Danny Baker And The Reader's Dilemma

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

Firstly I know yesterday I said I wasn't going to post anything today. But it turned out I didn't have to do what I thought I was going to have to do (if you catch my drift) so normal twaddle continues.

In Britain one of the major news stories yesterday, as I mentioned previously, was the sacking of Danny Baker from BBC Radio 5 Live for tweeting a picture of a couple walking out with a monkey with the words "Royal Baby Leaves Hospital". Given that it was on the same day as Prince Harold and Meghan Markle left the hospital with their first child, and given her African American background you could see that this caused an understandable fury in and out of the social media.

Mr Baker apologised. Saying that he wasn't even aware of the royal birth and that it was a stupid gag gone wrong. I've no idea whether he's telling the truth or not. But even if you believe him you can't argue that reasoning is stunning in itself.

I saw the reports on the news on my return from work. Watching him being doorstepped by the media Baker gave the impression that really he was the victim. But let's be clear. Even if what he says is correct, he and no one else provided the ammunition for people to attack him.

So we have a situation where Danny Baker either through a cataclysmic error or something even more disgusting has potentially put his career in tatters.

Which is a pity.

Because before the last couple of days I would have said that when Mr Baker is dead and buried and the years have passed his radio shows whether on music or football or his TV stuff or his journalism will fade away from memory. But the work that I'd predict would have survived is the first volume of his autobiography Going to Sea in a Sieve. One of the best autobiographies I've ever read.

Why? Well there is a bit on his music journalism. But mainly it's a book about growing up in the  London Docklands in the seventies. It has a sense of place, a sense of a happy working class family life and a world that no longer exists. It's truly worth a read even if you've never heard of Danny Baker.....until now.

For we come back to the tweet. Would a reader want to pick up a truly great book because of what's happened? I suspect not. If you don't believe Danny Baker you won't read it anyway. Even if you do the events of the past few days will be like an irritating fly hovering around and distracting. There would be no way you could properly give it your full attention knowing what's happened.

So Danny Baker needs to atone and atone quickly. For he wrote a truly great book. But a book that is destined to be forgotten because of his stupidity.

Until the next time.