Me and Mr Williams

That's Robbie Williams clearly, there can only ever be one Mr Williams.

I have long had a soft spot for Robbie, although not during his Take That years, saw him at Knebworth about 10 years ago and although it did take us almost all night to get out of the car park, it was still an amazing experience.

But this week I feel even closer to Robbie. Both he and I have been cast aside, cut adrift by BBC Radio 1, because we're too old. His current (number one) single has not been put on the station's play list because they say 'he's too old'. The single is however on the Radio 2 playlist, so maybe I should retune my radio*.

A couple of months ago (it feels longer though) Radio 1 ditched my favourite DJ, Chris Moyles. It was dressed up as a mutual agreement, and between you and me I think he was ready to jump but that doesn't make it any easier to bear. I used to enjoy listening to his show whilst out walking with Logan and then at the weekends downloading the week's podcast. Now that pleasure is gone and I don't feel I can, or even should, switch my allegiance to the new breakfast DJ, Nick Grimshaw, because the BBC made a huge song and dance about his appointment, wanting to appeal to the younger audience, they clearly don't want me anymore.

And I can't be alone in feeling abandoned, I was surprised when my brother was here in the summer to hear him express his similar disappointment at Chris Moyles' imminent departure. There was a shared feeling of 'where do we go from here?' 

This is uncharted water. I have always listened to BBC Radio 1, my dad worked for the BBC so it was kind of a given, and I have grown up despising commercial radio because of all the advertising. Yet now I feel almost as though I'm not allowed to listen, as though it's off limits and out of bounds, just because I've had the temerity to grow older. 

But what can I listen to? The black box was being coy the other day and when I was trying to find Radio 1 it offered up first Radio 2, so I selected it. It wasn't on for long, Steve Wright was the DJ, I detested him when he was still young enough for Radio 1, he's just as irritating now but now plays music from the 60's, and I'm still averse to commercial radio.

So I'm lost and adrift, paddling frantically on the trail of decent music.



* Except that it's not one of those old fashioned radios with knobs that were easy to tune, this is a black box that's connected to our computer and so to select anything to listen to takes a great deal of patience, button pressing and scrolling through menus - either that or a technologically adept teenage son.