seeking attention?

how do you get it?

As a child I was the class clown.

Despite the fact that others clamoured for my role, none were my equal. I was peerless in my ability to find the jokes, puns or idiocy in what any teacher said.

My timing when it came to flipping out of a chair by mistake was incomparable.

“Jeeezuss-keeriste Jimmy, you’re always after attention. You always end up getting the wrong kind of attention” was my father’s regular lamentation.

In this post truth internet world, it’s difficult to say what the right kind of attention looks like. Through all of the noise, it’s difficult to say how to get attention in the first place.

Me?

Even beyond childhood I would look for the wrong type of attention.

Slapstick was my preferred method.

Walking into signs and trash cans ‘by mistake’ was regularly punctuated by jumping into a head stand on things.

My favourite attention seeking activity took place at a pub.

The pub was a windowless place in the basement. To get in you descended a really long flight of stairs. This often…