By Robert Farago
February 21, 2008 - 10,226 views
After three columns, The Truth About Cars and former Car and Driver columnist Brock Yates have decided to call it a day. I emerge from our agreement with my respect for Mr. Yates' enormous talent, insight, charm and perspicacity intact. Brock's reputation is, was and will be well-deserved. TTAC hopes that he finds a suitable electronic forum for his work soon, so that his many fans can continue to enjoy his wit and wisdom. It's been an honor.
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February 21st, 2008 at 8:44 pm
C’est la vie. At least we have Jonny back, right?
February 21st, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Good luck Mr Yates wherever you land.
February 21st, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I was disappointed with his writings here so far. I am sure he has plenty to share with us. Just didn’t seem like he offered much on this outlet. Not sure why, wish he offered more. Good luck to him, but so far not much lost here.
February 21st, 2008 at 9:34 pm
How come? I was a little disappointed he never commented to answer criticisms in his posts.
I bet he was jealous he didn’t get to do a podcast. WTF Robert!
February 21st, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Buzz Lightyear’s father is Emperor Zurg!
http://www.aa.e-mansion.com/~rydeen/Resources/ZurgImage01-200.JPG
February 21st, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Well, that was freakin’ fast.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Uh..the Edge is made in Oakville.. the new Camaro in Oshawa..perhaps a few cards in Buzz’s hand..but you’re right he should stop the FUD campaign and start thinking before he speaks.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Nuts
February 21st, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I gotta agree, I was a little disappointed with his contributions here. I was really hoping for The Truth about Car and Driver.
February 21st, 2008 at 10:53 pm
I don’t think Mr. Yates would diss C&D that much in print even if he was still upset about his departure. A few jabs here and there are one thing but slinging dirt isn’t mature or a good move reputation wise. You see the same with Mr. Farago’s polite farewell. Something biggish happened but I doubt we’ll know details because the parties involved will “stay classy San Diego!”
February 21st, 2008 at 11:10 pm
wtf? why?
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:03 am
Oy, that was pointless. And quick. Ah well, his wasn’t nearly my favorite writing on this website.
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:07 am
that was rather quick… do we get an explanation, RF?
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:15 am
Man that stinks!
I was very excited about the Old Media + New Media meetup.
:(
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:47 am
We weren’t missing the old man before he got here, and we still won’t be missing him after leaving TTAC almost as fast as Cher left Gregg Allman.
What little he did contribute here seemed like forcing a square peg into a round hole.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:21 am
why am I not surprised?
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:28 am
Oh, come on, Robert. Are you just going to leave the elephant/800-lb. gorilla/Pontiac Aztek in the room sitting there unaddressed?
WTF happened? Was he a jerk or was it money, musical differences or what?
I’m sure you realize that there’s a certain mystery involved when a high-profile, much-heralded contributor departs after just three contributions. Consider reducing the coyness factor.
This gives me an opportunity to address something I’ve been meaning to say for some weeks now about the podcasts. Basically, they aren’t up to the standard of the blog.
The blog offers uber-high level writing and insight into vehicles and their origins. The ‘casts, not so much.
What I experience with the podcasts is a lot of “How stupid can they get???” faux outrage. It’s fatiguing, it’s one-note and it seems contrived to suit the exigencies of the medium.
As it happens, the current podcast isn’t so bad on this score. Previous ones, though, are limned with terms like “insane,” “ridiculous” and “crazy.”
I’m sure the automakers do lots of insane, ridiculous and crazy things. I also know that there’s such a thing as bombast fatigue.
Basically, the TTAC podcasts remind me of my teenage years, when we were cool but everyone else was fucking stoopid.
Did I actually hear in the previous podcast that a female CNN reporter shouldn’t report on a sexy car because she isn’t “hot,” and that’s totally ridiculous on heir part and what are they thinking? C’mon guys.
Kevin
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:50 am
Call it a day? he barely made it to lunch time, a little explaination would be good especially since he was trumpeted with some vigour to the TTAC community.
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:06 am
With due and sincere respect to Mr. Yates, I find this for the better. In all honesty, I find his writings are a caricature of cliché anti-gummint rants.
I bet he was a handful (not to say a PITA) to manage, eh RF?
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:36 am
The three articles from Brock showed one glaring reality. I don’t think his heart was in it. Going from the largest albeit declining automotive magazine in the world to a (respectfully) less than prime time web site (that’s the way I like it btw) was probably more than the guy could handle. He probably thought he was going to show the young whipper snappers how it was done. The reality is that the old school media doesn’t know how it’s done because they are still living in the past.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:03 am
I’m also guessing that 800 words is cramping Yates’ style, but that’s just my SWAG. Not to worry, I think TTAC will be fine without him.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:09 am
It takes a strong sense of self-confidence to write editorials for TTAC and then watch the fray tear them apart. It keeps you honest in a way that hand selected letters to the editor a month later do not.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:14 am
We will probably never know the reason for Mr. Yates’ departure. If we were meant to know, it would have been explained.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 am
Here’s an idea: Satch Carlson
If he’s still alive, and can be located in Alaska.
February 22nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
Screwed again.
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:09 am
An editorial from Paul Niedermeyer would make me feel better…
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
I believe Satch is still in Anchorage, where he porked a variety of his students. Fortunately, 16 was then the age of consent in Alaska, though he did get fired.
Funny, I’ve known well only two male high-school teachers as an adult, and Gino and Jamie had both boffed students, though it never came to light…
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:16 am
What am I missing? Why dosen’t R&T and C&D get on line with a similar format to TTAC. Autoweek had great forums, especially the photochops and they just faded away. I felt very guilty to let my Autoweek subscription go. It is the end of an era.
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Satch Carlson moved to California and is writing a monthly column for Hemming’s Sports & Exotic Car.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:15 pm
RF, good send out to a guy who’s earned a lot of respect over the years. Despite what differences occurred during his short tenure, both he and TTAC will be fine. Good professionalism on the part of TTAC - A refreshing change from most sites.
February 22nd, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Stephan Wilkinson: Can’t comment on high school teachers, but all my friends that teach college boff their students.
They see it as a perk of the job.
This goes for female professors, too.
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Last one to hit it out of the park? Well it wasn’t a 400k unit a year car like the mustang.. but how about the Miata?
Or the Mini?
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Jonny Lieberman
Neither of my parents did it. Nor my aunt. I doubt that any of their friends did it. None of my college-teaching friends have done it, either. There was one prof where my parents taught who, I learned from a former student there who later became a girlfriend did quite a bit of this. She was appalled by it. He apparently didn’t seem to try very hard to hide it, either. And he was not exactly a young stud, or even an old stud. He was probably mid-60s when she was there. Maybe that was his cover.
February 22nd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Mini Clubman: Even worse with the suicide door is that despite the veil of being British, the door is not swapped over to the other side with RHD models. If I was on the other side of the pond, I might feel a bit slighted.
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Brock Yates. A great writer who had his time in the sun and, sadly, that time has passed. Increasingly, he comes off as just another crabby old man, sort-of-like Andy Rooney.
Brock Yates. Let us place laurels on his head and lead him gently to the gate.
February 24th, 2008 at 11:34 am
ya that was fast - i was not familiar with his work, but from what i read here, i suspect that he was not particularly happy with the immediate and not always flattering feedback that this forum provides. C&D, like all paper magazines, is more of a bully pulpit- this is more of a soap box. Different venues, different styles.
Oh well, we got lieberman back, in my book he’s worth a few yateses.