Ah, it was good to have some laughs today. I can take myself too seriously.
The cause of the laughter? Finding some new websites which appeal to my sense of the ridiculous. Try this one - http://www.theonion.com/content/video/sony_releases_new_stupid_piece_of
Parental warning though - it does contain lots of f**king bad language.
In a previous life I worked as a film editor at a commercial TV station. I started off in the news department, cutting together stories to meet the daily deadline. A good way to learn the trade quickly. Despite the last-minute shitfights to get the lead story to air on time, there was a tremendous team spirit in the newsroom. This was in the days when local news stories were still shot on 16mm film stock, no video.
Then I worked in a newly-formed documentary unit as the lead editor. This was probably the highlight of my working life. I just loved it. I had a lot of autonomy and got along well with the various producers I worked with. This was in the late 1970s and early/mid 1980s.
Watching someone edit a story is about as exciting as watching paint dry, but if you are the one doing the editing, and you enjoy the process, it is totally absorbing. The idea of combining vision and various audio tracks to tell a story is something I loved doing. During the 2 years or so of the doco unit's existence, I was editing about 1 one hour documentary a month. This is quite a workload, but it was terrific. Included was a series of 13 docos in the lead up to the Los Angeles Olympics.
I was also in charge of the annual Christmas reel. This is a collection of bloopers and other embarrassing moments, which had been carefully kept by some deviant soul - me - who would then turn them into spoof stories, or set them to music. This would then be aired for the first time at the annual Christmas party. This was in the days before blooper shows were seen by the public, and were, in any event, much too naughty to be aired commercially. Great fun was had by all.
So, I've always enjoyed stories which are told using film and sound. I especially like the irreverent ones, when they are well written, acted and presented. If the link above doesn't make you laugh, then we are on very different wavelengths.
It's been so long since I've had a really good bellylaugh, that I was initially a bit concerned. The thought crossed my mind that I might wind up having a heart attack. I held my breath, my face went red, then this strange guffaw came out of my mouth - quite strange really. I suppose that laughing takes some getting used to.
Years ago I remember hearing about these Laughter Clubs, which I think were started by an Indian man. A place for people to get together and laugh. This might sound insane, but I suspect that this man is a genius. The idea is that you join in with other people and you try to laugh. OK, to start with this might be hard or impossible, so you fake it. You pretend to laugh. You keep faking it for as long as it takes. Eventually some emotion will rise up. Perhaps it will be fear, anger, sadness, maybe joy. Whatever it is, it's a good thing to let it out. Chemical reactions start happening in your brain and body. You might even consider it a form of cardiovascular exercise. At the end of 15-20 minutes, I'd imagine you would feel quite exhausted.
No drugs, no how-to books, no gurus. Just a group of people, getting together and sharing some wordless emotions. I like the sound of it. I should probably join.
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