Adrian Baldwin
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Observations
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • The Blog Library
  • My 70s Things
  • Contact Me
  • Links

The General Lee and Me

7/23/2020

1 Comment

 
PictureI drive the General Lee
​As part of my birthday present in January this year, Mrs Baldwin bought me a red-letter day driving experience from fivestardays.com. Given that my appreciation for these kinds of car is well known, the voucher was for a blast in an American muscle car.

The Background
I arranged to redeem my voucher with a business called Everyman Racing and to utilise its Prestwold venue, which is near Loughborough and thereby geographically closest to me.

When I originally called to book up a visit, I was advised that I could choose from a series of cars to drive, the lady was going through the list and when she said the “General Lee”, I said “stop there, yes please”. No further options needed to be explored.

Not only was I going to get to drive a 1969 Dodge Charger, it would have the legendary orange Dukes of Hazzard livery. I was well chuffed.

But patience was required because Everyman Racing was shut down in light of coronavirus and gratification would have to come once lockdown was lifted. So, though my birthday was in January, I had to wait until last weekend (18th July) to be able to enjoy my present.

During the booking procedure, I was subject to upselling and ultimately purchased a collision damage waiver (£20), a couple of track demo laps (£10) and a photo (£10). More on the value of these later.

On the 18th July, Mrs B and I made our way to the circuit, me dressed in a vintage leather jacket and wearing a tee shirt celebrating 50 years since the Apollo 11 moon landings (another reference to 1969).

Most of the vehicles being driven around the track were modern sports and supercars, but there were a collection of much more interesting vehicles including a Smokie and The Bandit Trans Am, a Knight Rider KITT Trans Am, an A-Team GMC van and a sixties Ford GT40.

Once I went through the socially distanced checking in protocols and driver briefing process, I was able to get my demo laps. My driver pointing out the track apexes, braking points and general track etiquette.
    
Then it was my time to have a drive with The General and my instructor, Nathan, because it turned out that I wasn’t going to be unsupervised on the circuit.  I was led across to the car and allowed to spend a few minutes appreciating it and taking some photos (shared here for your enjoyment).

The General
I was pleased to find that the doors on this Charger weren’t welded shut, because I really wouldn’t have looked elegant climbing in through the driver’s window.

Once in the driving seat and belted up, Nathan, who also instructs on the Lambos, joked with me that I’d have the slowest car on the circuit, with the potential exception of the A-Team van. And despite the roll cage suggesting raciness, he was right.

The Dodge was a column shift auto and once it clunked into gear, we headed to the track. We queued at the circuit entrance for a moment to have a photo taken and await our launch slot. When it was time to put the hammer down, the General’s V8 made a lot of lovely noise, but advancement was rather more pedestrian. The carburettors caused some fuelling related lag, and presumably the engine had been detuned – it certainly wasn’t set up for the drag strip put it that way. No smoking or squealing tyres.

Progression around the track was shall we say, stately, like a galleon. The long bonnet and low seating position reminded me greatly of my old HC Vauxhall Vivas. Obviously, there was a lot more auditory drama with the Dodge, but the driving experience wasn’t all that different, rear wheel drive, vague and heavy steering, rubbish brakes, body roll in the bends and all accompanied by a cacophony of rattles, shakes and squeaks. With little pillar obstruction and no head rests, visibility was good though.

To be frank, the car looked lovely on the outside, but on the inside, it was rather more tired and its 50 years of service and relatively poor original sixties build quality were obvious - cheap plastics, missing trim elements, there was even orange hand brushed overpaint on some of the internal trim panels. To be frank, the car felt like the kind of film set car that it was. For filming purposes, the outer appearance is key, and in this respect the Charger was wonderful.

On the track, the advice I had been given on my demo laps was irrelevant because Nathan had me braking much earlier than the posted braking points and was very keen that I took different lines into the bends so that the car would stay on the track instead of going straight on.

After two laps of the Prestwold track, the experience was over and it was time to park the General – fortunately there was plenty of space for its considerable turning circle.

The Verdicts

The Package
The basic cost of the experience was good value. I would however have liked more time in the car, two laps of the circuit and circa three miles of travel just wasn’t enough, and the drive was over within minutes of it starting.

The professional photo was good value.

The demo laps were a waste of money at least as far as my experience went. When I agreed to them, I didn’t know that I would be accompanied when driving the General, or that Nathan would demand that I ignore all the instruction I was given during the demo process. The demo laps helped one determine how the most track speed could be extracted from a car. All ultimately irrelevant to me.

The indemnity insurance was a waste of money. Having never been to the circuit, when I booked the package, I was being sensible. I didn’t know the risks and felt that the extra expense was justifiable. On the day though, the actual chances of an accident were minimal, the performance of the car underwhelming, my instructor firm, the focus on safety by Everyman Racing - second to none.

