Guy Martin - volumes 1-3 I have just finished reading the Guy Martin trilogy of book releases – his autobiography (1), “When You Dead, You Dead” (2) and “Worms To Catch” (3) - and thought I’d recommend them to you. I read the series back to back and enjoyed each of the volumes.
I have seen many of Guy Martin’s TV exploits including riding the largest wall of death ever built at the fastest speed ever recorded; his engagement with the team working on the last flying Vulcan bomber; I watched with horror when he had his massive motorcycle crash in Ulster; and the thing that got me to thinking that I’d like to know more about the chap – “Speed the F1 special” – featuring his race against David Coulthard at Silverstone (F1 car versus BMW MotoGP Superbike). I even wrote about that last year.
Guy is a celebrity that couldn’t be less “celebrity” at least in terms of staying properly grounded and respectful of his roots. Despite all the notoriety from his TV work and his motorcycle racing, his day job…
…is truck fitting in Grimsby, earning £12 an hour.
He admits he got into writing as a consequence of his other exploits but continues because he enjoys it and because people (like me) seem to enjoy reading his material. Martin writes in a conversational, accessible style that I find engaging; he’s open, honest and direct.
Here’s what I found fascinating:
He works relentlessly – workaholic tendencies if you ask me – but then that’s something he has in common with other very successful people.
He writes using Lincolnshire colloquialism in one paragraph and then detailed technical engineering language in the next. He makes the technical accessible and that’s a good skill.
Guy very rarely experiences fear despite doing all sorts of things where error/failure could have dire consequences. In book two, he states that he believes he is on the Asperger’s scale, maybe his lack of fear is an aspect of that.
But whilst he isn’t scared of speed and heights, he struggles around people, so despite coming across as a chatty, amiable chap, he really isn’t that comfortable in social situations – he hates crowds and struggles with the attention that celebrity brings him. I wondered if part of his motivation for writing was because it would give his fans something to consume that would stop them feeling like they had to ask him about stuff in person.
He isn’t motivated by money so he has turned down all sorts of work – even the Top Gear gig when approached by Chris Evans. He lives his life according to his own rules and won’t let over excited TV executives dictate to him. Respect!
Guy is however human and to prove it, his books are full of contradictions, I’ll share some with you.
On motorcycle racing:
He uses book three particularly to detail his decision making to stop motorcycle racing. He mentions it so often in fact that (at least in my opinion) he was using his writing to justify his thinking to himself. The same applies to winning a TT, he says he isn’t bothered that he hasn’t won yet…but that’s a load of bollocks because he clearly is, otherwise he wouldn't keep repeating that too. It was obvious to me that he hadn’t achieved closure and lo and behold, I understand he will compete again in 2017.
On money:
Guy writes about not being motivated by money but then admits that he has a merchandising operation. Surely that’s blatant commercialism?
He writes about being tight with money, for example he doesn’t want to pay for hotels so regularly sleeps in his van; often flies cattle class instead of business class; will drive long distances because it’s cheaper than flying etc. And yet he bought an Aston Martin car (hardly good value in the first place) and then sold it a little later for a whopping loss.
On fame:
Guy doesn’t seek fame and dislikes all the attention that it brings and yet he discloses on a number of occasions that he works for Moody International in Grimsby. So in effect he is telling the world where they can find him on a normal day. He doesn’t want his fans to come and talk to/distract him but it is okay if they want to buy a woolly hat with his branding on it.
But all the contradictions are okay because what is clear is that Guy Martin is just like you and me in lots of ways (admittedly less so the daredevil stuff), he has flaws, he can’t get his head around some things, sometimes he can’t make up his mind, or he changes it later, and he makes mistakes too.
I have read a number of autobiographical works where I got to the end of them and found that a previously looked-up-to character really didn’t deserve the elevation – Roger Moore and Steve Tyler are two that spring to mind. With Guy Martin though, I still think he’s an interesting bloke and I would quite enjoy having a chat with him over a bacon sandwich and cup of tea…though I appreciate that he’d prefer not to (still, even Mrs Baldwin experiences that feeling from time to time).
Maybe I’ll buy a woolly hat with his skulls and spanners motif instead and look forward to 2017’s hardback. Probably I’ll just buy the next book.
