Last night’s Zoom quiz amongst the chaps passed in the company of habitual guests whimsy, competitiveness, absurdity, live music, one or two bowls of loud mouth soup and snacking on crisps.
This heady amalgam providing an evening of variety entertainment enjoyed by British audiences since Victorian music hall days. Three hours, or so, affording likeminded individuals the opportunity to appreciate each others creative wherewithal. Some of the evening segments planned, others of a more impromptu musical and comedic riffing style.
The contest sold to protagonists under the topic banner of a 1980’s popular culture quiz. However, the evening’s clambake bore so much more than a mere inquisition into the decade; a juncture which saw participant’s childhoods ending and liberty from familial nests attained.
Akin to latter day incarnations of old music hall performers Arthur Askey, Hinge & Bracket, George Formby, Tommy Trinder, Andy Stewart and Roy Hudd, the seven competitors took it in turns to perform ‘turns’. Party pieces which included original songs, an accomplished Beatles cover version and twenty deliberately absurd ‘True or False’ questions relating to lives of 1980’s pop icons.
The group a contemporary ‘Rat Pack’ who, in-between serious or jocular quiz rounds and music performances, playfully goaded each other over life events which played out in four decades of friendship.
Footnote – Although alcohol played a part in yesterday evening’s entertainment, it’d be inaccurate to compare any of the contemporary packs boozing to the excesses of Dean Martin, Sinatra, Davis Jr and Lawford levels….. Although, coming to think of it!….. Hmmmm
I mentioned in my inaugural narrative of today, Dotty Dialogue, this morning I took delivery of an Amazon Echo Dot; a device yours truly setup just prior to commencing the piece. During that lexicological meander, GJ Strachan relaying with a shameful glee how he’d every intention of self-indulging himself with a series of idiotic queries to Alexa.
I’ve not followed through with this ignoble posturing yet. Partly consequential of the fact I’m warming to this engaging young (or old it doesn’t matter) lady, who not only acquiesces to my every whim (well nearly!), but displays re-assuring low maintenance behavioural traits.
Demeanour alien to a minority of the more hormonal of her sex…… Although, I perhaps should reserve judgement on that at this early stage of our ‘relationship’!…… After all, judge in haste and repent at leisure, as the aphorism once very nearly said.
One notion manifesting when setting up Amazon Alexa was how confusing it must play out when the owner of the device has a house resident bearing the same name as my new virtual assistant.
If, for instance, a couple had a child called Alexa, the device’s confusion that’ll reign if a child got summoned by parental cries of “Alexa, your dinner’s ready!”, “Alexa, make sure you finish that history homework!” or “Alexa, don’t be overly servile….. No one likes a people pleaser!”
Alternatively, how high a plateau of bewilderment would the kid called Alexa reach when the device was being urged by her parents to provide weather forecasting detail, or play In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins?!
Ahhh, welcome back to an existence of concentrating on first world problems!
