On the second day of his expedition to explore the Antarctic wastelands around the South Pole, Mark Wood encountered a problem unique to today’s polar explorers: his iPod failed. The setback was at first only a minor inconvenience to Wood, who is attempting to be the first person in history to solo ski both the North and South poles consecutively. It was a minor inconvenience, that is, until he overheard the song “Wombling Merry Christmas” by the Wombles in the background while speaking with his family via satellite phone at Christmas. The catchy tune clawed its way into his head where it has remained his hated but only companion in the foreboding region ever since. Wood, who is still on expedition, reported that the tune is beginning to make him slightly crazy after spending weeks skiing to its rhythm.
The Wombles is a British pop band that features musicians dressed as characters from a popular children’s television show. The band is broken up now but was popular in the 1970′s. Its music lives on in the heads of polar explorers and as a cultural novelty in the UK. If nothing else, the band’s undeniably annoying music reveals the power insignificant things can have over the human psyche in extreme environments.
In other, possibly more relevant Mark Wood news, the explorer had an interesting surprise last week when, after 42 days alone on the ice, he randomly encountered a group of Norwegian kite surfers making their way back from the South Pole. The explorer does not note if they were annoying enough to help him shake the Wombles.
Watch the Wombles perform “Wombling Merry Christmas” here:
Hello! Amusingly interesting read and well designed blog !
Will definitely return, thanks!