The Culture Diaries - Mike French

Mike is the owner and senior editor of The View From Here literary magazine, he also enjoys painting, watching Formula 1, eating Ben & Jerry's icecream and listening to Noah and the Whale. His second novel, Blue Friday is now completed and he is starting work on his third novel. For the last ten years Mike has been a “home dad” after giving up his job in optical engineering to look after the kids full time – much of his first novel,  The Ascent of Isaac Steward was written during their afternoon naps!
The Ascent of Isaac Steward is available at Amazon
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Saturday

Had to listen to Madagascar’s version of Reel 2 Real’s  I Like to Move it, four times on the way to dropping my kid off at gymnastics – and then on the way back ( after my cultural immersion in Tesco for over an hour which is what the whole world will be like in ten years time) listened to Rihanna’s Man Down on my kids favourite radio station Diverse FM. The song which has a police siren looping in the background had me glancing in my mirror all the way home.

After a quick lunch I popped into a workshop run by A Thin Place.  Interesting to hear about the impact on society of the arts and the benefit of working collectively as artists instead of just promoting your own work all the time. My favourite bit being a temporary pop up art gallery that they do in people’s houses – makes a difference from the massive plasma screen that often assaults you as you walk into people’s lounges – my theory being the smaller the lounge the larger the plasma.

All that of course was just a warm up for the high point of my cultural day:  X Factor and the last episode of Dr Who.  X factor is of course the temporary pop up gallery of the music world and my indulgence in nonsense that annoyingly my brain seems to enjoy, and Doctor Who – well the rest of the family loved it, and you know it was okay, but not a patch of the emotional punches that Russell Davies used to deliver. Wife cooked a massive batch of dropped scones- Yum.

Sunday

Saturday was busy wasn’t it?  Sunday less so.  Kind of an echo of Saturday but more chilled.  As I guess it should be.  So a bit more X factor, ITV’s Downton Abbey instead of Doctor Who.  Wife cooked biscuits and cake –Yum.  Zoomed in and out of the world with my daughter on Google Maps.

Monday

A day at The View From Here office with Dog the plant and watching Wacky Races after an impromptu name all the characters in Wacky races competition.  I lost after only getting Dick Dastardly, Muttley, the Anthill Mob and Penelope Pitstop.   Edited a review of The Generation Game by Sophie Duffy that came in from one of our reviewers, before playing hoopla with a roll of sellotape and a plastic cup ( other sticky tapes are available ).  Carried on with a final edit of my second novel, Blue Friday looking in Strunk & Whites The Elements of Style to check my use of colons.  Later kids, tea, a bit of writing for Blue Friday adding in a scene then An Idiot Abroad 2 on Sky with Karl Pilkington.  Best bit by far was watching Karl get buried alive in a grave by a healer working with nature.  Once buried and breathing through a tube he complained, ‘This is one of those things they tell you not to try at home, innit … but then why is it alright for me to do it?’

Tuesday

My ipod despite being in shuffle mode refused to play anything else but New Order on my walk back with the dog from the school run.  At the office again with the window open and my shorts on – I mean what the heck is going on with the weather?  Not that I’m complaining.  As usual I can hear the sound of police sirens, its lovely here: such a creative atmosphere!  Finished final polish of Blue Friday, posted up on The View From Here the review of Sophie Duffy’s book. In the evening I read to my son We’re All Going On A Bear Hunt.  Finished off the day watching David Hasselhoff host Never Mind the Buzzocks which was like being shouted at in a lift in a mildly annoying way that left you wanting bad things to happen to that man in the lift shouting at you in a mildy annoying way.  

Wednesday

Lost the shorts today as the temperature returns to normal and constructed a Dyson bladeless fan out of a polystyrene cup and a roll of sellotape. It didn’t work. In the afternoon I put up details on our site of The Luton Book Festival that we’re running with Luton Library and then in the evening read a bit of George Orwell’s 1984. Interesting to get into that book again, bleak but brilliant but damn it why did I buy the complete works of George Orwell? What a fool!  It’s the weight of a brick, almost impossible to read because of the size of the thing and obviously meant to just sit on your bookshelf.

Thursday

On the shuffle this morning, Lose Control by James, Climbing up the Wall by Radiohead, Only Martha Knows (from the Doctor Who soundtrack – yes, really) and Europe by Train by The Divine Comedy finishing off with The Certainty of Chance again by The Divine Comedy.  Spent the morning at The Hat Factory in Luton talking through ways to help the town have more of a cultural identity and cohesion between the different art organisations. In the evening watched QI on the TV – favourite bit was about Albert Gunter who in 1952 made a split decision to jump the gap between the rising sections of London Bridge in his double decker bus – Albert received £10 for his efforts – his conductor received a broken leg, his twelve passengers: minor injuries and the bus a broken spring. 

Friday

Finished the whole week off with the cultural high of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy which I watched with my mate whilst enjoying a few beers and plenty of crisps.  Despite being an avid listener to the radio series, he’d never seen the TV version or film, so introduced him to the marvel of moving pictures.  My favourite moment: the conversion, by the Infinite Improbability Drive, of two thermonuclear missiles attacking The Heart of Gold into a sperm whale. ‘What’s this thing coming to me very fast? Ground.  That’s it ground!’  SPLAT.