Archive for November 30th, 2007
John Laws wrote an article in today’s The Daily Telegraph. Here it is.
John Laws signs off
By John Laws
November 30, 2007 12:00am
THIS is a very difficult time – and to put pen to paper is somewhat like writing one’s own obituary.
With the exception of my wife and family, the most important thing in my life is about to come to an end.
It was a difficult decision to make, and it may well have been unwise.
It certainly wouldn’t be the first, and more than likely won’t be the last unwise thing I will do in my life.
I have always endeavoured to be fair and, to my knowledge, I have never gone out of my way to deliberately hurt anyone.
I can only trust I have succeeded.
I have been hurt, many times, because of my own stupidity; many times because I felt I was being dealt with unfairly.
I have often said, admittedly in semi-jest, that the 11th Commandment in Australia is “Thou shalt not excel”.
If there’s a country in the world in which you can excel, it is Australia, and if you do, and according to many I have, be aware that excellence comes with a price, as does honesty.
But, no matter what the price, it’s worth paying.
I have watched the formation and development of communications in Australia. I have seen communications improve, and I have seen them decline with gutter journalism, and lower than gutter broadcasting, but I am proud to have been part of an industry where excellence has been predominant.
We have some of the most capable journalists in the world in this country and we enjoy to a large extent freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It’s rarely abused, unlike in many other countries.
It is a comforting feeling, but not one of complacency, to have made people happy and to have been relevant in the lives of so many.
It is also, in a convoluted way, a comforting feeling to have angered people, to have incited them to think differently about a topic.
There have been many who have strongly objected to the way in which I have incited people. I have had death threats – plenty.
I have had people want to jail me – plenty – from the highest criminal court judges to twisted, malicious, small-minded individuals fighting their own minds for their place in the world. But their wrath, their anger, their vitriol, has simply powered the adrenalin into what could have been a very lazy mind.
I can’t say I love all my listeners – I don’t know all my listeners.
Nor can I assume that all my listeners love me. Many have listened despite the fact that it is me.
I can say that those who have communicated with me since I announced my retirement have shown what I know to be a genuine affection.
In some cases theirs is a love which has left me astounded but very happy.
If I have been able to give you even a small percentage of the happiness that you have given me, then it will all have been worth it.
What will I do without you?
I have spent almost 55 years walking a tightrope with no safety net.
It’s time to get off.
Full stop!
November 30th, 2007 at 02:00pm
It’s hard to believe, but after all these years John Laws has switched off the golden microphone, hung up the golden headphones, and set off for his retirement with his wife Caroline.
I can’t think of any more fitting way to say goodbye to Lawsie, than by running the Musician Of The Week award early. Roger Miller, and the feature song is the one Lawsie has signed off with for years and years and years.
Goodbye and good luck John, I can’t say much more than to say that if I spend much longer writing this, the keyboard will short circuit because of the amount of liquid falling in to it right now. Goodbye John, and good luck.
[audio:https://samuelgordonstewart.com/wp-content/LessOfMeRogerMiller.mp3]
Download link
Let me be a little kinder
Let me be a little blinder
To the faults of those about me
Let me praise a little more
Let me be when I am weary
Just a little bit more cheery
Think a little more of others
And a little less of me
Let me be a little braver
When temptation bids me waver
Let me try a little harder
To be all that I should be
Let me be a little meeker
With the brother that is weaker
Let me think more of my neighbour
And a little less of me
Let me be when I am weary
Just a little bit more cheery
Let me serve a little better
Those that I am striving for
Let me be a little meeker
With the brother that is weaker
Think a little more of others
And a little less of me
Samuel
November 30th, 2007 at 12:02pm
I just watched Seven’s cross to the 2UE studios, and it looks like 2UE have provided a camera in a particular spot for the live crosses, and another camera with audio for studio vision…both Seven and Ten have crossed from the same spot with the same slightly fuzzy vision, and, along with Sky News, had the exact same crystal clear footage of Lawsie in the studio.
It was good to see Ann sanders is still presenting news for Seven, I always liked the news she presented alongside Ross Symonds.
