Tuesday, April 20, 2004
THE TURNOFF: Monday was the official start of the tenth annual TV Turnoff Week. I actually started on Sunday, for reasons I can't even begin to explain, but the blank screen is staring into space at the moment. Considering all the unbelievable media-related junk we've been through in the past several months, I like the idea better and better.
The point isn't to be a culture snob, to wear a no-TV-watching sneer as a badge of superiority, but to make people actually think about what goes into their eyes and ears. The materials are geared especially for kids and their parents, but a guy like me who spends too much time with the video needs to go on a TV fast every once in awhile.
So, what to do? For me, it means going back to my reading, and looking at the stacks of books on my shelves, I'd have to go TV-free until fall to take them all out. I also spent a bit of time on Monday checking out the open-mike night at the local Borders book store, but not nearly as much as I did last year. The guy who was on was a vocal dead-ringer for the guy who sang "Like A Virgin" on last year's American Idol auditions, his hair looking like it was styled with an electric eggbeater. He introduced his songs in a baritone voice, but sang in a weak reach for something way above his range to his own electric guitar accompaniment. I couldn't help but think about Tiny Tim, who claimed he sang in that famous falsetto because God told him to. As his performance reached all the corners of the store, all heads turned to the cafe, all jaws falling open.
Of course I applauded; it was a remarkable performance, although not in the way he would've preferred. He was no Wesley Willis, but a guy takes what he can get, especially when there's no cover charge.
Last year, the most bizarre thing happened when I finally turned the set back on...the screen appeared brighter and clearer than I remember it being the week before. That wasn't a side effect I was expecting, and it was a bit creepy, like the serpent in the Garden of Eden saying "Watch of this, and you shall never die. Eat of the fruit, and you shall have the knowlege of God." One problem with that analogy: since I had started a day early (because of family commitments this time), that meant the Tree of Knowledge was represented by Saturday Night Live. Eat of Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey and never die? Stupid, stupid snake.
Well, I might have a bite of Tina, but send Fallon back to the kitchen. He looks a bit underdone.
Anyway, as you can tell by the time stamp, none of this has helped me get to bed any earlier.
The point isn't to be a culture snob, to wear a no-TV-watching sneer as a badge of superiority, but to make people actually think about what goes into their eyes and ears. The materials are geared especially for kids and their parents, but a guy like me who spends too much time with the video needs to go on a TV fast every once in awhile.
So, what to do? For me, it means going back to my reading, and looking at the stacks of books on my shelves, I'd have to go TV-free until fall to take them all out. I also spent a bit of time on Monday checking out the open-mike night at the local Borders book store, but not nearly as much as I did last year. The guy who was on was a vocal dead-ringer for the guy who sang "Like A Virgin" on last year's American Idol auditions, his hair looking like it was styled with an electric eggbeater. He introduced his songs in a baritone voice, but sang in a weak reach for something way above his range to his own electric guitar accompaniment. I couldn't help but think about Tiny Tim, who claimed he sang in that famous falsetto because God told him to. As his performance reached all the corners of the store, all heads turned to the cafe, all jaws falling open.
Of course I applauded; it was a remarkable performance, although not in the way he would've preferred. He was no Wesley Willis, but a guy takes what he can get, especially when there's no cover charge.
Last year, the most bizarre thing happened when I finally turned the set back on...the screen appeared brighter and clearer than I remember it being the week before. That wasn't a side effect I was expecting, and it was a bit creepy, like the serpent in the Garden of Eden saying "Watch of this, and you shall never die. Eat of the fruit, and you shall have the knowlege of God." One problem with that analogy: since I had started a day early (because of family commitments this time), that meant the Tree of Knowledge was represented by Saturday Night Live. Eat of Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey and never die? Stupid, stupid snake.
Well, I might have a bite of Tina, but send Fallon back to the kitchen. He looks a bit underdone.
Anyway, as you can tell by the time stamp, none of this has helped me get to bed any earlier.
|| Eric 3:32 AM#
