sashinka | observation orientated, with a twist of lime | a blog

So, Monday I went to see Malcolm Gladwell. This isn't my movie (although I have an equally poor one of the balagan of getting 2000 people into the Lyceum, but hey what's the point of the internet if we can't all share?), but let's just say Malcolm was disappointing.

First, as you know, I'm 5 weeks post-partum, so it could be hormones. But I went with A, who's children are much more grown-up and he was disappointed, too. Apart from the huge effort a (new) parent has to make to go out (D came home early to look after Zaphod, my whole day was out of sync, I never had time to eat etc), I quite enjoyed going on the tube and thinking I don't have to look after Zaphod for a coupla hours. I don't think this makes me a bad mother, it was just an interesting experience. I think I enjoy my freedom more now I don't really have it, but hey, hindsight's a wonderful thing.

The audience was People Like Us. The only people who didn't have crackberries had Moleskin notebooks (we had one on either side of us) and everyone looked like they were in some urban, intellectual tribe.

Malcolm kept us waiting 30 minutes. It was supposed to be a 90 minute show at 1745 (with another at 2000), and I'm guessing that he was late, although the announcements said there were problems getting people into the theatre. The Lyceum, ferchrissakes, I mean, they do the Lion King twice nightly, they should know from audiences. Clearly Malcolm was delayed, and it was incredibly disappointing that he cut the show short by 30 minutes, just kinda ending mid-flow with "thank you and goodnight".

Maybe you should never meet your heroes. He didn't really maximise the opportunity - it was just a chapter from his new book (which he exhorted us to buy, and I did), and while it was lovely to see him live, he looks quite like he does on YouTube and there was no Q&A and I was left thinking... you just did it for the money/marketing, right?

Perchance I have increased expectations now going out is so much bigger a deal.

Malcolm, next time you should come over to my house.