Brahms & Lists with Tony Blackburn
FACEBOOK has all sorts of daft stuff on it, like fill in a questionnaire to discover your true personality, and don’t be surprised if it says you are brilliant and witty.
It doesn’t want to alienate anyone by calling them stupid. Whacky and off-centre, are far more acceptable terms. Or it might tell you who you were in a previous life. Cleopatra is a favourite despite the asp that got her in the end. All right then, on her arm.
Then there is that ultimate challenge of six degrees of separation, where science suggested everyone in the world could be connected by six social contacts. This produced the off-shoot Hollywood game of six degrees of Kevin Bacon, which is too complicated to explain, but I can connect to the film star in only one contact.
He made a TV phone advert with Tony Blackburn, and me and Tone go back to 1970 when he switched on Blackpool Illuminations. I was covering the event and we chatted in the free bar at the Town Hall where I had far too many gin and tonics. He might even remember me because I was the chap who poured my last drink down my front when the Chief Constable asked what time it was and I looked at my watch. Or perhaps not.
The latest Facebook challenge that caught my attention, possibly in the hope of notoriety, is one that lists 20 things with the instruction to give yourself a point for every one you haven’t done.
Here’s the list: 1 skipped school, 2 broken a bone, 3 fired a gun, 4 taken drugs, 5 been in a limo, 6 had a tattoo, 7 ridden a horse, 8 sung karaoke, 9 got a ticket, 10 been arrested, 11 been zip lining, 12 been on TV, 13 been on a cruise, 14 had a piercing, 15 smoked, 16 met a celeb, 17 been skydiving, 18 had a one night stand, 19 been skinny dipping, 20 been drunk.
There are only five things on the list I haven’t done. And yes, I have been arrested, fired a gun and been skinny dipping. Is five a good number?
Or bad? To be fair, I am old. How many have you done?