Whether or not we are taking the Carmody line or the Petredis line on this weeks Desert Island Discs, the programme was instructive listening to what Radio 4 deems acceptible. Yes, Nigela Lawson played Cleaning Out My Closet, possibly Eminem’s worst single, but was effusive in her praise for Dr Dre also, suggesting that he might want to produce her singing Tosca. The version of Cleaning Out My Closet was theusual sanitised radio edit. However Teenage Dirtbag was portrayed in its full teenage shooting, boyfriends a dick mode. Perhaps it was not censored because the Radio 4 audience can handle concepts like teenage high school slayings. Or maybe the producers were less aware of Ver Dirtbag’s propensity to swear than Eminem (he’s been in the Guardian after all). The key point to show that we haven’t quite reached saturation point yet of acceptance of hip-hop is the way that Nigella (and certainly Lawley) sounded a little bit like naughty schoolgirls playing these records. Eminem because it was hard, Wheatus because it is silly.
Possibly the most rock’n’roll thing about the whole affair was Nigella’s choice of luxury. A bottle of Temazapan. Hoping to be rescued by Sean Ryder then?