I'd go between Paul and George

Who loves cream soda? Ethan Crabtree loves cream soda. 

This episode, lovely Ethan shares his experience of volunteering as a young person in the award winning Preservative Party - still going strong! - at Leeds City Museum, and essentially just spends 45 minutes proving that all museums should be run by young people.

We learn about their upcoming exhibition, Overlooked, and hear about the time he broke every museum rule ever at the Liverpool Beatles Museum.

If you enjoy the episode, subscribe on all the usual podcast platforms and give us a review on  Apple Podcasts. Bless and thank you!

Transcript

Moderator 1: (05.35) Please could you tell our listeners who you are and what you do, and what your background is? 

Ethan Crabtree: I'm Ethan, I'm 24, I'm currently a member of the Preservative Party. I'm just in the midst of finishing my Masters degree in History. I've got a BA as well which I did just around the corner at Leeds Beckett. My interests falls into youth culture history and a bit of everything. I'm interested in most stuff but it just depends where it comes in. My first starting interest was a bit like everyone in the curriculum, was World War 2. When I went to uni I went with that interest at heart, and I think my A Levels changed me a little bit with doing sociology and that really changed my perspective on everything, and when I got to uni I thought, 'Don't just want to do World War 2 any more.' Then as I went through I was, like, 'Well, what's interesting?' Because I was, outside of uni, getting more into music and that kind of thing and I was, like, 'Well, how can I involve it more in towards what I want to do? Towards second and third year you can get into what you're more interested in, can't you? And that's how it developed. 

Moderator 1: Are you from Leeds? 

Ethan Crabtree: No, I'm from Halifax. Well, I live in Halifax now but I'm originally from Bradford. 

Moderator 1: I think Halifax is one of the most beautiful places. 

Ethan Crabtree: Some of it is nice, depending where you go. Obviously they've redone Piece Hall and there are all those gigs going in there so that's nice. I always say you find your own little dens of antiquity in everywhere, where you want to hang out and where you want to go, whether it be a record shop, whether it be a club or something like that. 

Moderator 1: You mentioned you're a member of the Preservative Party, which is the best name I think for a youth group. Who came up with that? 

Ethan Crabtree: I don't actually know. I think it was before us that came up with that. (Audio distorts 09.23) Esther asked us if we wanted to change it at some point, even the logo, but it was from my home perspective and what the group thinks I don't think anybody would want to change it. 

Moderator 2: Plus it's got a legacy now and if you make a change to something like that there is a danger of it getting a little bit lost and it taking a bit of a while to build back up again. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, definitely. 

Moderator 1: I feel like we're going to mention Esther quite a bit today so do you just want to tell everyone who Esther is? 

Moderator 2: Esther Amis-Hughes has recently been promoted to Head of Community Team (TC 00:10:00), so she looks after all of the assistant community creators across the service, including youth curators and more specialist curators across different sites, and basically heads up all of the excellent community work that we do at LMG. 

Moderator 1: Esther used to be the youth engagement curator here and she set up the Preservative Party, right? 

Ethan Crabtree: Pretty much, yes. 

Moderator 1: Why did you join it? Why did you first join the Preservative Party, and when was that? 

Ethan Crabtree: I joined in 2014, so it's nearly 8 years ago now. It was just on the off chance, because I was at college back then so I was 16. At that point you wouldn't think this kind of thing was available. I've heard of it as a secret club away from everywhere, nobody knows about it, so it's nice to come and be away from the world a little bit. I joined it because I just had an interest in history really, and history's one of those things where there's not much of place for it sometimes you feel, especially people think it's quite-, in school it's a very selective subject. Some people think it's boring to some extent is what people say because depending on what your interest is. I think finding this has been a huge part of my life what the Preservative Party is and the opportunities we've had has been absolutely amazing. I can't thank Esther and Jordan as well, because Jordan's been a huge part of what we've been able to do. 

Moderator 1: Did you grow up going to museums? Your love of history, did it feed its way into museums or was that something that you grew to love and be a part of? 

Ethan Crabtree: My love for history, part of that towards when I got a bit older, kind of through school you started to go to museums and that kind of thing. A lot of my love for history has come through the media really, like films and stuff. You remember The Mummy with Brendan Fraser and that kind of thing, and Titanic and being introduced to it that way got my interested. Films I've watched throughout the years have always had some sort of historical link, or time travel or something like that. I know my mum's been a big part of that and getting me interested in that kind of thing. Academic-wise they question it but I think if you're having something that's keeping you pushing, going for it, then why not? 

