Have you ever been watching television and out of the blueyou catch a line of dialogue or a theme, and then suddenly you’re thinkingabout the programme in a completely different way? That happened twice for mein the past week.

 

The first time I was watching a documentary about TheHollies on Sky Arts. I’m a bit of a fan anyway but I didn’t know much aboutthem, except that Graham Nash left the group – and his old life – to travel toCalifornia where he joined David Crosby and Stephen Stills and form theireponymous super group.

 

Long story short, Nash wanted to be more experimental whilethe rest of the group preferred sticking to a successful formula as a pop groupwith incredible harmonies. Despite Nash’s departure marking the beginning ofthe end, during this period they released their two most celebrated tracks: He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother and The Air That I Breathe,

 

The lightbulb moment, as I saw it, is that they knew whatthey were good at and were happy to carry on with it. They weren’t trying to besomething different for the sake of it, and that holds true for Graham Nash aswell. We all have our own star to follow.

 

The second flicker of light came while flicking through thechannels in that way that makes my partner want to confiscate the remotecontrol. I landed on an episode of Goggleboxand the ‘audience’ were watching the singer Jane MacDonald put on a show. I say‘watching’ but taking the piss from the comfort of their comfy chairs, whileeating the takeaways that the TV company pay for, might be more accurate. I’mnot familiar with Jane’s work, and I’m no musical critic, but her voice seemed goodto me. There might have been a wobble or two in her live show but certainlyfewer than The Hollies’ live performances.

 

I watched the gogglers, watching Jane, and it seemed to sumup everything that’s wrong with social media. We can easily become armchaircritics, puffed up by our self-importance, failing to recognise that it takeshard work and determination to make something and to put yourself and your workout there. Of course, there’s not much of a TV format in that.

 

Why does any of this matter? In fact, does any of it matter?

 

Well, it does if you want it to. Authenticity is bandiedabout in the creative arts (and beyond) as if it were a cure-all for guaranteedpersonal fulfilment, sales and success. Being who we are is really only thebeginning. It gives us clarity about what we want to offer and then we canthink about how to develop it and present it to its best effect.

 

The Hollies remind us that talent has its own lines of leastresistance. That when we understand what we do well it’s easier to do that verything and to own it. Gogglebox reminds us that not every critic comes from aplace of understanding or knowledge. Sometimes they’re being deliberatelyprovocative because that’s the role they’ve taken on, or that is their skill. Like a toddler who can’tbuild a tower of blocks but is happy to knock over yours, again and again.

 

Speaking of TV, have you checked out the site TV Heaven for a celebration of programmes past and present? Here's one of my contributions:

https://televisionheaven.co.uk/articles/downbeat-endings

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I write British spy thrillers and crime mysteries. You canfind them here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B0034ORY08

 

I am also a freelance writer and comms specialist.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/professionalwriter1/

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