The following article was written by Tim Gadzinski, a Marketing Associate at the Manitowoc Public Library.
People don’t necessarily like to admit it, but practically everyone has ingested an exorbitant amount of televised programming during their lifetimes. Of course, there are going to be exceptions to this claim, but by-and-large, people have and continue to watch a lot of TV. Maybe it’s sports. Perhaps “Reality TV” is more your cup of tea. And there’s always crime procedurals—tons and tons of crime.
I’m not a luddite, so I recognize that platforms and broadcasting have evolved. Regardless, I still maintain that if you watch something on a rectangular screen (even if it’s referred to as a “monitor”) within an enclosed habitable environment, you’re watching TV. It makes no difference to me if you call it “streaming” or not. Watching is watching in my book.
Speaking purely for myself, I watched a whole lot of television growing up. And I’m not just talking about couch-potatoing because my family didn’t exactly hold exercise in high esteem (Fun Fact: they didn’t). My homework was done in front of or near our living room’s television set. Meals were frequently enjoyed in the seductive glow of the “Vast Wasteland.” My experience wasn’t a mirror image of HBO’s “Dream On,” but it wasn’t far off.
If you were to bring up a reference to something you saw on “Gilligan’s Island,” for example, I can almost guarantee that I could tell you about the entire episode from which that nugget was plucked. And if it wasn’t for Channel 5’s “Early Show,” my knowledge of the Godzilla franchise, the “Planet of the Apes” series, and Abbott & Costello routines would be anemic at best. And don’t even get me started on “Happy Days,” “The Night Stalker,” or the phenomenal made-for-TV movies that ABC pumped out in the 1970s. I’m not just a TV pop culture junkie—I’m a huge fan of movies, music, art, and live theater, as well—but I’m no TV slouch.
Tim Gadzinski
That’s why I’m psyched for the return of “Tales from the Taproom” to PetSkull Brewing Company’s Outdoor Beer Garden—weather-permitting—from 6-8 PM on Thursday, September 24! Sponsored by WOMT 100, the theme for our 8th installment of this storyslam series is “Stay Tuned!!” All of the same, basic rules still apply: no props, no notes, and only five minutes to tell a favorite true story.
You can talk about a favorite program, an impactful televised event, something “interesting” that happened while a show was airing in the background—whatever made an impression that you’d like to tell people about! Any true story that involves TV is on the table.
Whether that was watching “Captain Kangaroo” or “Mork & Mindy” when there were under 5 channels available for viewing via an antenna, hypnotized by the latest music videos on MTV, binging on a “Deadliest Catch” marathon via cable or satellite, or slurping-up every streamed minute of “Bridgerton” on Netflix.
Essentially, it comes down to this—stories, and storytelling, are great. It’s a fun way to connect with people in a way that simultaneously reveals how unique and similar we all are. They’re fantastic community builders and they’re just a heckuva lot of fun.
And as this is an Adults-Only event, nothing is off limits—if you’re willing to tell it, it’s a story worth hearing.
You don’t have to come to “The Taproom” to tell a story—you can come to just listen, enjoy, and bask in the wonder of communal storytelling. However, should you want to step up to the mic to share a story that fits in with the evening’s theme, sign-up begins at 5:30 PM and we’ll fit in as many stories as possible into the allotted time.
We can’t wait to hear your television tale during September’s installment of “Tales from the Taproom!“
