Brief Fame and VE day

It was US artist Andy Warhol who made the much quoted remark” soon everyone will be famous for 15 minutes”. Well if appearing on TV is fame then my moment didn’t last much more than 15 seconds. Andy Warhol was a great self publicist and became as famous for his gnomic remarks as for his art. For anybody who doesn’t recognise his name he was the multiple Campbell soup cans guy.

My TV appearance came about in a curious way. Through my Millennium celebrations involvement I knew the Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator. One day she phoned me up to say she had been asked to talk a bit about crime and crime prevention on TV and she was reluctant herself but would I do it. I agreed and a TV producer phoned me. After desultory talk about crime he asked my opinion on decriminalising cannabis use. I said I was in favour. He expressed great surprise saying this was an unusual view from someone of my age and background. ( he obviously had found out about me before phoning ) He then asked if I would be prepared to restate my view on a local TV programme “ It’s my shout”. Having agreed I duly turned up at local stately home for filming.

I had established that “It’s your shout” was a sort of local “Any questions” with a panel discussing a topic then views from the floor. I was very taken aback to meet the producer accompanied by his personal assistant who I found was a near neighbour. Meeting people out of the context where you know them is always disconcerting so I was doubly thrown because the producer was blind. It turned out his PA was his eyes.  I was shown to a seat next to a couple of very hippy types. We were the pro legalisation group of speakers. It was all very choreographed with the introducer coming up to say she would bring the microphone to me when the panel had finished their say.

The panel of four contained Menzies Campbell ( a veteran Liberal MP, later party leader); Geoff Hoon ( Labour defence minister ) and two others, one of whom  was a Conservative shadow minister ( I half recall it was Teresa May .but evidently she didn’t make much impact on me at the time )

The first topic was about insurance companies access to individual genetic information and then on to cannabis. As I recall the panel were unanimously in favour of maintaining criminal penalties. Then on to me. I said first decriminalising takes the supply and distribution of cannabis out of criminal hands and secondly it removes the “forbidden fruit” attraction to young people. The introducer then passed on to ask the hippies but reposing the question in a way they fumbled to articulate an answer. And then it was all over.

Some days later they sent me a tape of my contribution. Lacking a tape player these days I haven’t replayed it in years but I’m sure I still have it somewhere. Of course I had seen myself on closed circuit tape before. I thought again, as I thought before, how different my voice sounds from what I imagine. We literally can’t hear ourselves because to our own ears we hear largely by bone conduction through the skull rather than via the air as with other people. I’m always rather disappointed because I have a slight but  noticeable “Brummie” accent.

This accent has been an issue for me all my life. I’m not a Brummie, was brought up 25 miles away, have never lived there and I resent the tag. Nevertheless wherever I go I get the label ( or accusation ) which I don’t like. I was very aware that in class conscious Britain to be instantly labelled a Brummie was detrimental. I sought a neutral accent and I thought that I had largely achieved it but of course I couldn’t hear myself.

V E day

For those too young to know Victory in Europe day on May 8 1945 was held to celebrate the ending of WW11 in Europe ( the war against Japan went on until August ). I think I remember V E day but I’m just not sure. I would have nearly 3 and in a hazy snapshot of memory I was looking out over Tamworth’s Castle grounds.  I was by the bandstand above the  sharp rise looking at fireworks in the grounds. I was with my parents and I think also with Aunt Rene and Uncle Phil. I’d like to think it was V E day but it could have been later at Tamworth’s annual carnival.

I rather missed out on the 50^th anniversary celebrations. I did visit my parents just as their street party was ending on the Sunday. On the following day, having travelled back to Oxford for work the day after, I went for a walk with Frances. I felt envious at all the folks having various festivities as we passed by. I have heard about the street party in our village which was apparently a huge success and is still talked about.

Was I at the original? I’m just not sure.