{"id":11876,"date":"2014-12-30T14:04:53","date_gmt":"2014-12-30T18:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=11876"},"modified":"2014-12-30T14:04:53","modified_gmt":"2014-12-30T18:04:53","slug":"jonathans-interviews-with-gerry-wells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/jonathans-interviews-with-gerry-wells\/","title":{"rendered":"Jonathan’s interviews with Gerry Wells"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"sup-obsession\"<\/a>Gerald Wells, the Curator of the British Vintage Wireless & Television Museum<\/em> passed away on December 22nd, 2014. In our previous post about his passing<\/a>, I pointed to a brilliant BBC radio documentary which featured Mr. Wells<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last week, Jonathan Marks posted his own tribute to Gerry Wells on Critical Distance<\/a>.\u00a0Jonathan’s post includes two half-hour\u00a0interviews with Mr. Wells\u00a0from 1986\/1987.<\/p>\n

Jonathan has kindly allowed me to embed an excerpt from his\u00a0post, below, along with his interviews.<\/p>\n

Jonathan writes:<\/p>\n

“Sad to note that the Curator of the British Vintage Wireless & Television Museum, Gerald Wells, passed away on December 22 2014.<\/p>\n

At the end of the 1960’s Gerry gave up his job as an electrical contractor. He could see wireless sets being discarded and felt there was a need for a “Vintage Wireless Museum”. The Museum for Vintage Wireless came into existence in 1974 and was later expanded to include Television.<\/p>\n

I made a couple of half hour documentaries with Gerry in 1986\/1987, hearing the stories of how radios were built and got their names. Other documentaries focused on his life as a lifelong radio engineer.<\/p>\n

I remember visiting the UK’s Vintage Radio Wireless Museum in Dulwich, South London as though it were yesterday. It’s just an ordinary terraced house from the outside, but inside its a celebration of the tube (Valve) radio, especially in the era 1920-1950. What’s more, Gerald Wells, was one of the world’s experts on valves – and had a flood of stories about the famous names I heard second-hand as a child. Did you know that Vidor Batteries were named after the manufacturers two daughters? And what were the better brands of radios.<\/p>\n

Enthusiasts in the UK have since made a DVD about Gerald which I can recommend. Part Two of this programme was made in Dulwich one year later is also here on this blogpost. I am sure you could visit Gerald 1000 times and still take away new and different stories about this era of broadcasting. Anyone restoring early iPods? Thought not.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n