In commemoration of this blog's 2nd anniversary, I've decided to revisit an old theme I touched upon in one of my earliest posts: what job would I like to have other than the one I have now? Meaning, if I wasn't a lawyer, what would I like to do? Back then the answer was "film reviewer" which was accompanied by a long rant about the people I felt got paid too well and got too much exposure for what I essentially felt was a job anyone with half a brain (or my brain, anyway) could do.
This post will be different in that while I have utmost respect for the people who actually have this job, I STILL WANT IT!!! These three gentlemen would Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson, the hosts of "Top Gear."
Back when I used to know this show's schedule, I followed it religiously. It was, at a time, absolutely my favorite show and one of the very few things I even watched on TV next to the Formula One races and the odd sitcom now and again. I haven't been able to follow it for many years now, but was gratified rather recently to see many, many of the reviews that I'd missed on youtube.com. God, but I love that show and intend to start following it again.
It's not the sight of a bunch of guys driving the wheels off some of the most extraordinary automotive machinery ever built (though in some cases, the cars can be quite ordinary, as this show is something of a consumer-guide) that makes this show such a joy for me. It's the acerbic wit that accompanies their every drive. Each and every tour of duty is accompanied by remarks, whether good or bad, which are quintessentially and uniquely British. Forget Simon Cowell, these Brit critics are in a league of their own. This is a show that simply will not translate in any other culture, and attempts to do so (such as the local 'Top Gear' magazine) are absolutely laughable.
Do I think I could do their job? Could I possibly carry the wit and the verve that they pump into just about each and every test drive, while hurtling along at 150 miles per hour? If I tried hard enough to burst some blood vessels in my brain, I might (and provided I was able to write my stuff beforehand, because I don't really know how they do it), but whether or not I could do their jobs as well as they do I still nonetheless want them, because in many ways driving these cars on Top Gear is even better than owning them. How so?
Well, on the show, these gentlemen get to drive these cars, whether they are performance cars or street cars, to the absolute limit under the best possible conditions. Sometimes they drive them through airfields, sometimes along racetracks, sometimes along winding country roads, but in every instance, they appear to have the roads all to themselves. Any millionaire who's had to plod his Ferrari through rush hour traffic would probably love to be able to do this. They don't have to pay for the gas used up, or the wear-and-tear that their exertions on the car inevitably exact. They do get paid to drive to the limit and just, well, talk about it, sometimes while they're driving. It's all the fun of driving a performance car with none of the headaches! (Though of course I'm sure they're not allowed to crash the car, even some of them have on occasion).
I'm happy driving my weenie little Kia Pride to and from work day in and day out, and to the mall or some other getaway on weekends, but given the chance I would absolutely leap at the opportunity to drive all sorts of cars, and talk about the experience of driving them, for a living.
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