quote:

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Originally posted by Sir Kevin:
Radio Two's Chris Evans collects Ferraris! .... I am envious!

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Do you know ? Neither me nor my missus can bear the sound of that bloke's voice .
I know the time was come to put old Woggey out to grass, but Radio2 mornings have never been the same since.

As for the politics of envy ? Best avoided where possible.
 

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Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :
 
I like Chris Evans. He has a real knack of connecting with his audience, whether he's talking to a five year old or an eighty five year old, he connects. He's a risk taker without making you feel uncomfortable - which is a hard balance to pull off.

The thing I like best about him is that he's relentlessly positive, a great antidote to radio 4! (I enjoy listening to both, but tune into R2 most mornings)
 

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Posted by Stejjie (# 13941) on :
 
The first volume of his autobiography confirms what the giant cheeseburger says - it's actually quite a compelling story, well told, of how he paid his dues and rose to fame on The Big Breakfast et al before he went nuts when working for Radio 1 and later Virgin Radio.

(I haven't got through the second volume as it gets too bogged down in celebrity schmoozing - "Andrew Lloyd Webber invited me onto his private yacht in the south of France" and that kind of thing... ).

I'm going off Chris Evans. I actually get a bit tired of hearing about his Ferraris etc and the fact that all his competitions and auctions for Children In Need revolve around fast cars and so on. I loved him when he did Drivetime on Radio 2, but I think only having a 2-hour show meant he had to be a lot tighter with everything (though he was always late for the news); now, with 3 hours, it can get a bit self-indulgent and a bit messy. Nothing like when he was at Radio 1, but still a find myself getting a bit... irritated at times and wish he'd just stop making such a huge deal about everything!!!
 

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Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on :
 
Personally, I have always found him an irritating little shit. He is slightly better these days, and I can almost cope with him occasionally.

The thing is, he has earned a shedload of money, and he chooses to spend it on fast cars. He enjoys driving at speed, and has the money to indulge his desires. His charity work is bound to reflect his hobbies too.

Surely what you are really jealous of is that he has made loads of money in the entertainment industry., despite being irritating. But that is par for the course these days. One Direction have made loads of money and they are crap too.
 

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Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
I remember the howls of protest when Chris Evans got the Radio 2 DriveTime show. There was, IIRC, a thread on The Ship about it but once he got his hands on the show it went really well. The breakfast time show started well, although it hasn't been so good of late.
 

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Posted by Stejjie (# 13941) on :
 
@Schroedinger's cat:

Not sure if you were answering me, but I'm not especially jealous of Evans. I actually think he is (or can be) a very talented DJ. His autobiography shows he's paid his dues, he's worked his way to the top (unlike some) and paid the price for his moments of madness in the late 90s. I thought he was excellent on Drivetime and was pleased when he took over from Wogan.

It's just that like Sioni Sais, the breakfast show feels a bit... flabby, a bit too much about Chris and his interests and hobbies. Clearly he's doing something right as he's got the highest ever ratings on the most-listened to station on British radio. But the focus on his cars and the assumption that everyone is into that kind of thing (and I do drive and enjoy it) leaves me feeling a bit cold.

He's a great talent, but I actually think he's best with some boundaries, when he's made to keep things tight. Otherwise there's the risk it all becomes a bit too self-indulgent.
 

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Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :
 
Has anyone been following this ?

Fabulous!

I use it to inspire and motivate my class of 10 year olds.


 

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Posted by Barnabas62 (# 9110) on :
 
What is the serious topic for discussion here, Sir K?
 

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Posted by Schroedinger's cat (# 64) on :
 
Stejji - it was really focussed on the OP, not you. And I think he always has had a tendency to assume that he is the most important person in the world, and everyone should be like him.

I always remember when he got the Radio 1 gig he was asked "Did you ever think you would be presenting the Radio 1 breakfast show?" - which was the premier show at the time, the peak for a DJ. He responded "Well yes I did, because I believe that you can always achieve what you want if you work hard enough for it".

It struck me that he was not only rather arrogant, but also very self-focussed. It appears that this has not changed.
 

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Posted by Stejjie (# 13941) on :
 
@ Schroedinger's cat: D'oh! Knew that would happen when I pressed "Add reply"!

There's something similar in the bit of his 2nd book that I did read about getting the Radio 2 breakfast gig: he suggests that this was always the plan when he joined R2 in 2005, that he'd take over sooner or later from Wogan. And it came across in a slightly arrogant way, with a slight sense almost of entitlement (though I may be being grossly unfair to him).

And to be fair to him, as Boogie's pointed out, he does stuff like the 500 words competition; and his auctions for Children In Need raise a ton of cash (though I have a bit of a problem with that kind of fund-raising anyway, but that's by the by). It's the attitude that seems to go with it and the assumption that we'll be interested in what he's interested in that leaves me cold.
 

