Happy Birthday Li'l Pink Guy!

Oooo September is such an EXCELLENT month for birthdays and this weekend is the pinnacle of it all. As a result I am happy to leave a present here for my "almost" twin the li'l pink guy from the The Pink Heart Society






Actually I couldn't decide so I bought him two...






I'm loving the peacock feathers on this one! Maybe a tad too girlie for the L'il Guy?

And although it should be ME getting gifts this weekend ;-) I'm feeling all generous and bountiful at the passing of another year and am distributing a gift to someone who can answer the following question:

Tomorrow, 28th September is a very special day, name the actress with a similar name to mine who shares this special day. You can Google it. Bonus marks if you can also name other famous actresses who share the same day.

There seem to be rather a lot of dramatic women born on this day... ho hum. I'll pick a correct answer randomly from the posts on the blog and in exchange you will get a copy of Miranda Lambert's award winning album, 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'.

But what I want to know is WHERE IS MY PRESENT?? *cue much tears and drama*

SYNDICATION!!! YEAH BABY!!! (World Domination is mere hours away... MWahahahahahaha!)

After many many blog posts about the writing side of my life... oh and life in general with renovations and the like, we are returning to talk about RADIO!

A quick synopsis for those who might not know, I write and present a US country chart show every week for CMR Nashville it is sponsored by the Tennessee Tourist Board. So now we are all up to speed I'll carry on.

BIG NEWS IN RADIO WORLD! My show is being syndicated around the world to twelve other stations! I don't have a list of which ones and where they are but when I do I'll post here. Cue much happy wiggling, shimmmying, twirling and bouncing!

Thank you

Thanks to all of your helpful comments on my flat refurbishment. It is now in its second week and the kitchen has been ripped out and the false ceiling are in the bedroom and the kitchen.
I have bought tiles for the bathroom and the kitchen floor, new taps, bath screen and shower attachment and have a lovely kitchen deisgn which I should be putting the deposit down for tomorrow. So the only thing left is a heated towel rail. Nothing big or complicated, just a heated towel rail. See! Not complicated...

You'd think this would be easy... but any that are in chrome and the right size seem to be OUT OF STOCK in the Greater London area. Sheesh!! I could buy something online but I am loathe to as I'd like to see how nice the chrome finish is, sometimes it looks cheap. Anyway I have one last place to look tonight on the way home, if I fail there I might have to fall on my builder and plead for him to find me something decent (and inexpensive).

In other news I have NOT finished my revisions. I can see myself NOT finishing my revisions all week. I still have to pack, wax, tidy up, work and go and see Dierks Bentley at the Borderline.

Dierks Bentley
By the way going to see Dierks *swoon* DOES count as work. The fact that there is some enjoyment involved, some auditory and visual pleasure, just goes to show that one of my jobs is satisfying!
I am hoping a ten hour flight will make a dent in the revisions, it will be that or I will catch up on the sleep I have been missing!!

Things I Have Been Doing

A whole week since my last post?!?! Gosh golly where does the time go? So what have I been up to... well the farflung Coady clan member has been home for a week so she could go to Ascot. As you do. And this was all work related (allegedly). I'm not sure watching the gee-gees, hobnobbing with the rich and famous and having your glass of Bollinger never run dry can be really classified as work but she assures me it does.

Instead I have been slogging back and forth to Kingston for work except for Tuesday when you could find me doing spectacular U-turns on Kensington Gore and in parts of Bayswater. They were moves worthy of a black cab driver... maybe I should think of a career change?
In the writing world I have been polishing my submission for this year's Elizabeth Goudge trophy. This is given out at the RNA conference, I don't stand a chance but it was fun to write the first chapter of this book and it is now on the schedule for after the Artist book (i.e. jumping ahead of the Italian one).

Yes I know you are all searching for your whips to crack about the revisions *quickly sidesteps a vicious flick from Michelle* but there has been some movement on that as well. I have booked the end of next week off so that I can have four uninterrupted days to work on them. I have completely lost sight of the narrative thread and I am making a pigs ear of it. So fingers crossed this time next week things will be further along.

In the radio world there is some good news!! My chartshow has a sponsor again, in fact it is the same one as before. So welcome back to The Tennessee Tourist Board!

Day Three Part Two - The New Faces Show

Sorry for the small gap between blog posts... yes the day job got in the way again.

Anyway... I have realised that I don't have any photos from the New Faces Show... I think I was photoed out by then.

But I digress... As I was wandering towards the cocktail drinks thingy before the dinner and show I bumped into the wonderful John Willyard, he is the voice of the CMAs!! I had met him earlier in the week and so he very kindly bought me a drink and let me bend his ear about... well I can't remember but I am sure it was interesting! He is also the voice of CNN and CNN International as well as many other things.

