TUESDAY 25 MARCH

I would like to extend my heartfelt sympathy to the electrical contractor whose van you see pictured above. Running your own business is difficult enough without being burdened with a name as inauspicious as that. The poor man must have nightmares.

THE VANISHING NIGHTSHIFT
I won’t describe the colourful language that could be heard all over the Pink Palace this morning - much of it, I’m afraid, directed at me. As we have all collectively deduced over the last few days, there was indeed a computer fault. That, at least, was none of my doing.

I still have all the chapters of Secrets in my audio folder at work but, as you may have gathered if you heard the chapters that actually managed to make it to air this morning, I mentioned the days of Easter when I was pre-recording it. This means it will sound extremely silly if I re-play it to air. However, although the battle may have been temporarily lost, the war can easily be won. I’m developing a fiendish plan to re-record it all with no references to anything except the narrative itself. When that’s done, I think it would be absolutely whacko! to devote an entire programme to the telling of the story.

This time, though, I will try to edit it so that, firstly, the various styles conform with each other a little better and secondly, to make it easier to read aloud. I stumbled once or twice first time round and we don’t want THAT, do we?

If there are any changes or amendments you would like me to incorporate into the edit, please let me know.

MUSICAL MONEY
During the ‘live’ part of this morning’s Nightshift, I asked if all the members of a symphony orchestra were paid the same. Last night I attended a wonderful concert at the Sage - Finlandia, the New World Symphony; it was awesome. But I couldn’t help noticing that some members of the orchestra had a LOT less to do than others. Although the violinists, for example, gave their all for almost two hours, the tuba player (tubist?) only picked up his formidable instrument twice and for less than 3 or 4 minutes in total, and the unfortunate triangle player had to try and concentrate throughout the entire proceedings until his moment of glory was reached very near the end.

So...are they all paid the same? Believe me, if I was a cellist producing two hours of pure pleasure through my expert handling of the instrument between my legs, I would be very miffed indeed if my wages were the same as those of the percussionist who only has to bash his cymbals together as the climax is reached. Wouldn’t you?

TRUCKSHUNTER POSTING II
Tomorrow’s posting is the work of Truckshunter Sid. It’s good, too.

CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or contact me in any one (or more) of these ways....
ian.robinson@bbc.co.uk
ianstuartrobinson@googlemail.com
text 07786 200954 (while the programme is on-air)
call (between about 0545 and 0630 Monday to Friday) 0191 232 6565
Ian Robinson, The Nightshift, BBC Radio Newcastle, Spital Tongues, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1RN

NOTE
Please bear in mind that the views expressed in this blog are my own and NOT the views of the BBC.