globalcitizen

HD footage from our group trip to Korea, Jan/Feb 2011.

Matt Harding of YouTube fame invited Hong Kongers to dance with him in Tsim Sha Tsui this week. I turned up in costume with friends and, as CNN reported, “…there were easily over a hundred people there, including a man dressed in a Mario outfit who Matt immediately pointed at and said: ‘You, my friend, will get me sued.’”

• His Wikipedia page, website and YouTube profile.

Whilst most 11-year-olds were out discovering girls, a certain Black Country-accented – and rather camp – Mr Tom was busy nurturing the Grundy media empire.

In addition to the weekly family newspaper and radio show, I founded ‘TGTV’ where I’d hand over to myself, and back to myself, within my bedroom ‘studio’ – all with Yamaha keyboard accompaniment. CNN, it ain’t! (Though our levels of journalistic integrity are probably comparable). Highlights include: An epic magic show (including incredible Uri Gellar-style spoon bending), news & local weather, early evidence of self-righteous hippy conscience and Santa NOT caught on film.

View on YouTube here (There is an interactive, clickable timeline in the info section.)

After digitizing and restoring many hours of VHS footage, I put together a few other compilations, including a medley of numbers from my primary school band. We toured other schools in the West Midlands performing unique renditions of Barbra Streisand hits, ‘The Theme from Lovejoy’, Bryan Adams’s ‘Everything I Do’ etc…

I recall feeling particularly rock-n-roll, as – although I was offered ‘lead keyboard’, I rejected it in favour of remaining on ‘bass keyboard’. Be sure to look out for bonus footage of yours truly playing ‘Boy With Limp‘, in our splendid production of The Pied Piper. Oscar-worthy.

0:00 – Shibuya, 2:09 – Tokyo Metro, 2:30 – Ginza & Sony Building, 3:10 – Tokyo Tower, 3:19 – Harajuku, 3:31 – Shinjuku, 3:49 – Tsukiji Fish Market, 5:55 – Slideshow.

0:00 – Sumo, 3:49 – Sumo pantomime, 6:30 – Yasukuni Shrine, 7:20 – Slideshow.

0:00 – Asakusa Shrine ???? Senso-Ji Shrine, 2:10 – Korean food in Asakusa, 2:57 – Capsule Hotel, 3:14 – Meiji Shrine.

0:08 – Shinkansen Bullet Train, 1:00 – Kyoto, 2:05 – Path of Philosophy Cherry Blossom, 3:12 – Geisha Show, 4:16 – Fushimi Inari Taisha, 5:10 – Sagano Bamboo Forest, 5:59 – Nara, 6:49 – Slideshow.

New Year’s Eve 2009-10, Kuta Beach, Bali…

Bali, Borobudur & Jakarta…

Chicken suit bungee jump, Bali…

[This video also includes Singapore.]

Kuala Lumpur…

Penang, Cameron Highlands, Perhentian Islands, Kuching…

Journal Extract:

…I drove back to Kuta to do my third and final bungee jump on the beach. I’d bought a deluxe package of 3 jumps – a standard jump where the cord is attached at the feet, a ‘spider’ jump with a harness around the waist giving you more freefall freedom and a final jump where you do a run-up on a BMX (the bike is attached to you). In preparation, I’d not eaten for a while and did the biggest poo I could muster to ensure no messy accidents during the escapade…

I’ll be honest – I derived no enjoyment at all from the exercise and literally spent 8 minutes ‘contemplating’ on the edge of the platform during the first jump. By the second one I’d cut my emotional crisis on the edge down to 6 minutes. The crew told me that the longer I wait, the harder it would be – they weren’t wrong and I wish they’d have just pushed me. They say skydives are easier – I have a couple of solo skydives to my credit and agree, at least, that parachute jumps are more abstract – you’re up in the clouds and are generally pushed out! However, here you have a situation where you can see the ground clearly and are being asked carry out an action which your brain reminds you is – in essence – an act of suicide.