Week Forty-Three Break Taken.

Right, I do think that a Christmas party at the Scalextric track in the old ex-rudery-dungeon in Northwood, Middlesex, is in order as a Talk Audio ‘˜Thing’. I will have a look at costs and report to see if we have eight takers or teams..
But you guys are owed an explanation. I did so hope that maybe a few souls gave a darn but it does rather look not, as I had a flood of no communications whatsoever regarding my Monday column not appearing for two consecutive weeks. It was nearly three years into my tenure here that it was suggested that I do a Monday-published ‘˜This Week’ column. And I have done so ever since, even writing them when away on a rare Spanish week’s holiday and always from Las Vegas when attending the #InternationalCES. However, after twenty-odd years of going to Sin City for the CES convention (on and off, rarely on consecutive years) and coming back with tales from there, I was finally able to take MeJulie to see for herself. And so we took an actual ‘˜vacation’. We flew on a Monday and went for a week, so two more column days came and went, with nary a flicker of worry from my impassioned readership. I know of a couple of engineer types and a few other folks who may have looked to see if it had appeared of a Monday afternoon, or whom might look on a Tuesday and will have mildly wondered but not enough chirrup any disapproval.
Moreover, I think my days of attending and writing up so many car shows are coming to a natural petering-out phase. Once, called ‘˜The Voice Of The Donny Show’, (ye gods, what an accolade!) I was main compere of the Doncaster year-opener event for a good few years. I got to the point where they were happy to let my mum use the Doncaster racecourse Royal Box to come see me. but it would have been a gruelling effort for her in her dotage to have been trundled up to Donny just to hear me prate on a microphone. It was my biggest live audience. Once, I was in front of four thousand people, as they were hanging off the rafters in the stands, to see the Fireforce jet funny car do its boom act, when a lass fainted in the crowd. I had to fill for a unspecified time while St. John’s took her to the hospital. I was terrified for about one eighth of a second and yet managed it, finding something to relate that kept them from throwing apple cores for ten worrying minutes.
But that means I have been taking the Pith for over 23 years. Many have grown from youth to adulthood as they came to these shows. So a few have called me ‘˜legend’, an hilarious variation of ‘˜old’!.
I am happy that apart from the bloody promoters themselves, I know of no press who have been doing it so solidly for so long. I am the longest time-served car show going writer I know
Also, I always seem to writing to catch-up before I do another product thing.. and it has become so out of hand that products’ testing has been neglected.
That’s a-changing. I already invested in a new monstrous-sized epic grade 12V AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat – as used in tanks) battery. I think a serious spend on Test & Measurement is about to happen. My new friend Steve Meade has some sexy bits of testy zesty kit. I want to test amplifiers’ outputs and a Steve Meade TMI piece could be a new UK industry standard. Also, for reviews, instead of a massive treatise to read on the loo while your bum goes dry, I will be making videos that can stand alone or work with embedding them in a bare bones conclusions review article. That way, you could bizzle through a few (as I get them built up) on the train to work. I know that happens for people longing to fish, as they check out the Anglers Mail WTF (Where to Fish..lol!) videos, viewing a few on just one journey.
Also, I think having the Monday column as discipline-to-get-going has now become a tad ‘˜in the way’, as I want to play with stuff, so I will write by urge rather than self imposed Mondayness!
I finally got my copies of Fast Car through, the one with the Steve Meade Tahoe article. yet have not looked at the work of star snapper Connor Surdi on the page, or my editor’s edit yet. It has been literally two years in the coming and the moment to finally peruse it will be sweet. I wanted to save it and savour that moment. Today I will be adding my Tahoe interview with him to the TATV pages.
OK, up to work speed tonight is the BCSS open evening of JL Audioness. I have been in the past but am due at the UK HQ of JL Audio the very next morning, via a night’s kip in a hotel dahn seasidely sarf. I am still waking at 2am, as crisp as an overcooked nugget, and struggling with the chuffing 8hr time difference from flying east to London from Vegas and just couldn’t do both. I have asked Brian and he will try to get me some material. Thus, yes ‘I am filming tomorrow’
Yesterday, I was again punching absurdly above my weight as I went to the CES Unveiled London event.. I think what I saw there deserves it own story. In the meanwhile a huge BRAVA to Summerhouse PR and a thank you for my invitation to the Groucho club!
Drive carefully, enjoy your tunes, don’t get nicked.
Adam Rayner On Line Editor!