After sedating the fraggles last night, Mr Mary and I took to our sofa for our customary late Sunday cuddle with the papers (it's okay, we are married). I was pleased to see the lead article in the Sunday Times culture section was an article on Tina Fey, American female comedy writer of whom I am quite a fan and in whose footsteps I would like to follow. I settled down with the article, but was hugely disappointed, as I often am when reading the posh papers, that what should have been an interesting insight into her influences, experiences and work, was actually several thousands words of self-indulgent ejaculate from Stephen Armstrong expounding his thoughts on 30 Rock, with occasional reference to the woman herself.
Now I will grant him that the interview may have been a turkey - Lord knows it is hard to polish a turd when someone gives you a really dull interview - but even with that in mind, surely it is the writer's responsibility to make it sparkle? One of the first lessons I learnt at journo school was to make yourself invisible as the author of a piece - ie, it's not about you. Does anyone else tire of reading the thoughts of broadsheet journalists in these supplements, when you're rather more interested in their subject? Or should I just have watched Britain's Got Talent (Lovely FP Lucy btw) and not given it a moment's thought?
And that's all I have to say about that.