Then we wandered off to her respective tables and I was lucky enough to sit next to a lovely gentleman who had broadcast on Radio Luxembourg!! It was a radio history lesson... *waves to Jay*

The meal itself was meat and meat with a side order of salad. And then the show began.
Luke Bryan and Bucky Covington were good but the sheer excellence and drama of Jake Owen blew me away and seemed to blow away the audience, which is hard to do with jaded radio types. Jason Michael Carroll was good but too rocky in some cases. And then of course the wonderful Taylor Swift who just seems to get better and better. She has gained so much confidence compared to seeing her showcase last year. It was a great ending to the seminar.

But the best thing about the Friday NIght is the disco night that is put on... which also includes artists singing seventies disco hits! Now last year it was a fabulous night out. Loved it. This year I was tired, talked out and I had some news that made me a little fragile. I tried to stay but all I could think of was my bed. So with that I finished my wine, said goodbye to the people I could find and slunk back to my hotel. Which on reflection was the best thing I could have done. Why? Well that is a subject of my next post...

Day Three Part One - Flagging

As I sat for breakfast on day three I was flagging... where was all the partying I did last year?? Sheesh this work lark was getting in the way of my media social butterflying etc.

Anyway it was straight back in with interviews. Skyler Spencer was in first.

Then I had some time off before I was inundated with The Road Hammers where we discussed among other things shaving cats... odd I know.

Then I got to interview the wonderful Amber Rhodes. Now Amber and I first met back on Day One, bonded at the Music City Jam with aching feet so it was wonderful to have time to chat with her. And she didn't disappoint... check her out.

Then I met three great brothers who have were an entertaining interview and also have an amazing story to tell. They are in Nashville via South Africa and Zaire. You can read and hear more about them here http://taverenmusic.com/ They also have an amazing energy.

And then my last interview came into sight... Katie Armiger. I have to say I had been hearing her latest quite often over the week and was eager to meet her. Yet again I was out sophisticated by a 16 year old.

And suddenly I was free... and all I wanted was to get out of the conference centre and be by myself. So I took myself off for lunch at Merchants on Broadway and then met Karen Miller (another CMRNashville presenter) at Roberts Western Wear World. It was suddenly good to be in a slightly different world. And then Karen took me on a research trip to Fido http://www.bongojava.com/fido.html this is a coffee shop where songwriters hang out... yes! Dream Date was beginning to look better!
And so relaxed I suddenly realised that I needed to get back for the New Faces Show!

Day Two Part Three - TOUR BUS! STUDIO! YEAH BABY!

Oh Yeah! Tour bus here I come! I have realised I don't have any actual photos of the tour bus... which is a pity as it was quite something. All swagging, flock wallpaper and chandeliers... no really it was! We settled ourselves down and were driven across Nashville to County Q studios. Now this isn't the first studio I have visited in Nashville and something I have realised about many studios in that town is that a lot of them are in houses. Yup houses. All of them converted into studios. It seems a little odd... I'm not sure what I thought it was going to be like but it wasn't that.

Anyway we arrived as The Drew Davis Band were putting down a track. And all I could think about was RESEARCH! This is just what I needed for Dream Date... my heroine is a singer/songwriter, making a demo in Nashville! Wooooo!! So I asked if I could take photos... and here are some of them.



The control room was between the vocal booth and the other instrument booths. It was amazing to hear them. The guys then going back in adding tracks like the banjo and hammond organ. And I heard the words "We Need More Cow Bells!" Very Cool.
And Drew has just got married so he had his wife tucked into the vocal booth with him...

Then it was back on the bus and touring all the different parties to go to... but first I had to refuel so I found a party that was serving tortilla chips and salsa as well as free drinks! YAY!
I then gatecrashed the MCA party with a nice gentleman called Carson from Maryland who I met in the lobby... he was officially allowed to go to the party. I was the gatecrasher. I was almost a crasher in deed as well. Part way through a fine acoustic performance by their new signing David Nail, I leaned a little too much to the left on the wall and knocked a large piece of art half of the wall!! Luckily we saved it before it hit the performer... ho hum. By the way David Nail sounded great... the whole art crashing was not a critique of his talent.
And then I went to play poker with the Country Thunder Record lot... well not so much played poker as talked at them and then took myself off before I bored them all senseless. And so to bed... because it was another big day on DAY THREE!

Day Two Part Two - Pretty Boy Alert!

