Tai Woffinden book at £8.99

[iris123]

3 minutes ago, gustix said:

At last a common sense answer. I will possibly follow your suggestion. Many thanks indeed CottonOn.

Oh come on Gustix. Man of the world and FB speedway group expert. This surely isn’t the first time you realized you can order books from a bookshop????

[chunky]

6 minutes ago, gustix said:

My time involved with the speedway on a full-time journalistic basis were about four years whereas far more years in the profession were in no way connected with the sport. That should clarify that point for you chunky.

It doesn't need clarification. You just constantly contradict yourself...

[chunky]

1 minute ago, iris123 said:

Oh come on Gustix. Man of the world and FB speedway group expert. This surely isn’t the first time you realized you can order books from a bookshop????

Apparently...

[Guest]

1 minute ago, iris123 said:

Oh come on Gustix. Man of the world and FB speedway group expert. This surely isn’t the first time you realized you can order books from a bookshop????

That's yet another mysterious guise for me with which I am not familiar.

[chunky]

3 minutes ago, gustix said:

That's yet another mysterious guise for me with which I am not familiar.

Now you're scaring me... Really...

[iris123]

9 minutes ago, gustix said:

That's yet another mysterious guise for me with which I am not familiar.

You should have kept schtumm. Now you will have jokers asking you about everything, so you have to go out and buy it

[chunky]

22 minutes ago, iris123 said:

You should have kept schtumm. Now you will have jokers asking you about everything, so you have to go out and buy it

Yeah, but think of the tax breaks...

[mikebv]

2 hours ago, iris123 said:

Oh come on Gustix. Man of the world and FB speedway group expert. This surely isn’t the first time you realized you can order books from a bookshop????

Mmmmm.

Interesting Iris123 and thank you, indeed, food for thought.

I have a question and its a pertinent one.

Is this service available via one of the true wonders of the modern world, that is to say, the telephone, perchance?

And if that it is indeed the case in point, do Messrs WHSmith accept postal orders as remittance (in part or full) for said purchases?

Personally I cannot wait for the Internet to be invented whereby I can eagerly, and enthusiastically, look forward to the day companies decide to sell their wares "on-the-line",  as I believe the correct parlance may well turn out to be.

 

Edited September 27, 2019 by mikebv

[chunky]

22 minutes ago, mikebv said:

Mmmmm.

Interesting Iris123 and thank you, indeed, food for thought.

I have a question and its a pertinent one.

Is this service available via one of the true wonders of the modern world, that is to say, the telephone, perchance?

And if that it is indeed the case in point, do Messrs WHSmith accept postal orders as remittance (in part or full) for said purchases?

Personally I cannot wait for the Internet to be invented whereby I can eagerly, and enthusiastically, look forward to the day companies decide to sell their wares "on-the-line",  as I believe the correct parlance may well turn out to be.

 

What an excellent post mikebv! Your comments are acceptable.

[chunky]

3 hours ago, gustix said:

That's yet another mysterious guise for me with which I am not familiar.

 

41 minutes ago, mikebv said:

Mmmmm.

Interesting Iris123 and thank you, indeed, food for thought.

I have a question and its a pertinent one.

Is this service available via one of the true wonders of the modern world, that is to say, the telephone, perchance?

And if that it is indeed the case in point, do Messrs WHSmith accept postal orders as remittance (in part or full) for said purchases?

Personally I cannot wait for the Internet to be invented whereby I can eagerly, and enthusiastically, look forward to the day companies decide to sell their wares "on-the-line",  as I believe the correct parlance may well turn out to be.

 

 

13 minutes ago, chunky said:

What an excellent post mikebv! Your comments are acceptable.

Could you please explain the relevance of these quotes regarding the subject in question mikebv?

[mikebv]

Thank you Mr Chunky, my good man.

Kind words indeed.

i will try and explain my rationale for said articulation.

Your words took me back to a particularly bleak and grey night at New Cross a great many years ago.