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Posted by Chapelhead (# 21) on :
 
Perhaps he is arrogant and self-focussed, but last summer many people were revelling in the performances of those who were arrogant and self-focussed enough to think they could be the best in the world at running, or swimming, or throwing things, or paddling little boats or whatever. I probably wouldn't want to be stranded on a desert island with any of them, but in a way, they are all cut from the same cloth.

Regarding Chris Evans in particular, two things ...

His charity work might now involve his fast cars, but since he owns fast cars it seems better to use them for something charitable than just keep them to himself. He is just using what he has for the best. What he used to own, and similarly used for charity, was a very big house the parish I belonged to. In the grounds of the house was a plantation of Christmas trees. Being of charitable nature, he was persuaded to allow the trees to be sold to support good causes (one being the church, another a charity he was personally interested in).

So far, so unexceptional. But rather than just let someone take the trees, Chris Evans and Billie Piper (his squeeze at the time) took the trees down to the car park of the village pub and on Saturday mornings in December they and others stood there and sold them. Most of us are rather busy in the weeks before Christmas, but he was willing to give up his time to do something utterly unglamorous, in the cold (and sometime rain) and for no personal glory.

The second is a rather more difficult and personal tale - but I'm not revealing anything confidential. The landlord of the village pub, a good friend of Chris Evans, and somebody I knew from sharing sideman's duties in church, owned a boat which he would sail in the Solent, often taking others as guests. On such a trip pub landlord was killed in a freak accident, while Chris Evans and others were guests aboard. Because of the 'celebrity' angle the tabloids and gossip-rags made a big thing of the story, even though Chris Evans wasn't directly involved in the accident, other than being on the boat at the time.

It was clear that the funeral was going to be a big event, as not only was it for a popular and well-known person from the community, but also the paparazzi would be out in force. There was no very good way of dealing with the situation, and it was clear that a particular problem would be after the service when people left the church. Even though the churchwardens were keeping the photographers out of the churchyard, there was clearly going to be a scrum and plenty of shouting when Chris Evans appeared (the usual "This way Chris" from the paparazzi, hoping to get a reaction shot). The agreed solution was for Chris Evans to sit quietly in the church while the family's leave-taking took place. So he sat there for half an hour after the service, to allow the close family present to say their thanks, in a dignified way, to everyone leaving the church, and then themselves leave, before Evans made his own way out. In the circumstances this seemed the best solution to the churchwardens and family, and Evans was happy to fit in, because he knew that he was far from the most important person present. Perhaps this is only what one might expect from a decent person, but it is a long way from some depictions of Chris Evans.

I don't like the music Chris Evans plays; I don't like his style of presenting; I don't listen to his shows. But, when his name comes up, I find myself thinking that he is very possibly a better man than me.
 

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Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :
 
Evans is at his best when he's talking to other people. When there is a different person reading the weather reports sport reports or news he actually focuses on what the other person has to say. Spontaneity is the way he works,which is why it can sometimes sag a bit with the usual crowd, a bit more planning would work.

Evans at his best is about 7.20am, when he asks under 11 children what they are doing for the first time. Cute.
 

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Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Stejjie:

<snip>

It's just that like Sioni Sais, the breakfast show feels a bit... flabby,

</snip>

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quote:

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Originally posted by Sioni Sais:

quote:

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Originally posted by Stejjie:

<snip>

It's just that like Sioni Sais, the breakfast show feels a bit... flabby,

</snip>

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I resemble that remark!

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(Note to self: never post on a Saturday afternoon when trying to write a sermon at the same time...)
 

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Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on :
 
Going a bit tangent-wise here, but since the full extent of the j. sa-vile scandal has been made known I'm right off the celebrity culture in general, (not that I was ever particularly on it in the first place).
Just the other day a well-known actor died, and was described as a 'national treasure' .
Do you know ? The mention of that phrase left me a bit cold .

I'm not knockin Evans nor nobody else , they do their job , they get a shitload of money from it , the World goes around.
 

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Posted by lilBuddha (# 14333) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Chapelhead:
Perhaps he is arrogant and self-focussed,

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Self-focused is a requirement in the entertainment industry. If one is not self-focused, one is unemployed. Arrogance need not be.
 

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Posted by Clodsley Shovel (# 16662) on :
 
I think Chris is talented, hes just not for me. The jewel in the radio 2 crown is Simon Mayo imho. Though id prefer it if he was still using his excellent interviewing skills at radio 5 because his replacement, Richard Bacon, is appalling, his personal biases and need to be the centre of attention ruin nearly every interview.

Nothing compares to the great days of Mark and Lard on radio 1 in the afternoons though! Stop...........................


Carry on!
 

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Posted by Gill H (# 68) on :
 
I am usually leaving for work by 7.15 so I don't hear much. I hear more of the 'dotty posh lady' slot - previously Sarah Kennedy, now Vanessa Felz.

I dreaded Chris Evans taking over drivetime but he proved he had grown up a bit over the last few years. He knows how to share the limelight more these days.

Most DJs witter on about stuff they like, in the hope that others will connect with it, or with them despite it. And most celebs earn too much. Do I envy them? No way. I'm too attached to my privacy.
 

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