Of my forty extra pounds spent, thirty of them would have been better allocated to getting a few more laps, or diving one of the other vehicles as well.

The Process
Getting the package booked was easy and the communication in the run up to the 18th was excellent. The organisation at the venue was good and the coronavirus safety measures all taken very seriously. The people that I interacted with were all friendly and accommodating in as far as they could be.  For example, I got to take some close-up pictures of the KITT interior, shared below, after being allowed to go trackside (accompanied) with my camera.

The General
To be brutally honest, driving the car wasn’t particularly pleasurable, a modern car would kick its butt in every meaningful measure. Once you are in the driving seat, you can’t even see the beautiful body.
 
You might be thinking that the car was a bit rubbish and that I didn’t enjoy myself …

… but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Don’t get me wrong, I spent the whole time smiling and I BLOODY LOVED IT.

I wouldn’t have swapped driving the General for any of the supercars that were on the track with me.

The End
​

I want to go again. Next time, I will most likely opt for a multi car package with the aim to drive some of the other film set vehicles. I particularly want to drive KITT.

And I’d like another tango with the General.

My thanks to Mrs Baldwin, who doesn’t share my love of old cars, but dutifully accompanied me to Prestwold anyway. She pulled an absolute blinder with this year’s gift, an inspired choice.
​ 
Thanks to Everyman Racing, I look forward to my next outing.​

Click on any image below to enlarge and open the gallery

​Blog Home
Blog Library
Home
Everyman Racing
1 Comment

More on Ostrobogulous Toys

7/7/2020

2 Comments

 
PictureKristin Baybars' Ostrobogulous Creations - click to enlarge
​The other day I wrote about a cuddly toy investigation that started with of a bit of reader engagement and ended with some enjoyable dialogue with Kristin Baybars’ support team.
​
This is a follow up piece prompted by some more research into Kristin Baybars’ Ostrobogulous creations. As a result of liaising with David Ward, I was fortunate to be able to start exchanging notes with Sarah, a keen collector of the characters.

The Word
But first, are you familiar with the word “ostrobogulous”, after all it’s not exactly commonly used parlance? Do you know what it means? If you don’t, here’s how Lexico.com details the adjective:

“Used after Neuburg to designate something that is slightly risqué or indecent. Also applied arbitrarily to things which are bizarre, interesting, or unusual in some other way.”

"Origin - 1950s. Apparently irregularly from oestrous + -o- + either bog or bog + -ulous, attributed to Victor Benjamin Neuburg, British writer"

From a zoo perspective, the latter elements of the description are clearly more relevant than the former.

Apparently, Kristin has always disputed this definition of the word as she maintains it is a reference to a word her Mother used to mean "something a little frustrating but playful". Kristin's Mother (Ida Affleck Graves) wrote a book called "Ostrobogulous Pigs" in 1952 and it was illustrated by her good friend Bernard Watson. It was he who would use the word in the context described above.

The Range
The range it turns out had more in it than I was initially aware of. Sarah was kind enough to send me on some photos of her collection and help me to fill in the blanks about character names.

Here is the list I have so far been able to determine. If you can fill in the blanks, either in terms of character names or animals missed out altogether, please get in touch.

Character – “Name”
  • Clown – “Aristo”
  • Fish – “Burble”
  • Fox – “Muswell“
  • Frog – “Olugo”
  • Goose – “Sippigoose”
  • Hedgehog – “Hedgiwig”
  • Humpty - "Humpty"
  • Lion -
  • Mole – “Moobie”
  • Owl – “Peter Hoot”
  • Snake -
  • Turtle – “Totterton”

The image collage that accompanies this post shows an example of each creation. There are two Aristo clowns because one photo came from Sarah and the other is the figure that lives in the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood. This is the actual clown that I referred to in my original post from 2013 (if you follow the link, you’ll have to scroll down to my Peter Hoot).

Muswell Fox was apparently rejected by the Design Council and was never put into production. Sarah is therefore lucky enough to own a prototype. From a personal perspective, I particularly like the fox and think it’s a shame it didn’t make the cut.

I believe that all the fabrics used were from the Heal’s range. David Ward advised me that the fabric used for Loveday’s orange/brown owl in the earlier post was called “Armada”, the fabric for the orange turtle shown in the photo accompanying this post was “Pageant”. Whilst some of the fabrics were quite restrained, for me, the more sixties psychedelic/abstract floral/seventies-heavy-pattern the better. At this stage I am not sure what the fabric is on my Peter Hoot, but I’ll update this post if/when I find out.

