Television Sports Reporting
Station: BBC
As
always at this time of year in the UK, we had BBC news doing a small piece with
one of the main player’s pre Wimbledon. This year they attempted humour with Mike Bushell, the intrepid,
slightly over-weight, quasi bumbling sports reporter, going to ‘play’ World No 1
and multi slam winner Novac Djokovic. We saw Bushell on the same court as Djokovic, with the latter returning
the ball so the former at a good chance to keep the 'rally' going, all
interspersed with a bland interview. What got me was the background music used
as Bushell went to the 'game' was Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. This piece of
music is readily associated with the darker side of the spirit world, and
associated with, wrongly, The Omen. On hearing it I’ve always thought of
Satan/Devil images. What the BBC were saying about either Djokovic or Bushell using
this is beyond me.
The
piece of music has been used extensively in movies/adverts over the years,
notably in decades gone by to promote Old Spice after shave. I use the term
loosely as the product was cheap and rank. As a youngster I always found the juxtaposition
of a muscled, six-packed man, easily surfing monster waves with devil music to
be a strange mix. It was however an object lesson in successful advertising, so
it didn’t stop me buying said product for my Dad one Christmas.
He of course
had to dutifully apply some on the big day. Only a couple of drops would be
required for everyone to know one of the presents he’d got. It no doubt ruined
his Xmas lunch as well. Opening his mouth would only have caused the odour of
the Spice to waft into it, dulling his taste buds, and killing in an instant any
chance he had of enjoying his tasty, juicy, moist turkey drumstick, with all
the trimmings, on his over-laden fork.
Clearly
the Bushell piece could not be termed ‘The mark of a MAN’.
No comments:
Post a Comment