static electricity
Television is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time, and yet remain lonesome. – T.S. Elliot
I was becoming too dependent on my beloved cable box. This point was driven home today when it abruptly died. I went through the usual cycle of grief that allowed me to believe that this couldn’t possibly be happening. Like Naomi Campbell after Versace’s death, I was preoccupied with how this might affect my future plans. Lo and behold, the boob tube went bust and I will have to make other arrangements for entertainment. Of course, TV is another addiction that I can add to my portfolio of bad behavior. But the idiot box takes on new significance when you live alone. As pathetic as it might sound, TV can keep you company. It is a fifth wall and a second window. Although it pales in comparison to the Internet, it does have the advantage of being a one-way broadcast. After a long day in the urban jungle, you are not always in the mood to be interactive. Sometimes, you prefer to sit and stare in a vegetative state. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I am always annoyed when I meet someone who is proud of the fact that he doesn’t own a television. And he wears it like a badge of honor. If that is your personal choice, that’s fine. But don’t be condescending about my extracurricular activity. Although I admit that I can be a snob regarding the viewing choices of others. I was horrified to discover that my co-worker Tivos Live with Regis and Kelly. But I used to plan my schedule to catch ABC daytime, so who am I to judge? And I do go through periods where I avoid the networks like the plague. I certainly could not be bothered to slow down my social calender in the early 90’s to accommodate this device. But I have learned to love this invention. And I will miss it’s presence in my apartment for the next few days. Perhaps it will give me the impetus to accomplish great things in it’s absence. Or maybe I might just be watching the wheels go by. I will survive! None of this has anything to do with our next video. Except the fact that the title of the song reminds me of my telly habit as a teenager. It’s probably a bad idea to become so attached to an inanimate object. I used to have a tantrum if my mother was unable to drive me home in time for 90210. I never said that I wasn’t a brat. But my father did ridicule me for using TV as a magic carpet ride to fantasyland. But if you are going to pick your poison, the dangers of the console are fairly benign. Couch potatoes of the world, unite and takeover!
