New Andy Wilman post!

Interesting to note that when he was blogging a few months back about how TG is not about money/fame, Wilman adamantly argued for how the TG3 truly loves cars...and yet in this post he says to the car enthusiasts: "However, although we understand the complaints, it doesn?t necessarily mean we?re going to do anything about them." And then at the end of the blog he goes on to thank the very same people for "caring so much." Ouch.

Look...we all love TG and we all want to make it better. And obviously you can't satisfy 100% of the people 100% of the time. But it just seems weird to me that Andy Wilman acknolwedges the TG critics not as haters but as caring car lovers...but then doesn't seem to give a millimeter of ground and say that he will make whatever he wants to make and then let the people vote with on or off button.

His point is that it's a TV show that doesn't have a "vote online" feature, and that he doesn't want to make it something that's designed by committee, the committee here being the legions of fans. That's something I agree with. Fan input and democratic production leads to reality TV, and we all know which we'd rather have.
 
His point is that it's a TV show that doesn't have a "vote online" feature, and that he doesn't want to make it something that's designed by committee, the committee here being the legions of fans. That's something I agree with. Fan input and democratic production leads to reality TV, and we all know which we'd rather have.

Of course, I agree. But I'm not suggesting that the entire Top Gear show be produced by fans and Andy Wilman simply become a doormat for whatever the fans want. I think this should be a two way street. Andy Wilman and the TG3 can obviously do what they want because it is their show, but at the same time they can also see what things they can change or add or subtract based on what the fans say. It doesn't have to be alot...and in the end all we want are a bit more car-related stuff..which I hope is better than crappy reality TV shows. :)
 
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I wonder which one is this Monk chap.

I'll also agree that considering but mostly ignoring fans is the way to go. While I hope he takes some elementary suggestions - get some rest, be less knackered when the next series' shoot comes along, spend more time considering the concepts for films etc. - pandering to a single group NEVER works. All GOOD television is about doing what the creators want to make, and all REALLY BAD television is like those sitcoms which cling to a breakout character. They're trying to be what they think the audience would like, and in the process forget what made it good in the first place.
 
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Andy, could you please play "It's Raining Men" by the Weather Girls. I can't stand that ghastly Geri Halliwell cover!

Runs
 
Look...we all love TG and we all want to make it better. And obviously you can't satisfy 100% of the people 100% of the time. But it just seems weird to me that Andy Wilman acknolwedges the TG critics not as haters but as caring car lovers...but then doesn't seem to give a millimeter of ground and say that he will make whatever he wants to make and then let the people vote with on or off button.

That's the right way to do it, though. Why would Wilman, Clarkson, or ANYBODY WHO MAKES ANYTHING CREATIVE want to completely change how they go about things, or what the completed product looks like, just to placate criticism from random people they've never met and aren't really interested in meeting?

Whenever I see non-creative people say stuff about creative people like "They should go back to doing things the way they used to!!!!!111cos(0)cos(0)", I start picturing Monet reading complaint letters about his Poplars paintings that demand he start painting more pictures of people. I imagine Rush handing out postage-paid comment-cards at the exits to their concerts. I imagine Steve Ballmer going on stage, and instead of screaming "DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS", I picture him meekly going, "so, uhhh, what do you guys think we should focus on?" Did Tolkien write the books he wanted to write, or did he write the books his fans demand he write? What about Jack Kerouac, Jon Stewart, or Jim Henson? No. Of course they didn't.

The real creative geniuses of our time (and of all time) work to get their ideas out of their head and onto the medium of choice. Whether or not their art is successful is something for people to judge at the end, not to shape during the process.

The people who don't have that creative genius do have to resort to the opinions of the uninvolved in order to keep themselves. It's happened to CNN, for instance, who've resorted to reading out peoples Twitters on live television because they've long since lost the plot on proper investigative journalism.

Is that what you want? Do you want Top Gear to open up a Twitter account and solicit feedback from a swarm of people who will only tell them to do things they are either incapable of or uninterested in doing? Wilman's not going to read "music in nww sereis suxxxx k thx bye ps tell james 2 cuthis hair!!!" and have some grand epiphany.
 
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Who the heck is this Monk guy he keeps referring to?
 
I can't rep all the people I want to as I've loved them all a bit much lately, but echo the sentiments of many: Andy Wilman, you sir are a legend. Thank you for caring
 
Observation :

If Jeremy is a God, and James and Richard are high-end demigods......then where does this collum leave Andy?
I would say where gonna have to invent a new superlative for him because that man realy ,REALY knows what he's doing!


That part about the early cheap car challenges felt like it was written by me (in better english) as it displayed perfectly what got me hooked on topgear in the first place.

