gerbie

A simple change can make a sport so much more attractive...

In a pizza restaurant it is easy to order a pizza. But what would happen if one ordered it elsewhere?

One of the series I try to watch often is Never mind the Buzzcocks on the BBC. Nowadays, after Mark Lamarr leaving, with some guests back for their fourth appearance not as bad as I used to, but luckily there is YouTube to bring us back some of the great moments.

This clip is from the round 'what happens next?'. Chris Eubank is doing the countdown in TOTP. I remember watching the episode. I remember still ROFL (thought I'd do some modern internetspeak) watching the rerun. And it is still funny watching it on YouTube now!

Sunday morning. I switch on the television, the Tour de France will start soon. A music program. I have seen it before. Mostly jazz or something else obscure. But I had never seen something like this before. This man, who looks like an ordinary office clerk, is singing. At least, later in the interview he, Phil Minton (here solo) is his name, calls it singing. I am fascinated. I can't say this will be my new music hero. I am quite sure, Minton will never reach a huge audience, but I like the fact that he exists. He and his band Speeq.

And luckily somebody had put it on YouTube. The song is called Trine. If you are going to watch, please do watch the whole fragment. Switching off after twelve seconds is not done.

A quarter of a century ago I was a big U2 fan. I listened to 'War' every day, discovered 'Boy' and 'October'. I bought singles for their b-sides and 12inches for a remix. 'The unforgettable fire' was due to come out and I was looking forward to the new album.

Every tuesday morning I took a radio to school. I didn't own a walkman yet, so I had to take a portable radio, on top of my schoolbag, to listen to my favourite radio show at the time. The local DJ introduced a German artist to the Netherlands. Herbert Grönemeyer had just made a great album '4630 Bochum' with a great song on it. 'Flugzeuge im bauch' is still one of my all time favourites.

Come 2007, Grönemeyer is performing in Rostock, a manisfestation. He is playing 'Mensch' from the album with the same name, great tune. Then somebody enters the stage. A familiar face, someone who has been trying to save the world for ages. He joins in. Bono singing in German, I never thought I'd see that day. He reads the lyrics from a note. Pronounces word badly. Hasn't got a clue what he is singing, even sings the wrong lines with the tune. But it is still Bono singing.

Two of my childhood heroes on one stage. I wish I had seen it with my own eyes. I'm almost back feeling a teenager.

Japanese television is weird for us westerners. But it can be fun to watch as well. Flashmobs have come in and gone out of fashion very quick. But I can imagine that these 100 had a lot of fun together.

Two of my heroes. Comedians and writers, great thinkers. Ben Elton and Stephen Fry together in Saturday Live.

My hometown is great. But only because I've lived there for the first 18 years of my life and again during the last 6. I can't imagine that any tourist would consider staying here any longer than a couple of hours. Yet some people feel that promoting it on YouTube can't hurt. So that way I can give you all an impression about the place I was born and bred.

YouTube opens my eyes sometime. For one thing, I never knew that Adolf Hitler was a Tottenham supporter. A club that has been called Jewish quite often. But there is always proof.

Sometimes one encounters things, that are impossible to believe. This movie was one of them. It is not necessary to speak Spanish to understand what is happening. I, for one, can't believe people like this really exist.