CRAP DATES

Crap Dates brings together the best and funniest submissions from Rhodri’s ingenious online social experiment – as well as many never-before-seen Tweets – all of which will make people smile and cringe in equal measure.

When British writer Rhodri Marsden tweeted a short anecdote about one of his worst date experience he didn’t anticipate the response.
Within 24 hours over 3000 people, from all over the world, had sent him their own recollections of their least pleasurable or most weirdly memorable dates. A week later he’d received another 4000 and the story had gained press attention around the world, in places as far apart as Norway, the USA, India and Australia.

When it goes well, a first date can be exhilarating. But it’s not always like that. In fact, it’s hardly ever like that, and as single people continue to play the percentage game to increase chances of success, they accumulate a terrifying stockpile of anecdotes. Sometimes they’re funny, sometimes they’re shocking, but they’re always poignant – because dating is about hope, and hope can be cruelly shattered.

It was a twist of fate that led to all these stories being crammed into 140 characters, but as a result they’re almost haiku-like in their beauty – small, perfectly formed comedies of modern manners.

RHODRI MARSDEN is a London-based journalist, musician and blogger. His first book, FWD This Link was published by Rough Guides in 2008 followed by, The Next Big Thing, in 2009.