A night full of mist and drizzle (mizzle if you will), and one where I remember dear old Sverre Harrfeldt (a true gentleman), saying to me "Open that door for me will you I've got my hands full" as he arrived at the track carrying his leathers in a bag.

We remained on me knowing who he was terms for a great many years.

Many more than either of us would care to remember I am sure.

Note "leathers", I said by the way, and black ones only too, not some garishly coloured garb that looks like they give no more protection than a common or garden wincyette nighty.

As I say a true gentleman was Sverre, no tattoos or holes in his ears for him.

In fact, as a case in point I remember Split Waterman one night at West Ham saying etc etc etc 

Edited September 27, 2019 by mikebv

[sommelier]

On 9/23/2019 at 9:19 AM, gustix said:

Any basic reason please for the comment on what many Posters on here tend to regard as something of a speedway epic?

I did try to buy a copy in Sainsburys, Penge, south London. A person who I presume looks after the books, magazines, newspaper section appeared puzzled when I asked about the book.

Hi John, go out and buy the book, I had mine yesterday and couldn't put it down, just finished it. Having been to three Tai talk ins two at Wolverhampton one at Halifax, always admire his out spokenness.  Having read the book this is by far the best book I have read, he has worked so hard to have got where he has got today. He talks so much sense and I'm sure you would change your views about him.

[martinmauger]

Finished the book, great read and very illuminating if you already like Tai, or not, you will but defo undstand him more.  My book was a present (what do I get for someone who goes on about speedway almost non-stop ?) though I'd happily have bought it myself (for myself) from one of the main 4 supermarkets who afterall still stock the Speedway Star....

[Guest]

1 hour ago, mikebv said:

Thank you Mr Chunky, my good man.

Kind words indeed.

i will try and explain my rationale for said articulation.

Your words took me back to a particularly bleak and grey night at New Cross a great many years ago.

A night full of mist and drizzle (mizzle if you will), and one where I remember dear old Sverre Harrfeldt (a true gentleman), saying to me "Open that door for me will you I've got my hands full" as he arrived at the track carrying his leathers in a bag.

We remained on me knowing who he was terms for a great many years.

Many more than either of us would care to remember I am sure.

Note "leathers", I said by the way, and black ones only too, not some garishly coloured garb that looks like they give no more protection than a common or garden wincyette nighty.

As I say a true gentleman was Sverre, no tattoos or holes in his ears for him.

In fact, as a case in point I remember Split Waterman one night at West Ham saying etc etc etc 

I recall a similar incident at New Cross. It was in 1946 and I helped Geoff Pymar and Keith Harvey unload their cars, then carry their other gear to the dressing room. Each gave me a shilling for my efforts. I wonder what a shilling in 1946 is equal to in present day terms?

Edited September 27, 2019 by Guest

[Guest]

4 hours ago, iris123 said:

But that would have been the end of the story, unless Gustix reeled back in horror at the tattooed pic of Tai and said, look at the state of him. You wouldn’t catch Jack Parker looking like that, whilst walking out of the shop shaking his head and carrying on the conversation with a couple of teenagers at the bus stop

I agree. It would be strange if Jack Parker ever behaved like that.

[iris123]

I am reminded of the Stewart Lee, Dr Who Museum bit. I can imagine your review of the Tai Woffinden book saying , the Tai Woffinden book has limited appeal apart for fans of Tai Woffinden. I was frankly disappointed that there was so much of the book devoted to the life of Tai and very little to do with Ron Johnson and absolutely no mention of Igor Baranov who was in the Red Herring Fleet.

[OveFundinFan]

I just finished reading Tai’s book, I got it as a download from Apple. I prefer to read the electronic versions then a paper book.   To me it is an average read, not as exciting as I hoped, nor a compelling read as in “I can’t put it down”.  It was interesting to read about his younger years in Aus, how he had difficulty accepting he was British, though raised in Aus. He explains how he felt watching the Aus riders putting on their Aus speedway attire, but clearly says he is proud to put on the GB attire and wants to win team gold for GB.  Interesting to read of a fallout between him and Micheal Lee, his engine tuner, his thoughts on Team GB selection and how hw would run the team. 

