Hunter Thompson and Ernest Hemingway are my greatest literary influences. The former taught me that writing is important. The latter taught me to use as few words as humanly possible. I mean, to write concisely. But let's not forget technology. I would never have become a writer without the advent of word processing. As someone who suffers from OCD, pre-WP days were Hell. I'd write a paragraph, start editing it, realize I could hardly read what I'd written, copy it over to a new piece of paper, and then start a second paragraph. Then I'd edit the second paragraph, rip it off from the first, and re-write that paragraph. By the time I had three paragraphs on three separate pieces of paper, I had to copy all three on a new piece of paper. A single page of text could take me an hour. And it still wasn't done. The moment I started writing on an Apple II, I was reborn. I accepted highlight delete as my personal savior. I worshipped at the altar of cut and paste. But I never forgot that Thompson's best work was born of personal conviction, not literary perfection. And I never forgot that Hemingway's skills were the intellectual embodiment of his ill-fated quest for a clean, well-lighted place (which is, for me, TTAC). As we've just heard that the Detroit Auto Dealers Association's has reconsidered– they will grant TTAC two presses for the North American International Auto Show (out of four requested)– this thought occurs: while we're heavily out-gunned, I've been training for this all my life. As have our NAIAS writer/reporters, William C. Montgomery and Sajeev Mehta, and Managing Editor Frank Williams. Watch this space.
15 Comments on “Daily Podcast: Detroit Auto Show Grants TTAC Two Press Passes...”
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I’ve never read any of HST’s works, but I certainly enjoyed Johnny Depp’s portrayal of him in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Hope you get the creds!
“Hunter Thompson and Ernest Hemingway are my greatest literary influences.”
So that’s why TTAC is the way it is. I’ve always admired a good writer and as many good writers have said, to write well, you must read. You can tell a lot about a man by the books he has on his shelves, or lack thereof.
Fingers are crossed on this end.
Being worn out with mass media regurgitation of auto PR press releases, I CAN”T WAIT to lay my eyes on TTAC coverage of the Detroit Show. It should be fodder for weeks!
Go get ‘em.
Wasn’t it Hemmingway who said, “Opinions are like **sholes, everyone has one.” Or was it Mark Twain?
Send two of your people in as freelancers. I’ve gotten into the Boston auto show without a specific assignment, just by saying I’m a writer and showing my press credentials (membership cards in American Society of Journalists and Authors and National Association of Science Writers) and a clip. I can’t get over what a bunch of {expletive deleted} the detroit dealers are.
Should be alot of fun for the TTAC team. What I think they are expecting is “Stuttering John from the Howard Stern show” type coverage…wacky, out there, and obnoxious.
What they will get is another story—-a straightforward, no ass kissing review of the proceedings. I look forward to your coverage.
Wow, congratulations. I hope TTAC can shake things up a bit or gain new insight.
Getting into the show is one thing. Getting near a person of influence to ask a pointed question is a whole nother story.
Good luck, I am sure your choices will try their best.
Just don’t be surprised if the mics access denied or inquiries are submitted only by reporters on a pre-approved list who promised to only ask softball questions like “Hey Bob Lutz, why is the Cadillac CTS so awesome?”
Somehow I knew our fine Mr. Farago was a fan of the good Doctor Gonzo.
I first encountered the writings of HST while taking a Journalism course… In true Gonzo fashion, I quit the course and became a full time bartender… And drinker… Then unemployed. My life has been better ever since I started probing the edge. As HST says, “The only people who know the edge, are the ones who have gone over it.”
I hope whoever gets sent to the NAIAS does so the proper gonzo way, incognito and totally twisted on drugs.
“We had gone in search of the American Dream… It had been a lame f**karound. A waste of time.”
i’m waiting with ‘bated breath. i can’t wait.
congrats also and never before will 2 passes been put to better use.
Thats great News, Go get them TTAC! and Good hunting there in Detroit
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold…
One of my fav books of all time! I keep a copy next to my desk at work. When things get weird, I read a chapter and know that things CAN get weirder.
Great News. Sharpen your pencils and let ‘em have it. Just don’t choke on the shrimp cocktail.
We eagerly await your review. I’m loving this!