James May: The weekly Telegraph column by James thread

Either that or, I dunno, he's been rather busy of late?
 
I really don't think this is anything to do with any disagreement with the DT. He's just completed one series of Top Gear, a Toy Stories special, a large part of another series of Manlab and another book, and he still writes for the magazine. I suspect it was the other book which has got in the way of his regular writing.

Which reminds me. In one of the rerun "classic" columns, dated about 2009, he mentioned that he had been writing about Formula 1 technology for a forthcoming book. Did it ever stop being forthcoming and actually arrive?
 
MWF said:
Either that or, I dunno, he's been rather busy of late?
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I'm sure that's true but, if you look at the previous page, I quoted a comment he made beneath one of his repeat articles. I will post it again here.

jamesdmay
Yesterday 10:52 AM

Sorry, Will, but I am literally dead and not being paid anything. Glad you got totally clattered.
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Edit: I just went to the trouble of getting the comment that James was responding to, and I don't care if you don't read it!

will
08/13/2011 02:28 AM


I can't be certain right now, but there's a very strong possibility that i may have become accidentally inebriated this evening. So there's only a slim chance i'll remember writing this come the morning. And what follows may offend one or two people in here*. And if that be the case, then tough.

But i would like to ask both the Daily Telegraph's web pixies and Mr James a question.

What the bloody hell's going on ?

We haven't had a new article from May since, ermm, May - ish. And in Top Gear maths, that's a chuffin long time.

Is he dead ? Been sacked ? Had his Fisher Price typewriter stolen ? Why no new stuff ? there must be an explanation.

It's quite clear that the vast majority of respondents in here have never bought a copy of the paper in their life. But some of us out here in the real world do. Don't we deserve an answer ? After all, we are paying yours and his wages. And for this website come to think of it.

Obviously i can't speak for every reader, but these re-prints are getting really really tedious now. And to be honest, i've had enough. I think i shall stage a protest and stop buying the paper. And that's sad, because if i don't buy it, it'll mean not one single copy of the Daily Telegraph will be sold anywhere in the whole of the North East of England, ever. And your delivery driver will have a thoroughly miserable and wasted journey, so there, narrrgh !.

So come on James, pull yer thumb out yer arse and give us something new to read. Or in the case of these new breed commentators, something new to ignore.

However, if this is the end of the James May "Motoring" Column as we once knew it. Or if he really has been given the boot, or even decided to jack it in. Why not just shut the whole thing down. No point in flogging a dead spaniel.

And let's be honest, this place has become nothing more than a pathetic cheap rate internet chat room for the lonely of heart and those with mental health issues. Not really the thing one would expect from the Daily Telegraph now is it.


*I'm sure some of you will be most upset by that last paragraph. But i'm not going to lie. You've practically destroyed this place with your incessant, irrelevant and mind-numbingly insipid chitchat. (It's pure speculation, but it may even be one of the reason why James has gone AWOL). And, i genuinely don't give a toss what any of you think. So don't expect me to read or reply to anything you've got to say.

fin
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I may have to write a letter to the Telegraph and not care if they don't read it. :(
 
TGL isn't for a while yet. It has to be stuff connected to Man Lab, or something else entirely.
 
I hope it's more Oz 'n James. The world needs more of that.
 
I don't think it's having to do with James being to busy. He has always found the time to write a column, even when he was going to the North Pole together with Jeremy. My guess he's either having the longest writer's block in the history of mankind or he is still negotiating a new contract with the Telegraph.
 
But he's still writing columns for the TG Mag, so it can't be writer's block, IMO. If it's not anything Man Lab-related, that leaves contract negotiations.
 
shellygrrl said:
But he's still writing columns for the TG Mag, so it can't be writer's block, IMO. If it's not anything Man Lab-related, that leaves contract negotiations.
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I'm not sure if everyone has me on ignore or something but, up the page, I quoted what James commented under one of his columns in response to someone named Will. He stated that he is not being paid, which is really a simple explanation as to why he is no longer writing new columns.

I may work for free, but a rational and sane person does not.
 
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Mr. Nice said:
I'm not sure if everyone has me on ignore or something but, up the page, I quoted what James commented under one of his columns in response to someone named Will. He stated that he is not being paid, which is really a simple explanation as to why he is no longer writing new columns.

I may work for free, but a rational and sane person does not.
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Chicken v egg:

I think he's not being paid BECAUSE he's not writing any columns. As a freelance, he would only be paid per piece anyway - I don't suppose he was on a salary.
 
Amie8 said:
Chicken v egg:

I think he's not being paid BECAUSE he's not writing any columns. As a freelance, he would only be paid per piece anyway - I don't suppose he was on a salary.
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Why would he feel the necessity to state the fact that he wasn't getting paid in the comments then? He would have simply said "I'm taking a break and not writing any new articles." The relevancy of getting paid doesn't factor into the equation if, indeed, he simply decided to stop submitting new columns.
 
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Apparently the publication of "May on Board", a collection of his DT columns (due to be published September 1st) has been "delayed indefinitely". I don't have a precise source for that, but certainly Hodder (who were supposed to be publishing it) don't admit it exists and are only admitting "the big one" (the Man Lab book being published in October). Certainly, something odd is going on.
 
Strange indeed. How long can these kind of negotiations take? Columnists for newspaper are being paid per column, copyright is theirs, there are no extra benefits to deal with. With the publications I worked, these things were dealt with during one nice lunch with the editor.

I'm not surprised the book has been postponed. I guess there simply isn't enough new material. :(
 
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Mr. Nice said:
Why would he feel the necessity to state the fact that he wasn't getting paid in the comments then? He would have simply said "I'm taking a break and not writing any new articles." The relevancy of getting paid doesn't factor into the equation if, indeed, he simply decided to stop submitting new columns.
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I think he mentioned money because Will did. He asked "are we still paying your salary?" or some such.

However, whatever's going on, I wish they'd sort it out one way or another
 
Indeed. :nod:
 
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