TG on the Interwebs

[dit]

Haven't found a thread for random websites (move me if I'm wrong) but here goes:

Interesting website (old) with a good comment about James:

www.slate.com/id/2211036/

"May—who resembles a disheveled uncle who's had one too many—exists in a constant daze, earning himself the sobriquet Capt. Slow because of his knack for getting lost, sidetracked, and turning—no matter what directions he is given or the clarity and precision of the GPS voice at his service—the wrong way. In the show's African Special Episode—the best to date—he managed to take a wrong turn into Zimbabwe, where BBC cameras aren't allowed."

[aeromanda]

This site has a video of the boys driving around in NY City.

www.tflcar.com/2010/09/british-top-gear-filmed-filming-on-the-mean-streets-of-new-york-city.html

[dit]

I've not picked up on this interview before, though it's not new as it says the Toy Stories will be "later in the year".

I like the description: "self-effacing, mild, inquisitive, funny and more than a little shy."

www.squaremeal.co.uk/feature/lets-do-lunch-james-may

[aeromanda]

Thanks for that dit. I hadn't seen that before either. It was interesting but my real reaction to it (and this is probably because I'm an American and we tend to be pretty paranoid about privacy etc.) was OMG! You're practically telling people where the guy lives! He's famous! For goodness sake why would you tell the public where a famous person lives?! You're just opening the door for cooks! Did anyone else have this reaction? Well, now those of us who didn't know before know what pub to visit for a pint when we're in London. ;D

[xjsarah]

Well, we already know that he lives in Hammersmith, so nothing new there.

Thanks for posting that, Dit. I like that photo of him, and I like the sound of that pub, too. I might go there sometime, when I have some spare cash.

Even though I'm not much of a cook, I must admit I also have a soft spot for the kitchen section of John Lewis. It must be a gadget thing...

[chariset]

*boots self to the 'saddo' corner for knowing that "his local" is actually the Cross Keys*

[Mayfayre]

I think that pub (the one in the interview) is one I'd noticed wandering past some years ago and thought it looked old and interesting. The walk along the river between Chiswick & Hammersmith is quite pleasant and I can think of worse places to end up in than an interesting pub that serves good food (and decent beer, for those who like the stuff)!

[lew]

jamesmayboard.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=press&thread=2371&page=1


Now ladies do you think nothing misses our eye's

[jacqui]

God we're good aren't we, nothing gets past us ;D

Well it does sometimes but thats not our fault....usually ;D

[jacqui]

Oct 17, 2010 22:48:15 GMT aeromanda said:

Thanks for that dit. I hadn't seen that before either. It was interesting but my real reaction to it (and this is probably because I'm an American and we tend to be pretty paranoid about privacy etc.) was OMG! You're practically telling people where the guy lives! He's famous! For goodness sake why would you tell the public where a famous person lives?! You're just opening the door for cooks! Did anyone else have this reaction? Well, now those of us who didn't know before know what pub to visit for a pint when we're in London. ;D

He tells people himself (repeatedly)in his columns etc. so don't worry for him too much ;D

[lew]

Oct 18, 2010 15:30:11 GMT jacqui said:

Oct 17, 2010 22:48:15 GMT aeromanda said:

Thanks for that dit. I hadn't seen that before either. It was interesting but my real reaction to it (and this is probably because I'm an American and we tend to be pretty paranoid about privacy etc.) was OMG! You're practically telling people where the guy lives! He's famous! For goodness sake why would you tell the public where a famous person lives?! You're just opening the door for cooks! Did anyone else have this reaction? Well, now those of us who didn't know before know what pub to visit for a pint when we're in London. ;D

He tells people himself (repeatedly)in his columns etc. so don't worry for him too much ;D

He must at least mention it a million times, sometimes I wonder if he encourages or rather loves it, I've given up, as jacqui said don't worry too much.

[dit]

Just goes to show that I do my research on the interwebs, but not enough on this very Board! I'll try closer to home next time!

