I like good writing. Maybe I just envy good writing. I don't have a clue what it is that gave Mark Twain, for example, the ability to compress a hundred words into a short but memorable, piercing phrase. Talent, hard work, just being a really smart guy? I don't have a clue. I had to do a lot of analyzing of writers and speakers during my time at the University of Wisconsin, but that was academics, not necessarily real people talking about real stuff that interests me. And doing it with flair. A few of my favorites...
(click on image for some of Peter's scribblings) When Peter Egan writes, I listen. At least for guys of a certain age, he's our voice. We relate — he's like an old buddy we've shared years with and remembers all the good times. He and I (and many others) have owned many of the same motorbikes and lived similar stories. I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon in Peter's garage and share a dinner out, and he was gracious enough to come across like an old riding buddy. It didn't hurt that we grew up on the same Wisconsin alphabet roads.
I guess I'm the weirdo who likes technical writing as much as any other genre. I like to know how things go together and why. I also like the history of tech, especially the oily kind of tech. There's three guys who rise to the top of this specialized writing form, at least to me. Gordon Jennings was an editor of both Cycle and Car & Driver, but I most enjoyed his technical columns while at Motorcyclist. He passed away in 2000.
(click on image for some of Peter's articles) My former passion involved things with wings, and the guy who explains that difficult subject with style, ease and big words I have to look up is Peter Garrison of Flying.
Think you know how that winglet on the tip of the Boeing Dreamliner's wing you're sitting in works? Not like Peter does. Wondering why the early rotary engines in WWI "fighters" had a stationary crankshaft while the cylinders rotated? Peter's your guy.
(click on image for more from Kevin) One of my favorite scribes, technical or otherwise, is Cycle World's Kevin Cameron. This guy has either the finest technical mind ever or a personal library the size of Cowboys...err...AT&T Stadium. Kevin has some 50 years (!) in the business with both Cycle and Cycle World. This guy knows the intricacies of mechanical objects along with their history, and is able to put the two together in a relevant, readable and entertaining way, at least to me. I'll read anything he writes, often twice.
(click on image for more from Zach) My most recent "discovery" is Zach Bowman, an editor at Road & Track. He's a young gun in the biz and does both cars and bikes equally well. He's armed with knowledge, wit and a wordsmith's talent. Sometimes his words border on poetry. A sampling:
"A good bike exists in the blissful realm of the purposeless, shoulder to shoulder with the goldfinch and the sundress, the purple iris and the poem—all pointless and necessary in a world consumed with meaning. It stokes a fire in your chest you didn't know existed or forgot somehow, comfortable and exciting. It's a feeling spurred by all precious and secret things."
"It's a rare thing. With the world in your pocket, you're never alone. But there's value in being forced to contend with your own mind, to drown a bit in the world with nothing to shape or hammer your opinions but your own eyes. To be bored, to pull your gaze off your lap and let it wander. A motorcycle refuses to let your universe fit in your hand."
"A bike demands an ante. The wager is the rest of your life. All of it. Every dreary Monday, every willowy summer dusk. Every word you might utter, the whispers of unknown lovers, smiles and tears, and chest-bursting pride. The crunch of snow under your boot and the first saltwater kiss of the sea. You put it all up every time you twist the throttle and go reaching for some crooked stitch of unknown asphalt."
Good stuff.
There's others. I like Cycle World's Paul D'Orleans for his insight and style. John Burns of Motorcyclist is a fun guy to read, whether he's ranting about some pet peeve or giving a unique take on whatever bike is between his knees. I know these guys are not in the business for fame or money — there's not much of either in the business. They're obviously passionate about what they love and what they do, and want the rest of us to share it with them. We're lucky to have 'em around.
"A good bike exists in the blissful realm of the purposeless, shoulder to shoulder with the goldfinch and the sundress, the purple iris and the poem—all pointless and necessary in a world consumed with meaning. It stokes a fire in your chest you didn't know existed or forgot somehow, comfortable and exciting. It's a feeling spurred by all precious and secret things."
"It's a rare thing. With the world in your pocket, you're never alone. But there's value in being forced to contend with your own mind, to drown a bit in the world with nothing to shape or hammer your opinions but your own eyes. To be bored, to pull your gaze off your lap and let it wander. A motorcycle refuses to let your universe fit in your hand."
"A bike demands an ante. The wager is the rest of your life. All of it. Every dreary Monday, every willowy summer dusk. Every word you might utter, the whispers of unknown lovers, smiles and tears, and chest-bursting pride. The crunch of snow under your boot and the first saltwater kiss of the sea. You put it all up every time you twist the throttle and go reaching for some crooked stitch of unknown asphalt."
Good stuff.
There's others. I like Cycle World's Paul D'Orleans for his insight and style. John Burns of Motorcyclist is a fun guy to read, whether he's ranting about some pet peeve or giving a unique take on whatever bike is between his knees. I know these guys are not in the business for fame or money — there's not much of either in the business. They're obviously passionate about what they love and what they do, and want the rest of us to share it with them. We're lucky to have 'em around.
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