Sailing By

Saturday night, although technically it was Sunday morning. At half-past twelve I got a call from my brother asking me to collect him from the local town (Saturday night is his drinking night). I left the house and using a torch found my way over to my car which is parked in one of the old sheds.

As I drove the few miles into town I listened to Radio 4, just coming to the end of the broadcasting day (it switches to the BBC World Service at one o’clock).

I entered the town, and was soon in the centre. Groups of people were staggering around the streets, spilling out of the bars, rolling into the roads without looking, laughing at nothing, screaming at each other, crying in doorways with fast food falling from their hands. The radio was playing Sailing By, a waltz composed by Ronald Binge in 1963, and always played by BBC Radio 4 at 00.45hrs.

The combination of Sailing By with scenes of binge-drinkers in the last stages of excess was surreal but also very moving (for some reason).

Sailing By: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q07DRBYeVJ8