Free Running Dogs

So I was walking to work, as is customary when one has work to walk to, when I noticed an ominous bright red sign nailed to the front door of a house. Having walked the exact same path almost everyday for the past six months, I was surprised I hadn't seen it before but, then again, having walked the exact same path almost everyday for the past six months, I'm no longer in the habit of paying much attention to my surroundings. Funnily enough this also explains why I'm fairly certain that it did not, in fact, read "Caution: free running dogs".

On "A Tale of Two Cats" and the Creative Process

As you may have gathered from the dearth of new content on this blog over the course of the past two months, I have been rather busy. Although I would like to say that I've been doing lots of exciting things and that the majority of my time has not been spent drawing pictures of Mona and Tilly, I'm afraid I would be lying. Well, that's not strictly true. For instance, I have been spending a fair amount of time selling stationery, or at least standing around waiting for the opportunity to sell stationery whilst the rest of Britain sunbathes, and I did finally receive a job offer, which was more exciting than I care to admit. But then again, it is equally true to say that I have indeed spent an inordinate amount of time drawing pictures of Mona and Tilly.

Reality TV, The Apprentice and Job Hunting

It must be an exceedingly difficult task to choose the handful of successful applicants from the thousands of starry-eyed hopefuls who apply for each series of The Apprentice. Exceedingly difficult, that is, not for a lack of talent (nor an abundance for that matter) but for the simple fact that the show is as much an exercise in reality television as it is an exposition of business practice. Therefore, whilst it is true to say that the successful candidates must display at least a basic level of business acumen, this detail is only necessary in so far as it justifies the show's central premise. It is equally true, however, to say that television programmes live and die by their viewers and, thus, what is far more important is that the candidates are entertaining to watch. And this brings us to the curious paradox that lies at the heart of "reality TV"; that is to say that, in order to turn reality in to a viable form of entertainment, it must be manipulated in such a way that it is no longer merely a reflection of real life. Rather it is an illusion; a form of hyper reality, perhaps. It is only in this illusory world that The Apprentice can exist, for only here is it possible that such a sorry band of applicants could possibly make the short list for a lucrative partnership with one of Britain's most prestigious businessmen. And yet, in spite of their mediocrity, they are undeniably entertaining to watch, even if that entertainment revolves almost entirely around their vulgarity.