Friday, 15 April 2011
BLOG 152: With Friends Like These?
Watch
me and you will overcome the anxieties I have just reminded you of.
Michael Schudson
A constant source of trauma for my
thirty something friends are the constant re-runs of Friends on TV. It’s like
the TV equivalent of the picture in the attic in reverse… like my friends
become the picture and Dorian Gray is the TV show. Now I know that sounds
strange, but a thirty something girl with a mouthful of Doritos waving a glass
of wine at the TV while shouting abuse at an old sit-com is stranger…. believe
me!
Oh where do I start?…
Oh yeah…the beginning….
Oh yeah…the beginning….
Elisha was a fresh faced 18 year old who was ‘helping’ my next door
neighbour, Mike, through his text-book midlife crisis. The neighbourhood I lived
in at the time was certainly upwardly mobile…some would even say posh… but
we certainly not in the bracket whereby a man could deal with the his
diminishing youth by purchasing a Porsche or a speedboat (thus Mike worked out
his issues by enjoying Elisha’s youth). I’d sometimes bump into her as I
disembarked my Thursday night train home from town. It seemed silly to shadow
each other on the 10 minute walk from the station so over time, we’d walk up
together and chat.
neighbour, Mike, through his text-book midlife crisis. The neighbourhood I lived
in at the time was certainly upwardly mobile…some would even say posh… but
we certainly not in the bracket whereby a man could deal with the his
diminishing youth by purchasing a Porsche or a speedboat (thus Mike worked out
his issues by enjoying Elisha’s youth). I’d sometimes bump into her as I
disembarked my Thursday night train home from town. It seemed silly to shadow
each other on the 10 minute walk from the station so over time, we’d walk up
together and chat.
Elisha out grew Mike’s mid-life crisis, and I moved from that address
years ago… but Elisha and I have remained friends. The thing we both always
remember is that our friendship formed over a series of 10 minute walks from the
station on Thursday nights. And yes… It is rather precise to remember the
evening our paths use to cross.
years ago… but Elisha and I have remained friends. The thing we both always
remember is that our friendship formed over a series of 10 minute walks from the
station on Thursday nights. And yes… It is rather precise to remember the
evening our paths use to cross.
But we both remember it so well as Thursday nights back in 1994 were
the nights when everyone used to hurry home from town. As on Thursday nights in
1994, Channel Four were broadcasting a little American Sit-Com called Friends.
It was the one night in the week when the fashionable place to be was at home.
Mid Nineties – we all watched Friends.
the nights when everyone used to hurry home from town. As on Thursday nights in
1994, Channel Four were broadcasting a little American Sit-Com called Friends.
It was the one night in the week when the fashionable place to be was at home.
Mid Nineties – we all watched Friends.
Of course Friends stopped being made some years ago. When it stopped
fresh faced Elisha was 28… which means that at time going to press she’s now a
resolutely a thirty-something (and still younger than Mike was in 1994!) [Sorry
Leish! Couldn’t resist].
fresh faced Elisha was 28… which means that at time going to press she’s now a
resolutely a thirty-something (and still younger than Mike was in 1994!) [Sorry
Leish! Couldn’t resist].
However, the other night Elisha was round at my place, and I had E4 on
in the back ground as we lay waste to a couple of bottles of red. And suddenly
we became aware of The Rembrandts singing “I’ll Be There for You”. We looked up
and there was a very young looking Monica trying to convince her older boyfriend
Richard that their future couldn’t support his plan to have no further
children.
in the back ground as we lay waste to a couple of bottles of red. And suddenly
we became aware of The Rembrandts singing “I’ll Be There for You”. We looked up
and there was a very young looking Monica trying to convince her older boyfriend
Richard that their future couldn’t support his plan to have no further
children.
“Jeez!” said Elisha “How long ago was this?… ninety five, ninety
six?”
six?”
I shrugged. I kind of lost track of TV during the late 90’s due to
juggling having a relationship, child, home and career to run. I stuffed more
Doritos in my mouth in lieu of answering and hoped the question proved to be
rhetorical.
juggling having a relationship, child, home and career to run. I stuffed more
Doritos in my mouth in lieu of answering and hoped the question proved to be
rhetorical.
