as the show would be broadcast from Glasgow that day, and the inclusion of some Scottish accents would seem a good one. I checked that Sooz, my little sister, and Morag my 8 year old rice would be up for such a thing. They would be coming live from their narrow boat, and me from New York City but modern technology would allow this to be done.
Anna, and I exchanged messages over the next few weeks with the details. The feature is that three members of the family pick a song, they have a discussion with Romesh, and Sally Traffic, and then a wheel is spun as a random selector as to the song that will be played. This I waited in the dark of New York night time for the call to come through.
There was a little initial difficulty with pulling all the telephonic connections together. This was partly due to my using a different number in New York for “roaming deal” reasons, and Romesh’s team working in an unfamiliar studio. Soon, connections were made and I got a call.
I didn’t actually realise that the voice on the ‘phone that greeted me was Romesh himself. I had assumed that it would be a member of his team that would establish my connection was OK, before passing me through. It was only when I heard the unmistakable voice of Sally Traffic that I realised that I was indeed talking directly to Romesh, and Sally. Both of these people are real legends of UK media. Romesh has presented many programmes including his “Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan” series. In this he had visited Rwanda, as I had in 2019 with my school. He is also the current presenter of “The Weakest Link”, and crops up in many of the UK comedy panel shows.
Sally’s voice goes back with me many years. In particular, she was the traffic reporter alongside now much-missed presenter Johnnie Walker on the “Drivetime” slot on Radio 2. This is now occupied by Sara Cox. I was actually somewhat overwhelmed to be speaking to her, hearing her address me in a voice that is so recognisable. It’s interesting how radio personalities become so much part of your life. They are voices you hear every day, without even really choosing too as radio is often just “on” by default.
We discussed my holiday, and we attempted New York accents with varying degrees of success. We also talk about my teaching, and my induction into the “Scots Trad Music Hall of Fame”, which it was kind of them to bring up. I introduced my choice of song as Nik Kershaw’s “The Riddle”, a song which I have a working theory that could be the most perfect pop song written.
Sooz was next discussing the narrow boat holiday, and her burlesque routines. She introduced “Ghostbusters” as her song. I have intimated in previous posts the importance of the movie of the same name.
Morag then spoke, and melted many hearts. She talked about her love of the duck-billed-platypus, and introduced her song as “Rockabye”, by “Clean Bandit”.
Of course, Morag won the song choice and rightly so. I would always defer to her opinion in any situation so I was pleased with her success.
I was really glad to be involved in such a charming feature, and discussion. I regard myself something of a “Militant Radio 2 Listener” so it was a very much an honour to be asked to participate. You can hear the recording on the link below from 37 minutes, and 34 seconds in.
I went back to sleep.
Breakfast was taken in the apartment, with an episode of “The Real Ghostbusters”. I was glad that Egon stayed with his Ghostbusting colleagues, and opposed to working for his uncle elsewhere.
I chose that this could be a show day. This is something I have yet to do on this visit. To this end, it is possible to get tickets at less expensive rates from the booths at Times Square, and the Lincoln Centre. I opted for the latter, guessing that the queue would be shorter.
I was probably correct, but it was still a significant wait. It was not an issue however. The weather was slightly milder than it had been, and I had Anna Massie’s “Travelling Folk” special about Dick Gaughan to entertain me.
Incidentally, the Lincoln Centre is another location featured in the movie “Ghostbusters”. It is where Dr. Venkman as played by Bill Murray, attempts to court Ms. Barrett played by Sigourney Weaver. Her character is leaving an orchestral practice. I found the plaza where this scene is filmed covered over with a stage for summer performances.
Ticket purchased for an evening performance, I spent some time in the Bryant Park Reading Area in the company of an iced latte, a croissant with jam, and Mr. Crisp.
Next door to this is the New York Public Library. This was in fact the first place I ever visited in New York City when I visited in 2010. While I have been outside and admired the lions on many occasions, it is not since that initial encounter that I have ventured inside. This I now did.
The building is as stunning as I remembered. I did not enter the famous reading room where some of the univocal “Ghostbusters” scenes were filmed as it was reserved for those studying. I could see it from the outer area however, and this in itself was a beautiful space filled with artwork that reminded me a lot of the McEwan Hall, back in Edinburgh. I wandered for a while and took in the exhibition on the history of the “New Yorker” magazine, which was celebrating 100 years of publication. All covers were on display and I noted many examples of passing history, including an entirely black cover after the terrorist attack of 9/11.
Feet starting to ache a little, I took refuge in a nearby drinking establishment, and enjoyed a pint of “Evil Twin IPA”.
Usually I would avoid eating in this area of the city. The restaurants tend to be overpriced, and of low quality. I had a memory however that there was a decent Chinese place nearby. Some messages exchanged with Gil confirmed this to be “Kung Fu Kitchen”. This was frequented, and hand-pulled noodles were enjoyed.
The Marquis Theatre was the location of the show “Stranger Things: The First Shadow”, for which I had a ticket. I have been in this theatre before. During my 2019 visit I saw “Tootsie” here. I was pleased to find a poster commemorating that run.
The show on this evening could not be more different. It is a “prequel” to the popular Netflix show “Stranger Things”, which I have enjoyed for a number of years. Set mostly in the 1950s, it tells the story of how the “Upside Down” was opened I the first place.
It is very much not for the faint hearted. There are many “jump scares”, as well as crashes, bangs, and a number of exceedingly gruesome scenes. It was for certain one of the most spectacularly staged shows I have ever seen. I would put it “up there” with “Harry Potter, and the Cursed Child” in terms of technical brilliance. I “doff my hat” to the lighting, sound, and creative designers that made it happen. It’s a truly spectacular show that I wouldn’t want to reveal much more about, lest you go to see it and are disappointed by my “spoilers”.
On my way to the “1” train I passed through Times Square and took in the lights, and the people. It was incredibly crowded but is a very impressive, and iconic location.
The evening was completed over a Manhattan cocktail at the Stonewall bar. This was enjoyed with music led by a disc jockey. I may not be one for the nightlife, but I felt happy in this space.
