The beginning of Absolute

Segueing Paul Weller into Phil Collins is a criminal offence. Tell Culture Squad detectives it happened at 10.35am this morning – three hours into the life of Absolute Radio.
The new name on the dial has replaced Virgin.
But the travel is still sponsored by Renault, and they still have the ‘eighties hour.
Over the weekend the station played tracks in reverse alphabetical order from V to A.
The last record on Virgin was American Pie. We all knew the first song on Absolute at 7.45am would begin with an A.
I’ll be back in a couple of minutes with Agadoo quipped star DJ Christian O’Connell.
The new era began with the Beatles’ A Day In The Life from Sergeant Pepper. Good choice.
On Thursday, said Christian, the show will come from somewhere associated with that song.
Wow – a national radio station bringing its breakfast show to Blackburn. In fact he meant Abbey Road studios in, er, London.
Listener John rang to say he liked the new station so much he was speechless.
And then it was on to Absolute Beginners by Bowie.
Elvis Costello, The Who, the Bunnymen, and the Rolling Stones kept things going nicely.
Whoever picked the new stuff loved alliteration - Kaiser Chiefs, Kooks, Killers, and Kings of Leon.
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head made a brave change of pace to commemorate Paul Newman and Hendrix’s Voodoo Child was built up as radio rebellion.
In fact it's four minutes of mumbling and showing off.
The promise was “real music” but at ten Absolute changed to Radio Hairdresser.
Van Halen, Kim Wylde, Springsteen, Duran Duran (music by and for accountants from Solihull), and Hall and Oates - before the Style Council’s Walls Come Tumbling Down was merged into Genesis.
Time for the off button.
Absolute Radio is on 1215AM – 1242AM in Staffordshire.

Danny Baker's triumphant return to Radio Five

This is going to be a hilarious season.
BBC Radio Five Live has re-engaged Danny Baker to host 606 – the football phone-in he pioneered.
For 38 Tuesday evenings Baker will entertain us without reference to four-four-two formations or any of the rest of the game’s anorak minutiae.
In his comeback programme Danny was looking for positive stories about Dennis Wise and crazy reason for games to be held up.
After a top tale about a hand grenade on the pitch, we heard how Wise had once been a true gent to someone’s granny.
That prompted Baker to ask for other stories of saintly footballers who had gone beyond the call of duty for fans – and he struck gold.
A caller told of an away game at Bristol Rovers. Burnley’s Jamie Hoyland was warming up when a fan called out and asked the player to visit a van at the far end and buy him a local pasty.
St Jamie took the cash, ran to the far end, climbed over the fence, queued up, bought the food, and ran back with the grub and the change.
We learned that the fan concerned was Selwyn – an ice cream man from Todmorden.
Normally this would be THE call of any show.
But before the hour ended we heard of former Oldham player Alan Groves who returned for a game at a former club. As he stepped off the bus a woman handed him a baby and said: “You have him.”
According to Groves’s cousin, a couple of travelling fans minded the child during the game before Alan took him back on the coach.
Baker’s wit, enthusiasm, and selection of talking-points makes this a uniquely entertaining sports show.
This is our culture. The one thing the moneymen can't take away from us.
Danny Baker, BBC Radio Five Live, Tuedays from 10.06pm and 11pm. Podcast here.