Moderator 1: Why do you think that museums are important to young people? 

Ethan Crabtree: I think we need to carry them forward a little bit. Like with everything else we've got responsibility with it. There needs to be more of a young representation. History is history and it's full of-, well, what they try to say is old white men but it's not really. It's just been, like, painted over in a way, hasn't it, from that perspective and I think I wanted to do-, I think we did an exhibition, before we get into it I'll just name drop it, but we did it a few years ago called Teenage Kicks. That was one that I was really interested to put youth on the map as well as being in a museum really more than anything. 

Moderator 1: You said then about exhibitions. When you meet as the Preservative Party what do you do? 

Ethan Crabtree: The first thing is we have half an hour to just relax, settle in, have a bit of food that Esther buys and stuff like that. 

Moderator 2: What does she buy? What kind of food does she buy? 

Ethan Crabtree: She's got the quote to be healthy, but it's not. Croissants and Pringles and proper-, 

Moderator 2: Beige buffet? 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, and sugar-free cans of Coke. Yes, crisps, biscuits and things like that. Then Esther brings us back in with a little update sheet. She's got her laptop and brings information that we need and everybody just cracks on until 6:45 and then we pack up. 

Moderator 2: You work on such a variety of projects, and some I find really important. You do a lot of responses to the collection or responses to other exhibitions happening as well. You mentioned Teenage Kicks but is there anything else particularly controversial that you've done or that you work with that sets us apart? I don't mean going out of your way to just wind people up, but things that a bit more surprising that you've worked on? 

Ethan Crabtree: Subjective to whether you think, and you know we've done Protest, which was protests through history. Whether that's subjective? Massively I think the mental health one which you guys might have heard about was huge. From my perspective I didn't fully work on that because I just thought it was a bit too much for the head. I think something like that which I think got quite the attention from when I was listening to feedback from what Esther gave to the other members of the group was it was new, it was fresh, it was highlighting, and it was from young people, it wasn't just from somebody upstairs and that kind of thing. I think everybody was really on board with it and was, 'Yes, this is something that is current,' somebody suggested it in the group, the problems that people are facing now with mental health becoming more prevalent I think it's something we're going to put our fresh, young, what's going on at the minute? How we're experiencing it as well. 

Moderator 2: You talked a bit about what the youth group can do for young people looking to get into museums and why the young group's important. Why should we have youth groups and what can young people do for museums? If I went to an exhibition by a youth group (TC 00:20:00) what would be the difference between that and one that I would go to that's done by a curator that's been here for a long time? 

Ethan Crabtree: I think we're quite lucky in that fact of the Preservative Party is very much in touch with the team upstairs and they allow us to be free with it a little bit, and I think if museums do allow that, obviously within boundaries, to a certain extent having young people gives that other side to creativity. Obviously people in museums aren't always going to be old because there's going to be a new generation coming through now, like yourselves, like myself, like Jordan, people coming through who are going to give that fresh perspective but if you're going to get teenagers you're getting people that are living youth now. I think, as you say, youth groups should be more apparent in museums, obviously due to funding (ph 20.41) things that might not be available, because people think of, like, groups in museums or groups in libraries etc. just-, 

Moderator 2: Retired people? 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, exactly. We're saying it in a nicer way really. Yes, I think it's about making history exciting for young people and gaining their interest from something that they're interested in, because it is very difficult, there needs to be more put into the school curriculum that's a little bit more interesting than just the British Empire and forward really. Like when you get to our level of interest it starts to all become a little bit muddled and everything's just basically not history anymore. That's one of the things, because we've had that in the preservative party where it all gets a bit debated, and like you say you were talking about colonialism with Jordan and that kind of thing, and objects going back and this and this and this. I understand that history is very controversial and everything is probably not ours and this and this and this. When I've sat there and thought about it it takes me away and I think, 'Well-,' and when I've sat in uni lectures and sat and listened to people speak about it it's just, 'I'm not going to enjoy it any more (talking over each other 21.45).' 

Moderator 1: In terms of the future of museums what would you want it to look like? 

Ethan Crabtree: I don't know. It's a weird one because I'm constantly visiting different ones really. My most recent is I'm always in Liverpool. Because I am so popular culture and music and thingy I want it immersive, I like very much of an immersive experience of where you're get in, sort of thing. The 2 for me that really stick out, The Beatles Shop in Liverpool does that very, very well of where they make it wholly what the journey of The Beatles went through and that kind of thing. The British Music Experience does that very well as well in the fact of they don't do that but they have little dome speakers in each era that they go through up until now and it puts you in that with the objects, and they've got a bit where you can play the guitar and the drums and that kind of thing, fully immersing you in the history of what you go in there for. 

