Ever have a day when nothing seems to happen?
You're looking for things to talk about on-air, write about in your blog, post about on your video content...but...zilch. Nada. Nothing.
Check your social media for any breadcrumbs. Look at the headlines. Check what's trending. Nothing.
What do you do?
Do you try to force the issue? Squeeze something out because something is better than nothing?
Or do you accept that it's just "one of those days" and live by the old maxim that it's better to post nothing than something that may be substandard?
It happens.
There are days when nothing grabs you. When it's all very 'vanilla'.
Do you accept vanilla as the only flavour available today...or do you reach for the chocolate sauce??
Vanilla may be the "finest of the flavours" as the Barenaked Ladies sang... - but it's far from the only one.
ReplyDeleteIt's a rare thing that there's absolutely nothing to talk about in my experience.
I'd be searching away while a song is playing, seeing if there's any interesting tidbits to mention about the band/artist or the song itself - what are they up to now? what inspired them to write that song? did you know that was actually a cover version?/they had to remix it before it was a hit/do you know the words from the middle bit - hah, no you don't because its actually a made up language/gibberish... did you know this bit was played backwards and they can't play it live? ... etc. - or ... they're coming back to Ireland soon, playing the 3 arena in... whenever - there's almost *always* something.
That - or make it personal - God, when that song came out I was just starting college... we were away in Cork on a student march and went out to the nightclub that night - and when that song came on - my first time hearing it - the floor suddenly emptied and... well I could go on... ahh the memories!
Or - make it funny - "I always thought he was singing... [insert funny misheard lyrics here]" / come up with a pun / etc. - have a good punch line to get out of the link and into the next element (song/ad break/sweeper/whatever) on - I've even back announced a song (that was clearly a brand new A-lister) saying it was Big Tom or The Wurzels or something, then pausing and sounding genuinely shocked when 'realising' it wasn't... you'd have to have been there... - yeah, the joke might or might not hit home well - it may be "substandard"... but at least you tried! Always be trying something new... always be learning.
Failing all that, yeah you could pop an extra song in (or *ahem* ask the head of music to pop one in) - but where's the personality in that? ;-)