Not as Mad as It Sounds? by Bandmaster

Puzzle explanation

Twelve clashes involved words defining an ailment or psychological condition (bother, malady, zoster, dole, blues, rash, weid, cares, ache, scurvy, pain, misery). “Curing” these spells the name of Michael Torke, whose sole entry in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is “Why waste money on psychotherapy when you can listen to the [Bach] B minor mass?”. Solvers had to substitute THE B MINOR MASS for PSYCHOTHERAPY at 6dn, to generate new words, including “BACHING” at 18ac, which had to be highlighted as the possible name for this alternative treatment. This word sounds like “barking [mad]”, which explains the title.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 MIASMS MIA’S + MS [multiple sclerosis]
6 PICKLED PICK + LED
12 OUTWITS TWIT after OU + (lecture)S
13 OHIO THIS, with O and O replacing T, S
14 TROELY Composite anagram of TEMPORALLY using PALM
15 ZOSTER ZO + STEEL – EL + (conveyo)R
16 DOLE Two definitions
18 CACHING (CH + I) in CAN [toilet = office] + G
19 DOH Alternate letters in (Mi)DLOTHI(an); reference tonic sol-fa
20 BLUES BLUE + FORTUNES – FORTUNE; reference Oxbridge blues
23 RASH R + ASH
25 MAIGRE MAIGRET [Simenon] – T and IMAGER *; definition is in the middle
26 WEID I in WED
29 CATER Two definitions; reference diagonal, as in chess
30 PERT PERT(h)
32 CRAYON CON about RAY
35 SLOE (O)SLO + E(ngland); jet = black = sloe
38 CARES RACE * + (technologie)S
39 EAN OCEAN – O/C
42 SUN BEAR BURNS * about (E + A); wood = mad
45 ACHE Two definitions, semi & lit; reference Shakespearean H
46 SCURVY ’S + CURRY
47 WICKER W(as) + THICKER – T’ – H(eight); reference well-known model
48 PAIN I in PAN
49 PINKING P(asternak) + INKING
50 WEEDERY WEE + DE(r)RY
51 MISERY (MERRY IS – R) *
Down
1 BOTHER BROTHER – R(osary)
2 ATOLLS TOLL in AS
3 SWEEP S + WEE + P(rofit)
4 MALADY (A LAD) in MY; “ill” as a noun
5 STYLO STY + LO & lit
6 PSYCHOTHERAPY HASTY PROPHECY *
7 CHOC-BAR O for I(t) in CHIC + BAR
8 KISH (roc)K + IS + H
9 LOTI LOT + I; “rhino” as in money
10 EVENER EVE + N + E + R
11 DOR ROD <
15 CARMEL CAMEL about R
17 OGEE (E(agle) + EGO) <
21 LIP P after LI
22 AGE AGELAST – LAST; he is not laughing in the picture
24 MAN-DAY AND in MAY
27 LAR CLARE – (C + E at edges)
28 DYE Hidden
29 COTERIE ERIE after COT
31 ROCH ROC + H(arbour) & lit
33 RAUCLE RAN + UNCLE – N – N
34 UNCINI FUNCTION IS – SOFT *
36 LUCKIE C in (KIEL + U) *
37 EMERGE E + FARMER – FAR + GE
40 ASWIM AS + W + I’M
41 ROCKS Two definitions
43 NUKE (CHICKEN – CHICK + U) *
44 BRAD BAD about (airline)R
46 SOW ’S + O + W
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