Loopholes

Hello there

I was once contacted by a TV company who were making a show about conspiracy theories.

This wouldn’t have been too long after the culmination of the final series of The ParaPod – “Conspiracies”, and they’d either heard it, or been told about it. Either way, they were checking my interest in appearing in their show.  I’ve no idea if it ever got made.

The premise was that people would espouse about their belief in certain conspiracy theories, and essentially “state their case”.  Then a panel of experts (and me) would dissect it.  Which – if truth be told – is always easy.  When you scratch the surface of most conspiracy theories, just a tiny bit, they tend to reveal themselves as paper thin in credibility. It doesn’t take much in the way of critical thinking to dismiss them.  Most people, if they take a breath and just listen, can do it easy.

Now, one of the reasons I said “Thank you but no thank you” was their insistence that nobody be mocked for believing in conspiracy theories.  So you weren’t allowed to call anybody an idiot who, say, thought lizards were in charge of the world , or that celebrities (many of whom would now be 100+ years old) were still alive.

Which would have been a bit of a test of my self-control, I’ll be honest.

Do you see me being understanding with somebody who is adamantly telling me that there are microchips being injected into people?  I’ve always felt the mollycoddling of dumb beliefs to be a very odd practise.  It’s always felt way to close to validation for me.  But hey, folk can deal with folk in whatever way they see fit.  Just never been for me to pat on the head and say, “that’s nice”.

Anyway, I’m off course, let me just steer this back.

So, this proposal came in, and I took the call with the production.  They didn’t sound super clear with what they wanted, but I agreed to speak with the producer the following week, already stating it was very unlikely I would agree to be involved if they wanted me.  As the week went on, the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was a waste of time even having the call, as I wouldn’t have done the job.  Similar to when I started refusing to go to castings for jobs I simply wouldn’t do.  So I didn’t do the call.  I think I might have just not answered it, which is a bit cowardly of me, but I was very busy making the film.

Which was the main reason I had no interest in doing it.  Not just the time constraints with what I was doing (I’m sure I’d have been able to fit it in really, after all I did build a full size C-3PO too in that period), but because I really didn’t want to compromise The ParaPod brand with it.  I was feeling very much like, if I am being Mr ContraryScepticalSensePants, then the place I do that is within the ParaPod.  At least until the film was out, and all the content contained within was no longer a big secret.

Also, and you may well think this is nonsense, but I’m telling you it’s true,  I’m not a contrary or argumentative person.  Not for the sake of it. I said that several times to various people in the making of the movie, who had taken a fighty stance of opposition before I’d even opened my mouth. If memory serves, there’s only me saying that with Carol from East Drive in the finished film (but there may be other examples).  Where I said something along the lines of “You know that I’m not just dismissing everything out of hand here, you know I do actually research this stuff?”.  Which is true.  It just is.  I’ve never been simply reactive with a Pavlovian scepticism.

So, I’ve got all these thought-out theories, and opinions (with evidence) of how my belief systems are structured.  All in stock, as it were. Admittedly, I don’t really believe in anything from the other side of the fence, but that’s not without listening carefully.

My original concept for The ParaPod was a more balanced argument, but that quickly went out of the window, and it became something very different (which I wouldn’t change, by the way – no complaints about that).  In a sense, there regularly wasn’t anything to “discuss”.  Some days, Barry talked for ten minutes, argued with himself, then said it was all nonsense, without me having to say a word. Again, totally engaging as a comedy podcast, and a fine diversion from the original concept. It became about daft trust in things being true without credible corroboration. Which isn’t the catchiest of blurbs, but that’s what it was ultimately about.

Recently, I was contacted again about some television things that related to the more esoteric field. Again, this came from them seeing/hearing/being told about The ParaPod, and a discussion began about something more akin to my original concept. Again, I voiced my conclusion that I would have no interest in being “in” something, but I am totally on board from a development place. It’s resulted in several co-pitched proposals, and some ideas I wouldn’t really have thought I would come up with.  What I have discovered, if I may borrow a phrase from elsewhere, is I am a very, very good ‘ideas man’.

There’s been a load of things go through, some of which came about from me picking up on a throwaway phrase and saying “well that’s actually a good idea” and it ending up a fully formed devised project in half an hour.  I don’t need to be showing off like this though, we all know I’m brilliant.  Right?  We do, don’t we?  Anyone?

In the development discussions, it kept coming back to that original concept though.  No doubt in part because I was being utilised a lot as a trouble shooter.  I was shining a light on loopholes in this esoterica (and I don’t even know if that’s a word, I bet its ‘esotericism’ or something like that), and that became one of my duties. Party pooper really.  I’m happy to have that on my office door as a job title though.

The format that had a fundamental of low-key sceptic in conversation with a low-key believer, was piquing interest.  A more balanced discussion, rather than a comedy argument.  I mean, none of those discussions can be without humour because, as we all know, I’m hilarious.  Right?  We do, don…etc

This then led to a (private) recording of a proof-of-concept, which I was actually in, and which did a successful job for its intended purpose.  I personally found it fascinating on many levels, but I would say that of course.  Just applying some of the campaign topics that I’d tried to hone in The ParaPod and beyond, over a broader landscape, in a conversation rather than a (pretend) row, with an academic, presented a really interesting dynamic.

Anyway, just thought I’d muse on it for your reading pleasure.

Oh, nearly forgot, I’ve got (another) imminent new podcast on the way.  There’s a music chap from across the seas back in the fold for it too.

Hope you are safe and sound, and your week is going all to plan in every way

Much love

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