An Interview …

Well, that was good to see!

The BBC’s Breakfast show had an interview with Sir Terry Pratchett, this morning, which I managed to completely miss! Mostly because I was in the shower.

And managed to record the wrong channel!

D’oh!

How the heck did I manage that?

I’m blowed if I know!

No, hang on, yes I do!!

I managed to record the BBC News channel, instead of the Breakfast News on BBC 1; they don’t always show the same thing at the same time!!

Bugger!

So I’m gonna happily thank Gwen and her partner, Stefan, who managed to dig up the relevant link on the BBC’s site for me, bless ’em!

Which was a fascinating one to watch; inevitably, he and the presenters had to give the particular variant of Alzheimer’s — Posterior Cortical Atrophy — that he suffers from, a mention. And it doesn’t sound especially pleasant, but does sound like he has more time than I thought he might have; at least he’s managed to find some helpful dictation software.

•••••

But the point of the interview was the release of something I’m looking forward to getting my hands on, his latest Discworld novel, “Unseen Academicals”.

Which is — believe it or not — all about football.

Now this I’ve got to read!!

After all, whilst I’m not a fan of the game, something Sir Terry said, this morning caught my attention; that “Unseen Academicals” wasn’t so much about the game of football, as the sociology of football.

Strange to think I’d be reading anything about the blessed game, but he does have a point.

To my way of thinking, any really enjoyable read boils down to people; things they do, things that happen to them, and, ultimately, their relationships with each other.

And his point was that he tried to write about — as I’ve already said — the sociology of football. People’s relationships, both with the game, and the rest of their tribe of supporters.

Which caught me.

Back when the new version of “Doctor Who” started, I was working as a barman at the Hutton, when the new managers — Pete and Chris — asked if I could think of any ideas to bring people in.

My idea was to see if I couldn’t get a dozen or so of my friends down, to watch that opening episode.

Pete and Chris both gave me what’s known in the trade as a ‘Funny Look’.

Well …

More one of mild disbelief, mixed with trying to keep straight faces!!

But what I said to them both, at the time, was simple.

“How is it different from half a dozen Accrington Stanley fans turning up for the away game?”

Which I’m thinking it isn’t.

Apart from being a bit geekier …

Let’s face it, I’m thinking that humanity is more tribal than we generally think; whether we divide ourselves along ethnic, religious, political, or national lines — or even something as trivial as TV shows, or sport — I think we like the comfort of knowing others who think like us.

And that’s as reassuring, as much as it’s divisive.