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Event Coverage The Jalopyrama - Part II

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Ryan, Oct 26, 2011.

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  1. BLAKE
    Joined: Aug 10, 2002
    Posts: 2,783

    BLAKE
    Member

    This if for those who need to reconcile the original 'Gonzo' write-up with what really happened last weekend (updates in bold):

    "All of my suspicions were confirmed. My trip to Annapolis this weekend could have been much less pleasant had I not prepared accordingly; had I not covered my bases; had I not dotted my I’s and crossed my T’s; had I not accepted the generous hospitality and keen advice of Jay Fitzhugh and Jalopyrama Mike.

    It started with an airplane ride. Blake and I left Austin early on Friday morning. The skies weren’t proving to be all that friendly, so we decided to see if alcohol would alleviate the effects of turbulence. It did... but only one each, since it was still early in the day. As a result, though, Blake and I arrived in Maryland a couple of hours later relaxed and jovial – which proved to be particularly effective at the rental car counter. We had reserved an economy class car weeks ago, but ended up in a black Chevrolet Tahoe after explaining to the agent that we would gratefully accept such an upgrade were it offered to us. He gave us the free upgrade. Thank you, sir!

    In any case, we ended up in Annapolis at a reasonable hour, grabbed some crab cakes, and then retired to the nice, clean hotel room provided by our gracious hosts. Jay was adamant that the hotel bar was the place to be, so we made friends with Sandra (a very sharp bar tender), and got to work on what would, regretfully, become a most impressive tab. From here, the story gets more interesting - we had the pleasure of hanging and chatting with some of the great personalities the east coast scene has to offer… D-Russ, Joe Smith, fuxl, Jerry, Spike, 57 HEAP, GaryM, and others too fuzzy to recall… all of them great guys to build a bar tab with. We felt welcome.

    We woke up late on Saturday morning with pounding heads and the satisfaction that comes with knowing that we truly lived the night before. After taking our showers, we grabbed some lunch, and then we headed for the Jalopyrama. We arrived at the show no later than 1:30pm to odd looks and strange comments:

    “Where have you guys been? The show is almost over. You should have seen this joint at 8am.”

    “Are you guys just now getting here? Man, it’s almost 2pm!”

    “Were you guys still at the bar when we left? I can’t remember…”

    Apparently, folks on the east coast start their shows early and end them likewise. That didn’t bother me. I was too enthralled by the venue: The Maryland National Guard Armory. Essentially, it’s a concrete block building about the size of a gymnasium with a parking lot on three sides. Inside the building is the crown jewel of the Jalopyrama – about 25 hand-picked cars with varying degrees of historical significance. Outside, the parking lot is packed with previous “indoor honorees” and other traditional hot rods and customs – mostly great examples and only a very few that aren’t – a great mix.

    The result is a certain duality that is really charming. I’m a small car show guy to begin with and the Jalopyrama offers two small shows in one, where the outside is a mixed bag of personality as great cars sit next to decent ones and the guy running the PA is just a regular local guy trying to tend to a massive list of charitable auctions. Meanwhile, the inside is more serious. Not stuffy, but quiet and a little dark. It’s more casual that an actual “indoor” car show and as such, the cars look more natural, more realistic. It really is something to be seen.

    What it all boils down to is this: Small car shows are it. When you leave a massive car show full of people and cars, you leave exhausted and terrified of what you have become – a statistic in a demographic spreadsheet somewhere. When you leave a small car show like the Jalopyrama, you leave with a quaint and personal memory based on the like-minded people you saw again or met for the first time.

    Blake and I left the Jalopyrama with smiles on our faces and clear heads. Clear enough that we were able to bite the dog that bit us so hard the night before. Per Mike’s enthusiastic recommendation, we made a beeline for the Middleton Tavern (established in 1750) for a single, cold draft beer and a steak dinner, followed by a scenic stroll around the historic town with our cameras... then ice cream and college football back in the hotel room. No harm, no foul.

    And that’s that. A couple of Texans went up to Maryland, met some damned swell Yankees, and had a ball. Thank god we accepted the invite, the hospitality, and all the swell advice we were given!
     
  2. JeffreyJames
    Joined: Jun 13, 2007
    Posts: 16,628

    JeffreyJames
    Member
    from SUGAR CITY

    I don't think my Crack Pipe helped either. :D

    Great show, great people all is well.
     