2UE are now running a special tribute to Lawsie…only twelve minutes of the king to go.
Samuel
November 30th, 2007 at 11:49am
I decided to switch on Ten News (as the first morning news bulletin of the day) to see what coverage they would have of Lawsie’s final day on the air. They did a live cross to the 2UE studios, and I thought it was very fitting that the Ten reporter at 2UE was none other than ex-2UE reporter Daniel Sutton.
I’m not sure whether to check Nine or Seven News at 11:30…as I intend on capturing Nine News tonight, I’ll check Seven News in a couple minutes.
Samuel
November 30th, 2007 at 11:29am
Due to the sheer number of people trying to access the 2UE/4BC etc website MyTalk, it appears to have crashed under the load.
The MyTalk administrators have temporarily taken down the full version of the website and replaced it with a rather simple list of links to the webstreams. Unfortunately due to the load video streaming is not available, but the audio stream is.
I’m sure it will be all over the television news tonight, but the first few minutes of the show were broadcast live on Sky News, and News Limited have put a copy up on their website. Click here to see the first few minutes of John Laws’ final show.
Samuel
November 30th, 2007 at 10:30am
Good morning Lawsie.
Best wishes for your retirement John. I will miss you immensely as you have been a common factor throughout my life, and I am ever so used to hearing you every morning. Not hearing you ever again in the morning is bad enough, but I'm also going to miss the punctuation to my day that "El Presidente" and Roger Miller's "Less Of Me" have provided.
I had the great pleasure of chatting with you a couple years ago, it was one of the highlights of my year, and I was surprised by the number of people who commented to me in the days after that they had heard me talking to John Laws. Oddly enough, the question I got asked the most was how long I had to wait to talk to you!
By the way, it's been bugging me for a year or so now so I hope you don't mind me asking. What was the name of that robot thing that you used to chat to many years ago?
I would especially like to thank you for being there for me when I was bed ridden for a week or so in 2003, and for being there just about every other time I have turned on the radio in the morning. Thank you for the Cuckoo's Nest (whatever happened to that clever bunch), and for nurturing the co-driver, and for your great jingles, and for your services to radio (tell Kevin '07 to get you knighted!) and a really big thank you for just being yourself day after day after day, and bringing so much entertainment to my life, and to the lives of millions of others.
I'll miss you greatly John, but I hope you have a really great retirement, and please come back once or twice to fill in! I'm sure Clive won't mind if you fill in for him once or twice on the overnight show!
Have a really great retirement, and thank you John, there will never be anyone quite like you again. (It's hard to hold the tears back as I write this, I don't think it will hit me for another couple of days that you're not coming back).
P.S. Please leave a forwarding address with 2UE…I have some drawings and a christmas card to send to you.
Best regards, and kind wishes for a fantastic retirement,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra
November 30th, 2007 at 10:00am
As I write this an era is just about to begin to end, as John Laws’ final broadcast of his 54 year career begins on 2UE, 2CC and about 70 other stations across the nation.
2UE and 4BC will be streaming his final show, and with daylight saving it wouldn’t surprise me if 4BC have it on a delay on an hour.
It is hard for me to believe that today will be the final time that I’ll hear El Presidente and “Hello World” at 9:05am, and have the day punctuated at Midday by “be kind to each other” and Roger Miller singing “Less Of Me”. Admittedly Lawsie has gone on holidays before and I haven’t had these events in my life, but he has always come back. Knowing that it will never happen again is going to be very strange indeed.
I will be listening to every second of the John Laws show this morning. It, as I said, is the end of an era, and I do not intend on missing any of it.
Anyway, John Williamson produced the following song as a tribute to John Laws a few weeks ago. John Williamson, amongst others, has produced many jingles for Lawsie over the years, but this one is especially for his retirement, and whilst the title is not clear, I think it is fair to say that it is “You’ve Pulled The Plug At Last”.
[audio:https://samuelgordonstewart.com/wp-content/JohnWilliamsonYouvePulledThePlugAtLast.mp3]
Download Link
Samuel
November 30th, 2007 at 09:03am
