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        Pete Atkin >> News >> BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
        
(Message started by: Pete Atkin on Today at 11:27)

Title: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Pete Atkin on Today at 11:27

Clive and I are due to be appearing together live some time in the last hour of the programme. (This was originally to have been Friday the 3rd.)

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Gerry Smith on Today at 23:57

Is this PR for any particular event, tour or publication?

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Pete Atkin on 26.09.08 at 09:38

It's mainly to do with the general release of the 'Live In Australia' double CD, which will shortly be available from the 'usual sources' instead of only through Hillside Music.

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Gerry Smith on 28.09.08 at 17:24

Well I hope sales go well. I'm sure 'Clive the raconteur' on his home territory will have popular appeal as well as opening up the songs to a new audience.

Are there any plans afloat for a future tour together?

Gerry

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Simon Reap on 02.10.08 at 18:07

Did anyone see this? Or, even better, record it?

I naively assumed that I could catch up with iPlayer, but they don't seem to do the Breakfast show (grrrr).

Simon

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Jan on 03.10.08 at 00:12

It was a six minute interview - Pete, Clive and (I believe) the Atkin guitar.
The interview was about the Live in Australia CD but it didn't sound as though anyone had a copy because we had a bit of Touch has a memory and Be careful when they offer you the moon from Midnight Voices while they showed lots of old photos and a few recent ones. Clive talked about them meeting at Cambridge in the sixties, the tours, poetry and his new US book. Pete was asked about his radio work but modestly, and in spite of Clive's encouragement, didn't actually mention any of the programmes.
They finished up with Clive doing about 30 seconds of That's all right Mama accompanied by Pete and with not much of a microphone.
The presenters, Sian Williams and Charlie finished up by saying that it was a nice, funny and relaxed CD.

Jan

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Ian Ashleigh on 03.10.08 at 22:27

I also caught the broadcast and concur Jan's summary. And, yes, it was the black Atkin guitar.

Shame no-one thought to show the CD cover

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by colin_boag on 06.10.08 at 08:08

I'm surprised that no-one has told it like it was about the ending of the interview: I didn't find it nice or funny, just plain naff. My wife and I watched it through our fingers, cringeing with embarrasment. I can't imagine that anyone would want to buy the product after seeing it, and I can only think that it was an opportunity wasted. Why, oh why, didn't Pete sing?

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by S J Birkill on 06.10.08 at 08:54

on 10/06/08 at 08:08:53, colin_boag wrote :

I'm surprised that no-one has told it like it was about the ending of the interview

I'm not surprised, Colin. I'd be surprised if anyone here disagreed with you. We're all in collective denial. This meeting never happened.

Steve

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Gerry Smith on 06.10.08 at 12:45

Sorry to say I missed the broadcast. What happened?

Gerry

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by S J Birkill on 06.10.08 at 13:02

not big enough stop ziegfeld not great stop end of message

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Leslie Moss on 06.10.08 at 15:27

I don't know of anyone who looks good on BBC Breakfast these days. The programme has gone tabloid with a vengeance. A few nights ago we were lying in bed watching the programme and after half an hour when every story repeats we switched over tentatively to ITV1, only to find a much more serious and thorough take on the morning's financial train-crash news.

Leslie

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Robert Reid on 06.10.08 at 18:06

Trouble is ther are no good music programmes now. There's only "Later with Jules Holland", and he can't stop butting in on the guests acts with his irritating piano. Pete needs to guest on that programme without Clive. Clive still carries too much old baggage from his TV shows. I'm relieved the BBC didn't wheel out Margarita Pracatan. The BBC made an a**e of the interview and I think Pete knew it. >:(

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Pete Atkin on 07.10.08 at 09:42

Don't think we (or, more particularly, the admirable Hayley) didn't do our damnedest to get on to Later at the time of the Midnight Voices CD push, either me or me and the band. Fact is, Jools himself was (apparently) completely unaware of us, and in any case he's not in control of the content of the programme, give or take the odd major exception, and those who are actually in control were/are at least equally unaware and are driven by other agendas entirely, as can easily be seen. One more or less random example that comes immediately to mind: Jose Gonzales is a pleasant chap who has made an IMHO unexceptionably pleasant record, but he happened to have a track featured prominently on a TV ad. (Now that's yet another story...) For interest and information, the Later producers wanted to have Clive on, but not me.

And please don't make the mistake that BBC Breakfast is in any way whatsoever a music promotion show, or even that it matters much in the end what you say or do on it. Simply being on it is by far the most important thing, maintaining a visible presence. It's television that's on, not that people are paying attention to. The thing that threw me most in the interview was that the presenters gave every sign of having actually listened to the CD. (One of the other things that threw me, incidentally, was walking into a studio with almost no one in it except the two presenters; all the cameras are robots.)

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Robert Reid on 07.10.08 at 12:02

Never mind, There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary. To quote Brendan Behan

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Pete Atkin on 07.10.08 at 13:26

And even that can be a good career move...

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by Ian Ashleigh on 07.10.08 at 13:33

I have to agree with Pete, the presenters gave every sign of having actually listened to the CD and were not throwing in 'journalese' comments to fill the conversation. Charlie made an informed reference to 'The Dunny Man'.

If the segment encourages people to seek out the CD and through that other PA/CJ work so much the better. Given the timing - just before 9 - those watching may have been paying attention rather than getting children to school and/or themselves and significant others out of the door to work.

Shame about the feedback regarding Later ... but we can live in hope.

PS why am I not surprised that the cameras were worked remotely from a control booth? :huh:

Title: Re: BBC1 Breakfast Wednesday 1st Oct 2008
Post by JtJ on 07.10.08 at 20:39

Hi there!

A bit late, I know but....

I saw it. Got up early especially! Agree with all your comments. But it was good to see the both of them.

And agree with Pete himself. Even if the odd person only thought: "Oh Look, it's that Peter Atkins who Keith Everard used to play a lot on Radio Caroline" ....then it was worth it.

How about Pete writing a musical phrase or two for BBC station idents? Must be money in THAT from repeat fees surely? ;-)

Still a lurker, regards to all.