“You know what I hate about this programme having never gone away even
though they stopped making it eons ago?” Elisha (or more probably the wine)
asked tetchily.
though they stopped making it eons ago?” Elisha (or more probably the wine)
asked tetchily.
I realised she wasn’t being rhetorical after all and made some
crunching noises that could be mistaken for me participating in the
conversation.
crunching noises that could be mistaken for me participating in the
conversation.
“The fact they look sooooo YOUNG! I mean… look that’s Courtney Cox
right?… and there she is playing a young girl dating an older man… Hell when
this episode was out I was thinking it was kind of cool she was doing with
Richard what I was doing with Mike… Now she’s playing that bird in Cougar
Town…suddenly now she’s the old person sniffing after young meat… when did
THAT happen! Honestly… I hate these re-runs… they remind me I’m getting
old.”
right?… and there she is playing a young girl dating an older man… Hell when
this episode was out I was thinking it was kind of cool she was doing with
Richard what I was doing with Mike… Now she’s playing that bird in Cougar
Town…suddenly now she’s the old person sniffing after young meat… when did
THAT happen! Honestly… I hate these re-runs… they remind me I’m getting
old.”
The wine was making her quite passionate about her little rant, so I
flicked over to a music channel and refilled our glasses. Evening back on track,
despite the rather unattractive vision of Elisha shouting at Courtney Cox for
reminding her that the 90’s (and therefore her youth) was a substantial chunk of
time ago!
flicked over to a music channel and refilled our glasses. Evening back on track,
despite the rather unattractive vision of Elisha shouting at Courtney Cox for
reminding her that the 90’s (and therefore her youth) was a substantial chunk of
time ago!
Being older than Elisha I had to snort a little giggle… it’s a time
worn passage that for each and every one of us some icon from your youth will
pop up and remind you of one of two things. One… time passes seamlessly. Or.
Two… time ravages ruthlessly. And the sight of someone from your youth will
make you stop and take stock of where you are at now. Sometimes you do a little
pointless comparison (which is always daft when it’s you the ordinary bod versus
some ex-idol from the entertainment world!) Happens to us all.
worn passage that for each and every one of us some icon from your youth will
pop up and remind you of one of two things. One… time passes seamlessly. Or.
Two… time ravages ruthlessly. And the sight of someone from your youth will
make you stop and take stock of where you are at now. Sometimes you do a little
pointless comparison (which is always daft when it’s you the ordinary bod versus
some ex-idol from the entertainment world!) Happens to us all.
However, something happened today that made me realise what Elisha was
saying was actually a different point all together.
saying was actually a different point all together.
And it happened because I stumbled upon a really ancient piece of
TV.
TV.
Before Friends there was a drama series called ‘Thirtysomething’. It
was pretty much ground breaking stuff, introducing intelligent scripts to US TV
series and picked up a whole heap of awards during its half decade run. However,
when it stopped being made it kind of vanished (along with all of its alumni)
and then the sit-com Friends started and we entered a different chapter of
imported TV.
was pretty much ground breaking stuff, introducing intelligent scripts to US TV
series and picked up a whole heap of awards during its half decade run. However,
when it stopped being made it kind of vanished (along with all of its alumni)
and then the sit-com Friends started and we entered a different chapter of
imported TV.
I’d forgotten completely about Thirtysomething. Of course keeping it on
our screens hasn’t been greatly helped by the ‘ground-breaking’ way it was shot
looks dated today as technology has moved. Another problem is that the late 80’s
and early 90’s really were the years that fashion forgot so adding that to the
jerky camera angles guarantees that it doesn’t screen well on today’s high
definition television. The fact that none of the ensemble cast went on to
achieve anything of note after the series ended certainly meant that it was not
a priority for an TV schedule here in the UK.
our screens hasn’t been greatly helped by the ‘ground-breaking’ way it was shot
looks dated today as technology has moved. Another problem is that the late 80’s
and early 90’s really were the years that fashion forgot so adding that to the
jerky camera angles guarantees that it doesn’t screen well on today’s high
definition television. The fact that none of the ensemble cast went on to
achieve anything of note after the series ended certainly meant that it was not
a priority for an TV schedule here in the UK.
