I’m a bit of a youtube addict. I’ve recently enjoyed late nights with The Who at the Isle of White, Led Zeppelin at Maddison Square Garden, Hendrix at Woodstock and Radiohead at Glastonbury. Drama-wise, the gripping ‘This Is England’ and the outrageous ‘Rita, Sue And Bob Too’ have each ensured that the i-pad was not a wasted purchase.
However, although thoroughly entertaining, each of the above has only served to contribute to, rather than relieve the bouts of insomnia during which they’ve been viewed. There’s a certain (for want of a better word) edge to them that leaves me in a slightly less-relaxed state of mind than before I clicked ‘play’.
Where’s this leading? Well, last weekend I found myself part of a whole-family outing to Kilworth House Theatre in rural Leicestershire, to see their current production of ‘The Sound Of Music’. Confession time: my name is Andrew Oxspring and I’m a fan of musical theatre. There, I said it. I’m sure many old friends and acquaintances who know of my deep love of all things ‘heavy’ and ‘rock’ will find this amusing, but I’m happy to stand up and be counted. As the Mother Abbess majestically hit that high F# at the end of ‘Climb Every Mountain’, the whole place erupted, and I swear there was not a dry eye (or seat!) in the house. The Von Trapp kids were as engaging as those fostered by Julie Andrews, and I happily swallowed every sugary line they delivered. The car journey home was a reprise of ‘My Favourite Things’ and ‘Do Re Mi’, and my youtube activity that night before bed comprised ‘The Lonely Goatherd’ and ‘Something Good’ - it was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks.
My soul is replenished and balance has been restored………and more importantly I now feel I’ve earned a few browny points to cash-in against some youtube time with Motorhead live at Hammersmith.
