Intelligent Life On Planet Rock
When Hardeep Met Les
Posted by Fraser Lewry on 18 September 2008 - 12:08pm.
Here's a few minutes of genuine radio gold: BBC West Midlands' Les Ross attempting to interview writer/broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli. The words 'Partridge' and 'Alan' may spring to mind, although not necessarily in that order.
Thanks to Mr Drayton for sending the file in. Here's a direct link if the embedded player doesn't work for you.
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Absolutely priceless
Great spot. Never heard of Les Ross, surely that can't be for real?
1965 DJ of the Year, no less
beating Johnny Walker into second place (follow the link in Fraser's post).
Les Ross
He is for real! I must admit I could not believe my ears. Les Ross is a radio legend but I really do think he's past his best as this interview shows. Talk about out of his depth. Respect to Hardeep!
My goodness.. I'm surprised...
Les Ross is definitely for real and I should know - I partnered him on air at BRMB for over 3 years back in the mid to late '90's! Les was a legend in his time and even Chris Tarrant has said in the past that he's learned a thing or two at Les's knee.
We had a great on-air relationship and were constantly rated #1 in the market but we very quickly moved the relationship on from main presenter and put-upon female sidekick to one where we were equals and where I often echoed what I believed the listener might be thinking at any given time, reining him in etc. We were often referred to as the Richard and Judy of radio because of this; it was a successful partnership and was great fun too.
Les has always been somewhat irreverent but in this interview it seems that this approach combined with poor research and a guest with a predilection to preciousness (did you SEE Hardeep on Comic Relief does The Apprentice?) makes for car crash radio.
I know Les to be anything but a bigot but he definitely comes off worse in this rather sorry interview. He's actually a lovely guy and it may well be (as mentioned elsewhere) that Hardeep was doing a junket down an ISDN and was getting a bit tired of it all.
Ouch
That's just painful. All credit to Hardeep for keeping his cool and killing it when it needed to be killed.
I am reminded of....
..."Up With The Partridge", the early morning show that Alan was exiled to when he was forced to retreat from TV. "Coming up after the news, Norfolk's youngest butcher...."
my toes have
curled through shoes couldn't face more than a minute top stuff
If any further proof were needed...
that awards are worthless: "Les Ross has won nearly every accolade going, including three Sony Awards, an MBE, a Variety Club Award, an NTC Special Services to Radio award and a place in the Radio Academy's hall of fame."
Wonderful!
see above
Oh, my, God. How can you
Oh, my, God. How can you have been on radio virtually since its invention and still sound as ill at ease as that? Listening to all that nervous laughter has jangled my nerves (or it could be all that coffee I've been drinking). More than a hint of "young fella me lad" about Ross's attitude to Singh Kohli and perhaps something far worse if you were being very cynical.
Oops. There's "concern" upstairs, apparently
From a radio forum:
O Coogan, what hath thou wrought?
Seems like
that 'concern' is from 2005 though. He's still there. ( Hell, maybe he actually improved! ).
It's not often that I feel compelled...
...to quote from Friends, but:
Oh. My. God.
I thought quite a lot of Hardeep before.
Now I think he may be a legend.
Note to Les - shut up when you have a witty, erudite guest.
That was...
UN,F..KING,BELIEVABLE.
Thanks for posting (I think).
I echo the above
Gobsmackingly embarrasing.
I will now forward to everyone I know.
When Hardeep Met Les.
Why all the fuss? The BBC is "Hideously White", isn't it?
(See Greg Dyke, Jonathan Ross, Lenny Henry.....) And boy was that pillock hideous. And he's an award winner! Imagine what it would have been like if the guest would have been black. Some twonk would have gone over to a draw marked 'Old Chestnuts', brought out a file named, 'Excuses and Get out of jail statements then proceed to tell the world that, "He's got a chip on his shoulder". The media seems to be totally over-represented by angry fat white van man, camp cavaliers, lager louts and loose white women.
Whiit!?
pardon?
James Blasphemy
Obviously this twonk has been to the 'Chestnut' drawer and all he could come up with is a mis-spelt question! (He's obviously a high ranking BBC executive). This brainbox should go and listen to the interview then let us know which one of the words of the Queens English he couldn't quite get his head around because by the looks of things, if he had another IQ point to his name he would be a TREE, and we couldn't possibly pardon him for that now, could we?
What a blast.
I have to bring this one up....
I'm sure it's been mentioned before but The Bee Gees on Clive Anderson....
I have never witnessed such contempt on a chatshow by the host to their guests.
After seeing this I thought Clive Anderson was a total wanker.
There are constant snipes for no reason I can see apart from cheap laughs.
Look at the body language of Barry Gibb, he's ready for a dust up.
Who could blame him?
Like it or loathe it,
Clive Anderson had been doing his show for quite a long time by this point and his attack was hardly different from the way he treated other guests. They gifted him lines and he took 'em.
The blame surely lies with whoever advised the Bee Gee's to take the show and failed to mention to them the irreverancy of the format.
I remember seeing it at the time and being most amused by their obvious distress and discomfort, as did most of the viewing public.
You are right and I was of the same mind that night but
I went off old Clive after that because watching it again he is a bit of a smug toolbag and I don't think it did his career any good.
Jeffrey Archer is one thing but My Bee Gees is something else altogether.
Was it really so bad?