But… totally by accident while channel surfing at the wrong end of
the dial… on flickered Thirtysomething. I wasn’t really paying much attention
to what I was doing and probably would have surfed on by but a piece of dialogue
made me stop. What made me look up was a conversation the three female
characters were having in a kitchen about a character that was off screen. It
was as intelligent and as beautifully written piece of dialogue that you would
find anywhere… and it was as relevant to today’s women was it was for the ones
it was written about/for. So I looked up at the screen. And there they were…
Hope, Melissa and Nancy discussing Suzanna. And what got me was not the
stonewashed high waisted denim, the satellite dish earrings or the fact the
state of the art kitchen they were talking in seemed to be constructed entirely
from pine with little barley twists (though it was a bit of a distraction)…
but the fact they all looked … SO YOUNG! (Bizzare because when it was
originally broadcast here, I recall thinking that they were all so OLD).
the dial… on flickered Thirtysomething. I wasn’t really paying much attention
to what I was doing and probably would have surfed on by but a piece of dialogue
made me stop. What made me look up was a conversation the three female
characters were having in a kitchen about a character that was off screen. It
was as intelligent and as beautifully written piece of dialogue that you would
find anywhere… and it was as relevant to today’s women was it was for the ones
it was written about/for. So I looked up at the screen. And there they were…
Hope, Melissa and Nancy discussing Suzanna. And what got me was not the
stonewashed high waisted denim, the satellite dish earrings or the fact the
state of the art kitchen they were talking in seemed to be constructed entirely
from pine with little barley twists (though it was a bit of a distraction)…
but the fact they all looked … SO YOUNG! (Bizzare because when it was
originally broadcast here, I recall thinking that they were all so OLD).
It was exactly what Elisha was trying to say about the re-runs of
Friends. In real life she is way (and I mean WAY) younger than the actress
playing Monica. However the episode she was almost watching at my house was
probably 15 years old, making the older actress YOUNGER than her eternally. It
kind of shifts your perspective watching something you originally watched
thinking ‘this is what older people do’ when you are now older than you were
first viewing round – especially if you are now older than character you see on
screen.
Friends. In real life she is way (and I mean WAY) younger than the actress
playing Monica. However the episode she was almost watching at my house was
probably 15 years old, making the older actress YOUNGER than her eternally. It
kind of shifts your perspective watching something you originally watched
thinking ‘this is what older people do’ when you are now older than you were
first viewing round – especially if you are now older than character you see on
screen.
I rang Elisha with my light bulb moment and she laughed. (To be honest
she has little recollection of the entire evening as there really were far too
many bottle of wine and I did stick on a music channel in the end). However she
did make me laugh when she said:
she has little recollection of the entire evening as there really were far too
many bottle of wine and I did stick on a music channel in the end). However she
did make me laugh when she said:
“At least the Thirtysomething cast had the decency to retire from
public life and spare you the spectacle of watching them publically prune up,
bulk up, wrinkle up, gray up – or in the case of the Friends-girls get
ridiculously younger than when it all started – I tell you I can’t wait for
Autumn this year when Friends finally stops being re-run over here”
public life and spare you the spectacle of watching them publically prune up,
bulk up, wrinkle up, gray up – or in the case of the Friends-girls get
ridiculously younger than when it all started – I tell you I can’t wait for
Autumn this year when Friends finally stops being re-run over here”
I really didn’t have the heart to tell her that actually it’s just the
end of the terrestrial contract. It seems come autumn Friends are just switching
over to cable and that there is every chance that Elisha is just gonna keep
getting older than Monica for a LONG while yet!
end of the terrestrial contract. It seems come autumn Friends are just switching
over to cable and that there is every chance that Elisha is just gonna keep
getting older than Monica for a LONG while yet!
Makes it all just a tad sinister when you think of the portrait of
Dorian Gray and suddenly hear the Rembrandts chirpy lyric:
“I’ll be there for
you
Like I’ve been there before”
Dorian Gray and suddenly hear the Rembrandts chirpy lyric:
“I’ll be there for
you
Like I’ve been there before”
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