You Say Tomato and I say Tomaarto.....
Well. There's no accounting for taste is there? I mean there just isn't. Take this evening for example. There I was constantly switching between Arsenal and Liverpool whilst Dearest washed and ironed, when I suggested we relax with the first series of The Beiderbecke Affair. I've just joined Amazon's 6 DVDs a month for £9.99 rental service. It sounds great. No late fees. Delivered to my door within 2 days, and a prepaid pack to post them back. With Amazon's fantastic "strength-in-depth" selection you can't go wrong.So, first off, what do I order but The Beiderbecke Affair. 1985 it was. I watched it religiously. I thought (and still think) it was a superb, understated example of a very British sense of gentle humour. Alan Plater at his best. James Bolam, Barbara Flynn, Colin Whately and a host of character actors that anyone over the age of 25 would recognise immediately, all mouthing exquisite dialog. Dead-pan. Glorious.
Well. That's what I thought anyway.
"This isn't funny" says Dearest after 10 minutes or so.
It's only been on 10 minutes and already the dialog between D.S. Hobson and Chief Supt Forrest has cheered me immensely. The next thing Dearest is playing with the bloody dog, which is getting more frisky as each minute passes. She combines this with 'watching' quality television that requires close concentration to pick up all the nuances.
Mind you, Dearest condemned Father Ted and Phoenix Nights to unfunniness as well, until she started to pay attention, put a little effort in and start to reap the dividends.
I realise that trying to watch all three DVDs with my Darlin' will be a pointless exercise punctuated with the usual "who's that"? "Why's he/she doing that"? "What's going on here"? All questions that needn't be asked if you had paid attention.
So I turned the DVD off and put the TV back on. Cherished was on. The story of Angela Canning's three cot deaths. Dearest was rapt.
I guess I'll never make a TV scheduler. And, to think, I have ordered a load of Cracker DVDs next. Dearest loves Cracker.
I think I'll talk and play with the dog all the way through.
Speaking of TV series, it's amazing how much my approach to them has changed as years go by. I still look forward to the ones that catch my eye and resolve to watch them in their entirety. The Rotter's Club for example. Needless to say my busy, busy lifestyle makes a mockery of these rash decisions and I invariably miss an episode and, as a result, the entire raison d'être for carrying on with the rest is lost. Consequently I stopped making the effort.
But now we have video and DVD editions of some of the greatest TV ever broadcast, we can watch safe in the knowledge that we won't miss ONE minute.
All thirteen episodes of Brass for example. £11.97 from Amazon
Raise you're hat to: Art and Technology.
Regarding Red Ken and his refusal to apologise to a right-wing Daily Mail/London Evening Standard journalist for comparing him to a Nazi, how can that be Anti-Semitic? Surely when you call someone a Nazi you are being Anti-Nazi? Still, at least those particular newspapers (and Saint Tony) have had a field day. But, surprisingly, look at the BBC's 'Have Your Say' pages. The vast majority are supporting Kenneth. In fact the last time Ken got so much support, Saint Tony was giving him as much shit as he is now.
Remind me. Who had the last laugh?
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