Success in the Background

One of the things to come out of this whole virus lockdown thing is that everyone, even the media, has had to keep their distance. For television news this has meant interviewing politicians, academics and health professionals about the virus via the Internet, where viruses have a different meaning and (so far) can’t harm humans.

When the SARS outbreak occurred in 2003 such an option wasn’t available; Skype wasn’t first released until that year and the world (and the media) was yet to widely adopt video-calling technology. But today, even with the lockdown in place, the media can access anyone and everyone – experts and victims alike – at the press of a key. So far, so qwerty.

In normal circumstances experts and politicians would be invited into a studio for interviewing, or a reporter with camera operator would visit them at their workplace, but now the new norm is for the interviewees to talk to the journos via their own laptops. This means we as viewers are treated to sneak peeks of academics’ and other experts’ homes. Instead of a pristine studio backdrop, we get to glimpse the backgrounds of their everyday domesticity, and the scenery is varied to say the least, but a lot of what we see depends on how they’ve got their laptop set up.

Typically, many of those now working from home have their screen – and therefore its built-in camera – at a slight angle on their desk or worktable. This gives a very different image to that we’re used to of interviewees. Firstly, instead of being at eye level, now most of those interviewed appear to be looking down their noses at us, and, conversely we get an excellent view of their nostril hairs. More interestingly, behind them we can see some of their office/lounge/spare room ceiling and can admire their pelmets and light fittings.

But those whose screen tilt is more upright means we can take in more of the room – the furniture, drapes, mantelpiece, and – here’s what appears to be a common denominator among experts - their bookshelves. Many if not most of the specialists and academics interviewed during the pandemic have bookshelves in the background, often fitted, and filled choc-a-bloc with tomes which, infuriatingly, it’s usually impossible to read the titles of. I keep hoping to see a copy of ‘The Joy of Sex’ on a shelf behind a university vice-chancellor, or ‘The Andromeda Strain’ on the shelf of an NHS official.

But flippancy aside, the message I’m getting from this is that books and expertise, books and knowledge, books and authority, and perhaps most importantly, books and success go together. I’m not surprised by this – I’ve always held the belief that a household with books is a household of joy – but it’s nice to see it confirmed on screen via these people’s laptops, even if it is anecdotal.

It doesn’t automatically follow that success is wholly dependent on books filling your walls – the most successful kid in my fifth form went on to become a highly respected judge but he wouldn’t have a book in his house. He said he didn’t like ‘clutter’, and his house was bare; huge, but devoid of disorder. However, a sample of one is hardly conclusive evidence, and I put it to you ladies and gentlemen of the jury that his disdain of books reflected more a personal taste for clean lines and tidiness than anything else. But I could hardly rest my case on it.

Luckily, I don’t have to do extensive research to build an argument for books in the home – that’s already been done for me by many academics, including a trio of sociologists at the University of Nevada-Reno. In 2014 they published the findings of their research after analysing test scores from 42 different nations, which categorically showed a link between books in the home and academic success. The authors noted: ‘…the number of books in the family home exerts a strong influence on academic performance in ways consistent with the cognitive skill hypothesis, regardless of the nation's ideology, political history, or level of development.’

They acknowledged that some people theorise that the mere presence of books could skew gatekeepers’ markings and opinions towards the more positive end of the scale, but in their study they go on to demonstrate that books have a higher impact in less-advantaged home situations than those that could be described as elite.

The authors – Evans, Kelley and Sikora – note: ‘The gains are not equally great across the entire cultural hierarchy. They are larger at the bottom, far below elite level. Each additional book has a greater impact on the performance of someone who only has a small home library than it does on the performance of someone from a home overflowing with books.’

Many other studies have backed up these findings, and now – bizarrely thanks to a global pandemic – we are being treated to further evidence on our screens on a nightly basis. Seeing academics’ and experts’ bookshelves in the background is not only encouraging, it speaks volumes.

           

The End of the World (as we know it)

Yay! Covid-19 party time! Lots of socialising, drinks, laughter, sunshine. Yes, all of that actually, though still with guests maintaining a safe two-metre distance from each other. Between you, me and the garden fence, there was also er, a garden fence or two.

See, last Sunday, with the weather predicted to be sunny with a high of 20 degrees Celsius, we decided it was time to hold a garden party to stave off the incarceration blues. Luckily, we have neighbours either side also with gardens, so the aim was to have three garden parties at once, and chat over the fences, though avoiding clinking glasses with each other. In short, it was an outdoor, government disapproved-of gathering, except it didn't break any of the lockdown rules. Hugs were virtual, kisses were in the air. I carried a broom to ensure others were at a safe remove.

Sunbathers will be arrested!

I realise not everyone has the benefit of a garden, and we're thankful that we have a small patch of grass on which to sit, lie, and - later in the afternoon - stumble and collapse on. It also helped that both fences are low, so chatting to the neighbours was easy. And this was on the same day that health secretary Hatt Mancock had said that if we all didn't behave ourselves and stay at home the government would introduce more drastic lockdown powers and take away the right to exercise outside. Bollocks to that we all said and filled our glasses.

