I like great television shows. I don’t have a TV, but I do really appreciate a really engaging series. In fact, I think television quite regularly trumps cinema for great storytelling these days.
One day, when I have nothing else to do, I’m going to sit on a comfy chair and work my way through a pile of DVDs of TV series everyone raves about and that I’ve never watched. I’m sure I’d love these as much as you do… and I’m not avoiding them. I just haven’t caught up yet. I figure they’ll probably still be good when I’m old and infirm.
Only Famous – A Romantic Comedy
Today’s idea is a concept for a romantic comedy feature film. It’s about a guy who works at an independent television production company that has had a string of failures, and is on the verge of bankruptcy.
In a last-ditch effort to create a hit and save the business, our hero (let’s call him Mike) comes up with an idea for a TV show in which they take a member of the public with no particular skills, talents or notable achievements – and then makes them famous.
The idea is that as the series progresses, the person that they choose will get PR, publicity, billboard campaigns, a ghost writer to craft their autobiography, interviews in celebrity magazines, an appearance on Oprah (etc.) – and all the trappings of fame, but without having done anything in particular to warrant the attention, other than simply being the subject of the tv show.
Dave Harte and Jon Hickman in a feature about Birmingham City University’s MA Social Media course. I work with these guys – and no, they don’t normally throw balls of wool around or drink digital beer.
Guys (like me) now in their 40s and 50s who once harboured dreams of rock/pop stardom, but were just a bit rubbish so they gave it all up. We assemble a bunch of them together, get a couple of music coaches (Brian May springs to mind) to work with them, refamiliarise them with the instruments they played in their teens and early twenties, and then they jam, compose and learn some songs for a week in a garage, and at the end of it, they put on a concert in their back garden or pub for their family and friends.
The overall lesson is that music is something that people can do for fun, friendship and enjoyment. You don’t have to be brilliant or famous, and nor does it have to be your career.
Dad Rock takes a leaf out of the ‘anyone can cook’ shows book, and applies it to playing in a band. Playing music together builds confidence, forges strong social bonds and is a great way to express yourself, let off steam and entertain yourself. People can learn and get inspired by watching, you could share some simple tips and get the nation making music for fun – not for fame.
Dad Rock also provides a commentary – and a positive spin – on the de-professionalisation of music in the digital age… and you could build all sorts of things off it – branded instruments and gear, weekend retreats, lessons, a lot of web content…
Episodes could feature a different set of ex-musicians in different towns, each with their own backstories. Conflict, character development and narrative would derive from the interaction between players, frustrations with playing abilities, and the reactions of family and friends along the way.
Naturally, you wouldn’t have to make it all about rock music – or all about male performers. But that’s where you start because it’s simple and obvious – and the audience can easily identify and recognise improvement.
I'm an author of books about technology, culture, music and radio. I'm also an award-winning broadcaster and filmmaker, a public speaker and lecturer, record producer and festival director. I am closely following developments in emerging technologies and the cultures and ethics surrounding them, and my projects typically focus on issues of justice, inclusion, and sustainability.
Most of my work involves surrounding myself with incredibly smart and talented people who would have no other reason to ever be in the same room as each other. That's when amazing things happen.
I tend to talk a lot about music (often jazz-adjacent and particularly on vinyl, but also playlists and mixtapes). I'm enthusiastic about food and cooking, the intersection of art and science, new technologies, vintage technologies, education, social progress, silence, innovation, narrative, data commons, culture, sound art and the spoken word. This blog will continue to reflect those diverse and shifting enthusiasms. I may also digress.
I'm from Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand, I have Scottish ancestry, I've spent a decade in the south of Birmingham UK, and another in a forest in the north of Sweden.
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