Pointless Post

When I was a wee nipper, I could never get my head around the adult addiction to things like The Magic Roundabout.  Not for the seemingly obvious reason that it was a "children's show" but because of the time it was shown.  I remember hearing about it being a success because it was on before the news, meaning all the adults got to watch it.  But the news was on at 5.45 (only later moving to 6) and surely no grown-up was home from work by then?  Certainly my Dad never was, and what other standard did I have to judge by?

After I left college and found myself in the world of work, the same pattern repeated.  Having ended up in retail I was rarely out of the shop before 6 and always then had a significant journey home to face.  In fact I'm not sure now how I managed the two years I spent working in Newmarket - a 110 mile round trip every day from Felixstowe, having to be there for 8 and not getting home until at least 7 most nights.  Even when I moved to the Council and got into flexi-time I was still rarely home before 6 - often due to picking MrsB up from work (she is still in the business of selling things) but more likely just because of getting the required number of hours in per day after starting at around 9.

Since our recent office move, however, things have changed.  Because parking up here is a bit limited, I have to get in fairly early to make sure I get a space.  That naturally means I have reached my hours total earlier too so can head home.  And even though the new site is further from our house, I now drive straight here rather than messing about with Park & Ride buses so each trip is 15-20 minutes shorter too.  Plus MrsB has had her hours changed and now finishes at 4 so we are both early birds.

All of which is a long-winded excuse for the fact that we seem to have become hooked on Pointless.  The BBC1 quiz shown before the news with Alexander Armstrong.  Admittedly half the fun is wondering where on earth they get some of the contestants from, but still...  I always have been a sucker for a good quiz show, loving to shout the answers at the telly before the teams manage it but this one is a bit of a barrel scraper.

Is there a cure other than working more?

Questionable Behaviour 1

You've seen them no doubt, perhaps even sought them out to see who the victim is this time. Tucked away in boxouts in the news section, front or back page features or just propping up the small ads pages. Regular question and answer features with celebrities or just readers of the magazine. Always the same questions but often wildly different answers. So in an attempt to bare my soul in a different manner from my normal waffling I thought I'd tackle some of these myself from time to time. Some of them will need a little tweaking as I'm not an international jet-setting rock star, actor from a series you watched as a child or, er, slimming club organiser but I hope to stay true to the spirit of the originals. No idea if this will actually work or I'll kepp going, but I do intend to...

First up, All Back To My Place from Mojo:

What music are you currently grooving to?
2010 has been a year of catching up with bands I've neglected for years thanks to re-releases and a bit of digging around on the sale shelves so lots of Saxon, Megadeth, Sigur Ros and The Beatles recently. Also been enjoying some Hayseed Dixie concerts from the Internet Archive.

What, if push comes to shove, is your all-time favourite album?
Possibly the trickiest question known to man! There are many that I turn to over and over again when I want to drop myself into something familiar and just go along with the music. Iron Maiden's Somewhere In Time, Chumbawamba's WYSIWYG, the first All About Eve album and Ned's Atomic Dustbin's God Fodder to name just four.

What was the first record you ever bought? And where did you buy it?
This was an unofficial version of the Star Wars soundtrack in the Welwyn Department Store (Welwyn Garden City - now a John Lewis) which was in constant rotation after seeing the film. I got a lot of stuff in there in my early record purchasing days before discovering Our Price a few streets away and really going mad.

Which musician have you ever wanted to be?
Nobody in particular, I'd just like to be able to get a tune out of somethng well enough to entertain people.

What do you sing in the shower?
Whatever I've heard most recently as a rule. Which is one reason we listen to the Radio Suffolk breakfast show as they don't play music, meaning I'm less likely to scare the neighbourhood with out of tune screeching.

What is your favourite Saturday night record?
Back before I met MrsB if ever I was going out on an evening I would try to fire myself up with somethng heavy while getting ready. Particular favourites were Slayer's Reign In Blood and the first Wildhearts e.p. Mondo-Akimbo-A-Go-Go. I felt ready for anything after those, particularly if I knew the night to come was going to feature insipid chart music as a background.

And your Sunday morning record?
A perfect time for ambient electronica - The Orb, System 7, Drum Club and that ilk.


So there you have it, one down - more to follow!

The question that must be answered

Who is Virgilio Anderson?