After a refreshing lunch and drool over Keith Anderson it was back to the interviewing...
Doug Stone was first up (no he wasn't the Pretty Boy I am referring to... that is the third photo down)

And then a legend in the shape of Richie McDonald, ex-lead singer from the band Lonestar. Y'know he was on Top of the Pops back in the 90s? The song 'Amazed'... you remember!! Anyway we had a chat about it all and he is now striking out on his own.

Then I met another amazing man, Michael Martin Murphy. I won't go back over his history as a cowboy poet but if you want to you can read about it here http://www.michaelmartinmurphey.com/biography.htm and by the way Willie Nelson opened for him!! *bows* Anyway he was an interesting to talk to especially about writing and creativity and how he lives the life of a cowboy on his ranch.

I then got to meet the Pretty Boy of the title... Adam Gregory. He started as a child in Canada and is now in Nashville breaking hearts.


Can I just interrupt this for a moment... what the hell was going on with my hair??? Not a good look! Next year I will be employing a stylist of my own I think... anyway back to action.
I then got to interview Ashley Gearing who is way more sophisticated than me and she is just 17... really she was. Except when she saw Adam Gregory though... then she went all girlie. Very sweet.


And then I was let out for good behaviour! I mooched over to the Bridge Bar where I met RJ for a drink and then randomly chatted to people. I found out that The Drew Davis Band were taking people to see them in the studio in their TOUR BUS! Hey I'm a sucker for that sort of thing. So when the time was right I was there waiting for my ride...

Day Two Part One - TV CALLS!

Sorry all these blogs are coming in dribs and drabs but Easter got in the middle and there was much chocolate to be eaten. Oh and snow and stuff.
Anyway day two... I was starting to flag... which was a bit of an issue as I had a full day of interviews and then some PARTYING to do!
So first off I got to interview The Drew Davis Band! Ooooo lovely boys... lovely. *sigh*

I met up with them later but more of that then...
Then my interview with Floyd Flowers was cancelled and I did get to interview someone else, the name of who escapes me. Sorry. I then interviewed Tom Wurth, a fast talking charmer if ever I met one.

AND THEN I WAS ON TELLY!!
Well on DigitalRodeo... they filmed me interviewing Zane Lewis for their website. It was cool! And I also got to meet Robert Reynolds (The Mavericks) and Randy Travis! Sadly no documentary evidence of this but it did happen! Here I am with Zane by the DIgitalRodeo booth.

I am trying to find the video of it... when I do watch out!
So then we met with Lila McCain...

Oh and if you can you must support this wonderful man... Ansel Brown. He was one of the most interesting men I interviewed over the week. He is travelling to a hospital in every State and hoping to come overseas entertaining sick children. It is call the 'Bigger Heart Tour' go to see him http://www.myspace.com/anselbrown on MySpace. Oh and I like his music!

And then I broke for lunch... where the beeeyooowtiful Keith Anderson entertained us. Including the fabulous song 'Every Time I Hear Your Name.'

The Evening...

I had been trying to get an interview with Heartland through my contact at their record company. Luckily the wonderful RJ Jordan came through... in fact RJ was a star all week. Bless him. Well it was more a case of introducing me to Seth Necessary who was organising all the interviews for them.

So I met Heartland. They were a good bunch of guys... especially as they had a showcase coming up that night and they didn't mind chatting to the weird English girl. In fact they were all huggy and chatty when I met them at their showcase later that evening... even when I bailed before they hit the stage due to jetlag and sore feet.

But the sore feet were worth it as I had been watching Brad Paisley, Chuck WIcks and Jewel

Day One - THE INTERVIEWS!!

I had seen Garth Brooks! I was buzzing but in the back of my mind was the realisation that I was going to have to start interviewing people!

But before all that happened I spotted Aaron Tippin who was recording some links for Blue Highway TV, so I grabbed a photo with him. That man keeps himself in tip top shape... I know I felt it :-)

My first interviewees was Clear Blue 22... I think it went ok. However I have since realised that I failed to get a photo of them with me. I was obviously not quite so together as I thought!

I then interviewed the lovely Darren 'With the surname I can neither say nor spell' but he looks like this! As it turns out I had met his manager last year at the Big & Rich show... looks like my networking worked somewhat.

And then if you are big fan of the US soaps Guiding Light and One Life To Live you might recognise this lady, Kassie DePaiva! She has a song out at the moment. We had a lovely chat... a very nice lady!

Laura Bryna was next... a tiny bundle of energy!

And then Mr Colt Ford... he was a charmer. I then spent the next few days running into him all the time! We joked that he was stalking me. He is doing a fine line in mixing country and rap.

