RADIO REVIEW:IN A POPULAR culture obsessed with youth and newness, the concept of growing old disgracefully can seem the ultimate act of defiance. To be able to cock a snook at the conventions of age while upsetting the preconceptions of the young is a comforting prospect as the years race by. It is a difficult trick to pull off, but some manage to do so, even turning it into a spectacular second act.
Having been a businessman and rugby coach for most of his life, George Hook has had a late-blooming career as a high-profile broadcaster: on
The Right Hook
(Newstalk, weekdays) he regularly draws on his years of experience to expound a world view that is as unpredictable as it is irascible.
Monday’s show, for instance, looked at an idea beloved of old codgers the world over: that a stint in the army would straighten out the shiftless (and jobless) young. Although Hook initially seemed to have a senior moment when he talked about “bringing back national service” – the State has never had such an army, with the possible exception of the Pioneers – he did not conform to any Colonel Blimp stereotype.
Instead, as Hook analysed with his guests the suggestion from the Fine Gael TD Michelle Mulherin that young men do military service, the idea was quickly discarded. The discussion moved on to more interesting ideas for using the human potential of the unemployed, be it through government schemes or volunteerism. Even so, the host also posited the idea that national service in Britain had been a good thing, a preconceived notion that speaks of a certain vintage.
Hook then had a revealing discussion with Eamon Timmins of Age Action Ireland, which reminded us that many people who grow old disgracefully do so unwillingly. Highlighting a new report on older people’s views about elder abuse, Timmins referred to the headline aspects of the issue, such as physical maltreatment or neglectful care homes, but said most respondents were more concerned about being written off as they aged, with their experience devalued and their wishes disregarded.
Hook had much to say on the issue. Given his latter-day media career, he was wary of early retirement: “In many ways it’s a curse as it creates a sense that I’m no good at 60.” He also bemoaned the political assumptions that created the tendency to sideline and institutionalise the elderly. “If you’re 75 and have terminal cancer the State will look after you, but if you’re 75 and can’t remember your name, you have to pay for that.”
Amid such astute soapboxing, Hook made poignant reference to a personal experience of ageing: not his own advancing years but his relationship with his parents. “It grieves me to this day,” he said, “and it was not intentional, but I have no doubt in my own mind that I treated them badly.” He did not elaborate, but it was the kind of curve ball that makes Hook, for all his crusty bluster, the most interesting presence on early evening radio.
Another veteran unlikely to go gentle into that good night is Roger Daltrey. On Wednesday, the lead singer with The Who told Tom Dunne(Newstalk, weekdays) that age is a state of mind.
Of course, as a sixtysomething rock star who 46 years ago was singing, “I hope I die before I get old,” he would say that, wouldn’t he? Not so, said Daltrey, who claimed he always hung around with people older than himself. Energy and vitality were more important to him.
“Old in the brain is awful; not moving forward: that’s real death,” he said, which sounded odd, given his fellow band members Keith Moon and John Entwistle went to premature graves.
Daltrey’s blokey appeal was perfect for Dunne’s easy-going show, but he also displayed the hard-earned realism of age. He was performing a solo version of Tommy, The Who’s 1969 rock opera, largely to maintain his voice: “You can’t go out for a year at my age.”
The band were still his main passion, but their future was uncertain, because of the hearing difficulties of the guitarist Pete Townshend. “It’s a matter of doing this in a way that doesn’t make us all deaf,” said Daltrey. He may feel young at heart, but such prosaic matters are now inevitable when talking about his generation.
Not that there is any romance in dying before your time, as an item about the late Gil Scott-Heron on Arts Tonight(RTÉ Radio 1, Monday) testified. Vincent Woods and the journalist Billy Ó hAnluain spoke about the life and work of the American singer and rap pioneer, who died last month aged 62, presenting a portrait of an artist whose immense early talent was overwhelmed later in life.
The item had an unimaginative format: surely the producers could have sought out contributions from those who knew the singer or had even interviewed him. At least Ó hAnluain was articulate and well-informed, detailing the wider context of African-American consciousness that prompted Scott-Heron to produce classics such as The Revolution Will Not Be Televised and The Bottle in the 1970s.
For all the talk about his lyrical and musical gifts, the discussion did not gloss over Scott-Heron’s decline into alcoholism and drug addiction from the 1980s onwards. As his crack habit grew and old friends were alienated, “he almost become one of the men in his songs,” Ó hAnluain said. It was a squalid end for a once inspirational figure and a salutary tale. It may not be easy to age gracefully, but it is the best option.
Radio moment of the week
Tuesday’s edition of Breakfast (Newstalk, weekdays) featured a discussion of Irish identity. Stand-in host Shane Coleman assembled a panel of guests, including Fr Iggy O’Donovan, whose analysis of the Celtic Tiger displayed a flair for the memorable turn of phrase.
“There was a feel-good factor which Bertie [Ahern] was able to exploit in order to come back for three in a row,” he said. “I mean, if ever a man was able to find the political clitoris, it was Bertie.” He then added that he was speaking figuratively. “We gathered that,” came Coleman’s rueful reply.
