Many years ago, possibly before the dawn of time (2009 by my reckoning), a friend of mine called ctznsmith started a blog called ‘spreadhead’ in the hope that it would become a hub for thought-provoking articles, incendiary prose and searing insights. Lofty ideals indeed and as it turned out, ideals that weren’t quite matched by that harsh mistress called ‘Reality’. It all started promisingly enough with ctznsmith posting an article about bikes that still pulls in ridiculous amounts of traffic (much to my chagrin, given my pathological hatred for bikes, mobile torture devices that they are) and I myself posting several incoherent rantings about matters that are still way above my paygrade. However, the hordes of other contributors failed to materialise and as time went on, spreadhead started to look less like a fertile seedbed of collaborative endeavor and much more like an axe grinding implement for one man with a limited grasp on politics and time to kill.
Unfortunately, that was just the beginning and matters got much, much worse as I started writing weekly post-Question Time match reports. From that point on, any semblance of spreadhead’s original reason d’etre started to quietly drown under the volume of dork-spam I was producing and choking on a relentless torrent of QT related nerdery. So yes, I have effectively hijacked this website. What was one a utopian dream of shared passions and collective intent has been perverted into a dystopian nightmare of unhealthy obsession and po-faced egotism, so much so that I’ve finally bitten the bullet and rewritten the ‘About’ page (with ctznsmiths kind permission).
From here on in, spreadhead is about one thing and one thing only: Question Time (in fact it’s now been rechristened Questionable Time to further ram that point home). And why, you may ask, would someone be bothered to spend his Thursday and Friday nights, making pithy comments and stupid photoshops about QT? Well, the brutal truth is that watching Question Time is my equivalent of watching sport. I realise that this probably isn’t normal (or healthy), but it’s my cross to bear and if I’m going to bear a cross, I might as well do with it with a bit of style. Thus, the general jist of these reports is to highlight the spectacle in QT. This is not about politics: I have my views and occasionally these views do spill over into my writing, but you have to trust me when I say that I really do try to keep a lid on them. Instead, it’s about five people trying to outdo each other in the quest of some unspecified prize and the lengths they’ll go to achieve that end. That, and it’s also about doctoring photos in the pursuit of cheap laughs at the expense of people who may or may not deserve ridicule.
About me: I’m a guy in his early 30′s who’s trying to make a go of this whole writing business. I’ve spent the last 10 years as a mental health worker in Leeds but have now left the trade to pursue more selfish ends. I’ve had pieces published with The Huffington Post UK and I’m currently writing a work of fiction based on my experiences in the mental health field. Should anyone be interested in its progress (or any other questions for that matter), please feel free to contact me at shutupandeatyourcoal (at) gmail.com (apologies for the weird format… It’s there to keep me safe at night from spambots). You can also follow me on Twitter (for all the good it will do you).
Aside from that I play guitar with the most under achieving band in Leeds, spend way too much playing video games and genuinely have no idea what I’m doing with Photoshop.
Thanks for reading and if you know any other Question Time dorks, please point them in my direction.
