Phill Jupitus owes me a CD
Years ago, shortly after moving to sunny London, I was working in the post room of a medium-sized company. I wasn't really putting my liberal arts degree to good use, but the work kept me fit, and I met some good drinking buddies. After a time, I realised I could have a radio on in the post room without anybody minding. And thus I discovered GLR.

That's "Greater London Radio" to you. (It's never been the same since it became "BBC London Radio".) And it was a godsend. It had the sort of character and personality that I hadn't ever known in American radio stations. You know, presenters could actually choose their own music to play, that sort of thing. It was occasionally shambolic, but it was the BBC, after all, so it never got really amateurish. Great stuff.

One fine morning, a new presenter by the name of Phill Jupitus held a contest. Ring up and tell us a tourist jingle you've invented about your neighbourhood of London, he said, and if it's good enough we'll send you a CD.

Cool, thought I. That's exactly the kind of local content that makes GLR what it is. And the first winners started being read out on air, and they were funny! Can't remember them now, of course, but take my word for it. London wit, thought I.

I should try this, thought I. Spending an hour working up a good rhyme would beat the hell out of sorting memos into post boxes.

Then I realised -- all the winners I'd heard had involved nice, simple neighbourhood names, like Ealing or Clapham or Bow or Tooting -- names that you could find plenty of rhymes for.

I lived in Cricklewood.

Bollocks, thought I. I was stumped, and gave up quickly. Then it came to me, pretty much complete:

Are you in a pickle?
Would you like to settle down?
Come along to Crickle-
wood, a nicer part of town.

I rang in, and Phill's assistant liked my slogan, and they told me I'd won, and Phill read my little poem out on air.

Good thing that was reward enough, 'cause they never did send me the CD they'd promised.
(MonkeyRobo, Fri 29 Apr 2011, 23:33, 2 replies)

because you hang up without given your details?

( Sextant goes to him is emotionally erect, on this day, Sun 1 May 2011, 2:37, closed)

GLR
A click for you. They ruined it all when they changed it. Paul Ross is the object of my hAtred. What must be 15 years later I no longer live in the GLR area but am still bitter.
(funkmotor is not the droid you're looking for, Sun 1 May 2011, 9:24, closed)