I don’t watch TV any more. Yeah, really. After spending a year in Ghana, West Africa, I was already severed from the cable umbilical cord. I stayed free. Why should I pay you to talk down to me, pander to my lowest inclinations, and fill my living room with a simulation of life designed to stop me from living my own?
I have now survived three years without television, and some surprising things have happened. I’ve developed hobbies, interests, and areas of near expertise.
To inaugurate this column, I went big. I went to the opera. I like opera. It is epic in its forces—big orchestra, big voices, big drama, and an overall aura of exclusivity and pomp that makes it giddy fun for an otherwise earthy and sensible individual like me.
To enjoy opera you must study up. Listen to the opera in advance. Go to the library and take out the libretto (the words without the music) and a couple of books about the composer and time period. If you can read music, take out the score and have a look at how the work is put together. At the very least, go to the company’s website and read all the online goodies and listen to a few excerpts.
I have now survived three years without television, and some surprising things have happened. I’ve developed hobbies, interests, and areas of near expertise.
To inaugurate this column, I went big. I went to the opera. I like opera. It is epic in its forces—big orchestra, big voices, big drama, and an overall aura of exclusivity and pomp that makes it giddy fun for an otherwise earthy and sensible individual like me.
To enjoy opera you must study up. Listen to the opera in advance. Go to the library and take out the libretto (the words without the music) and a couple of books about the composer and time period. If you can read music, take out the score and have a look at how the work is put together. At the very least, go to the company’s website and read all the online goodies and listen to a few excerpts.
