With the Great Puddin’ O’ The Chieftain Race going on Desert Island Discs tomorrow, it’s prediction time.
First, the music. You normally get eight choices.
Will he go for late-night-at-a-Scottish-wedding mawkishness, or go for a preponderance of tunes from foreign parts to avoid the charge of parochialism? My money’s on the first of those, although surely not even the FM would go 100% Scottish on an occasion like this, right?
- Caledonia – surely the safest bet?
- Some Burns – Sheena Wellington’s Holyrood-opening performance of A Man’s A Man, perhaps?
- Some Jimmy Shand
- Runrig, from the Pete Wishart era
- Rod Stewart for the London Scots
- Sandi Thom to look modern
- Jackil because they’ve made a song and dance about it (love the pic of Angus Robertson as a glam David Bowie)
- And, like whiterose1314, he must be a Proclaimers fan.
Next, the book. Actually, I cheated and looked this one up. I had guessed the Declaration of Arbroath.
Finally, the luxury. A lifetime’s supply of spices so he can keep himself in curry? A saltire to fly from a coconut tree? A wee dram? I’m going for Guitar Hero simply because I found the picture.
#1 by Burdzeyeview on January 15, 2011 - 1:11 pm
I think you might be pleasantly surprised. I think there will be some kind of prog rock in there from his student days y’know. And I suspect Anne Lorne Gillies singing something might make it in there – she has such a beautiful voice and I’m pretty sure he is a fan. Not Jimmy Shand though I think you said that in jest. And if there is not something by the Corries I will be amazed. I think I’d have them on my desert island discs you know!
As for the book, well he’s always said that Lanark by Alasdair Gray is his all time fave book which is appropriate given this blog site!
Anyway we’ll all be listening won’t we?!
#2 by Alec Macph on January 15, 2011 - 1:36 pm
Is that not like being the tallest person in Lilliput?
#3 by aonghas on January 15, 2011 - 2:24 pm
Oh Alec. The self-hating jock is a truly sorry sight.
#4 by Alec Macph on January 15, 2011 - 6:28 pm
Could you be any more po-faced?
#5 by James on January 15, 2011 - 6:31 pm
Enough with the personal stuff. Anything more ad hominem will get blocked, in a very po-faced manner, by me.
#6 by Alec Macph on January 15, 2011 - 7:08 pm
It’s all like water off a duck’s back for me, Chaimes, but the rules is your rules.
Moving towards the topic, but – if I may – also addressing the tendency of some Internet-inspired commenters to place themselves as arbiters of what’s “Scottish”; and self-referential remarks as I made above, to be self-hatred… I would hope that Salmond is going to give an outward-looking list rather than a Scottified one which could leave the listener assuming he cannot really define himself as anything other than a parochial nationalist.
Is it Kevin Pringle who’s reputed to have summat like Flower of Scotland or Only the Brave as his mobile ring tone?
#7 by Douglas McLellan on January 15, 2011 - 2:08 pm
The luxury – Tam O’Shanter. To keep the sun at bay.
#8 by aonghas on January 15, 2011 - 2:25 pm
The complete Harry Potter series? Cos you know – JK Rowling is Scottish.
#9 by David on January 15, 2011 - 2:29 pm
Outside chance of the book being Adam Smith. Saw Salmond deliver a relatively enjoyable lecture on Smith at Glasgow Uni, and a pretty easy choice for an Economics & History graduate. Obviously ticks the Scottish box.
#10 by James on January 15, 2011 - 3:14 pm
True, but Smith is regularly misrepresented as a proto-Thatcherite, and Salmond got burnt from too close an association with that previously. But yes, not a bad choice.
#11 by NoOffenceAlan on January 15, 2011 - 3:14 pm
The uncharitable might suggest
“One Man Band” by Leo Sayer.
#12 by James on January 15, 2011 - 3:15 pm
I’m glad I forgot about The Sensational Alex Salmond Gastric Band until now. But some of them are aye catchy.
#13 by cynicalHighlander on January 15, 2011 - 4:37 pm
On topic “The Last Leviathan” by Sheena Wellington.
#14 by Alec Macph on January 15, 2011 - 6:30 pm
Will one of his tracks be the Star Trek theme?
#15 by Ezio on January 15, 2011 - 7:08 pm
This blog post was brought to you by the Scottish Green Party.
Grown up and constructive opposition. Vote Green.
#16 by James on January 15, 2011 - 7:13 pm
Definitely vote Green. If I’d wanted to be partisan, though, I’d have suggested a stretch of motorway as a luxury.
#17 by Alec Macph on January 15, 2011 - 7:19 pm
A Green suggesting a flight to a desert island? Well, the island could be somewhere like Fetlar and based on precipitation levels.
#18 by Stuart on January 15, 2011 - 9:17 pm
C’mon, surely you can see this is a bit banter? Politics blogs are allowed to have a bit of a sense of humour…
#19 by Indy on January 15, 2011 - 8:06 pm
It will hardly matter what he picks as Desert Island Discs only plays part of the song, it’s quite annoying.
So not the long version of Stairway to Heaven then.
#20 by DougtheDug on January 15, 2011 - 11:05 pm
“Will he go for late-night-at-a-Scottish-wedding mawkishness, or go for a preponderance of tunes from foreign parts to avoid the charge of parochialism?”
Now James, that’s an interesting statement when you take time to think about it. Does it mean that you think all Scottish music is parochial and mawkish and that if it is chosen by Alex it will be for political reasons not because it has any merit or is this a harking back to the shortbread and White Heather Club view of the SNP so beloved of the Labour party who are now your future coalition partners?
