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Life outside the Stationery Store; #Itabashi #Tokyo #Japan.

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My Lockdown Radio story

TL/DR: We started a radio station by mistake and it kept a load of people sane.

This is little bit long but here goes...

When the lockdown started it was weird and novel for about 2 weeks. I did a Zoom call with friends which was welcome at the time, but the silent background and awkward talking over each other felt stilted. The novelty wore off after 2 calls, though the need to connect was very strong.

Me and my friends are bonded through music, that was missing from the equation. I found an online "radio" platform and suggested I play some music on there and we all listen and chat on WhatsApp rather than zoom (because background music on zoom would be a mess of out of sync sounds).

It was incredible. An hour turned into 3. People were just loving it. The chat really worked, bonding and reminiscing over the music brought us together in a way sterile video chat couldn't. No "what you having for dinner. It's really hard to get pasta at the moment eh. Anyone seen that old guy doing laps of his garden online?" chat.

We arranged to meet again next week. Chose Wednesday as that seemed to be the day when there were no family or friends quiz nights or whatever. I asked people to send me music to play, a playlist or a mix, whatever. A few folks did and for a laugh I quickly made a couple of terrible radio jingles for our imaginary station, Lockdown Radio.

A few more people got invited, originally it was 4 households, this time 8. It blew up, folks absolutely loved it. The shabby, home made, collective vibe just grabbed people. Everyone wanted to get involved and from then on it became the focus of our week. People sending in sets, introduced by a text to speech "presenter" and interspersed with stupid jingles made by me and our group.

Word spread amongst friends and suddenly a load of very old friends, many who had lost touch for decades were reconnected and talking on a weekly basis.

We held an extended show over the Easter holiday, in early lockdown, multiple families having restricted BBQs all soundtracked by the same music, feeling connected to absent friends. We held a virtual music festival in the summer as they were all cancelled, a 2 day, 12 hour show, mimicking the festival experience (folks were encouraged to not flush the toilet all weekend but it wasn't compulsory). When Christmas and New Year (in the UK) got cancelled we celebrated via Lockdown Radio too.

The community aspect of it was beautiful. People would pick music, from as wide a spectrum as possible, what they wanted to share, and would get feedback and love. It was personal. People wanted to share their passions, to delight the group and hear what others had to bring. We all gained a huge amount of new music experience we'd never have discovered. I spent all my spare time seeking out weird/wonderful/different things to share. No BBC head has been more committed to educate and entertain than me.

On a side note, it's funny to look back as the shows would be named based on current events that week. Usually a take on the governments latest shambolic handling of the pandemic and their stupid slogans or initiatives (hands-face-space, eat out to help out etc.)

I/we produced over 100 shows so far and we still do it once a month. The WhatsApp group still is very active, I speak to childhood friends I'd lost contact with for decades on a daily basis now. We have a love of music, plus a shared life experience, that has been reignited by adversity and a chance idea because zoom is quite a shit way to connect on a human level.

Lockdown actually expanded my dwindling social circle. Literal isolation actually exposed and broke my pre-covid isolation, and that of others too. Life can be weird like that.

If you're still reading, thanks. In conclusion music and this ad-hoc community saved me and many others from a mentally difficult time. Folks have said this was literally what got them through the lockdowns, a happy accident. It was all consuming, distracting, heartwarming but more than anything, it was ours.

Like something you’d see in the pastry case.

Varnished Polypore, Hemlock Reishi
[Ganoderma tsugae]

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Maisie has gone for a quite a flamboyant little number this year, but is looking quite pleased with it I think @Affienia

#sillySummerHatting

NJ Sen. Andy Kim: "Senate Republicans just started a marathon voting session known as vote-a-rama in the Senate.

Not to improve your life. Not to lower your costs. But to funnel $70 billion more to ICE and the abuses I saw at Delaney Hall.

Not another dime."

https://bsky.app/profile/kim.senate.gov/post/3mnhtzf2agk2c

An old beech tree at Kersal Dale.

#ThickTrunkTuesday
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This is Tex. Tex lives in @ZhiZhu 's garden while, obviously, wearing a very fetching hat.

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