I'd like to bet Hancock has a garden in which to sunbathe and ease the cares of his undoubtedly busy days. He certainly won't be out of a job either. But it seemed to me that this business of saying 'behave or else' is nothing short of blackmail: 'Stay indoors, don't go to the park or beach, do not sunbathe, or else granny gets it' was the metaphorical message, delivered in random letters cut out of the Conservative manifesto and glued to the back of an old 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster.

Wouldn't it have been better for the government (I hate the way that word starts with 'gove'...) to simply say, if you have a garden use it for sunbathing and exercise during the fine weather and don't go to a public space. If you don't have a garden or even a balcony, you can go to a public area for exercise but you must maintain social distancing as already recommended'? Yes it would. No need for discussion.

The shape of things to come?

That way, everybody gets their dose of rays and vitamin D appropriately. As we sat or stood in our gardens having this very conversation, we couldn't understand how we - three urban couples with none of us working in Number 10 (not weird enough to be on Dom's recruitment list. Ed.) - could develop a 'sunshine policy' of such wisdom while all the government could think of doing was waving a big stick and shouting.

From the speakers on the balcony songs were playing from a 'Covid-19 Playlist' we'd developed. Each song title had something to do with incarceration, escape, illness, or predictions of doom, and included such gems as 'Don't Stand So Close to Me', 'You Can't Always Get What You Want', and 'Take My Breath Away'. We discovered that the Rolling Stones even have a song called 'Ventilator Blues' - who knew?? (The full playlist is attached at the end of this piece should you want to use it)

We swapped isolation stories, shopping stories, talked about what we'd been eating, had stocks of (wine!) or were short of. Working from home experiences were also shared (another glass darling?), and there was talk of how much weight we'd all been putting on despite the exercise. Oh, and I'm fairly sure we touched on the collapse of civilisation as R.E.M.'s 'It's the End of the World as We Know It' streamed in the background.

Aftermath. Oh the humanity!

There were differing opinions as to whether we were facing the final countdown or that we were on the eve of destruction, but we all agreed there was something in the air and that we wanted to break free. Was a virus ever as toe-tapping and singalong as this?

Okay yes I'm being somewhat flippant, and you might argue that given the circumstance this isn't the time nor the place for jest, but there has been humour somewhere every time there's been adversity. I say this as a certain fact and without having done extensive research to prove it, but in both the world wars (to date) soldiers and the civilians left behind minding the shop made up songs and ditties, joked about the Bosch or Hitler, and, well, in the end you've gotta laugh or you'd go mad.

Our garden party was as much an act of defiance against the virus as anything else, and assuming Boris and the Cabinet aren't planning to instigate police shoot-to-kill policies against any and all revellers, there will be other social events. When this virus is knocked on the head the nation will hold the mother of all parties, and this time there will be hugging, kissing and backslapping up close and personal. There will be singing. All together now: 'We Are The Champions My Friend...'

The Covid-19 Playlist (in no particular order)

Oxygene pt 4 - Jean-Michel Jarre
The air that I breathe - Hollies
Take my breath away - Berlin
Don't stand so close to me - The Police
I will survive - Gloria Gaynor
Doctor doctor - Thompson Twins
Bad case of loving you - Robert Palmer
Fever - Elvis
Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire
Dust in the wind - Kansas
Road to nowhere - Talking Heads
Isolation - Joy Division
Climbing up the walls - Radiohead
It's the end of the world as we know it - R.E.M.
Waiting for the end of the world - Elvis Costello
Anarchy in the UK - sex pistols
Counting flowers on the wall - Peggy Lee
I want to break free - Queen
We Gotta get out of this place - The Animals
All along the watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
Stayin' alive - Bee Gees
The final countdown - Europe
Downtown - Petula Clark
Disease - Matchbox 20
All by myself - Eric Carmen (but lots of covers)
Just the two of us - Bill Withers
Unchain my heart - Joe Cocker
Help - The Beatles
We are family - Sister Sledge
Sick as a dog - Aerosmith
Set me free - The Kinks
Things can only get better - d:ream
Ventilator Blues - Rolling Stones (seriously! Who knew?!)
Something in the air - David Bowie
Get off of my cloud - Rolling Stones
You can't always get what you want - Rolling Stones
...and, because our house is wedged between the neighbours... Stuck in the Middle with You - Stealer's Wheel 

78 Days Later

Okay I’ll admit it: I’m a fan of the apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic movie genres. But there’s a certain irony in the fact that movie directors seeking to portray deserted cities – streets empty of humans and vehicles, silence where there was once noise, emptiness where bustle used to be – now have perfect film sets in nearly every city in the UK, except of course all shooting is on hold due to Covid-19.

No zombies, yet

Movies such as 28 Days Later and their like often have to shoot such scenes at 4.30 in the morning in summer when there’s enough daylight for filming but hardly any traffic or people. The window of opportunity is a narrow one. Alternatively they arrange for roads to be closed (in 28 Days Later they even organised traffic police to arrange a ‘rolling stop’ on the M1 in both directions so they could shoot a lone taxi driving north without having to overtake anything but its own shadow).

