Late Nights

“I think it’s 148”, the first bloke said. He was followed by Maria who had called in earlier with the wrong answer. This time, however, she was absolutely convinced “the answer is 31”. And just now a bloke has declared emphatically “it’s 4”. Obviously it’s either far too cryptic or far too late, or maybe the audience is far too stupid, but no one seems able to answer what appears to be a fairly simple math problem currently on late night television.

Actually I think it’s probably the late factor more than anything. And I guess I should be in bed too. I mean, late night quiz programs on free-to-air television are surely a sign you’ve been awake far too long.

For me, the problem was that I came home from work, had a couple of wines with a friend at the pub early in the evening, ate some dinner, and then went to bed. Hours later, I woke up. Wide awake. I mean really wide awake. And hopping on the internet hasn’t helped me get back to sleep, I guess.

So here I am watching Millsy, who is obviously taking part in Movember. Unfortunately, the combination of the school uniform (I guess it’s Schoolies Week) and the very poor excuse for a moustache he has, makes him look like a fourteen year old with bum fluff. Millsy just described it as “something more than just a cappuccino stain”. Heehhehee. See, even that seemed funny this late at night…

But it’s the weekend, and aside from voting, going to a late afternoon drinks party, and then watching the election on television, I don’t have all that much planned.

And besides it’s my second late night in a row. Last night was unintentional though, as Mark and I went to The Basement for what we thought was a fairly early show.

On this occasion it was Mr Percival supported by comedian Tommy Deane we were there to see. I’ve been aware of Mr Percival’s work as a “one man band” for several months now. Relying on a series of sampling and delay machines, he records acapella vocal work which he then loops and sings over the top of. It’s amazing to watch, especially as he appears to ad lib his way throughout it all, often taking on board recommendations and vocal contributions from the audience. Tremendous stuff.

He’s also really into “community singing” and he’s one of those people who can get the audience to sing along without all of those embarrassing feelings which are so common.

As I looked around the room I saw many happy faces. Really happy faces. I also noted how “white folk” always dance with their heads (like a wine bladder on a stick), as opposed to “black folk” who tend to dance with their hips.

He’s a big fan of 60s and 70s black soul music and loves to sing. Really loves to sing. And that’s the only criticism I have of last night’s show, that it went on for too long. Although I know we could have left earlier (I think that’s rude), we stayed until the end. 12.40am. I missed the last bus by 40 minutes. I was tired. And when I woke up this morning I was a little grumpy. Bloody late nights.