Back Home: October 2008 Archives

Try as I might, I can't seem to find information as to when British writer/actor/comedian Stephen Fry's six-part BBC documentary "Stephen Fry in America" will air in the United States. If ever. Anybody know? The accompanying book is available for preorder on Amazon, but it's not released until May, although you can get a good preview by reading chapters linked to on this earlier post.

However, despite this bit of unfairness to my readers west of the Atlantic, I can't help commenting on the first three episodes, which have aired over here on Sunday nights for the last three weeks. I've been catching up on them in quiet moments on my own by watching the BBC iPlayer versions (downloadable episodes that are, unfortunately, not available on the U.S. BBC site), but it would've been much more fun to watch them with a crowd of Brits and Americans so we could compare our varying opinions. (You can get an idea of those, by the way, by visiting Stephen Fry's blog site here).

It was episode three, broadcast last week, in which I found myself most at home. Fry commences the show in New Orleans and then drives and ferries his London cab up along the Mississippi River through the nation's heartland up to where the river starts in MInnesota, with a significant veer over to Chicago. And I must say that his Chicago coverage was simply lovely. Fry seemed to adore Chicago, including more of that city than he did of New York (hooray!) Although his coverage of some of the other states has been a bit strange--Massachusetts gets identified by Wiccans and witchcraft, New Orleans by voodoo, St. Louis by the homeless population, and Tennessee by forensic science and rotting cadavers--Fry seemed to happily pounce on Chicago's tourist trademarks and promote them to the full.

He starts out with a lengthy drive around the South Side, complete with loving camerawork of the beautiful but changing old neighborhoods, then visits a blues club where viewers are treated to some soulful music and a candid, rather heartbreaking interview with blues legend Buddy Guy, who recounts the decline of Chicago blues. Then it's off to the North Side and Second City, where Fry not only performs onstage during Improv Night but even heads off to try a Chicago hot dog at The Wiener's Circle with a few budding comedians.

I watched the Chicago segment with delight and bated breath, counting myself lucky that he'd spent so long covering my city in this crammed-full documentary. But it wasn't over yet. After the hot dogs, Fry headed up to the top of the Sears Tower at night, where his film crew did a wonderful job capturing the glowing lights of the city spreading out in every direction. The cameras swept round and round the city, showing the lights again and again, and I felt a deep pride as I watched. How wonderful it was to know that the United Kingdom's millions of BBC viewers were now seeing one of my very favorite sights.

Yesterday I had a nice long chat with both of my parents, and the big topic of the day was the economic situation.

"Is it as bad in England as it is over here?" my father asked. Yes, I told him. Every day the papers are full of it and people are talking about the crisis up and down the high streets (England's version of the main street). Banks are failing and councils (like our city governments) who've invested in them are losing overwhelming amounts of public funds. I discussed the situation awhile longer with my parents, then hung up. Moments later I was involved in another discussion, this time with my "English mother," a self-employed small business owner who's been carefully monitoring the situation herself. This afternoon my "English sis" ranted about having been given an unsolicited credit card. She thought she was applying for a store card to buy a purchase at a discount, but instead received a MasterCard with a high credit limit.

"All of those bankers should be hanging their heads in shame!" she cried, just before paying off the small amount, calling MasterCard to cancel the account, and cutting the plastic into shreds. Part of my work at the church now involves helping folks to get out of debt, and I couldn't agree more. Crippling, life-limiting debt is so easily achieved these days, but trying to pay it off literally drives some people to suicide.

Today my aunt, Becky Liestman, emailed me a few thoughts that I thought my British readers might find especially interesting. It comes from a well-educated Baby Boomer with considerable financial understanding. What strikes me most about Aunt Becky's email, though, is the way she ends it on a characteristically optimistic note. As Stephen Fry would say, only in America!

This economic crisis has gone from lurking somewhere out there in the news to the only real thing people here are thinking about. All you have to do is walk down the street, and people are talking about the losses in 401K retirement plans. And remember, here it is the only safety net for retirement/crisis emergency money for most Americans. There is no government health care. And no social security, or welfare system big enough to provide a safe haven. People who pay their bills and have done all the "right" things to save for the future are taking a big hit, especially those in my age group and above, who don't have the 10-12 years necessary to recover their lost savings. Anyway, it must be interesting in Europe, as well.

(her conclusion is on the next page)