But Guy if you read this and are ever feeling parched in Northamptonshire, be brave and drop me a line, I’ll put the kettle on.
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I have seen many of Guy Martin’s TV exploits including riding the largest wall of death ever built at the fastest speed ever recorded; his engagement with the team working on the last flying Vulcan bomber; I watched with horror when he had his massive motorcycle crash in Ulster; and the thing that got me to thinking that I’d like to know more about the chap – “Speed the F1 special” – featuring his race against David Coulthard at Silverstone (F1 car versus BMW MotoGP Superbike). I even wrote about that last year.
Guy is a celebrity that couldn’t be less “celebrity” at least in terms of staying properly grounded and respectful of his roots. Despite all the notoriety from his TV work and his motorcycle racing, his day job…
…is truck fitting in Grimsby, earning £12 an hour.
He admits he got into writing as a consequence of his other exploits but continues because he enjoys it and because people (like me) seem to enjoy reading his material. Martin writes in a conversational, accessible style that I find engaging; he’s open, honest and direct.
Here’s what I found fascinating:
He works relentlessly – workaholic tendencies if you ask me – but then that’s something he has in common with other very successful people.
He writes using Lincolnshire colloquialism in one paragraph and then detailed technical engineering language in the next. He makes the technical accessible and that’s a good skill.
Guy very rarely experiences fear despite doing all sorts of things where error/failure could have dire consequences. In book two, he states that he believes he is on the Asperger’s scale, maybe his lack of fear is an aspect of that.
But whilst he isn’t scared of speed and heights, he struggles around people, so despite coming across as a chatty, amiable chap, he really isn’t that comfortable in social situations – he hates crowds and struggles with the attention that celebrity brings him. I wondered if part of his motivation for writing was because it would give his fans something to consume that would stop them feeling like they had to ask him about stuff in person.
He isn’t motivated by money so he has turned down all sorts of work – even the Top Gear gig when approached by Chris Evans. He lives his life according to his own rules and won’t let over excited TV executives dictate to him. Respect!
Guy is however human and to prove it, his books are full of contradictions, I’ll share some with you.
On motorcycle racing:
He uses book three particularly to detail his decision making to stop motorcycle racing. He mentions it so often in fact that (at least in my opinion) he was using his writing to justify his thinking to himself. The same applies to winning a TT, he says he isn’t bothered that he hasn’t won yet…but that’s a load of bollocks because he clearly is, otherwise he wouldn't keep repeating that too. It was obvious to me that he hadn’t achieved closure and lo and behold, I understand he will compete again in 2017.
On money:
Guy writes about not being motivated by money but then admits that he has a merchandising operation. Surely that’s blatant commercialism?
He writes about being tight with money, for example he doesn’t want to pay for hotels so regularly sleeps in his van; often flies cattle class instead of business class; will drive long distances because it’s cheaper than flying etc. And yet he bought an Aston Martin car (hardly good value in the first place) and then sold it a little later for a whopping loss.
On fame:
Guy doesn’t seek fame and dislikes all the attention that it brings and yet he discloses on a number of occasions that he works for Moody International in Grimsby. So in effect he is telling the world where they can find him on a normal day. He doesn’t want his fans to come and talk to/distract him but it is okay if they want to buy a woolly hat with his branding on it.
But all the contradictions are okay because what is clear is that Guy Martin is just like you and me in lots of ways (admittedly less so the daredevil stuff), he has flaws, he can’t get his head around some things, sometimes he can’t make up his mind, or he changes it later, and he makes mistakes too.
I have read a number of autobiographical works where I got to the end of them and found that a previously looked-up-to character really didn’t deserve the elevation – Roger Moore and Steve Tyler are two that spring to mind. With Guy Martin though, I still think he’s an interesting bloke and I would quite enjoy having a chat with him over a bacon sandwich and cup of tea…though I appreciate that he’d prefer not to (still, even Mrs Baldwin experiences that feeling from time to time).
Maybe I’ll buy a woolly hat with his skulls and spanners motif instead and look forward to 2017’s hardback. Probably I’ll just buy the next book.
But Guy if you read this and are ever feeling parched in Northamptonshire, be brave and drop me a line, I’ll put the kettle on.
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