Shawna Russell was next... and she didn't look old enough to be married!

And then the final gentleman of the day... Jeremy McComb! Well I say final but I'll tell you about the lovely men I interviewed in the next post...

We Have Photos!!

Ok so I have managed to wrestle my photos off the camera (with help from super athlete, head of the family and all round good egg Pop Coady) Some are most unattractive... I must remember to be a tad more together next year (and also lose a tonne of weight!)

So here is the photo of Garth Brooks.

Day One - Country Royalty

Day One of CRS 39 dawned and with it the realisation that this year I was actually going to have to do some work. None of this party animal/social butterfly stuff that I did last year. Up till all hours and then dragging myself to the convention centre at 11.30 in time for the lunchtime entertainment.

No this year I was interviewing people. Lots of people. Twenty-five different artists. Which is actually more than twenty-five different people because some of them were bands. Bands full of beautiful men… *drifts off on thoughts of the Drew Davis Band*


But more of them later…

The first big event of the seminar was the keynote speech. Last year we had the ever hirsute Jon Bon Jovi. This year we had country music royalty, the ever glabrescent* Garth Brooks. He chatted about his life now he has “retired” but the best part was after the talk. You see there had been a competition open to MDs and PDs giving them the chance to SING with Garth Brooks. They could put their business card in a hat with the Garth Brook song they wanted to sing and it would be pulled out. The chosen PD was a blast! That is thing with the radio industry, most of them started out on air and boy can they talk! It was this fantastic stand up routine as he is trying to call his radio station so he can be on air SINGING WITH GARTH BROOKS! And the receptionist put Garth Brooks on hold! And then he was asking anyone in the audience to phone his wife who was still in their hotel room!

Eventually they started singing ‘Friends in Low Places’ and part way through there was a thump of drums, the curtains pulled back to reveal a full band! Garth went on to perform four more songs… it was a great start to the seminar(photos to follow... can't seem to download them off the camera at the mo.)

But then I realised it was down to the real work… interviewing.

No problem you’re thinking - an interview is an interview; I’m sure Brigid has done loads of them over the years. Well you would be thinking wrong. I have done precisely HALF an interview before last week. HALF! And now I had TWENTY FIVE (or so).

I would be fine… wouldn’t I?

*this is an excellent word meaning ‘bald’! Hurrah for online thesauri

In The Beginning...

So are we sitting comfortably… I’ll take you back to last week and my trip across the Pond.

Monday I was whisked via BA and in the comfort of World Traveller Plus (premium economy) to Newark where the very lovely Anna Sugden came to meet me. Off we pootled in her little red VW Beetle (the modern one.) Talking, of course, about writing. Which is pretty much what we did as we wandered through the grocery store, I was introduced to the cats and when I met the wonderful Keith… ok we did also talk about ice hockey but I have no knowledge of this so I will gloss over it.

It was a great start to the week and as Tuesday dawned Anna drove me back to the airport to catch my flight to Nashville.

And this is probably where I should have taken the hint about me and domestic air travel in the US this week. The flight was cancelled. Instead of being on the 2pm flight I was now on the 7pm flight *sigh*

So back in the little red beetle… to a lovely Israeli run café in Tenafly. Soup, lemonade, chocolate mousse and a very flirtatious waiter which seemed like a fair deal for a cancelled flight!

And in time I made it on the 7pm flight (which actually took off at 8pm) thinking that I was now over my usual ‘going to Nashville’ travel issues. Every single time my flight to go there is cancelled. How wrong I was… but I didn’t find that out until a few days later.

Once in Nash Vegas I leapt in a cab, stormed the hotel and threw my bags through the door. Racing a few blocks south I entered the Bridge Bar… the heart of the Country Radio Seminar. The bar where deals are made, careers are broken and where lots and lots of people get very very drunk.



(By the way I have never seen this bar empty. Ever. Just wall to wall people. So that is what it looks like…)

I realised how things have changed since last year… here I was walking in alone and knowing a few people as opposed to last year when I hid behind Lee’s coattails and knew no one! Rick ‘RJ’ Jordan of Country Thunder Records grabbed hold of me and whisked me off for drinks. My sophomore CRS experience had begun (and not a naked cowboy in sight!)

HOME SWEET HOME!!

I am back... bruised and battered and tired but home. The trip back from Nashville was a nightmare and when I have recovered I will tell you the tale. There were a few good things that came out of it... a new friendship and a new story idea.

Nashville at CRS was crazy but very good in terms of interviews (and my ability to do them I think) and also in making contacts.

The wireless internet at the hotel was AWFUL!! Which explains the lack of blogging... was very disappointed. So hopefully in the next few days I will be able to catch up with everything and start telling you what happened.