Moderator 1: I think exhibitions are definitely going a bit more that way, a bit more experiential. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, 100%. 

Moderator 1: I know one of the big things that happened last year was the Van Gogh experience. Did you see that? 

Ethan Crabtree: In Manchester, yes. My mum wanted to go but never got the chance, because it's right out in Salford Quays by the BBC. 

Moderator 1: It's stuff like that, people want to be able to walk through and be within something, and at The Beatles Story museum they have a recreation of the Cavern Club don't they? 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, they do, it's brilliant. 

Moderator 1: Yes, so it's (talking over each other 24.11) 

Moderator 2: Well it is, but it's also that accessibility thing, isn't it? It's a really weird thing, because you almost can't describe why you like something, and why you like a space, but it's the way that it makes you feel, and something in that has hit one of your sensors in exactly the right way that you go, 'I want to do this feeling again, this is good.' And that, for you, that's really auditory and-, 

Ethan Crabtree: Visual. 

Moderator 2: Visual, and then for other people, the text is still important and having some cases, but actually being able to offer people those different options is going to be the way that we have to do it, and we need to figure out a way we can make all of those things work in tandem. We're just a host for all this stuff and knowledge, and we should be really fluid in how we display it. God knows how, but here we are. We can have big ideas. 

Moderator 1: (Talking over each other 25.01) literally was on the of my timeline which was not going to make it in, is if we as the museums were a fluid, what fluid would we be? Shall we talk about fluids? 

Moderator 2: You know immediately, I came to mind was orange juice with bits. Some people like them, some don't. You can win them round. 

Moderator 1: You can filter the bits out if you really don't like them. 

Moderator 2: Don't brush your teeth before you have it. 

Ethan Crabtree: What about a Fanta Fruit Twist? 

Moderator 2: Oh, goodness. That is exciting. 

Moderator 1: I used to be addicted to Fanta Fruit Twist, I loved it, but I haven't had one in 10 years because I don't want to get back in. Maybe I want to-, 

Ethan Crabtree: Was it addictive? 

Moderator 1: Straight after this recording. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, goes and gets one, yes. 

Moderator 1: Right. The Preservative Party project that you've worked on, what has been your favourite, maybe, object you've seen, or story you've uncovered from your time with the Preservative Party? 

Ethan Crabtree: There's 2, I would say. I'd say the first one, because obviously John was here before, we did the Footsteps one in 2016 about the First World War. And that was a huge project we all worked on, and were in sync. 

Moderator 1: Were you really gutted because it wasn't the Second World War? 

Ethan Crabtree: Well, probably at the time, yes, but I think everybody got the opportunity to be involved in their own little interest in it, and because I was involved in the military side, and we got to be involved with one of the founder members called Alex Day, and then his-, it was his great uncle who knew the soldier who we were looking into his diary about, which is part of what I was doing, and we got to interview him in person, and that kind of thing, it blows your mind that the museum's got connections to be able to do that and go further back and be in touch with the founders that obviously gave the objects, and that kind of thing, and that's the most beautiful bit for me, I love the fact of just being able to talk to people who knew these people, like upcoming things we've got planned. But yes, that's what we need more of, because I think you can have words on a plaque in front of a case and things like that, but it's like with music, if you know more about it, you have more of an emotional connection to it, 100%. 

Moderator 1: We really tried to dig into that when we went to the Maritime Museum, the last series, and we interviewed Ian who's the director there about the Titanic, and one thing we really asked him loads about was the connection to the families that still exist, because with history-, this is going to be the dumbest thing that I'm ever going to say. 

Moderator 2: I know exactly what you're going to say. 

Moderator 1: I was going to say, with history, it's actually not that long ago. 

Moderator 2: No. 

Ethan Crabtree: No. 

Moderator 1: 19-, what, 1912? 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes. 

Moderator 2: Yes. 

Moderator 1: It's literally not that long, and you forget that there are people that still are alive today that would have known the people that lived through that history, and even when you get to WW2, there are still people alive that lived through that, and we had that with-, like with the Titanic, they have connections, as museums, you can connect with the people that are currently living history. And it's insane, it's such a mind-blowing thing, it's such a privilege I feel to be able to work for these places that have the abilities and connections, which is so important to the community team, which is what the Preservative Party come from. 

Ethan Crabtree: They're a part of, yes. 

Moderator 1: Yes. So the community aspect of that is just so unbelievably important. 

