On my shiny new Kona came a set of Shimano SPD pedals (the ones you clip into for the uninitiated) and i have to say i wasn’t convinced. I very quickly went out and bought a pair of DMR V8′s (flat BMX like pedals) which are much more like the ones i’m used to. A couple of the guys i’ve been riding with use SPD style pedals which made think i should at least give them a try. A loan of a spare set of shoes and i’ve put the SPD’s back on the bike.
Whilst out riding to the pub today i came to stop at a set of traffic lights and my left foot refused to disengage and i subsequently hit the tarmac pretty hard. So for all the drop offs and hops i did this morning on my trials bike turned out that riding in a straight line was going to be most difficult.
I was privelidged to get to see the great Lee Evans at your venue this Monday evening. No no, i insist the privelidge was all mine. I bought the tickets after all. Unfortunately, and this is why i’m having to write to you, my experience didn’t completely live up to expectation.
On entry to the venue a member of your fun police *ahem* security staff insisted that my camera was not permitted in the venue and as such i would have to check said camera in. A second member of your fun police confiscated my camera and telephoto lens and gave me two cloakroom tickets.
Working in production i completely understand that certain artists will make demands that must be met. The tannoy announcement made it very clear that Mr Evans was not a fan of flash photography. As such i would have been more than accomodating in leaving my camera behind if you had at any point made it clear that this would not be acceptable. However there was nothing on the website, no dissclaimer as i purchased the tickets and nothing that could be read with the naked eye was printed on the tickets. (Tickets have since been taken to a laborotry and analysed with an anatomic microsocpe. No unauthorised photography can just about be made out). Still your agent in the fun police didn’t ask if i had authorisation for my camera, he just marched me over to the point where i was expected to leave it with some incompetent monkey with a book of cloakroom tickets.
Additionally your obvious double standards have only fueled my distain. Leanne (who accompanied me to the show) and what seemed to be 30,000 other people were allowed in with their compact cameras and mobile phones. No attempt was made either to stop the guy in the raked seating that insisted – against the reccomendations of the tannoy announcement – to take a number of photos. Flash and all. As such i feel like i have been victimised, singled out if you will, for taking a interest in decent photography.
I am both saddened and dissapointed. I think you should go stand in the corner and think about what you have done.
Being a student is awesome right ? Meeting new people all the time, studying the one thing that interests you most, all the parties, the drinking and the chaos. The flipside for the most of us is a diet of beans on toast (with cheese on Sunday for “Sunday Dinner”) and never having any money (or at least not having any money that isnt earmarked for socialising right ?).
And when it all got a bit much our tutors and parents would retell you the one about how if you get a degree you can get a decent job. Decent jobs tend to pay well, money gives you the choice to live your life the way you want to….yeah ? Stick at it, it’ll pay off.
I used to call this the educational punchline. The irony being that it really isnt funny, when you get to the end where the hell is this higher state of jobs and wealth ? Turns out i was a big cycnic! Just beyond a year past my university days i can’t think of many of my peers who arent in decent well paid jobs. We rock!
So one of the things i pretty much gave up to come to university was my biking, i was fairly big into it in my college days (A-level time for those of you who did it properly) but with little time or money and a flat in London with no storage space for a bike i ended up knocking it on the head for a while. Thankfully my seniors were correct and with a little more time, space and money i’ve managed to pick up the old past-time once more! Let me introduce you to my new toy:
Isn’t it a beauty ? I’ve already had chance to take out for a good burn around. Below you can see the backpack i bought at the same time is already starting to look quite trail hardened! Along with my photography and technology rants you’ll start to see a few more posts and photos from rides out appearing on these them blog pages too.