I was hardly looking forward to Topgear tonight, for the first time in pretty much forever I was like 'meh, probably another forgettable episode' , but reading this makes me wanna get back in there....and I can't wait for the special.
They know our complaints, they agree with part of em, they pretty much tell us to sod off with the rest :p
And more importantly they have a damn good idea of what's going on with the show , what has went on with the show in the 'golden' years, and the perception part off the fanbase currently has of it, .....that's damn good TV-show managing!

Topgear is gonna be alwright.
Its nearing its end in the current format, I think everyone can feel that, and it wont end as the Topgear we fell in love with , but it will end cracefully and well made.
 
The Monk writes comments like this:

http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2009/12/06/the-rest-of-the-series/#comment-33258

Airport film ? am I watching Top Gear or am I watching an episode of Airline? I?m left a little confused by the point of this film. I spent the entire time frowning in utter confusion as a little man and a few back-up Stigs in race suits spoke about? well, whatever they were talking about. Absolutely pointless film. It was interesting seeing a bendy bus drift around Heathrow but otherwise the film was completely inconsequential and utterly worthless. 10 minutes too long.


I mean, never mind the fact that the airport film was 9 minutes long, didn't take place at Heathrow, and was voiced only by Richard, not "a few back-up Stigs in race suits". The dude's part of the lunatic fringe of Top Gear commentists.
 
Interesting to note that when he was blogging a few months back about how TG is not about money/fame, Wilman adamantly argued for how the TG3 truly loves cars...and yet in this post he says to the car enthusiasts: "However, although we understand the complaints, it doesn?t necessarily mean we?re going to do anything about them." And then at the end of the blog he goes on to thank the very same people for "caring so much." Ouch.

Look...we all love TG and we all want to make it better. And obviously you can't satisfy 100% of the people 100% of the time. But it just seems weird to me that Andy Wilman acknolwedges the TG critics not as haters but as caring car lovers...but then doesn't seem to give a millimeter of ground and say that he will make whatever he wants to make and then let the people vote with on or off button.
Making a great TV show is not a democracy - that way leads to focus group led mediocrity.
 
Andy Wilman is only one step away from printing out all of our addresses and coming to our houses to personally kick all of our asses.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjWFZPJZTxU[/YOUTUBE]
 
Andy Wilman is only one step away from printing out all of our addresses and coming to our houses to personally kick all of our asses.
I'd hate to think how close I am to to the top of that list. :p
 
Andy Wilman is only one step away from printing out all of our addresses and coming to our houses to personally kick all of our asses.

When he gets to Quiky's place can someone please film it and stick it on youtube? Assuming ahpadt doesn't bodyslam him on the doorstep?
 
When he gets to Quiky's place can someone please film it and stick it on youtube? Assuming ahpadt doesn't bodyslam him on the doorstep?

There are several members on this place who own more guns than a small third world country ......this should prove intresting :lol:
 
Is that what you want? Do you want Top Gear to open up a Twitter account and solicit feedback from a swarm of people who will only tell them to do things they are either incapable of or uninterested in doing? Wilman's not going to read "music in nww sereis suxxxx k thx bye ps tell james 2 cuthis hair!!!" and have some grand epiphany.

Making a great TV show is not a democracy - that way leads to focus group led mediocrity.

Responding to both of the above (as I did for Labcoatguy as well): I do not suggest that the entire TG fanbase become the writer/producer of TG. That would obviously be a bad idea and no where did I mention that TG should be completely fan-driven. It seems that my post wasn't clear enough on that point and there was some mis-interpretation.

What I'm trying to say is that will TG go down the drain if we added a bit more car-related things? of course this is a bit ironic to say because this season had one of the best TG episode IMO....the Lancia showcase, which I thought was completely awesome! (Although the airship challenge wasn't as heart throbbing.) And that's the kind of thing that I think the "complainers" are calling for. And so maybe instead of flying an airship they can do a feature on a really badass car (either owner tuned or some specialty built) or something similar. :cool:
 
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Andy Wilman is only one step away from printing out all of our addresses and coming to our houses to personally kick all of our asses.

That would be.... unwise.

IMG_3561.JPG


If he does, I promise to try really hard not to kill him. :mrgreen: Though I'd love to show him what a real lynch mob looks like as opposed to that crap he put together in the editing room in post-production.

Pssst, Andy: The State Department checked out your story about the gas station and found that you're full of crap, that's why you're having difficulties getting visas these days. Don't lie to the customs and immigration people next time.
 
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That would be.... unwise.

If he does, I promise to try really hard not to kill him. :mrgreen: Though I'd love to show him what a real lynch mob looks like as opposed to that crap he put together in the editing room in post-production.

Pssst, Andy: The State Department checked out your story about the gas station and found that you're full of crap, that's why you're having difficulties getting visas these days. Don't lie to the customs and immigration people next time.

What?? Where was that info from?

Also: Holy Fuck Spectre, are you expecting WWIII to break out soon? :lol:
 
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