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I am writing episode 4 of Relativity (and have just realised how near we are to the recording dates and got a bit scared) and it partly involved the grandfather character not being able to operate his devices and calling upon the younger generations to help him. It’s a scene that I think most of us will have been through and one that I have certainly observed in my own father, though he usually bothers my nephews when he’s confused about something or has inadvertently put his iPad on airplane mode or whatever.
He worked on the very early computers when he was at University, so he had some expertise in the subject, though obviously iPads are a bit less complex, which can make things harder for an expert (though I am not sure he’d remember how to programme those old 50s computers now).
Anyway, a surreal moment came when I got a call from dad. This is a rare enough thing to happen for me to assume something awful had happened. I ring my parents most weekends, but they tend to email me in the week if there’s anything urgent, which there hardly ever is. So I steeled myself for some terrible news.
But weirdly my dad started telling me that all his devices had stopped connecting to the internet and how was he going to solve this problem. Life sometimes imitates art, but rarely at the same time as you are writing it.
I am not the most technically adept person at the best of times, but having the issue poorly described over the phone made it impossible for me to help, beyond identifying that it’d probably be an issue with the hub and to check that the electricity was on and to try turning the hub on and off. Dad wanted to know what code I put into my computer when I came over, but I told him that it was unlikely that all his devices had simultaneously been wiped of that stored information and to try turning the hub on and off. It didn’t go well. Also I was furiously trying to remember what he was saying so I could put it in my script.
I told him how weird this was given the circumstances and he said, “Yes, well this is all good for you isn’t it? You write down what I say and make millions from it.” He had slightly over estimated the rate of pay for radio writers. I can only hope for a couple of hundred thousand pounds per half hour script.
That’s a joke by the way, literalists.
I couldn’t help dad, but it was nice of him to sense I was in trouble and help me. I am making most of the things up in this series of Relativity, except pretty much everything that Ken/Keith says and does. And when this project has made millions I will buy him an iPad with data inbuilt so this can never happen again.
Meanwhile I created some Cool Kids T shirts for the kickstarter backers who were prepared to shell out serious cash for RHLSTP. I think we can all agree they have made an art investment that will only accrue in value. Bet you wish you had one of these huh. Well Cheg on!
RHLSTP with Lou Sanders is now up on audio
itunes