Moderator 2: And it's amazing that someone could come from a completely different background, have a completely different upbringing, yet you still have so much to relate to with them. I think that's just really magical when that happens. 

Ethan Crabtree: It is, you just feel it inside, really, I think. 

Moderator 1: With stuff you've researched, and with decision making, decisions the Preservative Party have made, have you ever come to a decision as a group that has shocked Esther, or she's been surprised by it, or that people in the museums have been like, 'Oh, we never thought of it that way.' Have the Preservative Party ever had a perspective that maybe hasn't been seen in the museums before? 

Ethan Crabtree: I mean, most of the projects have come out of our own ideas, and that kind of thing. We've always had support from upstairs, which has been really good, I think. We delegate as a group, so if we come together at the start of the year, so, say September, or if we're continuing something when the exhibition's finished, we come together and do, 'Well, what do we want to work on now?' Or Esther will bring something that's going on in the museum and ask us, do we want to get involved? But I think, yes, as always with decision making, I think the group has had times where people have either had to say, 'Maybe this thing, this is-,' and people disagreed, and things like that, that's group dynamic, isn't it? That's going to happen at some point. 

Moderator 1: Party politics. 

Ethan Crabtree: Of course, yes. 

Moderator 1: It's good though. It's really important. 

Moderator 2: It's really good skills building as well, like learning to be disagreed with and then understanding other people's perspectives. Being a Libra, basically. Balanced opinion. 

Moderator 1: If you can bring in horoscopes into something, you will. 

Moderator 2: Ethan, what's your horoscope? 

Ethan Crabtree: Leo. 

Moderator 2: Are you? Interesting, I feel like I'm a Leo Moon. 

Moderator 1: What is that? 

Ethan Crabtree: Oh yes, I don't get that, the whole thing about people having seasonal birth signs. 

Moderator 2: Your moon is the person who you-, we should get someone (TC 00:30:00) on from a horoscope museum. 

Moderator 1: No. No. 

Moderator 2: Is there a horoscope museum? 

Moderator 1: There's a dog collar museum, I want to speak to someone from there. 

Moderator 2: Brilliant. 

Moderator 1: Down in Kent. 

Moderator 2: Anyway. 

Ethan Crabtree: There you go, next trip. 

Moderator 1: What we were saying was that it's good to-, joining a youth group in museums is not just about putting on exhibitions and doing things solely about museums, it's skills building for other things, and-, you've made friends, right? You and Jordan were just having a little bromance there, just-, 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes. 

Moderator 2: You know people for years as well, and that's crazy, at that point in your life where you're mid-late teens, and then to build this new group that's a friendship group, but also you're happy to challenge each other in something, that's so mature. It's wild that you-, I just really admire it, because it gives you such a good start into whatever you want to do, and different perspective. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, everyone comes into it-, 

Moderator 2: I'm like a proud bloody mother hen. 

Ethan Crabtree: Everyone comes into it a bit naïve I think, I mean, I came into it and I was never a massively challenging person, I mean I think A-levels learned you to be a little like that when you're doing debates and things like that, but I've never been a massive challenging person I think, and most of the time when I'm at PP, I will get involved, but I think a lot of people come to PP to socialise, basically. Because as you know, the last couple of years, and-, well, for years it's gone on, there's a lot of loneliness happening, and things like that, and people come for that friendship aspect, because I think it's hugely important because if you don't make them people at school, and that kind of thing, or you don't do the mainstream socialising thing, places like this are massively important, especially for myself. This was important, I used to work in a charity shop as well. That was massively important for me to socialise and things like, and a lot of things that you can do for free, pretty much. A massive-, more important than something you get paid for, to be honest, half the time. 

Moderator 2: I think that's the thing with volunteering, it's overwhelmingly, people see volunteering as doing something for someone else, which it is, literally, but there's so much that you can get from that for yourself, and it is the social aspect I guess, that can give you back, it's so important and it just builds you up into developing your personality. 

Ethan Crabtree: 100%, yes. 

Moderator 2: Okay, so, really quickly, can you tell us a little about the current project that the Preservative Party are working on? 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, so I think at the moment, it's overlooked history, because I think this is the thing that we're always trying to do, is find some history that's never been told, and using the collection to see what the collection has, so we're going to say, 'Oh yes, can we put this into an exhibition?' Or, 'Why hasn't it been used before?' So it overlooks that thing of looking at histories that have not been told, and something fresh and new for the museum, and I know a few projects, that through little bits that are going on, so I think there's a section on LGBTQ trans, I think something's going on with that, so it's in early planning stages, so-, and that kind of thing. We've got the jazz photographer from Leeds, that we're going on, I think it's Terry Cryer, and things, yes. 

