I’ve talked in previous blogs about my need for a hobby. Growing up I had loads; fossil collecting, bird watching, owl pellet collecting (that was weird), I drew and illustrated comics, I was a private detective for a while (I was convinced I could catch the Yorkshire Ripper but after a while I scaled it down to searching for a friends bike) and I actually had my own radio show (aged 10 on a cassette, interviewing my mates who pretended to be famous footballers) and I spent a hell of lot of time miming to Queen and Freddie Mercury. And this was all over one weekend.
Growing up and heading in to my twenties, hobbies petered out under the strain of working and ‘socialising.’ I did the average stuff; go and watch a band, go to the cinema, dance naked around the house but I didn’t really have a passion and something that really took me away from my daily routine and something that I could be really enthusiastic about.
When I hit my thirties, I decided I wanted to work in radio and TV and so all my spare time was spent pursuing that, whilst trying to hold the day job in social care. My media dream was like a hobby but I was so determined to make it a career, it felt like work and it was. I worked bloody hard during that period, so I had no time to go train spotting or do a pottery class. I was just fully focused on the end goal.
Anyway, so now I’m messing about on the radio and telly and getting paid for it, I think it’s time to find a hobby and I feel like I’ve found it; collecting vinyl. Actually go and buy a record player and some vinyl. And then collect a lot of it. Start small, buy all the classic albums; Beatles, Stones, Led Zep, Bowie, Queen (obviously) but then gradually build up and buy any old thing that takes my fancy.
And I have to say I am genuinely excited by this prospect. Just today I popped in to Resident Records in Brighton and just walked around stroking all the beautiful albums by my favourite artists. I haven’t bought a record player yet. I haven’t got a room at home where I can do this really. Maybe my office but ideally I’d like a man-shed. Somewhere I can just go off and lose myself listening to a bit of vinyl, whilst playing darts or doing other ‘man stuff.’
I’m so excited by this hobby, I fear it may become an addiction and that once I’ve collected all the classics and start looking at say, MC Hammer’s greatest hits (hit), I may have to re-mortgage the house. Pray for me, this is not going to end well.
