Sneaking in...for being overage!

I got a really cool email when I was working at the radio on friday morning...

I've been invited by Time Out mag to the press tent at Underage festival (14-18 years)

I'm 19...actually too old! Yet I guess I'll be one of the younger journalists there. Funnily enough certain bands are going to think I am stalking them as multiple acts I've see/met/interviewed before. Infact Chatham band Underground Heroes have been at the last two festivals I have covered, and yes, they will be there on Friday!

It might seem a bit boring, but I'm actually grateful that the festival is a one dayer, 11am-8pm which sounds pretty heavenly to me right now! I'm even planned my outfit! (Hence the picture on the left!)

Kids nowadays are so effortlessly cool that I have to fit in!!!

Currently I'm researching a piece on You-tuber Ben Loka as he lives in the same town as me andI'm waiting to hear back from a seventeen year old photographer who has had a photo gallery posted on the BBC website.

fingers crossed

Frank.

De Niro or Al Pacino?

Today was my first day on the phones on the Dom King show.

I had a caller telling me that the streetlamps in his road had been left on for three months, a man who wanted to know the Cray Wanderers result and a lovely seventy year old lady called Betty who thought Al Pacino was a very sexy man!

Oh yes! An eventful day...

Basically there was a debate on the show about who you'd save out of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Hence Betty's call. I also got to speak to lots more, including a gent from Biggin Hill who didn't recognise my voice and was kind enough to wish me luck!

I also interviewed the BBC Kent Introducing team and sat in on a meeting. Jacob, their 17 year old producer is a really dedicated, talented guy. He puts together packages and scripts and helps with the playlists for the show. I wish I could have been involved when I was his age. He'll go far for sure. In fact I think he has even set up a blog...

Let me look....

Aha! Here we go

Ah...to rest

Frank.

Sometimes its hard to be a woman

So I was covering an event last night and something happened that has not happened before.

I felt a bit of an outcast. I mean, I've felt like one before but that can be due to my own wierdness, or 'quirks' as kind people call them. 

Yesterday I felt that it was because I'm female. 

It's something that was quite wierd because I've not experienced it in the music/journo world thus far. I think I dealt with it, maybe not 100 percent productively but as much as I could. If one person doesn't respond to you well, no matter how warm and friendly you naturally are/try to appear, go and find someone else who will! Perhaps that person who has had previous reservations will change their mind and if they don't then take your talent elsewhere.

Sometimes I wonder if I should change what I wear, my appearance etc... I don't wear jeans which is pretty much BBC uniform but that to me is because of practicality. I have sensitive skin, jeans make me itch! Also, I don't think I'll ever find a pair of jeans that fit me perfectly. However, dresses suit me fine. I'm not a 'Barbie' (not that anything is wrong with being really girly) but it strikes me that if you appear feminine, sometimes people take offence. 

For example, at Lounge on the Farm I had a bright pink two man tent purely because it was the cheapest tent in the shop that I could find, ten pounds. I had the festival next day and it was the only one left. When I was sat in the tent at the festival campsite I constantly heard people going past my tent making silly, childish remarks about it. Since when did people care enough to get all 'NME' on my tent!

When I returned home after the event last night I felt quite exhausted with the whole 'keeping up appearances' element of the evening. I could have flung myself onto my bed and let everything out but I decided to 'take the evening with a pinch of salt' and have a good read instead!

Frank.

The Dominic King Show

Today was like my starter day for the radio. I basically shadowed Steve the producer and learnt more about how the show operates etc... On monday I'll actually be answering phones and calling guests etc etc... gulp!

After the show I went up to the newsroom to do some Blast type stuff/email etc etc when a guy came to talk to Jo, one of the Online journos, about the webtrail. Each week a voice over is recorded and broadcasted on the radio (a trail) about whats on the BBC Kent website. As I was to be mentioned at the end it the script ended up as "And, I, Frankie Ward will be"...yep I got to do the voice over. At first I did it too fast, or stumbled over hard-to-read words (it was quickly handwritten with words omitted that I jotted down) but in the end, I think we got a good take and hopefully it will be used from tomorrow...hoorah! Hopefully I can get some audio for the Blast site...

Frank. x

On the telly

Hey,

if anyone has read my blog for a while I wrote a post about being on TV.

Well clips from the episode have now gone online, one is 

and the other is here 

and the other is here

Frank.

Mercury Nominations and having a blast

...Laura Marling has to win! 

Today I wrote two pieces for my Blast page, a diary and a piece on Lounge on the Farm.

www.bbc.co.uk/kent/blast

At training I met Ashley Partridge, another Blastee and I have persuaded him to start a blog,

Its www.ashleypartridge.blogspot.com

Us Blast kids eh? We're gonna take over the world!!!

Also at BBC Kent I'll be helping out on the Dominic King show from 10am-1pm. I suppose you could call it unpaid BA (Broadcast assistant) work which was what I really wanted to do when I got the Blast position. It's going to mean lots of long bus journeys and getting up early but its so worth it!

ahhhhhh!!!

Frank.

Especially for you...

Today I was meant to see my friend and overdose on chocolate...however I got a text asking me if I could do an interview with Jason Donovan....how could I refuse?!

The Dartford festival is obviously near the Dartford tunnel, just outside of London. It's actually quite a nice town with a nice park which provided todays venue. The lineup consisted of tribute acts...with Donovan the headliner. I suppose they could have got a tribute act for him as well but it was nice to have the real thing I'm sure!

There wasn't really an easy way for me to get to Dartford from Maidstone but luckily my mum was going to Bluewater so I tagged along for two hours going from sale to sale and then headed to the park. Jason arrived around five so we waited over half an hour (mum came too!) and then met him. We were joined part way during the interview by a young lady from the local paper, which to be honest, was great because she wanted to know the same stuff as me so I asked my questions and she asked the ones I forgot to ask! I kept the interview pretty low key but did broach the subject of the cancelled soap Donovan starred in, Echo Beach. It's sister comedy show Moving Wallpaper has been recommissioned but he will not be starring. However, if he was affected by this question he did not show it and was graceful with his answer... he feels its a pity but he's got his new record deal now etc etc.

He also spoke of the album saying it will consist mostly of 50/60's covers (ballad style.) He and a friend brought a guitar along to the show with him which made his entrance all the more exciting!

After the interview we went outside in the sun to get a photo, however so many people started taking photos that Jason got a bit flustered and soon ducked back into his tent. My mother on the other hand got excited about the presence of comedian Joe Pasquale who was really rather pleasant and agreed to let her take a photo! He had also said hi to me when he entered the drinks marquee, rare for someone with any sort of celebrity status, (he's in the Dartford panto at the end of the year.)

So tomorrow I'll overdose on chocolate! And on Monday its off to BBC Kent to try and blag a position as an unpaid BA (broadcast assistant) as well as my Blast Position. (I'm gonna keep asking...might as well, Blast is only two days a week...I want four!!!)

Until next time

Frank.