I hope you all enjoyed David Mitchell on Desert Island Discs. I was torn between hating his choices in music (apart from Elgar's Cello Concerto) for being utterly lightweight, and respecting his honesty. I suspect it's true that the music we find meaningful for the context in which we heard it, and the memories associated with it, is often banal: Mitchell chose music he may not listen to for its own qualities, but because it was associated with particular people, places and times. Amongst them were Katrina and the Waves' 'Walking on Sunshine', Radiohead's 'Creep', some Acker Bilk and Herb Alpert, the Elgar and Kermit the Frog's 'Rainbow Connection', which was a piece of genius with which I wasn't familiar.
Mitchell was, of course, charming, thoughtful and self-deprecating, and prepared to address the contradiction between wanting to go through life unnoticed and choosing a career as a performer. I did wonder about his presence on DID. They have widened their choice of guests recently, sometimes to the detriment of the show, which at its best can be a meditation on a life lived badly, sadly, wisely or well. Mitchell was the perfect guest in many ways: witty, thoughtful, distinctive: but he's only 35. His songs reminded him of his parents, his time in Cambridge. Let's have him back when he's 60, when he's faced love, loss, death, triumph and failure, and has more experience about which to be self-deprecating.
Anyway - well worth listening too, particularly for his views on fashion (essentially: showing off) and his self-portrait 'tweed on the inside'. As I suspected, we have a lot in common: nerds, still living in squalid student accommodation, alone, so very alone. Except that he's funny, gifted etc. etc.
It's on Radio 4 again on Friday morning. Or possible Thursday, I can't remember. It's not on Listen Again though for music copyright purposes.
