Blogging builds bridges
A final word about the Radio Festival. That, incidentally, is the famous Mathematical Bridge, which links both halves of Queens' College, astride the River Cam.
It was at a river-side drinks reception on the final evening of the festival that I met my fellow ´óÏó´«Ã½ blogger Jeff Zycinski, the head of Radio Scotland. Jeff is extremely good company and we compared notes on blogging and broadcasting. He gives me a name-check in his blog and suggests that I boasted about my page impressions 'in the most unseemly way'. 'Sadly', he continues, 'I did not have any facts at my disposal about the number of kindly souls who read this diary so naturally I just made them up.'
Clearly, I remember the incident differently; but, then, I was sober. I also remember Jeff telling me he saw his blog as the first draft of his memoirs, and we all know how reliable that genre of literature can be. In truth, though, I think he's still smarting from my innocent question about whether Zycinski is a highland or lowland clan.
Jeff's summary of the Festival is very entertaining -- especially his account of the session on comedy I mentioned earlier. He writes: ' 
The final day at the Radio Festival in Cambridge was all set to end with a few giggles and maybe a decent guffaw, but things didn't go quite to plan. The penultimate session was centred around the famous Cambridge Footlights, the university club that spawned talents such as John Cleese, Peter Cook and Rory McGrath.'
'Indeed Rory was there in the flesh and joined on stage by the current Footlights president Tom Sharpe (no, not the comic novelist, but a fresh-faced young student). The discussion got bogged down in notions of class and snobbery. I'm afraid young Tom rather lost the sympathy of the audience when he made reference to the "lower classes" After that his body language resembled that of a young boy trying to fold himself into invisibility.'
Worse was to come when we were treated to a live performance by one half of a comedy foursome called The Cowards. As we all waited for punchlines that never came I'm afraid I regressed into Glasgow Empire mode with an expression that colleagues told me was a mixture of bafflement and anger.
He wasn't alone in that reaction.
Comments
The blog as the first draft of one's Memoirs: to write about oneself in such a way that it is of genuine interest to others is difficult of accomplishment: one is more likely to turn into a bore. A statesman or a significant historian, as Edward Gibbon was, or a religious figure like Cardinal Newman has earned the right to autobigraphy. But those distinguished solely for their Memoirs are far between. In this alluring field, many feel called but only a few are chosen.