Moderator 2: Do you meet in normal times? Do you meet every week or-, 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, every week, 5 till 7, yes. On a Thursday. 

Moderator 2: I want to come. 

Moderator 1: I mean, you can. 

Moderator 2: I don't think I'm a youth anymore. According to Twitter. 

Moderator 1: Yes, I mean, that sentence probably answered your own question. 

Moderator 2: 'Am I a youth anymore?' 

Ethan Crabtree: Half of us are pushing towards 25, 26 now, because half of us have been there since around (inaudible 33.25), and there's only one that's been there since Jordan, so. 

Moderator 2: That's amazing, you don't want to leave. 

Ethan Crabtree: No, we don't. I think that's the thing, because we've built such an attachment to it, really, because you do something that you do every single week, and you look forward to it, and then everybody gets a bit-, well, especially me, I get annoyed when I miss a week. I really do, because I come to speak to people, like Esther, we've got somebody in there who supports Callum, who's called Meryl, she comes and supports him, and I speak to her every week. It's like a little friendship group, and yes, I think that's a huge part of me, I come and speak to them every week (ph 34.00), you give updates on what you've done throughout the week, and that kind of thing, it's huge. Yes, and it just makes your week a little bit better. 

Moderator 2: And it's really nice to see-, I think we've had a few vacant positions in the last year that have been filled by people who come up through the Preservative Party, so Alex is now our assistant community creator Leeds Industrial Museum, and we took them till (ph 34.20) Matt Jordan throughout this, and Jordan's now a youth engagement curator, and it's just so nice, isn't it? To see that you have grown as the museums do. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, a lot of progression, I think somebody else from the group is a VA here now. 

Moderator 2: Oh really? 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, if you see her around, she's called Rhiannon, yes, she's a VA as well. 

Moderator 1: Oh yes, I met her yesterday. 

Moderator 2: I literally can't hear the name Rhiannon without thinking Fleetwood Mac. It's really annoying. Okay, right, last question. What is your dream museum job? What museum, and what is your dream job? 

Moderator 1: It doesn't have to be a museum job? 

Moderator 2: Yes, it does. 

Moderator 1: No. 

Moderator 2: Because that's my question? 

Moderator 1: Okay, fair enough. What if he doesn't want to do that? 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, well, I think something to do with British music in general, I think probably if you could get a job at either a Beatles museum in Liverpool, or a British music experience, or something like that, would be huge. So I've had a creator there, or somebody, assistant creator if you can, whichever. I mean, the thing is, people don't leave them jobs, and do I blame them? No. Because they're the people that are interested and will put these exhibitions forward and make them look how they do. So I mean, like you say, if you can get into that kind of thing, I think it would be absolutely massive, and you probably wouldn't want to leave yourself. I mean, there's only one Beatles story job that I saw that came up in years. I mean, there is jobs that come up, but like you say, you've got to live in them places, haven't you? And it's difficult. 

Moderator 2: We were talking earlier about museums having connections with living history, and people that are related to certain people that have been really fundamental history. The Beatle Story Museum must be amazing for that, it must have so many connections with people, and I think museums in Liverpool had a John and Yoko exhibition a few years ago. 

Ethan Crabtree: They did, yes. That was good. 

Moderator 2: That was curated a bit by Yoko or something. 

Moderator 1: Mad. 

Moderator 2: Imagine. 

Ethan Crabtree: Well, I think if you go to the one on Matthew Street, which is the Liverpool Beatles Museum, that's a whole collection, do you know Pete Best? The original drummer? 

Moderator 1: Yes. 

Ethan Crabtree: Basically, the original drummer, so all that is pretty much from his collection of Beatles memorabilia, so I think that's the best one, if you want to go to that for the memorabilia side of things, it's 3 floors and it progresses through obviously the eras. 

Moderator 2: We've gotten to the last 10 minutes now, I'm just going to ask some quick-fire questions about the Beatles. 

Ethan Crabtree: Okay. 

Moderator 2: Who's your favourite Beatle? 

Ethan Crabtree: George. 

Moderator 2: Why? 

Ethan Crabtree: I just like his soul and what people described about him, and other things, and how they all grew up together, and-, well, I mean him and Paul did, and then how they all met, is just amazing, the little stories you hear about them are just crazy. 