  3. koth
    Joined: Apr 30, 2007
    Posts: 161

    koth
    Member

    I read your story and thought, what the heck, if that is his approach, so be it. But, if he is, like I am often, a smartass, I can rarely miss an opportunity to make up a story. So I figured if I'd wait a day or two, I would find out what you had in mind with your story. So it was a good laugh and as you said, having compassion for other's can go a long way!
     
  4. BOMONSTER
    Joined: Jul 14, 2008
    Posts: 516

    BOMONSTER
    Member

    This is a really interesting lesson for all of us who are in the business of creating a public persona of some kind. As I venture out into the world of shows and events with my offering of goods I'm discovering the thrill and satisfaction of meeting a wiiiiiiiide variety of friends, characters and fanatics - many HAMB guys too. Many of them have perceptions that are both fun to play into and fun to blow up. The risk is forgetting who we really are. The upside is enjoying the moment to the fullest. I think what you just wrote is to go ahead and play but always remember the integrity that got you there.
     
  5. After reading the first article I thought, man Ryan and Blake know how to have a good weekend! Cant wait for the Revolution and any good reads that come with it.
     
  6. -Brent-
    Joined: Nov 20, 2006
    Posts: 7,349

    -Brent-
    Member

    I like Ryan's "voice" when he writes. I met him briefly at the LSRU and by that impression, alone, I could tell there was a lot of artistic license in his piece on the show. In fact, his post made me seek out photos and info of the show. I could see me planning that into one of my trips back east to visit the family.

    I guess it may come down to the "Hunter-esque" tone, which I enjoy. Although, I think you'd need to perhaps have a shot or two before your next Gonzo piece to truly get into Hunter's realm.
     
  7. Slick Willy
    Joined: Aug 3, 2008
    Posts: 3,053

    Slick Willy
    Member

    This reminds me of the drunk high school quarterback who crashes the cake and cookies party and drags home the three hottest chicks....

    Grow up fellas, learn artistic freedom and sarcasm (whatever you want to call it), and let a guy live.

    Christ, what wouldve happened if Ryans flight was cancelled?
    [​IMG]
     
  8. Chuckamatic
    Joined: Nov 4, 2007
    Posts: 8

    Chuckamatic
    Member

    Welcome to Maryland, where a good sense of humor is as rare as a rust free Chevy.
     
  9. hotrd32
    Joined: May 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,560

    hotrd32
    Member
    from WA

    It happened somewhere......and you can't please everybody! Enjoyed the read and enjoyed the pics of the show....there was a show wasn't there?
     
  10. hrm2k
    Joined: Oct 2, 2007
    Posts: 4,839

    hrm2k
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Damn Ryan........seems like you are eaten up with guilt. WRONG !!!!! While we were all pretty much looking forward to at least meeting you at the Meet and Greet.......it still happened and we have pictures to prove it. So what if you are not in the pictures........Jeffery James isn't in the pictures either along with a bunch of other HAMBers who were there.
    You showed up, on your dime.........as near as I can tell, a little over 1500 miles from home. Anybody who has a problem with that should be told to go to hell !!!!
    You owe no one an apology !! You owe no one a public apology like this or even an explanation as to any actions on your part.

    As said by someone on this board, Traditional hot rods and customs guys or I will close this thread down


    Next !!!!
     
  11. Wow... just wow.

    At the end of the day, it's still just a car show...
     
  12. I've always believed that Ryan was a man that knew how to handle his affairs.

    The "part 2" post just proved it.

    Nicely handled Boss Man...
     
  13. Some people just don't get it.
    I wonder which ones.
     
  14. Ha Ha Ha, very lawyer-like Blake. :D
     
  15. Marcy
    Joined: Apr 6, 2004
    Posts: 1,541

    Marcy
    Member

    I'm with those that enjoy your Hunter S. Thompson-esque event coverage especially the recent Jalopyrama and Day of The Drags. Blake and Joyo are the perfect foils for such misadventure too.
    I guess knowing the cast of characters makes it impossible to take at face value---though I also enjoy the rare "looser" Ryan moments--- GNRS springs hazily to mind.


    Marcy
     
  16. Steve Hedke
    Joined: Sep 28, 2005
    Posts: 74

    Steve Hedke
    Member

    So there's your difference between New England and Texas. I enjoyed your humor and recognized it as such. New England does have a different sensibility when it comes to funny.

    But if I had flown all day to get to a car show that I wanted to see, I would have been up early so I could catch hearing the cars as they pull in. I would not have been able to 'sleep in', no matter how tired I was. I gotta admit to not understanding that part either.
     
