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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Big Brother 2006

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20:39 / 19.06.06

I thought that was quite interesting, when he said "I don't know what I talk about any more"... there are lots of obvious bad things about being on Big Brother, but forgetting how to have conversations is something I'd never considered might happen.

But what did he talk about before? Other than the insect-killing thing, I'm racking my brane to think of a conversation - or, for that matter, interaction - in which Pete has been involved as an active (as opposed to reactive) participant. I can completely understand his reluctance to talk "behhhds" with Mikey, but I don't think Pete's ever been much of a conversationalist, about anything - hence the loveable dog analogy.

Regrettable Juvenilia

20:44 / 19.06.06

I imagine that, in the Dog and Bollock with a pint of cider in his hand, Pete would have a lot to say about New Model Army or whoever - and I can't blame him for thinking "what the fuck am I doing in here?", especially not when Glynn thinks he's in 'Glynnworld'.

Regrettable Juvenilia

20:45 / 19.06.06

Do you think Glynn actually said what he was clearly thinking - "What's a prostate?" - and they cut this, out of mercy?

20:49 / 19.06.06

Ganesh, I had assumed that he was talking about 'before' in the sense of 'before he was in the Big Brother house' -because in the BB house there's not much scope for talking about "what happened today" because everybody knows, pretty much, and it's not like he's in there with his friends where they probably have common interests (perhaps insects) that they'll always be happy to talk about.

20:50 / 19.06.06

I imagine that, in the Dog and Bollock with a pint of cider in his hand, Pete would have a lot to say about New Model Army or whoever

It's nice to imagine that, in another setting, he might be assertive/interested enough to play an active part in a group dynamic, maybe even initiate conversation. It'd be easier to imagine if we'd had a glimpse of that in the House itself.

Haus of Mystery

20:55 / 19.06.06

Yes, surely he was referring to his life outside the house? I think his whole diary room speech was about his general ennui at the stasis of the house. He clearly doesn't enjoy bitching - even talking to Richard about Lisa he seemed fairly disinterested - and is maybe feeling alienated from the group.
I dunno, it seemed like a fairly reasonable comment on the whole BB experience.

22:00 / 19.06.06

I dunno, it seemed like a fairly reasonable comment on the whole BB experience.

Perhaps, but Pete hasn't exactly worked his arse off to improve the "BB experience", has he? He may dislike conversation based around bitching, but can you recall a discussion in which he's seriously, passionately involved himself about anything at all? Even today, when challenged by Lea to suggest a topic, to talk about anything he liked, he couldn't come up with a thing. It's all well and groovy to express ennui with the House atmosphere, but if one does absolutely nothing to try to tip the balance, isn't that like coming onto a message-board and starting I AM SOO BORED WITH THIS PLACE!1! threads?

As I've said, lovely guy - and possibly a riot outside the House - but, beyond an amusing tic now and again and a relatively oversized cock, what does he actually contribute?

Haus of Mystery

22:16 / 19.06.06

I dunno. I see it more that perhaps he hasn't found anyone with whom he can have a decent chat. Lisa turned slightly psycho on him after they formed an inital bond, as has Lea. With Lea earlier it seemed like he felt a bit hemmed in. Her challenging him to come up with a topic to talk about was the equivalent of the Man Cow saying to Grace "OK let's chat. What do you want to chat about?" You can't force a good conversation.

22:20 / 19.06.06

I'd be delighted to cut Glyn's prostate out live on C4, E4 and More 4, and I dare say I'd be laughing while I was performing the op. How long is the UK going to put up with this damp, stained excuse for a cum rag of a human being? All right, his 'erect-ions' are quite funny, and he's 'only eighteen,' but, thinking back to when I was 'only eighteen' ... well I'd have joined the French foreign legion, frankly, rather than put my friends and my fa-mily through the public embarrassment of this sickening performance. If I was Glyn's father, or mother, now, and I knew I could get away with it, I'd action a (very) late-term abortion, no problem.

If such gods as there be are up there listening, please not to let him win.

22:55 / 19.06.06

I see it more that perhaps he hasn't found anyone with whom he can have a decent chat.

...

You can't force a good conversation.

Equally, you cannot expect one if you're prepared to put in absolutely minimal effort. Perhaps I've missed the times when Pete has previously bust a gut attempting to find common conversational ground with one or more of his Housemates - or become actively involved in any interaction - but, if I found myself with twelve people and was unable to even begin to have a "decent chat" with any one of them, I like to think I'd be sufficiently acquainted with Selfawaria to at least wonder whether my own social skills might be at fault.

