RADIO REVIEW:THE NIGHT before Candace Bushnell went on The Tubridy Show (RTÉ Radio One, weekdays) she made an appearance in a swanky bar on Dawson Street in Dublin. It was 7.15pm on Tuesday evening and she was by now 15 minutes late.
A woman who was tired of standing told the lady guarding the entrance: "I can't wait any longer. I'm six months pregnant." The female guarder of the red rope replied, "Oh, I'm sorry!" This confusion of priorities pretty much sums up the cult-like female fans of Sex and the Citywho were there, and were presumably listening to Ryan Tubridy's interview to promote her new tome, One Fifth Avenue, but which actually focused on the television series instead. The series was frothier than the original book, which was far more about the ruthless play and trade-off of sex/power between men and women. But that darker side wasn't really explored here.
Bushnell did say she had switched roles, now with her own share of power. "I don't want to date Mr Big, I want to be Mr Big," she said, "being confident and happy with what one does and who one is." Bushnell said Mr Big was the fantasy guy who makes you feel sexier and smarter. The real-life Mr Big smoked cigars and was the big man on campus of the New York media. "He seemed a little bit of a cad," she said, "but in actuality he was very likeable." This interview never turned a leaf from page one. Still, Bushnell came across as the kooky best friend more than star-crossed protagonist. More Velma than Daphne. More Rhoda than Mary. We were told she was wearing leopard-skin boots. Not even Sarah-Jessica Parker would get away with those. Bet Lynch, maybe. Tubridy said he rented the DVDs of SATC sandwiched between The Wire and The West Wing. Good for him. Mr Slim's manhood remains squarely intact.
Eamon Keane (Lunchtime, Newstalk 106-108, weekdays) didn't exactly have a love-in with Construction Industry Federation director general Tom Parlon on Wednesday, but gave him a polite intro. Or as Parlon said, "Better than your normal one, anyhow." Parlon said 50,000 unsold housing units was a "major exaggeration" of the facts. Keane's use of his guest's first name in his quickfire questions gives me the chills. That first name is used as a threatening rapier. "I'll have a bet with you, Tom, that house prices fall further," Keane said. "Do you really believe there'll be a mad rush to buy houses?" Parlon said, "I get very annoyed with people looking down their noses at construction companies" and emphasised our tradition of home ownership."
"Do you think we all contributed for the hype, Tom?" Parlon replied: "People will miss the bus and not buy at the right time." This was unintentionally terribly funny. Keane was amused.
Lost love on John Scally's There's a Darkness on the Edge of Town (RTÉ Radio One,, Sunday), based on Catholic Youth Care's research which revealed 18 suicides in 19 months among Travellers in Tallaght. It was rich and textured, unsentimental, interspersed with the official language of the report, plus music and lyrics by Mags, whose husband Paddy had committed suicide, and lyrical background chatter between Mags and her friend Margaret, whose Uncle Joe took his life.
Of the 52 interviewees, actor Michael Collins read excerpts: "Eleven interviewees have been affected by one male suicide, eight interviewees have been affected by two male suicides, five interviewees have been affected by three male suicides, 11 interviewees have been affected by four male suicides, seven interviewees have been affected by five male suicides, three interviewees have been affected by six male suicides, five interviewees have been affected by ten male suicides."
Some men became withdrawn, while one suicide sometimes leads to another. Paddy left Mags for another woman. Mags sang, "Then I lost my man twice/First to a woman then to Christ..."
But she pulled herself out of bed one day, put on her coat and got a job: "Family love kept me strong/Eight good reasons to go on ... Travelling life is slipping fast/The way things were just can't last/But I've got memories to guide me to my destination." She is one fine lady.
Thursday's The Spin With Clare McKenna and Jonathan McCrea (Spin 1038, weekdays) discovered that the hands the rock other people's cradles were overstressed and overworked. The duo spoke to several crèche workers on the back of an Irish Examiner survey, which said 85 per cent of crèches failed to meet HSE standards.
Niamh, a childcare worker, was one. "It's the hardest job I've ever had and I love it," she said, adding, "but I wouldn't put my kids into childcare."
So ... Jonathan Ross was suspended from BBC Radio 2 and Russell Brand quit the BBC after leaving obscene messages on actor Andrew Sachs's (78) answering machine. It would have flown under the radar had newspapers and YouTube not picked it up. It was cringeworthily unfunny. Should they have been suspended? Absolutely. That's the price two overgrown schoolboys must pay for taking bullying out of the yard. And forgiven? I think we can all manage that.
qfottrell@irish-times.ie