Moderator 2: I watched an interview with Paul McCartney the other day, and he said that he and George used to hitch-hike, it was a big thing for them, and they used to hitch-hike and sit on the side of the road with a little gas stove, and cook rice pudding on the side of the road. Like little cans of ambrosia. Okay, who do you think is the best dressed Beatle? 

Ethan Crabtree: That's difficult, I mean, I'd go between Paul and George, I think. Because depending on how you see them grow, depends whether you form an attachment to them, because I copied them, I've got a suit similar to a Beatles suit at home, and everything, the nice black 3 button suit, that simple classic one. 

Moderator 2: Okay, final Beatles question, so you've mentioned the museum quite a bit. What is your favourite Beatles object that you've seen on display? What thing has made you go-, 

Ethan Crabtree: Don't know whether I should say, to be honest. But anyway I will. Basically, they had Shay Stadium seats. Do you know when they performed at Shay Stadium in 1965? The massive one where nobody could hear anything, and (talking over each other 37.49), yes so they had Shay Stadium seats there, and I snuck under the barrier to sit on them. 

Moderator 2: Did you? 

Moderator 1: Did you? 

Ethan Crabtree: I've got a picture somewhere, I snuck under the little chain, and I was like-, 

Moderator 1: (talking over each other 38.03) 

Ethan Crabtree: And sat on them, and I was like, 'Oh, yes!' And also the other one as well is, the British Music Experience have got 2 little Beatles books on display, and I have one of them. 

Moderator 1: Cool. That's the other thing about museums generally, when you recognise something, you're like, 'Wait, why is that in a museum? I have that.' 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes. 

Moderator 1: That's so cool. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, I have the same one. 

Moderator 2: Also if anyone's listening to this and I did leave that bit in, if you sit on any of our seats in the museum, we will kill you. 

Moderator 1: No we won't. 

Moderator 2: No we won't. But don't do it. They've got little thistle haven't they? That's what we put on our seats. 

Moderator 1: Some, yes, depend-, if they're collection, yes. 

Moderator 2: So depending on how-, do you want to sit on it, or do you want a really prickly bum? 

Moderator 1: Yes. Also, while some of the chairs in the collection, I would be a little concerned about their structural integrity, so you take the risk as whether it breaks, and then we will know about it, because it's literally broken. 

Moderator 2: And then you fall through it. That'd be embarrassing. 

Moderator 1: Yes. 

Moderator 2: Anyway, we're onto our final 3 questions, Ethan. Our first is, what's been your favourite day at work with the Preservative Party? 

Ethan Crabtree: God, that's a hard one. Can I do a few moments instead of a day? 

Moderator 2: Yes. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, is that fine? Yes, I think the few months that I've really enjoyed have been the trips to London, so that's when we've got recognition for the work we've done. So we've won 2-, did we win the Yorkshire award this year? And I think the last one was-, 

Moderator 2: Gosh, you've just won so many awards you can't even remember them. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, it's recognition for the work we've done, and it's just a nice little trip away with everybody, and obviously we do speak in the preserving panel, once the work gets going, you don't always get to chat and everybody goes off and goes home. It's one of those times where we had a trip down the train for two hours or whatever, and you get to just enjoy it a little bit. That's a part of it, and then luckily we got the chance to go to Berlin. 

Moderator 2: I remember you going to Berlin, (TC 00:40:00) because I'm uploading a blog about it, thinking, 'God, jealous.' 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, and it brought a part of the group closer together. I just think it was just an opportunity, because I'd never been to Berlin before, and it was just an opportunity you can't miss, and then we got the chance afterwards to go to Berlin to then speak about it. Not to Berlin, to Belfast, to then speak about it. 

Moderator 2: That's amazing. 

Ethan Crabtree: I know, yes. 

Moderator 1: Well, yes, but a testament to the impact and the work that you do, isn't it? You wouldn't be doing that if it wasn't important, and it's amazing that Esther just does such a fab job with it, Jordan's got big shoes to fill and the museum encourages it. 

Ethan Crabtree: Jordan got us that opportunity to go to Berlin. 

Moderator 1: Did he? 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, because he was oversees the work with the University of Leeds because obviously that's where he studied, and he got the connection to a lecturer there who then accompanied us on both trips. 

Moderator 1: Wow. What a guy. 

Ethan Crabtree: I know, yes. 

Moderator 2: He's like the liaison-, what's his name? Is it Fredo? 

Moderator 1: Don't know, mate. 

Moderator 2: Fredo in the Godfather. He's the little go-between and he schmoozes. 

Ethan Crabtree: Such a film. 

