We cringed too when we heard that ’interview’ between Helen Razer and Steven Berkoff. Because we love what Helen stands for, and we know the fine line she walks. When someone like her gets cut, everyone ’special’ bleeds. And today the ABC cut the bitch loose. Razer has been sacked.
The Fountain of all Future ABC Radio Arts Programs: Margaret Olley (Image: Brendan Esposito, courtesy The Age online)
We decided to post on the busy ABC Media Watch Message Board to show our support for her. Here’s an excerpt of us laying out the context:
Dogs, mushrooms and Radio National listeners might squeal at a few of [Helen's] more outlandish affectations, but for us it’s a relief to occasionally hear something other than calming ABC white noise.
And then a practical solution to the problem at hand:
Seriously, why not just go the whole hog – lipstick and all –and place a recording device in Margaret Olley’s studio already. You could then just run a live feed to fill ABC Arts air-time.
Maybe Margaret will knock over a pot of paint. What a thrill. All around Australia, cups and saucers – brimming with sweet tea – will collectively shudder. Exciting stuff, right?
We’re hopeful. Australian painter-of-pretty Margaret Olley may get a beige ABC Radio jersey yet.
Unfamiliar with the issue? Unaware of Razer’s oeuvre and style? We’ll try and explain.
Remember when someone not famous enough for us to remember said that word-beating author Edmund White probably had to consult a thesaurus before defecating? Well, Helen Razer lived on the same toilet; she clutched the same reading material. She was no less gifted than White. She was verbose, but she was also tremendously talented.
Not that we’re excusing the Berkoff interview. It was – simply – execrable. But you can judge her for yourself.
Our highlight? Well, already having been dragged half-way to radio hell, Berkoff started to get snipey with Razer’s just a few minutes in to the bitch-fest:
Steven Berkoff: You should play the witch in Macbeth. It would be very good.
Helen Razer: Which one?
Steven Berkoff: Any one of them. You’d suit all of them.
— ABC 774, The Sunday Show, 7th September, 2008
But everyone has their bad days. And hate her, or love to hate her, Helen was a different voice that will be missed on the airwaves (notably the grey, permanently permed ABC airwaves).
But not by everyone. Here’s what one angry Media Watch Message Board patron thought of Helen:
What on Earth is the ABC doing by tolerating such an aggressive, talentless creature like Ms Razor. … Off with her head, I say – get rid of her! There must be so many talented, insightful and knowledgeable journalists / radio presenters who would do a far better and responsible job than Ms Razor [Sic.].
Which is why one of the Gavage team just had to reply. Context matters. And how can you hate someone whose name you can’t even spell? Here is our reply in full:
Ep 31 - 15th September 2008
Author
Gavage
Date/Time
04 Oct 2008 11:48:59pm
Subject
Re: Helen Razer - Steven Berkoff radio interview
Agreed.
Yes, Helen can be verbose and difficult, but she also brings (brought) a different voice to Australian broadcasting and some of us value (valued … sigh) that difference immensely.
Dogs, mushrooms and Radio National listeners might squeal at a few of her more outlandish affectations, but for me it’s a relief to occasionally hear something other than calming ABC white noise.
So Helen Razer had a bad interview; it happens. It happens when you take risks. Yes I said “risks” – I know it’s a dirty word.
And at least the disaster was entertaining. Yes I said “Entertaining” – yet another cryptic word for some ABC listeners. A word only ever used with a heavy smirk to describe the ABC’s never-ending snooze-buffet of prophylactic Arts programs.
Seriously, why not just go the whole hog, lipstick and all, and place a recording device in Margaret Olley’s house already. You could then just run a live feed to fill ABC Arts air-time.
Maybe Margaret will knock over a pot of paint. What a thrill. All around Australia, cups and saucers – brimming with sweet tea – will collectively shudder. Exciting stuff, right?
Helen Razer had a bad interview. I know it, you know it, she certainly knows it. But what’s the ABC going to do? Sack her for it? Yes, apparently. [Correction: Sack her for things not related to the incident, two weeks after the incident itself etc.].
