Forgive me if I offer a few words about, well… me. Three days ago, August 31, 2009 to be precise, I turned 80. Much as I've tried to prove the the birth certificate is a lie I'm finally forced to admit the truth. Yes, everyone says it's just a number but our age-obsessed society insists on making seniors feel like characters in movies and comic strips. How many jokes have you seen, read, heard about the failings of old people? I'm very fortunate. Still upright, still have my health, still physically active. I'm not religious but every morning I thank God (whoever he/she is) for that
Looking back, I've enjoyed several unique experiences. Here in my home country of Canada I was the first to host radio shows devoted to cars and motor racing, hosted the first weekly TV auto show, edited Canada's first car magazine, announced the first live telecast of a motor race, wrote the first syndicated newspaper column featuring auto news and test drives, was first to broadcast live the 12-hour race from Sebring, Florida. Oh, and not that it matters, I won a sedan class championship as a race driver. And then I changed careers.
For the next thirty years I was an ad agency copywriter and creative director. Starting in Toronto this led me to New York, then to London as creative director of the Ford of Europe account, back to Canada to work on General Motors. Finally to Trans Global Films producing the first inflight infommercials. That challenging gig returned me to London for the Ford Europe account and to Munich for the BMW account (they say you can't go back but I did, sort of). I'll spare you the details but eventually the Web and I discovered each other, thanks to About.com where I was the "cars guide" for many years. My editor was Bob Schulties, who became a good friend, and when I retired I was privileged to have Aaron Gold as a protègé. Now I'm having fun with Classical Drives. Here's to writing a similar blog ten years from now.
[Photo: Palm Springs Concours, 2009]
Happy BELATED birthday! I turned 73 two weeks before you hit the big Eight Zero. Hope to still be reading you blog it 10 (or 20) years time.
September 2, 2009 @ 10:04 pm