  17. 55freak
    Joined: Mar 26, 2008
    Posts: 41

    55freak
    Member

    As I see it, this is the schedule of events:

    1. You were invited to a car show.
    2. You spent your money ($500 in airfare alone probably?) to go to that show.
    3. You covered the car show on your site that more than likely got millions of hits.
    4. The promoter called you and told you how "disappointed" in you he was for all of that.

    I don't understand it. You are a better man than me Ryan.

    There must be a generation gap here or something. Are these a bunch of old guys that just don't get you and your style? If so, were they at least diplomatic and polite in their complaints?

    Crazy. I don't know if this post was the right thing to do, but I admire your heart.
     
  18. Slick Willy
    Joined: Aug 3, 2008
    Posts: 3,053

    Slick Willy
    Member

    ^^^(post 46)Maryland is NOT New England! But thanks for the stereotype:D...
     
  19. Bigcheese327
    Joined: Sep 16, 2001
    Posts: 6,694

    Bigcheese327
    Member

    I'm from Michigan and I know that. How is the rest of the country so in the dark?

    And for the record, I think E.B. White said it best:

    -Dave
     
  20. Zombie Hot Rod
    Joined: Oct 22, 2006
    Posts: 2,452

    Zombie Hot Rod
    Member
    from New York

    It's the "Mid-Atlantic", get it right next time guy. :)
     
  21. Can we all just get along?
     
  22. Redline Rocket
    Joined: Feb 16, 2007
    Posts: 63

    Redline Rocket
    Member
    from Rockies

    You got that right. I know what I would have told them. I don't care what age they are.
     
  23. autobodyed
    Joined: Mar 5, 2008
    Posts: 1,943

    autobodyed
    Member
    from shelton ct

    last time i checked this was america, and as an american, you can damn well do as you please, within the boundries of the law, of course. sleeping until noon is not a crime. and as far as telling a story with some exagerations (sp) in it, we all do it "bench racing" while hanging out with friends and throwing back a few brews. also not a crime. did you and your lawyer have a good time? when all is said and done, that's all that really matters.
     
  24. eddie1
    Joined: Jul 27, 2006
    Posts: 568

    eddie1
    Member


    x2!
     
  25. ALLGAS
    Joined: Feb 28, 2008
    Posts: 9

    ALLGAS
    Member
    from NEW YORK

    I was at the show and saw some guy carrying around a Leica X1. I asked him about it and he let me play with it and shoot it and basically mollest the thing. We talked about cameras for about 15 minutes and then he introduced himself as "ryan". It took me a while to put one and two together as he wasn't wearing a stick of hamb clothing. I guess that should have been my q.

    Super down to earth guy. I even told my wife how impressed I was.

    The show was great too. Had a blast.
     
  26. mcbay
    Joined: Aug 20, 2007
    Posts: 512

    mcbay
    Member

    Who's Ryan ?

    we love ya man....
     
  27. kisam
    Joined: Feb 28, 2005
    Posts: 1,922

    kisam
    Member

    I really enjoyed your coverage of the show. Just like the Hot Rod Revolution, the Jalopyrama is the kind of show I love. Hats off to the promoters for bringing in a group of top quality cars. It is definately a show that is on my list to attend.
    I was laughing the entire read and wondering if you talked anymore when drinking since I can't ever remember hearing you speak. For that matter, I've never seen you drink. So you took a little R and R - you ate more, drank more, and slept more - isn't that the point?
     
  28. Funny...After reading the first article, I thought to myself "Wow, this might be a show I'd enjoy going to"...

    Now, after reading this apology, I'll be sure to skip it.

    I enjoyed the first article, and took it at face value, an embellished write up of what appeared to be a great time. The fact that some may have taken offence really blows my mind.

    The way I look at things, if you don't have a thick skin in the car show promotion business, you have no business being in it.

    For crying out loud, it isn't easy flying 2-3 time zones east, and getting up at the crack dawn...Especially when on vacation.
     
  29. Racrdad
    Joined: Jul 27, 2007
    Posts: 1,208

    Racrdad
    Member

    The initial story, I thought it was obvious Ryan was telling a story not writing a factual account of the trip.

    The apolgy he wrote, well it proves he is a humble and stand up guy. I real man can apologize when its not really even necessary.

    Its obvious that Ryan is a man that walks his own path, lives life on his own terms. That should be something anyone can appreciate and admire.
     
  30. Jkustom
    Joined: Oct 8, 2002
    Posts: 1,686

    Jkustom
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    What Hudsoncustom said.

    Ryan, I too enjoy the hell out of your 'gonzo-ish' style. It's most of the reason I come back to the 'journal day in and day out. Don't change man.
     
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