Editorial note: Opinions expressed here are solely those of the blogger
I think it happened when my wife Wendy teasingly told me I was developing a crush on British actress Olivia Colman. We were walking our dog and earlier in the day I had Googled “most binge-worthy BBC shows.” I had turned into an Anglophile.
It technically started several years back but I suddenly realized that much of my reading, watching and listening of late had been fueled by England. Here’s a look.
Reading
I read 24 books in 2020 and 11 of them were by the British author Michael Moorcock, who, despite being known primarily as a Science Fiction and Fantasy writer, has written over 100 books in multiple genres. Perhaps it’s this “rabbit hole” aspect of Moorcock that I find particularly appealing but either way, I started reading him late last year and my sense is this will continue into 2021. Other English authors whose work I read include J.G. Ballard, known primarily for his short fiction, and the horror writer Clive Barker.
Listening
My focus on Moorcock ended up influencing my music listening. I’ve always been a rock fan, and especially enjoy harder, melodic bands. Earlier this year, I discovered the English band Tygers of Pan Tang, whose name was influenced by a character in a Moorcock novel as well as Diamond Head, whose songs and album covers also reference his work. These two bands are among the lesser known of a music sub-genre referred to as the “New Wave of British Heavy Metal.” NWOBHM refers to bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Motörhead that hail from the industrial heart of England. All of these bands lack visual appeal but play a unique type of straightforward, powerful music that has stood the test of time.
Watching
Several weeks back Wendy and I finished the fourth and most recent season of The Crown – the Netflix series that offers a fictional look at the British royal family. The last couple of seasons have featured Olivia Colman, who is excellent as Queen Elizabeth. After we finished The Crown I learned of Broadchurch, a BBC detective show staring Colman and David Tennant that aired a few years back and is available for streaming on Netflix. Wendy and I just finished Broadchurch last night and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Other shows in our queue (see what I did there?) include Flowers, Marcella and Collateral.
I should also note, that when I’m watching television in the evening I’m almost always enjoying a cup of PG Tips tea. For years I only had one objection to tea – that it wasn’t coffee. But one day, while browsing the “International” section at my local grocery store, I spotted PG Tips tea and haven’t looked back. It’s dark, bitter and the nifty flip-top box containing the string-less bags boasts “England’s No. 1 Tea.”
And that was all I needed to know.
shishkabobgirldad 