Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Ladies

Okay new one has been a bit of a long time coming, suffered several playlist changes and about four different scripts, but 1 Hour of Music in 20 Minutes - Ladies is now up and downloadable from abc.net.au/dig

My thanks to G for his patience while I rejigged it at the eleventh hour :)

Ladies was always a programme I wanted to make, but when I actually sat down to put it together, I had trouble deciding what exactly I wanted to communicate.

My favourite female singers are like friends to me. What else would you call someone who you spend vast amounts of time with, think of when you're apart, remember and consult for their wisdom and experience and turn to for amusement, comfort and companionship?

My favourite ladies are people I know - like Bridget Martin, who I did the sound for when she came to Melbourne and later stayed at my house, and people I feel like I know - like Chan Marshall, or people I think I'd probably like to know - like Rachel Cooper, Edith Frost, Sarah 'El Perro Del Mar' Assbring, Julie Doiron and Mo Tucker.

I did do a women's show on community radio, for about a year. It was a challenge for me becase all my favorites up to that point were male. I found new favourites in legends like Odetta and Billie Holiday and played Edie Brickell's What I am quite a bit... I didn't have a copy of Odetta or Edie, otherwise they'd be in this one, and Billie's brilliant Pennies From Heaven got cut at the last minute for time reasons.

But here it is! New programme, and I hope you enjoy it.

It's, as ever, really about the music, and for a playlist, I reckon I did well :)

Thanks to Nigel for emailing me Rachel Cooper's Shady Girl (which I wish I'd just bought off her when I saw her at the Crown and Sceptre that time...), and whoever it was at Three D who gave me the chance to present the women's show all those years ago now... I think you opened my ears to my own gender!

~ Hermione