Notoriety

I used to listen to Spencer Howson’s ‘Soapbox’; 

you know, emphatic phone-calls he’d play on an 

early-morning show inveighing about everything 

that may’ve won a quivering notion of notoriety - 

but it weighs my humour hearing similar tones & 

overstressed phonetics - ham-actors attempting 

to be convincing I guess; although occasionally 

the subjects really did stray away from politics 

The best ever, in my jaundiced opinion, was that 

one, well-rehearsed call, questioning the idea of 

Soapbox on ABC Radio - and citing examples of 

impassioned dialogue we’re expected to sit thru. 

Geeze, says the caller - we still have to listen to 

Spencer inimitably being Spencer to his guests 

Isn’t that enough! And we’d let it rest, except for 

the rash of calls this brilliant bit of soap invited - 

so Spencer rests in lap of luxury suggesting his 

audiences dubbed him King of Comedy, seeing 

humour has two faces, yet possess intelligence 

enough to know the difference in suds 

© 18 May 2016, I. D. Carswell