What's so bad about Taylor Swift and Pokemon Go anyway?

It has to be admitted that, whilst I am aware that modern culture exists, I'm not exactly a devoted follower of current cultural events. I prefer villanelle and string quartets over more modern alternatives, and as I watch very little television and listen to even less radio, much talk of bands or genres passes over my head, undisturbed.

However, I do read my newspaper, and Twitter is an endless source of enlightenment, and so the existence of Taylor Swift had come to my attention. If you had asked me to name any of her songs, you would have had me at a loss, I admit, but I had at least heard of her.

I was waiting for my hair to be cut a week or so ago, in a local barber shop, and the television station being broadcast on a large screen was playing Taylor Swift videos in chronological order. As there was a lengthy wait, I was thus exposed to a cross-section of her work. And, whilst I still don't see me buying any of her music, I could see the attraction. She sings of girl meets boy, of teenage heartache and all of the things that I dimly remember of the early eighties - awkwardness, confusion, impossible to express desire to name but three.

And, unless I'm very much mistaken, those emotions never go out of fashion, so the market for her music is an obvious one. She can sing, she apparently writes and performs her own work, and the tunes are vaguely catchy and hummable, all of which seems to be a good thing.

Pokemon Go, on the other hand, is proving to be a useful adjunct to my fitness regime, as one has to walk around in search of monsters and supplies and to hatch eggs. The fighting bit I'm not so sure about, but it seems to provide additional motivation for me to get out and about. The only downside is that I appear to be surrounded by young people unfamiliar with 'outside'. Ah well, it may at least have some effect on the general lack of Vitamin D in our youth...

So, there you go, a bureaucrat has been offered a window into the twenty-first century. The view looks inviting enough, so maybe I'll stay...