There are many things I love about Radio 4 (and a few things I really can’t be doing with) but the my most favouritist thing ever is probably Thinking Allowed with Laurie Taylor. Partly it’s his wonderful voice but that alone isn’t enough to distinguish TA from the other wonderful voices on R4. Peter Day’s In Business is a fantastic listen despite the subject matter thanks to his vocal tones but there’s something special about how Laurie does his stuff, more akin to John Peel, now I think of it.
I like to keep a stock of unlistened TA podcasts for rainy days and insomniac nights and recently found them useful for solving a dilemma. My brain has a tendency to wake up in the middle of the night. Everything is quiet and calm and ideas and notions bubble up no matter how tired I might be. When it gets to 3am I have to make a decision. Will I try and get to sleep or will I give up, make some tea, and start working? In order to decide I do the Laurie Taylor test.
I turn off the lights and start playing a random TA podcast. It doesn’t matter what it’s about just as long as Laurie is presenting it. The battle is now on between his calming voice and his stimulating subject matter. Which will win out? If I’m asleep after half an hour then I’m asleep but if my mind is still racing then I might as well get up. And whatever happens I’ve probably learned something interesting in the process.
I’ve completely emptied my ipod of music recently and filled it with podcasts of which the majority are from dear Radio 4. Thinking Allowed is one of the programmes that is waiting to be listened to at present (I think I got about 8 to catch up on) and I tend to listen to podcasts whilst in bed with the lights off.
I’m not sure about the scientific research into listening to voices whilst sleeping but I always find that I awake with a sense that my brain has been gently massaged. Perhaps it’s Laurie Taylor’s voice that is the key.
I recomend listening to Words and Music on Radio 3. Alas it’s not available as a podcast yet but late Sunday nights listening to this is a rather rewarding experience.
I’ve never used it as a soporific or alertness test, but Thinking Aloud is one of my favourites too. Heartily recommend it.