Moderator 2: I got into a really bad gangster obsession during lockdown, and I just got mad on all the Godfathers, Scarface-, 

Moderator 1: It's a good job we were in lockdown, god forbid. 

Ethan Crabtree: I did that as well. 

Moderator 2: Did you? 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, I watched the Godfathers, and then there's Scarface, and-, 

Moderator 2: The Sopranos. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, I haven't watched that one, no. 

Moderator 2: Oh. You did-, 

Moderator 1: I was a bit worried for everyone's safety with gangster Meg loose on the streets of Leeds. 

Moderator 2: I bought a Hawaiian shirt and wore it with a vest underneath and a gold chain. I kept walking around like this-, (talking over each other 41.40) 

Ethan Crabtree: 'Say hello to my little friend.' 

Moderator 2: Right, sorry. These are your questions. 

Moderator 1: They are. So, last question is a twofold one. So, from everything we've talked about today, what would be your main takeaway that you'd want everyone to go away and think about? The second is what your actual favourite takeaway is. 

Ethan Crabtree: Okay, I think for everybody to join museums, I suppose, and enjoy life. Because at the minute I think we're getting so caught up in the coronavirus pandemic, and it just seems such a gritty place, doesn't it? Everybody's stopping and starting everything's all-, but I just think, yes, just try and enjoy museums and just enjoy life and be happy. 

Moderator 1: That's lovely. That's the sweetest one we've ever had. I hope someone listening to this is just going to go, 'Yes, I will.' 

Ethan Crabtree: Hopefully so, yes. 

Moderator 2: That's so nice. 

Ethan Crabtree: And then I think, favourite takeaway, I don't really get takeaways. It's something-, 

Moderator 1: Your body is a temple? 

Moderator 2: It's not, you're drinking cream soda, mate. 

Ethan Crabtree: It's not, I wish I was like that. But I mean, it's not really a takeaway, but I'll say, it's basically a frozen-, can I say a frozen pizza that I like? 

Moderator 2: You can. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes, it's a Goodfellas, there we go, another reference. 

Moderator 2: There we go, they're everywhere. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes. 

Moderator 1: Can't stop it. 

Ethan Crabtree: It's a chicken base with a herb dressing. 

Moderator 1: Good choice. 

Moderator 2: Yes. I don't have frozen pizzas very often, but they are good. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes. 

Moderator 2: Do you dip your crusts? 

Ethan Crabtree: No. 

Moderator 2: You just go-, 

Ethan Crabtree: Just go full on it. 

Moderator 1: Crustless? 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes. I mean, the Wetherspoon's pizzas round there are really nice on the corner. 

Moderator 2: Are they? 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes. 

Moderator 2: I've never had a pizza in Spoon's. I normally just get a big bowl of onion rings. 

Ethan Crabtree: They are nice, I do recommend. 

Moderator 2: Which is so grotesque. 

Moderator 1: It's so unlike you, and yet, exactly like you. 

Moderator 2: I think pizza is probably our most chosen takeaway, do you think? 

Moderator 1: It's solid choice though, isn't it? 

Moderator 2: I like you've not chosen it as a takeaway, I think people forget that you can just make a nice pizza at home, and it's less expensive to get a frozen one. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes. 

Moderator 1: And there is nothing better than that smug feeling of being like, 'Oh, I don't know what we've got for tea.' And then in the freezer there is a shining light-, 

Ethan Crabtree: A nice frozen pizza, yes. 

Moderator 2: My only thing is if I have a pizza, is to get that Allioli dip, which is a brand name by the way, because whenever you say that, everyone's like, 'It's called Aioli.' And I'm like, 'No, this one's called Allioli,' and it's yellow, and I think it's in Sainsbury's and Morrisons, and you just dip the crust in that, and it's essentially just garlicky, delicious. But you can't really see anyone after you've had it. 

Ethan Crabtree: The trick is though, even if you get a frozen pizza, because obviously the frozen pizzas aren't going to have it, is to get, it's proper Italian, isn't it? But get a nice jar of oregano and just sprinkle it on it. That's the best way, then it makes it nice and flavoury, yes. 

Moderator 2: Yes. 

Moderator 1: Yes. Top tip. 

Ethan Crabtree: Bit of salt as well. 

Moderator 1: Always seasoned. 

Ethan Crabtree: Yes. 

Moderator 2: Ethan, thank you so much for coming in, I really appreciate it on your day at work. 

Ethan Crabtree: My pleasure. 

Moderator 1: Yes, it's wicked, it was really lovely to talk to you, thank you. 