Blog Home
Blog Library
Home

Kristin Baybars' Shop
7 Mansfield Rd, 
Gospel Oak, 
London NW3 2JD
Tel. 020 7267 0934
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/OstrobogulousToys
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Kristin-Baybars-948746098636155/

P.S. Content here doesn’t have to be about car shows, heavy metal gigs or current affairs. Admittedly, Ostrobogulous Toys make a pretty niche kind of topic. It’ll be interesting to see how much more reader engagement it prompts. Some of the most popular material on my site is also peculiarly niche (or bizarre, interesting or unusual, to borrow from the meaning of Ostrobogulous) e.g. Superman lolly sticks, Peter Lightfoot prints, Camp Summit, Hi-Tec Tecs, The Forgotten Soldier etc.

2 Comments

Anvil at the Craufurd and The Story of Anvil – a gig and a vid.

7/6/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
On Sunday 8th March, just prior to coronavirus taking hold of the country and lockdown commencing, I got to see Anvil at the Craufurd Arms.

The Gig
The Canadian heavy metal legends were back in the UK and, much like the last time I saw the band in Milton Keynes, the fellas rocked the joint.

Given the virus risk, I was in two minds about whether or not to go, but as I had booked the ticket on the 22nd October in 2019 (which I think was on the day they came out), and had been looking forward to the evening for five months, I decided to take a chance. And, I am pleased I did, it was a cracking gig, I thoroughly enjoyed it … and I didn’t get infected.

On tour promoting the latest album “Legal at Last”, the band was on good form and in good spirits. Unlike the last gig I went to in 2018 (write up available here), the chaps came armed with a luxury tour bus, all their own kit, a crew of roadies and a decent merchandising operation (you could even purchase Robb Reiner artwork/prints).   

During the setup, Kudlow, obscured by a black hoodie, was sorting out his kit, shuffling around slowly and looking rather like the pensioner that he is. But BANG, when it was time to start, it was like his lights came on, his spirits soared and he grew a couple of feet in height. Lips is clearly a man that is at his most alive and animated when he is performing.

​There were a few new songs in the set (see below) but much of the set list and indeed Steve’s antics and pitch in between the tunes was the same as the 2018 visit. You can read my 2018 post to save me covering the same ground again.

Here’s the set list, or thereabouts anyway, I may have missed a song, or got the order wrong, so feel free to correct me:
  1. March of the Crabs
  2. 666
  3. Ooh Baby
  4. Legal at Last*
  5. Nabbed in Nebraska*
  6. Badass Rock 'n' Roll
  7. Winged Assassins
  8. Free as the Wind
  9. On Fire
  10. This Is Thirteen
  11. Bitch in the Box
  12. Swing Thing
  13. Mothra
  14. I'm Alive
  15. Metal on Metal
  16. Forged in Fire
*new

During the set, Kudlow asked the audience to put their hands up if they had seen the Anvil movie called “The Story of Anvil”. In 2018, I made a mental note to watch it and at this gig, I made another mental note to watch it.

The Vid.
With lockdown subsequently in full swing and with my job furloughed, I can finally report that I have watched the film. I can also report that it’s a documentary well worth you viewing too.

​The story of the band is one of initial fame followed by lots of setbacks and regular rejection. Determination, passion and “keeping the dream alive”, even when the reality was more of a nightmare, is a constant theme.  Badly organised tours, hopeless transport, empty gigs, not getting paid, record company refusals, band member arguments, funding albums and tours from their own pockets were all Spinal Tap type moments … but just lacking in the spoof humour.

Seeing Steve “Lips” Kudlow in an ordinary van-based delivery job, living in a thoroughly ordinary house whilst trying to make ends meet, is a salutary lesson in the vagaries of the music industry. Lips is a consummate showman and a gifted guitar player, but it was clear from the film that his finances were on a knife edge and his family, and all that he held dear, were at risk.

In 2018, when the fellas turned up at The Craufurd Arms with nothing but a couple of guitars and some cymbals, and then needed a lift to get to their festival, it left me thinking that life hadn’t moved on much from 2008 (when the film was released).

The film however left me hoping that Steve, Robb and Chris achieve the successes that their commitment, determination and sheer hard work warrant. In March 2020, if the fancy tour bus was any indicator, things must be on the up for the band. Fingers crossed I am right.

Of course, the coronavirus pandemic then led to the tour being messed up something rotten. Presumably bands don’t get paid for cancelled gigs?

Still determined to keep some momentum, and no doubt to earn, Anvil resorted to selling tickets for performances of virtual shows instead.

​The Gig
At the gig, I bought a copy of “Legal at Last” and I hung around after the show for more than an hour really hoping that I’d get a chance to meet the fellas and get my CD signed.  But the chaps decamped from the stage to the tour bus, and by something close to midnight I’d given up hope that they’d come back out (I had work to go to the next day and was still facing an hour’s drive to get home).

