While I realise it won’t come close to the experience of actually being there, I just bought the DVD of Monty Python Live. I was just up at Stratford with Dom, dropping off my computer for repair (if you’re ever in a similar position, remember to cite Consumer Law and the repair will be free if the machine is young enough).

We were going to come straight home, but I thought I might as well check if the recording of that awesome night was out yet. It is, and I am now the proud owner of Monty Python Live on DVD.

It’s odd, when you think about it: that night was a truly special event for me, and watching it on screen will probably seem but a shadow of it. To have been there, witnessing that moment of cultural history, was awesome. A recording is just an echo, yet it will keep those cherished memories fresh. That’s why Barthes was so intrigued by the photograph; and why I wish I had a photo or video of when I met Sir Patrick Stewart. The past is gone, but we must relish precious memories. The photograph or film stops times, extending the moment into eternity. The only problem is, without my desktop, I am now counting on Dom to get our DVD playa working.