A List
A List
I will make a list so that you can see that I’m not exaggerating.
Intellectual. Philosophy: all areas, technical and popular. Science: psychology, biology, economics, physics. Literature: Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Nabokov, etc. Writing: novels, short stories, poetry, songs (rock, ballads, blues, pop).
Sports. Tennis, table tennis, squash, badminton, gymnastics, pole vault, discus, basketball, football, cricket, archery, knife throwing, swimming, kayaking, surfing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, skim boarding, paddleboarding, skiing, ice skating, bowling, darts, skateboarding, mountain biking, motorcycling, trampoline, body building.
Music. Drums (rock, jazz, djembe), guitar, harmonica, voice (rock, ballads, blues, pop).
Today, our castaway is a man renowned for speaking his mind. An academic prodigy, he rose spectacularly to the very height of learning. Outgrowing the fusty studiousness of Oxford, taking his many awards and degrees, he departed England’s shores for America, where he has for more than three decades stridden the halls of American Philosophy like a colossus, developing the groundbreaking idea – unrefuted to this day – that Life is intrinsically mysterious. A fierce critic and scourge of those whose work he deemed inferior, his appetite for life is exampled in his many and broad interests and pursuits. Philosopher, Drummer and all round Polymath, Sir Colin McGinn, welcome to Desert Island Disks.
Thank you, Robin, for that sterling and not-at-all-exaggerated (under-exaggerated?) introduction–though you studiously avoid mentioning my athletic accomplishments (why, I can only guess). Also, I prefer the title Grand-Sir, but we will let that one go. For my first disk I’d like Black is Black by Los Bravos, because it will be unknown to my audience, is Spanish-English-German, and after all is said and done I Want My Baby Back. I will sing along to it if you don’t mind.
(Seriously, hilarious.)
Haway man, Colin. The programme’s less than an hour long!
P.S. If Ronnie Wood of The Stones can play a harmonica and sing as he did on his turn today, Then I’m sure you can.
I will be happy to emulate Ronnie, though I’m not too thrilled with the class off castaway currently invited.