​I have got used to being able to engage with the bands at Craufurd Arms events, it was a shame that it didn’t work out that time.

Picture
Another thing that didn’t work out quite so well was the after-show crowd photo, shared here. From most gigs (see the band’s Facebook feed) the images were crystal clear, for my gig, the shot was bathed in a clarity slaying eerie red glow. Still, you can just about make me out.

Regarding getting a signed CD, maybe third time with Anvil will be lucky. Hopefully the fellas will come back to MK in the fullness of time. That’s of course hoping that The Craufurd Arms is able to survive the economic woes it is facing at the moment.

Blog Home
Blog Library
Home

The Craufurd Arms
Anvil



0 Comments

Kristin Baybars and the Ostrobogulous

7/2/2020

4 Comments

 
PictureLoveday's Peter Hoots
In my seventies stuff gallery (you'll have to scroll if you click through), I feature a Peter Hoot owl from the Ostrobogulous toys range. Peter Hoot was one of a number of creations from Kristin Baybars that I believe were sold in Heal's department stores.

One of Kristin’s other claims to fame is that she was part of a duo responsible for the creation of Humpty for “Play School”.

Back in November 2013, in the write up accompanying the photo, I mentioned that I had never seen another Peter Hoot. Well that has now changed thanks to an exchange of emails with a reader. Loveday, as it transpires, has two owls from the range. Above is the photo she shared with me.

And this is what she had to say:

"Hi there, just seen your post from several years ago about a soft toy owl Ostrobogulous, and the fact you hadn’t seen another. I just wanted to let you know that I have two! A brown one as in your picture and a bigger blue one. Both given to me as a child by my parents."

I am sure that Kristin would be delighted to know that people, like Loveday and I have kept and treasured her creations for so many years. 

​Loveday’s engagement with me prompted me to carry out a little more research and in so doing, I came across this interesting article from Harry Rosehill writing for the Londonist.    

https://londonist.com/london/features/the-london-toy-shop-that-mirrors-a-child-s-imagination

Next time I am in London, like Harry, I’ll make a pilgrimage to Gospel Oak to see if I can find Kristin’s shop.

The Google searching I did also revealed that Kristin has a Facebook shop window too. I was delighted to scroll through the posts to find one from 21st May 2019 showing a whole parliament of owls.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Toy-Store/Kristin-Baybars-948746098636155/

It’s amazing that as old as Peter Hoot is, you many even still be able to buy one from the original creator.  How cool is that?

Things got even more cool when I started trading notes directly with Kristin's team via Facebook. Not only was David Ward her shop manager, social media manager and friend aware of my earlier post (which frankly amazed me), he pointed me at another Facebook sub-site “@Ostrobogulous Toys”, here’s a link:

https://www.facebook.com/OstrobogulousToys/

The site makes for a great historical record and I am now a follower. I now know that:

1) The Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood clown I referred to in my earlier post goes by the name “Aristo”.
2) Peter Hoot came in three different sizes (I am not sure what size mine is)  
3) That the range also included a hedgehog (called "Hedgiwig"), a goose (Sippigoose) a fish (Burble), and some other characters that I still need to find out more about (a lion, a mole, a fox perhaps?). Watch this space for further updates.

All the creatures look great, I just love the vintage fabrics. It would be delightful to own a few more of them, Aristo in particular. Rest assured, if I ever acquire any other characters, I'll share the photos on my site. If any of my readers share their photos with me, I'll share them here too.

Kristin is 85 years old, very sensibly shielding from coronavirus at home, and more of a celebrity than I appreciated. It turns out that she has even had a film called "A Pathway of Crumbs" made about her life and work.   
​
I am sure I have made similar statements on this website before, but I’ll repeat myself here anyway. I love it when the internet enables decent dialogues to take place between complete strangers that just wouldn’t happen otherwise.

Many thanks to Loveday and to David. And a big wave to Kristin.

Blog Home
Blog Library
Home

Picture
Update 18th April 2021

I am pleased to post an update to this article. Thank you to Shaun for getting in touch and sharing a photo of his Peter Hoot. You can see Shaun’s original note in the comments below. Great fabric and nice colours too, what’s not to like?

Picture
Update 10th September 2021

I am pleased to post another update to this article. Thank you to Patricia for getting in touch and sharing a photo of her Peter Hoot. You can see her original note in the comments below and the photo she sent me here - you'll spot that Loveday and Patricia have the same owl.

Said Patricia, "
I'm afraid he's got a bit dusty! He's the same material all over. I wasn't aware of his real name of Peter Hoot. He's always been Ostrobogulous to me. "

Great to see another one of these survivors. 

4 Comments

    Adrian Baldwin

    Blogging for more than a decade

    Archives

    December 2022
    July 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    May 2021
    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.