Robert in lockdown!
Picture the scene: enforced self-isolation due to the coronavirus has caused the Park Bar to move its pub quiz to Facebook and Donnie ‘Maroot’ MacLeod is presenting it from quarantine in his Kelvingrove kitchen.
I find myself part of a virtual team (connected via video link) and consisting of three girls in Tobermory, one boy in Benderloch, and one boy in Tiree. Teams from all over the country (and further afield), all connected via social media, are commenting their scores for each round in the comments section of the video. We’ve had a geography round, a music round, and my team are in with a shout of the prizes. Onto the history round.
After a brief fall-out over whether Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Moidart or Eriskay, we were doing just fine. The boy from Tiree (who shall remain nameless but who plays the accordion in Trail West and owns a gin distillery), had hitherto spent most of the quiz asleep on his couch. ‘In what war was the battle of Balaclava fought?’ asked Donnie from the screen – the legendary voice of Donald Macrae accompanying him from his Alexa. Those of us in the team who were still awake scratched our heads. Our man from Tiree rose immediately from his slumbers and shouted: ‘The Crimean war!’ and fell back asleep as suddenly as he had awakened. It was a coronavirus miracle!
The Park Bar quiz was one tremendous example of people coming together through social media to get through this strange period. Many did so via a great new app called House Party. It works by allowing you to video call your contacts and your call will then be visible to other contacts who may want to jump in and join you.
On Friday and Saturday evenings last week, I sat chatting to friends in Fort William, Oban, Tiree, Mull, Inverness, Uist and even one in China! All from our own self-isolation. We were all able to share a beer together just as if we were in the Park Bar itself.
I know a couple of girls who actually looked out a nice dress and did their make-up and hair just to go on the app! And I know a couple of lads who woke up in bed on Sunday morning with no recollection of having come home from the kitchen! So much for using this lockdown to get fit and healthy.
People are finding ways to get through this difficult period and social media is certainly a great help. Musicians playing live from their living rooms are experiencing greater social media interaction than ever before. A live video I did from our Tide Lines page managed to raise more than £6,000 last week for the Simon Community in Glasgow, thanks to the generosity of our fans. It was a stark reminder that, while we all complain about having to stay indoors, we must, of course, be thankful that we have somewhere to isolate because a great many people don’t.