I see a form of cringe surfacing here with a world view where Scottish songs are mawkish and Scots have to make an effort to rise above their parochialism.
If it was David Cameron on Desert Island disks would you write,
“Will he go for late-night-cockney mawkishness, or go for a preponderance of tunes from foreign parts to avoid the charge of parochialism? My money’s on the first of those, although surely not even the PM would go 100% English on an occasion like this, right?
Maybe you should change your name to the Absinthe party, green and bitter.
#21 by James on January 15, 2011 - 11:18 pm
No, much of my favourite music is Scottish, and we make some of the best tunes in the world. I just don’t tend to hear them at the end of weddings. Starter for ten: Sons and Daughters, Ballboy, Cocteau Twins, King Creosote, Malcolm Middleton, Beta Band, Boards of Canada, The Delgados, Frightened Rabbit, James Yorkston.
But no, I don’t think David Cameron’s flaws include mawkish sentimental nationalism – his are worse than that.
#22 by DougtheDug on January 15, 2011 - 11:46 pm
“But no, I don’t think David Cameron’s flaws include mawkish sentimental nationalism – his are worse than that.”
Will you be campaigning to keep Scotland under David Cameron’s rule at the next election James or campaigning for Scotland leave the Union?
#23 by James on January 15, 2011 - 11:54 pm
Why so angry? I’m in favour of independence, which I fear is being undermined by the flaws of the current administration, one of which is generally cosying up close to the Tories here and another of which, as regularly discussed, is following their cuts agenda. We’re well off topic now, though.
#24 by DougtheDug on January 16, 2011 - 12:06 am
Not angry, just interested. The route to independence will be through the SNP not the Greens as campaigning for independence is not official Green Party policy but there seems to be a lot of anger on your side against the SNP which is odd if you support independence . That is on topic as the blog post is simply having a go at Alex Salmond.
Could you give an example of the SNP cosying up to the Tories and since the Scottish Government is funded by the block grant could you give a way that the SNP can stop the cuts over the next five years without introducing the SVR which is a regressive tax and hits the lower paid hardest as it only applies to the basic rate not to the higher tax bands.
#25 by cynicalHighlander on January 16, 2011 - 12:35 am
“Cosying up to the Tories?” What comment on the Calman bill being supervised by bendy Wendy? How much extra CO2 did Patrick use by sailing across the Atlantic using the MOST polluting form of transport for 8+ days against an 8 hour flight?
It’s fairly obvious that you hate the SNP for your own personnel reasons but if the Greens wish to have some respect then a bit more reasonable debate rather than unsubstantiated statements as it becomes very tiresome.
#26 by Indy on January 16, 2011 - 11:32 am
I think DougtheDog is referring to your attitude towards “mawkish Sentimenal nationalism” i.e. liking mainstream Scottish culture makes you an inward-looking narrow minded nationalist and is inherently ridiculous. Lallands Peat Worrier has an interesting article on those kinds of attitudes.
But what strikes me is your assumption that Alex would pick his tunes on the basis of what people would think of them and by extension him, not on the basis that they are the tunes he would like to have with him on a desert island.
If you listen to Desert Island Discs even occasionally that is the big division between the guests and you can usually spot it a mile off. There are those who clearly think people will analyse my choices and make judgements about me and choose their music on that basis so it will be mainly classical, a bit of pop, maybe a bit of jazz and something quirky to make them seem a bit interesting. Then there are those who pick what they actually like. I remember Tracey Emin picked a straight selection of late 70s disco and pop because she said that was the music that made her happy. She didn’t give a toss what people thought of her choices.
Needless to say 99 per cent of the politicians who appear on it choose their tunes because of how they think it will make them look but I would say Alex is the exception to that because – despite all evidence to the contrary (esp his recording of Rowan Tree with ALG) he believes he is musically talented. As for his book – the only surprise is that he hasn’t already committed the Complete Works of Burns to memory and still needs the printed version.
#27 by cynicalHighlander on January 16, 2011 - 4:11 pm
“flaws of the current administration”
UK taxman killed off Tartan Tax
I hope the ‘flawless’ opposition will do the right thing and apologies in a public manner for misleading the people of Scotland for party political point scoring.
#28 by CW on January 16, 2011 - 12:22 am
@Alec Macph: Why do some people persist in seeing an interest in Scottish culture as parochial? By ignoring it or mocking it in the first place, you only parochialise it, by embracing it, it emerges stronger and worthy of attention alongside that of other countries. There is no international without first the national. We are part of the world, not the only country, but also not a country that doesn’t exist. To try and pretend Scottish culture doesn’t exist or is always rubbish is just an internalised form of cultural imperialism. We should try and enjoy the world in all its diversity, but respect for cultures begins, like so many other things, at home.
More to the point, I have heard that Salmond is a massive fan of country and western music. So expect some Tammy Wynette. He has his positives, but his engagement with this sort of thing (see Sandi Thom, Star Trek) is just a bit embarrassing at times.
#29 by Indy on January 16, 2011 - 10:07 am
The thing about Alex Salmond is that he will pick – or in fact has picked (cause we know what his songs and book are now) – his favourites on the basis that they are his favourites and won’t give a toss what boxes they tick.
#30 by Stuart on January 16, 2011 - 10:41 pm
Exactly Indy, this really doesn’t matter much to what is important- the 2011 Holyrood election and running Scottiish affairs. I’m just amazed that some people still get incredibly defensive about a bit of fun!
#31 by Laura on January 17, 2011 - 9:41 am
I’m sure I heard him say “Let’s not be independent so we can hoist the Saltire; let’s be independent so we can better the lives of the people of Scotland.â€
But hey, why let the truth get in the way of a good old sneery mock