Wed 28th Jan 2009

My nerdy temperament is exponentially increasing by the day. I have now joined the world of podcasting. You can click here to download the first episode right now – providing I’ve done it right. You may feel a bit hesitant about downloading a random link from a random website for fear that it might contain virus or something. I know I would. For an increasing nerdy yet still essentially technophobic paranoid like me, downloading files is very much like inviting a stray dog into your home – in theory it should be rewarding, but you can never be too sure that the canine won’t end up biting your face off. There’s got to be a reason why no-one wants to house it. Let me assure you though, the file is perfectly fine. I have downloaded it myself and my computer still seems to be functioning well enough to be writing this blog to you now. But in case you are still worried, I have also been reassuringly vetted by iTunes, who also seem willing to house my stray dog of a podcast. Lots of people moan about the strangle-hold monopoly that the mighty iTunes has on the download market. You can be as cynical as you like, but at least with international corporations, you can’t but help feel a reassuring sense of trust with their products. Nestle may allegedly have dubious ethics as regards to powdered milk (and is often rightfully boycotted), but have you really ever had a bad glass of Nesquick?

At the risk of sounding like a naïve old uncle being shown this ‘new fangled interweb whatchamathing’ for the first time, I find it both mind-boggling and immensely amusing that my dour, monotonous West Midlands drone can now literally be heard anywhere in the world. Even more inexplicable is that one of my favourite songwriters offered to donate some ace compositions to my growing mid-life crisis vanity project - presumably an altruistic act for the good of mankind, making the listening experience miles less excruciating. And fortunately (for his reputation), I well imagine this unprecedented international audience of potential listeners are very much likely to remain in the category of potential listeners. Nevertheless, having one of your favourite ever songwriters offering their compositions is an immensely humbling privilege. Thankfully, I don’t think he’d seen the film ‘Misery’ at the time he politely humored my casual collaborative suggestion.

So let me emphasize - it’s worth downloading for the music alone. And who knows, maybe people out there might love hearing curmudgeonly grumblings of a pedantic neurotic, delivered straight to their ears in a dour, monotonous West Midlands drone. Time will tell. If you now happen to see ‘Days of Enlightenment’ unexpectedly hurtling up the iTunes chart, we’ll all realise just how big the market for this sort of thing actually is.