So what sort of stories do you want to hear about? And what else have you all been up to?

Coming Up...

The next week or so are busy in Biddy world. My 'To Do' list is longer than my arm and everytime I mark one thing off another two are added in their place.

One big thing this week is that my third installment of 'A Book With Biddy' will be appearing on The Pink Heart Society on Saturday. I'll remind you on the day but just as a taster there will be pictures of Mark Harmon :-)


And then on Tuesday I arrive in Nashville for the beginning of CRS 39. This is the Country Radio Seminar held every year in Nashville. I went last year and you might all remember my blogs on naked cowboys and the like. This year I will be a little more restrained as I have to do TWENTY THREE interviews in just over two days! Which sort of curtails my partying somewhat but I am sure I will be able to fit some in... if only to make sure I have something to blog about.

The keynote speaker this year is Garth Brooks, not quite as swoon-worthy in my book as Jon Bon Jovi last year but definitely with star power! I will try and keep you all updated with my exploits and hopefully there will be some great photos.

But before any of these things happen I have to get through this week which includes work, producing and presenting my show, early Mother's Day dinner, buying Mother's Day present and Mum's birthday present, get a run in, go to a pre-wedding dinner for a friend (I'm missing the wedding which is in Sydney), pack and prepare all the interview material.

*THUNK*

Sincere Apologies to Rascal Flatts

I am eating humble pie today. Yes, I admit it I was wrong. About what you might ask. Well about Rascal Flatts... you see I haven't been the biggest fan of theirs. In fact I have been quite disparaging in private. Not on air! No I do a chartshow and if they are in the charts they get played! But they didn't do anything for me... but that all changed some time around 7.30pm last night.

You see Rascal Flatts are visiting the UK and last night they played a small intimate gig at the 100 Club on Oxford Street in London. About 200 people, a mixture of media, musos and the Rascal Flatts fan club. They took to the stage at 7.30pm and played a blinder of a set. Tight harmonies, great sound, relaxed banter with crowd. Very personable they were to.

By song two my feet were tapping and I was singing along to 'Broken Road', 'What Hurts the Most' and 'Life is a Highway'... by the encore I was a convert.

So sincere apologies to Rascal Flatts... you rocked!

Birthday Favour!!

Ooo and can I ask you all a favour?? We are trying to renew the sponsorship of my chartshow by the Tennessee Tourist Board. If you could go to CMR Nashville and click on the banner at the top which should take you through to the Tennessee Tourist Board's website. They measure the clicks... pretty please?? As a birthday present for me??

Mills & Boon Radio Documentary

PHEW! It is over and the results seem positive. Sadly my interview wasn't used but I had a nice email explaining that last week so it was no surprise (and my father is happy because that means the world doesn't know he is a M&B reader... D'oh!)

There had been some worry that this would be a programme rehashing old stereotypes (mostly due to the press release... this one did nothing for the show) but that was all it was, worry.

It was a warm and affectionate look at the history of MIlls & Boon, balanced against some people who are not great fans. In fact one particular lady was very disparaging towards anyone who reads them... I'm sure other bloggers will touch on this. All I can say is it seemed she hadn't read one in quite awhile. She also seemed very lacking in humour and came across as a prig. But everyone has their opinions.

God Bless Fay Weldon! Sharon Kendrick and Roger Sanderson were fab. The editors were delightful.

Lucy Porter and Susie Matthews did a fantastic job of showing how times have changed. I raise a glass of champagne in their general direction (even if they didn't include my interview)

Radio Radio Radio and T'Other Stuff

Today has been a lovely day! I was interviewed by the lovely Lucy Porter for a radio programme on the 100 years of Mills and Boon. I was being interviewed as a FAN!! Which I am. I hope I did a good job and I know I name dropped a number of authors (and most of them have links to their blogs on this page!). I also outed my dad as a reader of Mills and Boon books so I had to phone him to warn him. Oooops! The programme will be out on 27th September and I will keep you posted about it more then.

I don't think I have caught you all up on my Americana weekend... no I don't believe I have. It was great!! No mud, no rain. All in all a good dry time. Well not dry precisely... my liver took a bit of a battering. What with drinking with the bands on Saturday and Sunday night and keeping the alcohol levels topped up during the day it got a little hectic. So hectic I ended up ill the day I got back.

I am dogsitting the Bella Bean this weekend. Currently she is splayed out on the other end of the sofa. She seems mightly unimpressed by the whole thing.

In other parts of the Cyber world I have spending a lot of time on Facebook and MySpace... these books are never going to get written!!