I not a Tai fan, but certainly this year he is coming over very well on TV during interviews and his go at commentating. I was warming to him, a lot. But the book needlessly has f words a plenty, and this added nothing to the book at all, in fact, for me, took a lot away from it and Tai.

my view is, writing a book was on his to do bucket list, and he did it, but I think too soon. Maybe if he left it for another few years until he retired then done it, well it may well have been better. For £7 it was ok.  

I got my next read in front of me. Few months ago I read “ The Tatooist of Auschwitz” a true story of the Jew man who tattooed the arm of every Jew that went into Auschwitz.  That was compelling read. Am finding the recent book I bought, and it is paperback, is “The BoyWho Followed His Father Into Auschwitz” is also very compelling. The bond between father and son, the son insisting he sticks with his father, even when he didn’t have to go to Auschwitz, but did even though it meant certain death.  

All seems morbid, but I visited Auschwitz in 1976 when wife and I went on organised coach trip to Katowice to see Peter Collins win his world championship, then carry on to Marianske Lazne, Czechoslovakia, to see Ivan Mauger win the world long track.  Auschwitz and what went on there has stuck in my mind since. So sad.

[chunky]

2 hours ago, mikebv said:

Thank you Mr Chunky, my good man.

Kind words indeed.

i will try and explain my rationale for said articulation.

Your words took me back to a particularly bleak and grey night at New Cross a great many years ago.

A night full of mist and drizzle (mizzle if you will), and one where I remember dear old Sverre Harrfeldt (a true gentleman), saying to me "Open that door for me will you I've got my hands full" as he arrived at the track carrying his leathers in a bag.

We remained on me knowing who he was terms for a great many years.

Many more than either of us would care to remember I am sure.

Note "leathers", I said by the way, and black ones only too, not some garishly coloured garb that looks like they give no more protection than a common or garden wincyette nighty.

As I say a true gentleman was Sverre, no tattoos or holes in his ears for him.

In fact, as a case in point I remember Split Waterman one night at West Ham saying etc etc etc 

Back to the subject in hand, and I will admit to not having read the book about Tai Woffinden, and neither do I know a great deal about him. I am aware that being born to British parents in Great Britain does make him Australian.

However, am I correct in thinking that there has been mention of him considering a career in an alternative form of motorcycle racing on dirt? If so, then either the apparently imminent demise of the British speedway scene, that could lead to a renaming of the BSF to the BFTF. I believe that was an idea raised a while back by gustix?

[chunky]

24 minutes ago, OveFundinFan said:

All seems morbid, but I visited Auschwitz in 1976 when wife and I went on organised coach trip to Katowice to see Peter Collins win his world championship, then carry on to Marianske Lazne, Czechoslovakia, to see Ivan Mauger win the world long track.  Auschwitz and what went on there has stuck in my mind since. So sad.

People do think that things like this are morbid, and those of us who retain an interest in stuff like that are crazy, or even damaged. However, you describe it perfectly with the word "compelling", and as horrific as it was, there is something very fascinating and compelling about it.

The one place I want to visit before I die is Auschwitz. I know it will be an incredibly emotional and harrowing experience, but it is what I wish to experience.

Back to the book, and I agree wholeheartedly about the language used. I am not a prude by any means, but I don't understand the "need" for such language in modern books.

Steve

[chunky]

Oh well, it looks like a certain someone has gone through and hidden his posts again...

So, I have a lot of speedway books, but I don't think I will be adding this one. It has nothing to do with Tai, but I am just not a fan of modern-day writing. As far as non-fiction, I enjoy the quality of the writing as much as I do subject matter, and unless someone can convince me otherwise...