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A presentation each issue that informs
and entertains the readers of this ezine
and is also
carried in Eric Shackle's E-Book, the
first
multi-national literary attempt of its kind.
You-Tuber finds fame at 79
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America's Time magazine calls Peter Oakley a superstar, and
England's Saga magazine says that at the age of 79 he has become
"one of the most famous Britons alive, with nearly five million fans
around the world."
Never heard of him? Nor had we, until the other day, when a neighbour's
grandchild told us about Peter's "cool YouTube videos."
So we googled his name, and found he has indeed become an idol of idle
youngsters. Saga magazine says he has achieved global fame not on
TV or as an actor or author, but on the Internet, where his videos have
made him one of the most popular stars of the YouTube website.
Most of the world's 100 million You-Tubers are children, teenagers and
young adults. Many of them look on Peter, who is a widower, as a kindly
old man who reminds them of their own grandfathers. He calls himself
Geriatric1927, referring to the year he was born.
Peter lives near a picturesque village in Derbyshire, in the centre of
England, and keeps his exact whereabouts secret. Do his fellow villagers
know they have a world-famous man in their midst?
We'd like to learn more about this modest man. Does he have children
and grandchildren of his own? Does he read and reply to the thousands of
messages posted on the Geriatric1927 forum?
Peter is a retired motorcycle dealer. He says on his home page,
subtitled The Rantings and Ravings of a Geriatric: "My life has
been very varied but my love of motorcycles has remained with me all of my
life (no, I don't have piercings or tattoos).
"I am a bit of a recluse I suppose as partying and such do not appeal.
I have a degree in fine art which I got at the age of 60+ so have
interests there. Blues music is essential to my well being and have been
addicted since a child. I have a background in mechanical engineering."
His hit counter when we looked at it last month showed that his
"current views" had reached the staggering total of 6,702,413.
We know that he is the victim of hate mail. Some of it, from children,
was "filthy, disgusting and libellous as well," he says in one of his
videos, denying a hoax report of his death. "I wonder if their parents
know what they are doing. I like to think that the majority of people on
YouTube are my friends."
Michael Smith, an American living in Philadelphia (the City of
Brotherly Love) found Peter's videos so interesting that he set up an
elaborate website, askgeriatric.com, to give other YouTubers an
opportunity to send messages to Peter.
"I'm very proud to say that Peter is a good friend," Mike told the
Derby Evening Telegraph. "Though we'll likely never meet, we talk
almost daily. Peter is as genuine as he appears ... a very humble and
noble gentleman."
Stephen Mold, of Northampton, wrote, "I think Peter is an amazing
example to us all. I hope when I reach his age, I have the same passion
and love for life he has. I think we should start a petition for a
knighthood."
That suggestion appealed to Tom Guarriello, of Connecticut, US, who
wrote: "I've followed Peter's YouTube adventure since its earliest days.
In fact, he inspired me to stop simply watching and begin posting videos
myself.
"He delivers simple wisdom in a wonderfully plain fashion, so much so
that it's easy to miss his extraordinary talent as a storyteller. Peter's
a unique individual. Millions of lives have been enriched through having
come in contact with him. Knighthood? As a Yank, I say, 'hear hear!'"
We wonder whether Peter has ever visited the website of Olive Riley,
the 107-year-old Australian great-great-grandmother who is the world's
oldest blogger. He would enjoy reading her posts which, like Peter's
videos, appeal to young as well as old web surfers everywhere.
| Links |
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| An interesting interview with Peter Oakley has
just been
published by the South Korean citizen reporters' journal OhmyNews
International. |
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