Would the name of Matthijs van Nieuwkerk still be mentioned at the Top 2000 agogo , and would the annual music program between Boxing Day and New Year’sEve still be fun? Those were the questions that hung in the TV air on BoxingDay. The NTR seemed to have little confidence in it beforehand. After Hermanvan der Zandt was flown in to replace Van Nieuwkerk, who had been accused ofmisconduct, the NTR decided not to broadcast the result on prime time, butafter the well-intentioned Christmas Music Gala 2022 full of children andfamous artists.
The answer to the questions about the Top 2000 a gogo is twice no. For thetime being, the program is less fun and the name Van Nieuwkerk was notmentioned. Van der Zandt did start with the announcement: „It is all a bitdifferent this year than usual. The cafe looks the same, but some things havechanged.” And that was not just about the absence of the familiar presenter.Yes, the setup of this one Top 2000 a gogo seemed the same, still in a cafe,with music blocks and the mini documentaries – they were always the best partof the program, and they still were. Not much was left of the quiz, and the”special encounters” mainly testified to a lot of fandom from a distance.Guests with main character vibes were not held tight. Barwoman Monica had nosignificant role, the public was no longer asked about the best song of alltime and the ‘list pusher’ had also disappeared. What was there? Manyanecdotes that had little to do with music, a bigger role for Blokhuis, whowas not a sidekick but Van der Zandt’s duo presenter. He packaged his musiclectures in the form of a conversation, which therefore did not become aconversation.
Of course it took both gentlemen to get used to their new role, but now youhad the feeling that the program could have been radically overhauled (therewere plenty of items that were never fun) instead of half-baked sticking tothe concepts of the previous years. The lack of curiosity and admiration madeitself felt.
Damaged self image
However, the boundaries between failure and success, fear and future, promiseand reality are great, is the lesson that can also be learned from thefantastic documentary series Trappers. In this we follow employees of theStichting Fietskoerier Amsterdam. They are filmed in a Bert Haanstra-likemanner, cycling through Amsterdam, we hear a voice-over talking about thecyclists. They all struggle to find their role in life. There is Nanne who isprobably the oldest bicycle courier in Amsterdam and who sometimes gets theidea that he is a failure. There’s Stanley who runs the company without reallyhaving a clue about how to run a company. At the age of eleven he fell from amango tree in Suriname, after which he lost both lower legs.
The most tragic figure is the young Rolf, a dropped law student withsuccessful parents in the Gooi. Every weekend he goes to his parents’ house,where he is invariably told that he has to do something with his life. Rolfknows that too. However, the thought that what he does has repeatedly ended indisappointment and that he is not worth the effort as a person hinders him ineverything. “I’m on your feet,” he says to his father when Rolf comes up witha new plan for the future. His father – who is greatly admired by Rolf – doesnot deny it. It’s a stab in your heart. The sensitive boy with extreme fear offailure, also a fanatical reader of Russian classics and poetry, wish you somuch more happiness and, above all, self-confidence.
Who is curious about the consequences of fear and a damaged self-image: notthe continuation of the Top 2000 a gogo has the answer, but Trappers whichis just like the Top 2000 a gogo can be seen all week.