I've not seen this since it was broadcast and to be honest I'd question who was actally being the pr!ck here? I honestly think that Clive really said nothing to merit such a childish respose. I'd forgotten his favourable remarks about their early material and career, albeit with the exclusion of the 'they-must-have-heard-that-a-million-times' line about Les Tossers, and I think he showed a reasonable amount of respect for them as artists. Ok so he made an honest comment about not liking their later stuff but is that so bad a thing to admit? The problem with many major rock stars is they get to that point in their career where they're shielded by their agents/entourage etc and never have to deal with anybody but toadying sycophants.
Agreed
I thought that too. I didn't think the "insults" went much beyond some gentle banter, really. And then - was it Barry? - ups and leaves for no good reason that I could see.
Something similar
Though I think Jerry Seinfeld was taking the mick rather than being genuinely affronted
Something interesting
Today I caught Radio Four's Pick Of The Week featuring a phone interview George Lamb recently conducted with Ray Davies. This was broken off by Davies after Lamb, out of nowhere, put the question "are you bald?" Later Lamb "sang" Waterloo Sunset with new lyrics suggesting that Davies is over-sensitive.
Lamb of course was not bold enough to defend his actions on Pick Of The Week. We've been trying to get an interview with him ever since his tenure at 6Music proved so controversial. He won't do one. Probably over-sensitive.
I think you are probably right
There is a fine line between being funny and downright rude and , (although one man's rudeness is another's funny if you get my drift). Clive Anderson (above) is probably a very nice man but there was a better interview to be had without actually insulting anyone and same with the 4 year old Lamb.
I'm all for irreverency when
I'm all for irreverency when it comes to interviewing worthless celebs, but when the worthless celeb is the one doing the interview and he's got one of the great songwriters of the 20th century on the other end of the line, a bit of respect wouldn't be out of place.
Maybe Ray Davies could have had more of a sense of humour, but Lamb's revolting school bully jeering, especially to the tune of Waterloo Sunset was inappropriate and depressing to hear.
Not Pick of the Week
Not Pick of the Week (thankfully) but Feedback http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/feedback.shtml
Quite right
My mistake.
Awful. Just horrible.
Awful. Just horrible.
I heard this on Chris Moyles this morning
Very fuuny and painful all at once. For me even funnier, due to the fact that Mr Moyles was enjoying the comedy of Mr Singh Kohli who, I think called him a 'C*NT' in this very magazine.
Moyles
Mr Kholi, I'm afraid was totally out of order and cheated Mr Moyles out of his true moniker which is actually a 'Fat overpaid, lager swilling, sweaty C****'! Well that's what I heard some yuppie once describe him as.
Moyles is genuinely
the only Leeds fan I truly despise. I wish him on Chelsea.
Wonderful, just wonderful.
Can I also post this lovely radio cock up?
http://speechification.com/2008/03/28/charlotte-green-giggles-too/
Her giggle is as appealing as her voice...
that's a delight
I defy anyone not to laugh whilst listening to it
To quote the Partridge's own driver
from his Christams Special in a mock up of his real home (due to previous break-ins at his actual house)
'There were a load of Asian blokes out having a party. What's that you call em, Alan? Rama-dama-ding-dong?'
I think thats the definition of car crash radio
Re: Hardeep...
In fairness to Ross.. Hardeep's opening quip "I'm the child of an immigrant... I like to to work..." sets the tone for the rest of the interview... and Ross is similarly direct, however, although Ross sounds nervous, it's Hardeep who throws his toys out of the pram and leaves the show, I think he does his "immigrant" parents a disservice by allowing the large chip on his shoulder to spoil what could have been a great interview.
Tiger Tail
To be honest, that old "chestnut' is exactly what I expected to come out from that place beneath a 'Tigers Tail'.
This is pretty painful too...
Good on Will Smith for administering a telling off at the end...
"What we would call urban music over here"
Except that's the very last thing we'd call it. "Urban" is an American euphemism for "black".
further proof...
what a ass Ross has become
sad
Wossy
It was embarrassing watching 'Wossy' trying to contain his blackness. Ever since he complained about the BBC only hiring blacks to do the pushing jobs (Brooms, trolleys and entry buttons) He seems to have become a liability. The overpaid privileged luvvie looked no match for the real black guy, who, by the way is richer, sharper, more eloquent, more private, well mannered and has definitely got a fitter wife.
I think the BBC would do well to give the controllers job to Jay Z. Can you imagine his first day at work handing out P45's to all the unreality stars and the plethora of talentless bozos who contaminate our screens day after day, night after night?
Just like the other 'Wossy' radio jock who couldn't contain the Sikh in him when interviewing (if that's what you call it) an Asian comedian. Once again
the Asian guy out strips him in all departments.
If you want a real talent, check out Valentino 'Wossy' who has just won his 8th world Moto GP championship. He gives more entertainment in one race than our Entertainment impostors do in a lifetime.
Back to Les
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/29/radio.regional.local
Back to Les
No let's not go back to Les... He's a twat!
Back to Les
In fact, let's go to that place where little junkie Jewish girls go to..... BACK TO BLACK!
I don't get that
nor does Navid
All a bit too 'worthy' for BBC West Midlands
Not a great interview but if Mr Kohli wanted a serious and worthy discussion about his artistic abilities, what was he doing agreeing to go on BBC West Midlands? It sounded to me like Hardeep manufactured the outcome so he could demonstrate how clever he was.
And he certainly succeeded
new
Having watched Mr Kohli on Apprentice and the recent Homeless show he did ,he does come across as a bit of a dick with a snooty attitude. anyway his brother is far funnier.
Navid
is ace!