F50, WBWG, vote rigging etc.

[dirkhuppertz2003]

Hi,

I think you shouldn't bother too much (I know for sure at least John 
doesn't - that's something for you to think about).

The situation has been alike ever since: take a look at the F50's 
from the 70's up to now - has there ever been a track by a band who 
was not at least partly common to quite a few people in the Top Ten? 
I don't think so .... and as I see it the reason is that not everyone 
who votes is a fanatic listener to the show three times a week, one 
who knows and cares about every single record being played. 

I find myself in the same situation: being stuck in Germany I 
obviously have no acess to BBC Radio. I used to listen to John's BFBS 
shows for nearly 17 years each week until they were cancelled two 
years ago. Now, where do I get my musical impact from these days? The 
only thing I can do is having a look at the BBC homepage and try to 
find out more about the bands he featured - download samples, visit 
the bands' sides and so forth. But as this - of course - is not 
enough (and sorry, but I can't buy every record I read about without 
having heard it) I automatically pay attention when bands begin to 
shift into mainstream and become widely available. The White Stripes 
are a good example, I'd say. 

The point I'm trying to make is: when I were forced to vote this 
year, what else could I do but vote for tracks which I am able to 
compare to others? And you will agree that those tracks must be the 
ones who are the most familiar ones to me: because either John played 
them on more than one occasion or they were being brought to 'mass 
attention' by the telly or other radio stations. And I think a lot of 
people find themselves in exactly the same situation. 

So, please don't complain. Just be lucky that you have the chance to 
enjoy the great man so frequently.

All the best,

Dirk