Week Forty Sorry For Fail

It’s no good, I do and shall feel unworthy. For despite showing off here, I did not present the trophies at the EMMA event at the Holiday Inn near Heathrow after the Car Audio and Security sound off last Saturday. I did make it to Bilton Way and thence to the hotel but was just feeling rougher and rougher and had to bail. I’m so sorry. I gather that Nobbystylz Constantine was called upon, only to discover that sight reading everybody’s names even though you have seen them before is actually a little trickier than it looks.
I do feel rotten, especially as Andrew Ackerley himself, the organising thrust behind EMMA, got all of the new UK energy injected into sound off as he worked his butt off in the early seasons, even as he was recovering from a serious medical issue. I’m just a wimp. Ugh
On a more positive note I have a small confession to make. I have been to Las Vegas over a dozen times in the last two decades but never gambled so much as one red cent. (I believe Gordon Dutch, whom I all but bumped into on a crowded concourse amidst 176,000 delegates last January at the international CES, has been more than four dozen times in the same period!) And finally I can go for fun instead of just work. I’m taking MeJulie to Las Vegas baby! Instead of working like an ant with an IV of caffeine to pay my way this will be just for the fleshpot, with my noshpot.
To deny that I have been spoiled rotten occasionally during all of those older trips would be fatuous. All those trips have not only been work Blaupunkt put me and Spike up at the Venetian Hotel, as well as paying for competition winner and girlfriend. Pioneer put us in the Bellagio hotel for SEMA. It might have been Kenwood who took me to the Crazy Horse. It was definitely Pioneer who took us to the Cirque du Soleil show. And have I ever been fed some fine steaks in that town. I’m going to use the experience of those restaurants to take my girl to a couple of the best. A restaurateur called English (that is his actual surname) has his eatery literally alongside the fountains of the Bellagio hotel and there is another buried deep downtown at a locals’ casino called The D. I have Mr. Brian Tally to thank for the deep locals’ knowledge and the best steak meal of my life and Mr. Richard Giddings for the meal next to the fountains. I hope she’ll be impressed.
We fly away next Monday to return the following Monday on a redeye thus landing on Tuesday. I might post next Monday’s column via my telephone from Heathrow airport and possibly the one following that from Las Vegas before we fly away Home. I cannot promise either though.
Of course with all that transatlantic flying, we’re going to need noise cancelling headphones. I wanted to buy two pairs of Parrot Zik, only to discover there was a Mk II version. When I called my contact I discovered that these were in turn about to be replaced by yes, Mk III! As these shall be launched just after we get back we’re going to take the MKII’s on loan and get a girly viewpoint as well as mine. That way I can review all three models since Talk Audio was one of the very first to review these beautiful cans in Mk I when they were launched. Every product from Parrot that I have seen with design input from Philippe Starck is gorgeous. Without prejudging, I still think I will be at risk of spending my own money, happily! (Mind you, if that isn’t prejudging what the hell is? Hahah!)
I wonder if there is a car audio shop in town worth visiting? I know there is a massive BassPro shop.
And finally but by every means not leastly, CONTRALUBE 770! I finally found the perfect recipient for the horribly expensive sample I had been sent. This amazing material is worth every single one of a rather large number of pennies required to purchase. I’m going Scalextric„¢-style slot car racing tonight at Pitstop Promotions! I will be making a video to complete the edit I started filming while they were redecorating, then renovating their 9-lane, >100ft track! Watch this space because I know that every single reader of mine will want to try this so badly it actually hurts. I think I will have to book a party in any case!
Link
Drive carefully, enjoy your tunes, don’t get nicked.
Adam Rayner On Line Editor!