It seems to me that, in terms of overall contribution to the House, Pete = Imogen + tics - bitching.

23:14 / 19.06.06

Indeed. I hate to say it, but without the Tourette's, what is he? Sam Gamgee.

Tryphena Absent

23:50 / 19.06.06

Alternatively perhaps he's hedged around the subjects he's interested in and everyone has gazed at him with blank looks and round moony eyes. I can easily imagine that happening to him if he tried to talk about something "spiritual" or the type of music he liked. I mean, can you imagine chatting about *religion* in general with any of those people? I can imagine at least four of them saying "God, well, he's kind of in the sky isn't he?" Extend that to anything more specific- I would probably want to be a drowned bee.

23:57 / 19.06.06

He's hedged around almost everything. I'm perfectly prepared to accept that Pete is a richly spiritual person with considered opinions on a wide range of interesting subject matter, but has anyone seen him even try to initiate discussion? Does he possess a mode of interaction other than Mostly-Silent Passive?

00:01 / 20.06.06

And aren't we getting dangerously close to writing Housemates other than Pete off as Teh Sheeple here, simply because we shy, retiring Barbeloids with our love of music and spirituality identify with his rilly deep thoughts? As I say, if I found myself unable to find common ground with so many people, I'd see the problem as mine rather than theirs.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:07 / 20.06.06

Hang on a minute. Are we assigning some sort of value system here around extrovert=good, introvert=bad? I know this makes absolutely no sense when you come to the question of WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU GO ON TELLY DOING THIS SHIT???, but...

Rrrrrrrgh. I'm too drunk to make sense of this now, but rest assured I'll have a go tomorrow.

I think I'm still failing to see what is so bad about Pete avoiding conflict. Why not just try your best to ignore it? What happens if you do?

I have no idea what I'm on about, really.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:09 / 20.06.06

Indeed. I hate to say it, but without the Tourette's, what is he? Sam Gamgee.

And what's actually wrong with Sam Gamgee?

00:10 / 20.06.06

Are we assigning some sort of value system here around extrovert=good, introvert=bad?

No, I'm saying taking no active part in proceedings ever = dull. That's pretty much the extent of my "value system".

Meanwhile, Nikki is threatening to leave again, because Richard farted near her.

00:13 / 20.06.06

And what's actually wrong with Sam Gamgee?

He's one-dimensional, and arguably somewhat dull.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:13 / 20.06.06

As I say, if I found myself unable to find common ground with so many people, I'd see the problem as mine rather than theirs.

Even if they were 13 other people chosen by a telly station?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:15 / 20.06.06

He's one-dimensional, and arguably somewhat dull.

And Frodo and the rest had hidden depths? Are you sure?

00:15 / 20.06.06

Even if they were 13 other people chosen by a telly station?

Yes.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:19 / 20.06.06

Christ.

00:20 / 20.06.06

And Frodo and the rest had hidden depths? Are you sure?

No, I'm not sure because I'm not the person who made the analogy. I think Smoothly compared Pete to Sam Gamgee because both appear to be rather limited 'faithful lapdog' characters. Clearly, it's an imperfect comparison for a number of reasons, not least because Sam Gamgee actually does stuff off his own bat.

Ask Smoothly, maybe?

00:24 / 20.06.06

Christ.

Wellll, the alternative to questioning my own social skills would be assuming that I held absolutely no share of responsibility for finding conversational common ground, that my inability to connect with these thirteen people did not reflect on me in any way, and that they must therefore be inferior in some way. I like to think I'm not that arrogant or unSelfawarian.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:29 / 20.06.06

Soz, was just bouncing the question back, seeing as how you'd answered the one I'd meant for SW!

As I say, I'm drunk and probably making no sense. I'm not saying Pete is wonderful, nor even that I want him to win (I'm all confused on that one now, as my ideal winner would be Aisleyne were it not for her listing this afternoon how many items of fur she owns), just that I don't think conflict avoidance is by necessity a bad thing.

Yeah, it makes for crap telly, but the kind of shit Grace got up to made for great telly, but it didn't stop me wanting her out.

Now shitting under someone's bed... damn. Much as I hate Lisa now I almost wish she'd do it. I don't care whose bed... it just seems a letdown now otherwise.

