I have an unusual and possibly unfair contempt for radio, and haven’t purposefully tuned in since my teens. But I’ve always enjoyed BBC Radio’s Desert Island Discs, an archive of which is housed on the BBC website.
The series began in 1942 and is now approaching three and a half thousand episodes. The format remains largely the same, with the guest (or “castaway”) asked to choose eight recordings, a book and a luxury item that they would want with them if stranded on a desert island.
In 2019, a panel of industry experts voted the program the greatest radio series of all time.
I’m drawn to the show because I like to hear people talk about their work, and the ways that other culture has influenced them.
They book mostly celebrities with occasional left field choice like a puppeteer, dog trainer, clown, death-row lawyer, medium or teddy bear expert.
Periodically they will invite artists onto the show, mostly if they've won the Turner Prize or their work crosses over into pop culture. This is not a criticism - often artists communicate best through their work.
Laurie Anderson’s primary medium is storytelling, so it’s surprising this is the first time she will appear on the show. She joins artists Marina Abramović, Sonia Boyce, Peter Doig, Jeremy Deller, Antony Gormley, Lubaina Himid, Steve McQueen, Yoko Ono, Grayson Perry, and Rachel Whiteread, who have all previously participated .
The program airs today and typically can be downloaded, for free, a week or two after the initial air date.
