TL:DR In the old days not everything was cynical
I don't want to sound like an old sod but two things close to my heart from the 60s and 70s are unimaginable in the modern age. Both examples were publicly funded, and the freedom and free thinking back then are almost impossible to comprehend in the modern day.
1) The NASA Voyager One probe Gold record. As a vinyl enthusiast this is like catnip to me. A record, made of gold, shot out into space (now flying beyond our solar system) etched with hieroglyphics of how to play the content of the disc for alien civilizations to interpret. Images of humans, directions to locate us and a selection of sounds representing the music of earth and brief, welcoming messages in dialects from across our planet.
A wholesome message in a bottle from Earth. No politics, no religion, no commercial interest, just reaching out to the cosmos. Hopeful. Strangely naive in a kind of cute way. Uncynical.
2) The BBC Radiophonic Workshop. A program where sound boffins, men and, unusually for the times, women, were basically paid and given resources to fiddle about making electronic sounds/music for the BBC. An experimental audio laboratory, publicly funded, with little to no agenda other than to produce audio for TV and radio. Delia Derbyshire (one of my heroes) created the original Dr Who theme which, to this day, is one of the most starkly original pieces of music produced in the last century. Nothing like it had ever been heard before. She made music and sounds that today are commonplace but in 1963, were revolutionary. Publicly funded, no commercial or political influence.
Nothing remotely like this had been heard by the general public, now we take it for granted.
Tomorrow evening, 19:30-22:30 (UK BST), is my monthly community radio show if anyone is interested. It will be available on catch-up after broadcast.
This month's show is entitled, Tragic Roundabout.
I do wonder, what do hate filled people do to relax? Where do they find peace, dare I say, enjoyment of life, free of bitterness and hate?
I was recently dancing in a natural crater in the English countryside, surrounded by trees on a glorious sunny day, cool drink in hand, listening to wonderful bass heavy reggae music, presented by a positive, inclusive man on the microphone. I had my youngest child and his delightful girlfriend at my side and we were surrounded by happy, friendly people enjoying the moment. It was heaven.
What is the equivalent for Nigel Farage? Despite all the money he's grifted, does he know a peace, a joy, a moment like that not tinged with hate? I suspect not (and I hope he never does).
A less fun part of our night out. We drove the Youngest to a friend's house in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, UK.
As we drove through there were a throng of people with ladders. An almost party atmosphere of about 50 men, women and children, shouting incomprehensible blah blah blah, enthusiastically, draped in St George flags (the English flag).
They had sprayed red crosses on our (white circular road markers) mini roundabouts and were climbing the public lamp posts to attach flags.
Shithole country.
Scotland and Wales, please accept us, we're not all cuntsπ
(Shorter video attached but if you look closely you'll see the flags on the island and lampposts)
TL/DR Be kind to young people and don't be an old twat.
Life is short. As you grow older this becomes a lot more apparent.
Patience also gets a lot shorter as you grow older.
The difference, as a person, is who your patience grows shorter for.
Learner drivers? Unsure shop/restaurant staff? Young people in general?
Fuck off with this impatience. "I've done my time. Back in my day..." twats, fuck off. Most of the people before you who had it bad are either dead from being old, from being in wars (that you didn't fight in) or dead from being poor.
Let young people breathe. Help them. Let them enjoy life (in the shitty situation they've been dealt, by "us" collectively).
When I was a kid the big fear was nuclear Armageddon (in hindsight not as real a threat as it seemed). Now, my young adults have to think about nuclear Armageddon, Climate catastrophe, the rise of fascism and Israel nearly winning Eurovision.
Be impatient with the people who can make all of our lives better but don't. Very fucking impatient.
Not with a bang but a whimper. So ends my final trip to Manchester for a while. Tomorrow me and The Eldest move their stuff home from this wonderful city after 3 years of university. We had a great night last night but now I'm on my own in a favourite pub for the last time, Gulliver's on Oldham Street.
I've had an absolute blast visiting here the last 3 years; gigs, parties, scratch mixing showcases in a chip shop, record and clothes shopping, and lots of great (if not always nutritional) vegan food.
Somewhat poignantly on our record shopping trip today I found an album by an artist called Memotone, which I bought. He's not well known but about 15 years ago he played a gig in a pub near our then home in London, I just happened to be in there. He was just a student himself at the time but he inspired me to try and get my head around music software again, which I did. I then showed 7 year old Eldest and taught what little I knew.
Eldest has just finished a music production degree, with a first class grade, and wants to be a music producer. It's their life, their passion, and they're good at it.
A butterfly flapped it's wings in the Macbeth pub on Hoxton Street and here we are now.
Anyway, cheers from a sentimental old sod in Manchester π»