00:34 / 20.06.06

Yeah, it makes for crap telly, but the kind of shit Grace got up to made for great telly, but it didn't stop me wanting her out.

Yeah, but it's not a dichotomy between GraceGoodTelly and PeteBadTelly, is it? It's possible to actively engage with one's fellows to a greater, more interesting extent than Pete without morphing into Grace. If he's bored, it's quite possibly because he's boring.

00:34 / 20.06.06

That's it! I'm fixing my television tomorrow.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:36 / 20.06.06

Wellll, the alternative to questioning my own social skills would be assuming that I held absolutely no share of responsibility for finding conversational common ground, that my inability to connect with these thirteen people did not reflect on me in any way, and that they must therefore be inferior in some way. I like to think I'm not that arrogant or unSelfawarian.

That would be the only alternative? And you couldn't question you own social skills while also questioning those of others? That seems a little reductive. The impression I got from that conversation was that he was questioning his own social skills. As he said in the Diary room, "I'm not really into talking about tits and fannies". When conversation is dominated by people who really ARE, then it's kind of hard to talk about anything else.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:40 / 20.06.06

Apart from anything else, I think he was being a little extravagant- I don't really see an inability to connect with the others at all. (I only just thought of that so I'm quite prepared to believe it conflicts with anything I've said previously, btw).

Are we sure he wasn't just having, as most of do from time to time, a bad day when he FELT he wasn't connecting with anyone? Nobody seems to have the reverse problem... wouldn't that suggest he's just wrong and possibly having a bad day?

00:41 / 20.06.06

I don't think conflict avoidance is by necessity a bad thing.

Well, of course it isn't "by necessity". In this case, however, it's a dull thing - or it's part of the general package of passive non-engagement that makes Pete a dull boy. I think I'm also frustrated at what I see as "Pete's lovely; I want him to win" having been the lazy default option for many, right from the start. I strongly suspect a large part of Pete's appeal is rooted in sympathy for his 'sufferer' status - which can be subtly dehumanising - rather than anything he's actually done.

00:43 / 20.06.06

And what's actually wrong with Sam Gamgee?

Sorry. Nothing wrong with that per se. He's a passive, well-meaning, mildly poetic, vaguely spiritual, nature-loving passepartout. In a gardener, he's everything I'd want; in a BB Housemate, a bit of a damp squib.
It's a matter of taste and circumstances I suppose, but on Big Brother I like to see people dealing with conflict rather than avoiding it.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:46 / 20.06.06

Does it make him a dull boy, though? I must admit, I fucking hate insects, but watching him trying to get people to understand his love of them was great telly. Not as great as Nikki yelling about the aircon, but pretty close. Also nowhere near as funny as Nikki trying really hard to look interested, but...

Depends what you mean by dull, I guess...

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

00:47 / 20.06.06

Anyhoo, he'll probably go postal by the end.

WHERE'S YOUR PATIENCE???

Jesus, kids these days...

00:47 / 20.06.06

That would be the only alternative? And you couldn't question you own social skills while also questioning those of others? That seems a little reductive.

Yes, but you responded "Christ" to the mere idea that I might consider the problem even partly my own - so I'm not sure I'm the one being reductive here.

The impression I got from that conversation was that he was questioning his own social skills. As he said in the Diary room, "I'm not really into talking about tits and fannies". When conversation is dominated by people who really ARE, then it's kind of hard to talk about anything else.

One. Conversation. With. One. Person.

Hardly "dominated" by people who talk about nothing else. Mikey isn't the only person in the House, and even Mikey cannot be reduced to the content of a single conversation. I've yet to see Pete question his own sociability to the extent that he makes a serious, visible effort to engage with others in the House in a way which isn't simply reactive.

00:48 / 20.06.06

Reg Pete:
It struck me that the role Pete's been playing (since quite early on in the game) has been comforter of those trodden upon by Team Grace. I imagine it might be a role he fulfills in real life quite often (see his immediate comforting of Richard after Boozegate). He's a peacemaker/humanitarian type. He even stood up for the bees etc. Maybe either the constant bitchy verbiage or the inclusion of a more vocal diplomat like Richard left him spinning a little. Or could be that he recognizes something of his mascot status in the house? I can't imagine he's incapable of a normal conversation.

Or maybe, he just needs to recharge a little, no? Be away from everyone for a day, not have to see the same old faces, that type of thing.

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