Saturday, November 21, 2009

Standing on the shoulders of giants

It's wonderful, and humbling, to receive recommendations like this.

As it turns out, the other people on that list were crucial to my book being what it became.

This is as good a time as any to say thanks.

7 comments:

Francis Sedgemore said...

Nice one. A career as a TV chat show regular beckons.

JCWood said...

Well, considering that my area of knowledge doesn't extend to the things that really matter in Britain today (Jordan, Jedward and Strictly) I can't see that the Beeb'll be ringing up any time soon.

Francis Sedgemore said...

But John, you don't have to actually know anything about such things in order to pontificate on them. Celebrity status is in itself sufficient qualification.

mikeovswinton said...

I think that the Wife might be able to brief you on Jordan, who seems to be a fave -"indomitable", eh?
As for Jedward - well I guess in a few weeks everyone will be saying "just remind me, what the hell was Jedward?" As for Strictly -words fail me. Don't people have anything to do on saturday nights anymore?
So there you go - JCW as the new Parkie. If you wear a long leather coat the Ghost of Eric Morecombe might say you look like a tall wallet as your lift glides to the those higher reaches of Broadcasting House.

The Wife said...

The last thing I heard was that Jordan took 21 bikinis to the jungle and that Alex the cage fighter is flying out to propose to her.

But don't be a snob, Mike - all this is not empty knowledge, just as the reading of the Smelly Tail is a relevant cultural endeavour. At the cultural studies conference we attended recently it became apparent - several times, indeed - that Tail readers have a cultural advantage over those who don't, certainly when it comes to the understanding of British popular culture.

What we encountered was a certain touristy tweeness (England = allotments, clogs, singing miners) that revealed those who endorsed it unprepared to tackle the typical tabloid "Phoahhh"! Serious misinterpretation - indeed, argumentative contradictions - ensued (though luckily nobody took notice).

mikeovswinton said...

Hey I'm not being snobbish. But I think I do have better things to do on a saturday night than watch 'celebs' doing a bad impression of ballroom dancing on the telly. Or at least I'd like to think so.

Jedward is a cult amongst my students. And I'm not getting all Kenneth Williams here.

And now I'm off to cut back the clogs on't'allotment, 'appen.

mikewivdalatest said...

By the way - headline news on the Beeb this am - Jordan leaving I'm a Celebrity. Alex has wasted his journey.