But it’s the main news bulletins rather than the big screens now showing deserted streets (or not, in the case of those defying health advice and still congregating), empty stations and trains, and closed pubs and restaurants, and disturbingly of course these scenes are real.

Usually standing-room only

You can be sure though there are already documentary makers out there, recording the empty roads for later use in the look-backs and investigations into how Coronavirus affected the population and how the government handled it. News footage too will be used for illustration, and there’s certainly no shortage of that - the media is having a field day. Come January 11 next year – one year exactly after the first Covid-19 death was recorded in China – our screens will be infected with Coronavirus documentaries.

So here’s a thing: why not make your own doco? This coming Friday it will be 78 days after that initial Covid-19 death, and although it’s an artifice, 78 Days Later seems as good a time as any to begin recording what you and your family is doing in these uncertain and unprecedented times. Think of it as a sort of war diary, only without the conflict (yet).

There have of course already been wartime memes – cartoons showing children asking

Image: Wikimedia Commons

their father ‘what he did in the virus’ and referring to his stockpile of loo paper etc. – but the analogy with World War 2 is a genuine one. Liz and I decided on Saturday to walk to our local butcher and show our support, only to find a queue of around 20 people outside. The only thing missing was the ration books, but hey, early days.

As you know, supermarkets and other retails stores are already rationing the amounts people can buy as a response to greedy hoarders stripping the shelves of everything. Social media is now awash with ideas for how to manage self-isolation, what to cook, how to make do and mend. Colleagues of Liz’s who luckily have some land available have just bought hens for their egg-laying.

Supermarket and local shop rationing

All of these are genuine stories, responses to adversity, but never has society had so many options at its fingertips for recording such a particular moment in history. Whether it’s a phone camera, tablet, a camcorder, a sports GoPro, or even a humble tape recorder (and let’s not forget the written word too), this unique time begs to be filmed, noted, captured and retold again and again. And in this technologically-advanced age, anyone and everyone can do it.

So don’t wait for the professionals to bring out their productions 378 days later. Be part of it yourself, now. Tell your story and share it. We are ordinary people living through extraordinary times. This is history in the making.

How to Conduct an Interview

It may be that rather than simply record your own version of events, you want to capture the feelings and experiences of those around you (maintaining appropriate social distancing of course). In this scenario you might find yourself doing an interview, either face to face or, more safely, over the phone or a video link.

Having formerly worked in broadcasting for many years I know there are many ways to conduct an interview but I’m going to touch on just two; one is a favourite of mine which I simply call The Conversation, and the second is a more established method. Either will give your recording that professional edge.

The Conversation Interview

In order to elicit the information and emotions of whoever you’re interviewing, you need, in principle, only one formal question, and that’s the first one. In fact it’s not so much a question as a request, and in this case it is: ‘Tell me about how the Coronavirus is affecting you and those around you…’

This is deliberately open-ended designed to allow the interviewee to answer as they see fit. What you need to do is actively listen to their answers so that you can follow up accordingly just as you would in a normal conversation. For example, if they say something like, ‘The virus has completely changed everything in my life’ and then they stop, you need to ask ‘How?’, and let them continue.

Also, there’s nothing wrong with expressing your own reactions to what your interviewee says. If for example they reveal something surprising, it’s perfectly fine to respond with ‘Really?’ or ‘Wow’, but use these sparingly. As an interviewer your job is to draw out the story rather than be part of it, unless you’re recording yourself in a memoir scenario.

Your keyword friends in the conversation interview are the journalist’s staple: who, where, why, what, when, and how. These form the basis of all news stories. They also form the basis for the more conventional interview…

The Conventional Interview

In this scenario you prepare a list of questions that you know you want specific answers to, and which ensure you cover the topic both broadly as well as in detail.

So, applying these in an interview situation means asking such things as:

• Who among your family and friends were affected?
• How did it affect them?
• Where were they at the time?
• Why did it have such a big impact?
• What did you/they do?
• When did you realise that this was really serious?

…and so on. Obviously you can also use the ‘Tell me about…’ lead.

But the main thing is that you still have to actively listen to the answers and follow up on them, especially where they take you by surprise. Don’t become a slave to the list of questions you prepared. Ultimately you represent the people who are watching or listening to your interview, so be aware of your own emotions and respond accordingly.

That's it in a nutshell. Here are a couple of tips too:

Top Tip 1: Avoid asking too many closed-ended questions such as, ‘Was that terrifying?’ because it begs just a short answer. If all they say is ‘Yes’, then you are duty-bound to follow it up with, ‘How?’, so it’s better to give them a bigger canvas to work with and use a question framed as, ‘Many people must have found the situation terrifying; how was it for you?’

Top Tip 2: Avoid grunting, saying ‘uh-huh’, and verbalising your agreement or encouragement as it can be really distracting for the listener or viewer, especially if it’s a video situation and you’re off-camera. If you need to encourage your interviewee, use facial signals and body language: nod your head in encouragement, smile as appropriate, raise your eyebrows, shake your head in disbelief - all of these are silent yet effective means of encouraging your subject.

Good luck, and don't forget to share your stories!

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