As you might expect, Latitude is consistently full of surprises. Since arriving here, I’ve met a key-tarist (that’s a chap who plays a keyboard-guitar hybrid, no less), a guy who runs a karaoke circus, and a very friendly lady from something called the School Of Life, who’ll be offering Bibliotherapy over the weekend in the Literary Salon. Bibliotherapy, it seems, is a service whereby you’re recommended a potentially life-changing book after an interview with one of their therapists. Oh, and there was farmer Miles, too.
Miles, an arable farmer, owns one of the neighbouring plots to the Latitude site. He chips in every year, helping out where needed, happy to simply be part of the team. I also shared a lift with Goldheart Assembly, who Louis mentioned over on his blog.
I think, so far, my weirdest experience has been being interviewed by Anglian ITV, about the evolution of festivals, from the earliest days of Glastonbury and Weeley Festival to their current incarnation in the form of Latitude. I must admit, it was a bit strange standing in the middle of the site, surrounded by a camera crew, but hey.
There’s also a chap dressed as one of the moustachiod chaps from the 118 ads, who’s charging up mobile phones by generating electricity from a bicycle. All proceeds to Great Ormond Street.
So, as you can see, a typically rich and strange afternoon. I’m off to The Pretenders in about an hour, and hopefully I might manage to catch some of the magnificent Jeremy Hardy’s set in the Literary Tent. I’ll blog back later.