Tony Hancock picked Gloomy Sunday, aka The Hungarian Suicide Song
I love that song. I would consider it for one of my 8 but, in the circumstances, it probably wouldn't make the cut.
I emailed DID and, unfortunately, got this answer.
Thank you for contacting Desert Island Discs.
We appreciate all feedback and read all the emails we receive but regret that given the number we get can't undertake to answer them individually. If you are emailing to suggest a guest for the programme, as we are a small team, we will only contact you further if we wish to discuss the possibility of issuing an invitation to be on the programme.
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If they do read all the e-mails they receive, they should have a stock letter ready for different types of feedback. This is just lazy. Plus, who the hell phrased this: "...where you may find useful information that will answer your question"? If it is only the possibility that I may find relevant information, then there is no certainty that my question will be answered. Also, do commas cost extra to produce? Where they dropped due to budget cuts?
I love that song. I would consider it for one of my 8 but, in the circumstances, it probably wouldn't make the cut.
This is always my problem, amongst your favourite eight songs there might be ones that would drive you to suicide or madness in the context of being alone on a desert island. I'd risk a couple that would make me maudlin ('Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau' and Elvis's version of 'If I Can Dream' normally) but there's some songs/artists that are maybe best left. I love Elvis Costello but it's hard to think of much of his best work that wouldn't induce far too dark a mood (the obvious exception being 'Pump It Up' though I think I'd go with 'Radio,Radio' normally). I think the other six would have to be pretty "up" to keep you going.
The reason for me wanting to find that old archive again is to check if they've ever allowed a dog as a "luxury", though I can't imagine they ever have. I'm sure other people in the past had been allowed radios or (latterly, I imagine) TV cable sports set-ups so I suppose I'd have to go with that.
Costello and Peel both make the point in their appearances that they could have chosen darker records but had to consider the mood they would want to create when playing the selections. Listening to those interviews again was rewarding, whereas Andy Kershaw, oh dear, what a defensive patronizing prick.
Ray, what about Costello's version of "What's so funny about peace, love and understanding". When I am in the mood, I could listen to that all day.
Anyway, more from the wonderful BBC
Many thanks for your note. I'm very sorry to say that the search function which allowed you to explore the archive by music choices, luxuries, books and so on is no longer available.
This search engine was a bespoke application which was built upon a technical platform which has been decommissioned. To re-create the search facility on the new platform would be very expensive, and fewer than 5% of the weekly browsers on the site used the detailed search functions. As you perhaps know, the BBC is under considerable financial pressures, and it was decided that to re-create the facility was not the best use of the available budgets at this time.
I can assure you that all the data has been preserved, and will be updated after each new edition, so we will have all the necessary information to hand if in the future it proves possible to offer this dedicated search facility once again.
You can still search for a castaway by their name: if you go to the Desert Island Discs homepage, you'll need to put their name and Desert Island Discs into the search box right at the top, next to where it says iPlayer Radio in pink, and hit return.
Many thanks for your interest in the programme, and I'm sorry that we are unable to maintain a facility which you and other listeners enjoyed using.
Hmmmm, potentially good call on 'WSFALP&U' but I think that's going to swell the maudlin element too much. My chosen Costello track does change on a pretty regular basis though.
Good to know from that BBC reply that I'm not going mad in imagining it was there or being dim in not being able to find it. Frustrating though.
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