Ethan Crabtree: No, that's absolutely fine. 

Moderator 2: What a lovely guy. 

Moderator 1: Yes, he is a lovely guy. What was your best bit there? 

Moderator 2: My best but was-, 

Moderator 1: Okay, off you go. 

Moderator 2: I think my best bit was when he accidentally said, 'Museums and that.' 

Moderator 1: Yes, he did. Is that the first time that's happened? 

Moderator 2: Yes. Lost my mind. 

Moderator 1: Have we become part of just general chat now? 

Moderator 2: Yes, but the whole thing is that that's just a thing that people say, isn't it? So actually it's just-, 

Moderator 1: Literally isn't, but yes. 

Moderator 2: 'Museums and that.' 

Moderator 1: Well, it is. Literally. And I also really liked absolutely everything that he said. 

Moderator 2: Yes. 

Moderator 1: Yes. 

Moderator 2: I liked talking to him about the Beatles as well, shout out to the Beatles if you're listening. 

Moderator 1: Yes, I think his enthusiasm about how the museum is laid out in Liverpool is just incredible, down to the nth degree. 

Moderator 2: Yes, they should give him a job immediately. 

Moderator 1: He really knows his stuff there, it's so lovely to hear about it in that detail. And I think just how much scope the Preservative Party have for things that they do, and the projects they work on, I think it's really important but also it's amazing and we should be really proud of them. 

Moderator 2: I just did a little yogurt burp there, sorry. 

Moderator 1: Lovely. No, we should be proud of them, they're fantastic. Well done them. 

Moderator 2: Okay, thanks to Al Finney. He does stuff for us. He did our cover artwork with us. 

Moderator 1: He does our artwork. 

Moderator 2: Thank you to-, 

Moderator 1: Tim Bentley. 

Moderator 2: Love you, Tim. 

Moderator 1: For musics. Thank you for the musics. 

Moderator 2: Thank You For The Music is a song, isn't it? By Abba. 

Moderator 1: Yes. That's Tim Bentley. Transcripts on the website, if you would like to read those. And if you want to like and subscribe and review and rate us, and tell your friends, that would be fantastic. 

Moderator 2: Please. 

Moderator 1: Yes, just keep reading this thing on the board that says, 'Working at pace.' It's freaking me out. It's making a tummy ache. 

Moderator 2: I don't want to work at pace. 

Moderator 1: What pace? Glacial? 

Moderator 2: Slow. Yes. 

Moderator 1: Glacial pre-climate change, I reckon. Circa early 20th century. 

Moderator 2: Won't that just mean working at peace? 

Moderator 1: Just change it. 

Moderator 2: Yes, I should change it. 

Moderator 1: So, if people want to let us know-, alright, your-, 

Moderator 2: Sorry. 

Moderator 1: So tired. 

Moderator 2: It's 9am. If people want to get in touch with us, how can they? 

Moderator 1: There are many methods, you could send us a postcard or a letter. Stamps are really expensive. 

Moderator 2: We would love that, wouldn't we? 

Moderator 1: Yes. You can hand deliver them. 

Moderator 2: Mate, do you know what's really expensive now? Toothpaste. £5. 

Moderator 1: What toothpaste are you buying? 

Moderator 2: Colgate. That's honestly the cheapest one. 

Moderator 1: You're buying it from the wrong places, mate. 

Moderator 2: No I'm not, it's just the cost of living prices are really coming up. Anyway, so-, 

Moderator 1: Yes, letters. Or, the cheaper, probably more convenient way for most people is Twitter. So that's @MuseumMeg or at, (mw 47.23) or @LeedsMuseums, or all of the above. 

Moderator 2: And then, I guess, we'll just see you next time. Have a lovely day, wherever you are in the world. 

Moderator 1: It is a really lovely day actually here, today when we're recording this, which is great. 

Moderator 2: Had to air out my back. 

Moderator 1: You're so sweaty all of the time. 

Moderator 2: No, it's just because I walked a really long way and it was hot and I had a backpack on. And my shirt got all bunched up. 

Moderator 1: Oh, I hate that, when you have to keep pulling it down. It's worse when you're wearing a dress though, and it keeps getting bunched up, and I'm like, 'It's a good job I'm wearing a long coat, because I cannot be bothered to pull my dress down again.' 

Moderator 2: It's just all hell, isn't it? Hell broke loose-, 

Moderator 1: No one (ph 47.56) needed to know that much, (talking over each other 47.58) 

Moderator 2: Anyway, have a nice time, see you later. Bye! 

Moderator 1: Bye.