[aeromanda]

Just goes to show that I do my research on the interwebs, but not enough on this very Board! I'll try closer to home next time!

Read more: jamesmayboard.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=tgchat&action=display&thread=2902#ixzz12kBwj8WZ

I think that double posts can be useful now and then. At least to those of us who are "newer" and may not have caught every post that has been posted over the last three years.

As for what I said about saying where he lives, I know that James has said (often) that he lives in Hammersmith. But I guess being an American with very little grasp of the geography of London I didn't realize that saying he lived in Hammersmith was "practically giving it away". I forget that London is much smaller than the average city in this country. Here if you live in say Philadelphia you could say something like "I live in Germantown." and that would give people an idea of what part of the city you live in but they still wouldn't be able to narrow down where you are without a significant amount of information. Plus maybe we're just more paranoid over here.

[aeromanda]

*boots self to the 'saddo' corner for knowing that "his local" is actually the Cross Keys*

Read more: jamesmayboard.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=tgchat&thread=2902&page=1#ixzz12kE3pkMr

And this tid bit of information comes from where? (I doubt you not I am just curious.)

[violetrose]

He has mentioned the Cross Keys as his local in many of his columns, in particular, aeromanda.

[chariset]

Here's an example, from the column where he sings the praises of his garage

And that's where I'll be. If this was a 17th-century treatise, it would say: "By James May, who may be found at ye sign of ye Crossed Keys, or in his garage, Hammerfmith."

The house? That's just where I store a load of old junk.

www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/columnists/jamesmay/6281426/The-garage-of-my-dreams.html?utm_source=Telegraph.co.uk&utm_medium=TD_may&utm_campaign=Motoring1410

[xjsarah]

It's also mentioned in the first of his two articles about the insignificance of supercars, at the beginning of this month:-

'This brings me to my forthcoming magnum opus, which I intend to present to the Royal Society: First meditations on the insignificance of supercars by Dr May, who may be found at the sign of ye Croff Keyf, Londinium'.

[aeromanda]

Thanks for the info guys. I don't know how I managed to miss that but I did.

[chariset]

I love his "16th-century" fake-Latin colophons. Remember in the Plasticine episode of Toy Stories when he said it was the "Jacobus Maius" species of fake flower?

[dit]

I'm always impressed by how erudite he is. I've always thought that his school/s must have been exceptional as he displays a high level of general/cultural knowledge that is certainly not commonly taught in mainstream education in Great Britain today (more's the pity, IMHO).

Yes, you can pick some of this up at university, but he shows such a vast range of knowledge that surely much of it must have been picked up while he was at school. That, plus the fact that he's so startlingly intelligent, of course!

[xjsarah]

I don't think that the acquisition of general knowledge can be entirely attributed to formal education. Some things I learned at school, but a lot of my general knowledge has been gained throughout the course of my life, through activities such as reading factual books and encyclopedias, going to museums and stately homes, days out with my parents, and watching TV documentaries and current affairs programmes. Films and dramas (and even cartoons) can be educational, depending on the subject matter. It's simply a matter of paying sufficient attention.

In James's case, I reckon that his general knowledge is more likely to be due to a combination of high intelligence and an interest in the world in general, rather than to formal education. Sadly, it seems that too few people take such an interest in the world around them these days.

[dit]

I hear what you're saying, XJS and agree with a great deal of it. All the ingredients you've mentioned add up to the sort of intellect and awareness that James demonstrates, and the impact of parental involvement is crucial. However, I think it's also true that, when James was young, formal education also included the classics (literary and in the sense of 'dead' languages), mythology, poetry, elements of philosophy etc etc in a way that simply isn't there nowadays in a lot of schools.

I think things are beginning to improve a little - there isn't the same slavish following of the restrictions of the national Curriculum that there has been over the last few years. I'm involved with a local primary school that believes in breaking the mould and bringing back all the above mentioned things, and parents are flocking to it in droves. It's just been a shame that this approach was abandoned for so many years.

Sorry, rant over!