So a few days ago I received an email that seemingly
changed everything. After working a trial week at BrewDog, and possibly being a
bit too confident about my chances of getting the job, I received
an email informing me that I had been unsuccessful in
gaining the position of Assistant Brewer. Needless to say this put a damper on
my attitude towards my future brewing prospects. So after a few hours of
some self-indulgent loathing I realised that I needed to make the best of the
situation and I started applying to every brewery I could find. Along the way I
have had several people ask me why a recent St. Andrews graduate was applying
for minimum wage positions in which I will likely do nothing but clean for the
first few weeks, that is IF I get the job. And up until yesterday I didn't
really have an answer to that question. I simply responded with "I don't
know, I just want to be a brewer".
It was yesterday afternoon that I was watching a video of Stephen
Fry speaking at the Sydney Opera House sometime in January 2011. For those of
you who don't know (and I find it hard to believe many people fall into this
category) Stephen Fry is a British national treasure and a brilliantly
intellectual man. He gave a 45 minute talk at the Sydney Opera House about
nothing and everything at the same time, and I have never been so captivated by
a monologue. During his talk he mentions a scene from a film called 'The Red
Shoes'
"It's one of the great films;
he's one of the great directors Michael Powell. And there is a scene in it that
means a great deal to me; it's quite corny in a way but it's so perfectly done
because it's Michael Powell and written by Emeric of course. Moira Shearer
plays this young girl who is a ballet dancer and there is
this entrepreneur, an impresario I should say, played by the fabulous
actor Anton Walbrook. And her mother takes her to the opera house. So she goes
to see this ballet, and in the interval there is this impresario played by
Anton Walbrook, and her mother drags her up to him, taps him on the shoulder,
and he turns round rather wearily. And she says "I want to introduce my
daughter who is a magnificent young ballet dancer, and she should join your
company, she wants to join your company". And he raises his languid eyes
and looks at her and says "why do you want to join my company". And
the daughter says "well I've heard it's really very good, it's the best I
think, you're positivity wonderful and I like dancing and I think it
would be wonderful fun!". And he just simply turns his back on her and
walks away. And the mother goes "well!" and drags her daughter back
saying "what a rude man!". But you could see, she stands there the
daughter, absolutely fixed. The camera moves in on her face, her eyes
are sparkling with.... you can't tell what is it.... furry because he's been
rude? It's something, something very big to her. And she goes up to him and she taps him on the shoulder this time;
not her mother. And he turns round and looks really annoyed..... "What?”.
And she says "I just wanted to tell you I was wrong about what I told you
when I said I want to join your company because it's a good company and I like
to dance. It's not that I like to dance, I HAVE to dance. It's what I was put
on the planet to do, it's what I am here to do, I have to dance.", And he
stares at her, "Come round in the morning" he says. And then her
career begins. And it’s a wonderful moment because you do realise that for
some people, lucky people, there is this imperative, this absolute need to
do something, you just know it's what you have to do. And it almost doesn't
matter whether anyone is going to pay you or not to do it, you have to do
it."
And it was at this point that I had my reason. I don't know why,
and perhaps I will never know, but at the moment I feel that working in the
brewing industry is something I have to do. I would certainly do it whether I
was paid or not. And that, I feel, is an attitude towards a line of work that
is invaluable. How many people do you know who would show up at work if
the boss said they couldn't pay them?
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