Gleeking Out

Listening to: 'Don't Stop Believing' by 'Glee' Cast [-]

Um yeah. So Glee fever has come to the UK. We're a season behind the US or something, but who cares. I was warned that it was cheesy and OTT, but seeing as Fearne Cotton and Scott Mills haven't been able to talk about anything else for the past week, I had no choice but to watch whatever I could find on 4od.

And now I'm hooked. Yes some of the characters are quirky and incredibly OTT, but the music is absoflippinlutely amazing and Cory Monteith who stars as the jock-turned-niceguy Finn bears an uncanny resemblance to a really cute supervisor I had as an undergrad (what? you never fancied any of your teachers? Riiiight). And it's so lovely to see Gina...I mean Jessalyn Gilsig as Terri. I loved her in Nip/Tuck, and she doesn't disappoint here. Also, anyone else think that Mr Schuester (Matthew Morrison) looks like a hybrid of Justin Timberlake and Neil Patrick Harris? No? Just me? OK then.

But yeah, eye candy aside, I think what's really drawn me to Glee is nostalgia. Most...nay, all my fondest memories of school are somehow related to the school choir. The early morning practices, the funny vocal exercises, the weird throat-soothing concoctions (warm honey with garlic? seriously?), the complicated harmonies, the retarded costumes...they were all worth it when we sounded good. And oh boy did we sound good.

Unlike the Glee club in the show, we weren't 'misfits' (well I was, but the others weren't). The choir was, in effect, a clique. The clique that sang English songs with boys *shock horror*...ah the joys of going to an all girls' government school! And we didn't always sing just what we were supposed to. While waiting for practice to start, we'd harmonise to anything that came into our heads - show tunes, pop, baila...you name it, we'd harmonise it. For me, singing is the ultimate form of expression, and choir was the perfect outlet.

I did join the chapel choir when I came to university, but somehow it wasn't the same. Learning hymns for a service was too short-term for me. I wanted something I could sink my teeth into, something I could feel passionate about. Something I could connect with, and feel good about when it came right. Chapel choir didn't provide that. There were societies and groups that did, but the time commitment required was more than I was willing to put in, and after two failed auditions, the dream died. I suppose singing on the blog is my way of regaining some of that passion, but it seems rather inadequate at times.

Anyway if you don't know what all this Glee stuff is about, this clip should be a taster.

Oh to be a part of something like that again. Sigh.

P.S.- Finn from Glee and Simon from The Inbetweeners...what is with me and guys playing school kids on tv? Chee what a paedo.