It’s unfortunate. This was not representative of her work. It’s a big fat shame.
So let’s all take a big, calming breath (together), join hands, exhale deeply, and try to be honest with each other and remember that Phillip Adams has been doing the EXACT same interview for three hundred years, and yet he gets to keep his job on radio [though I hasten to add that he does change the words and the interviewee every once in a while, and his shows are always quite delightful regardless].
I liked that there were people on the air like Helen trying to do things a little differently. And keeping it intelligent at the same time. She may not be the best at what she does, and she may grind the gears of some listeners, but she added diversity, and it’s sad that she’s gone.
I wasn’t her biggest fan by any means. But I hate the vacuum that her sacking has left behind.
Send in the dross.
All the best,
Gavage
[Please Note: I loved Media Watch's coverage of all this, and so did other friends who like Helen's work. These things aren't mutually exclusive. Fair target; good archery.]
Agreed.
Yes, Helen can be verbose and difficult, but she also brings (brought) a different voice to Australian broadcasting and some of us value (valued … sigh) that difference immensely.
Dogs, mushrooms and Radio National listeners might squeal at a few of her more outlandish affectations, but for me it’s a relief to occasionally hear something other than calming ABC white noise.
So Helen Razer had a bad interview; it happens. It happens when you take risks. Yes I said “risks” – I know it’s a dirty word.
And at least the disaster was entertaining. Yes I said “Entertaining” – yet another cryptic word for some ABC listeners. A word only ever used with a heavy smirk to describe the ABC’s never-ending snooze-buffet of prophylactic Arts programs.
Seriously, why not just go the whole hog, lipstick and all, and place a recording device in Margaret Olley’s house already. You could then just run a live feed to fill ABC Arts air-time.
Maybe Margaret will knock over a pot of paint. What a thrill. All around Australia, cups and saucers – brimming with sweet tea – will collectively shudder. Exciting stuff, right?
Helen Razer had a bad interview. I know it, you know it, she certainly knows it. But what’s the ABC going to do? Sack her for it? Yes, apparently. [Correction: Sack her for things not related to the incident, two weeks after the incident itself etc.].
It’s unfortunate. This was not representative of her work. It’s a big fat shame.
So let’s all take a big, calming breath (together), join hands, exhale deeply, and try to be honest with each other and remember that Phillip Adams has been doing the EXACT same interview for three hundred years, and yet he gets to keep his job on radio [though I hasten to add that he does change the words and the interviewee every once in a while, and his shows are always quite delightful regardless].
I liked that there were people on the air like Helen trying to do things a little differently. And keeping it intelligent at the same time. She may not be the best at what she does, and she may grind the gears of some listeners, but she added diversity, and it’s sad that she’s gone.
I wasn’t her biggest fan by any means. But I hate the vacuum that her sacking has left behind.
Send in the dross.
All the best,
Gavage
[Please Note: I loved Media Watch's coverage of all this, and so did other friends who like Helen's work. These things aren't mutually exclusive. Fair target; good archery.]
1 Comment
October 7, 2008 at 2:56 am
Let me premise this by saying that when people say “you either love or hate Helen Razor” i am in the latter category. I am not an avid reader of Ms Razor’s many columns, nor have i touched one of her books.
I did, however, catch her mind-numbing inability to tame the Berkoff on Media Watch. She was patronising. He was patronising. He was the talent. She should have been directing the content, and not making the interview about her. It was unprofessional. Its not like she (or the rest of the world) didnt know that Berkoff is fairly (understatement) self important, and mildly (gross understatement) difficult to interview.
She should have been prepared. There were so many moments when she could have brought the interview back in and she didnt.
A long time collegue of Ms Razor’s commented that for every 10 convoluted self indulgent nonsensicle contributions she made to an anonymous publication she would write one piece of incredible prose. Something no one else could have written.
I agree that it is a shame to lose a piece of flavor in an otherwise fairly bland media climate over one interview. But honestly, it was a BAD interview.