Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Overpaid, over-talking and overrated

What has been painfully obvious to listeners for a very long time has finally dawned on the BBC, namely that their senior management are overpaid and their presenters are "over-talking". Now someone in the BBC Trust needs to understand the dangers of a ratings driven culture, as illustrated by the following story. In 1961 Brion Gysin, patron of the Master Musicians of Jajouka, recorded for the BBC a programme of his sound poetry titled 'I am that I am'. John Geiger takes up the story in his life of Gysin:
When the program finally did appear, it was broadcast Gysin noted with pride, "to the second lowest rating of audience approval registered by their poll of listeners." The only program rated lower was by W.H. Auden on the state of Britain. However when the critics unanimously voted, "I am that I am" did take its place "among the indisputable classics of sound poetry".
Sample Brion Gysin's classic of sound poetry below. John Geiger's book is titled 'Nothing Is True But Everything Is Permitted'. Which also applies to both BBC Television and BBC Radio 3.


1 comment:

Pliable said...

That is William Burroughs with Brion Gysin in the YouTube still.