It must be almost twenty years since I last owned a TV set: a time when the broadcast output seemed designed to keep the population docile and distracted. And, since then, it has arguably got even worse. However, I’m still staring at screens… whether it’s the 24in iMac for editing my pix, or my laptop for writing and everything else.
YouTube has been my go-to channel, particularly for talks and debates by some of my favourite characters: Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, etc. But, during lockdown, I’ve found much else to raise a laugh, lift the sprits and perhaps even broaden the mind. Music by the Petersens: a bluegrass family band from Missouri. All Christians, they look so happy and wholesome that I - almost - gave my life to Jesus. I found a video showing what life would have been like for Bob Dylan if he’d worked at a lumber camp instead of becoming a musical megastar. Other musical treats include Irish dancing, flash mobs and young girls playing banjos.
I watch resourcerful loners living off-grid… in camper vans, log cabins, ’tiny houses’, treehouses, etc. I’ve found documentaries made by the Institute of Nomadic Architecture (who knew there was such a thing?), following nomads and their animals as they pitch tents and, a few days later, move on and pitch their tents again. Fascinating.
Used in today’s Observer: the terraced house in Mytholmroyd where poet Ted Hughes was born…
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