Audio Transcripts

Interviews with Dad

Audio Transcripts Ethnographic research through Dad

Quick Questions These introductory questions were essentially to get Dad thinking about himself in a way that he ordinarily wouldn’t. I also didn’t want this “interview” to feel like a barage of questions or some sort of therapy, I wanted him to get into a feeling of open-mindedness so he’d perhaps speak his mind hen it came to the questions afterward.

If you could be any animal, what would it be?

Two things: A bird because you have total and utter freedom, nothing restraining you you can just go up and up, no roads, tracks, can go anywhere. I’d be a hoopoo or cuckoo because you’re in a warm country when it’s cold here, and here when it’s warm in the summer.

Second is a Dolphin. They’ve just got the best lifestyle - Warm water, sociable, intelligent, live long, not many predators because they’re almost at the top of the food chain.

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If you could choose any age to be, what would it be?

Probably the age I am now - late 40’s, little wiser, more chiled out, still able to do things and still have a future. If I was a teenager he couldn’t ride a bior or anything like that.

What would you love to learn to do?

Play piano If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

Dean Martin - I just think he’s super cool and from that 40’s/50’s era that I love

Do you prefer to save money or What would be the first thing spend it? you did if you won the lottery?

Save it Work out how much needed for a sustainable lifestyle, divide rest What’s your favourite song, with kids and various charities, musical artist? and only take what I needed.

More than Words by Extreme Why have more than you need?

Star people by George Michael You share the wealth.

How would you pass an hour of Who do you look up to? free time?

Opa* Tony and the traditional Tinker in the garage. values he held and I try to carry them through.

What do you miss most about being a kid?

Having no responsibilities and the freedom. Don’t have to worry about bills, mortgages, food - it just turn up for you on a plate.

Would you ever want to be famous for anything?

A talented motorcycle builder with a distinctive style so someone would say ‘that’s cool, that’s an Arrowsmith bike.’

If our house was burning down, besides your family, what object would you take with you?

The painting of Mum’s mum that Grandpa painted, Opa Tony’s Triumph memorabilia, couldn’t leave that.

*Opa & Oma: The dutch way of saying Grandpa or Grandma

Motorcycles and More Motorcycles are a really big part of who Dad is. He’s owned all sorts of bikes since his father introduced him to them at the age of 16. I wanted to go more into depth about what makes bikes so compelling to him during this interview.

We also go into other subjects such as freedom, his philosophy on products, and his passion for the era surrounding the mid 20th Century.

Why ride a bike?

It makes you feel alive, it’s total freedom. The feeling of the wind, it’s like an awakening that’s you can’t replicate in a car, even in a convertible. There’s nothing around, in front, behind to hamper your vision or feeling just a set of bars and a dial. You feel everything, your senses are being used all the time, you see the scenery, hear the sound of the engine and the wind, the feeling of the wind tugging your jacket, you smell the cow shit you just del everything.

Freedom of what?

Constraints of regular life and you can express yourself on a bike and it gives me time to reflect and think. I like going with other people who are likeminded people - you don’t get that with cars. it’s freedom from the complication of life itself, for example people’s attitudes now.

Shouting adverts that bombards you 24/7, fighting for a smaller piece of the cake. Everyone’s worth it now and deserve better because we’re all apparently living shitty lives. A good instance of complication I was in Boots the other day looking for hand seam, and I found one for for every need: Use this one when it’s warm, this one when it’s cold, this for sensitive skin, this for different colour skin...

I just want hand cream. I don’t need all this bollocks just give me hand cream. Upstairs we have caring shampoo - what’s that? What’s the other shampoo?

Uncaring shampoo?”

Do you feel free?

I feel more free now in myself compared to when I was in an office where I was restrained, had to talk to people I didn’t want to, had to ask anyone to do anything, had targets to reach, had to be in and leave at certain times. I’m much more free in myself now.

Riding now is an extension of my freedom that doesn’t have to be done all the time because I feel more free in doing what I’m doing now - I choose who I work for, have no one to ask for anything, only have my own goals to reach, can come and go as I please, although within reason - I still have responsibilities to banks, the tax man occasionally, mortgages, bills, but the money is for me, not for a boss or company, I’m not lining anyone else’s pockets except my own now.

What would you have if not a bike?

Hotrod, American 30’s, 40’s, 50’s cars. Motors from that era are just so elegant, works of Art and were made to be admired, but not like today where they cater for your ego, they were modest and simple. They don’t drive themselves, it’s what I would call raw motoring.

Why make your own bike and not get someone else to/ get an old looking bike?

I would have got a 30’s bike but they’re usually really expensive, and not as reliable. Therefor I was forced to buy a later bike, but hated the look of 80’s bikes. So by buying an 80’s bike, stripping it back and making it look like a 50’s bike, it has a degree of authenticity to it, looks the way I want and is reliable. It’s almost to try and honour the bikes of the past and express my passion for that era and style.

More the style than the mechanics?

No it’s both. Everything nowadays is over-complicated, it doesn’t need to be. I believe more fun can be had with the simple things in life than modern complicated stuff. For example, if something goes wrong with what I have to I want something doing to it, generally I can do it myself - saving on cost whilst gaining a feeling of satisfaction.

Modern cars and bikes have to be given to the dealer along with your check book and you say “help yourself”. There’s no soul to modern things, it’s all very “clinical” and “sterile”. Old cars and bikes have a soul to them and are understandable.

They each have a character and were designed by passionate people, not computers and wind tunnels. That’s a term I heard at Mercedes when they changed the way the cars were built in the 90’s. And they were designed by engineers, not accountants. 50’s, 40’s cars were generally the same but were designed for the eye and beauty, to be admired. Now, it’s a case of putting it in a wind tunnel, seeing how smooth it can be, get the fuel consumption right and it’s still shit.

Only a few products now that have a lovely elegance and tactile feel that makes you want to touch and use them - Apple products are a good example.

The feeling of an iPhone is just better, I don’t know what it is, it just is. Perhaps expensive cameras to a degree. Dyson what a cool hoover, things like that. You can feel the passion from the people who designed them.

Most other products now don’t have any passion or personality to them, they’ve all been moulded and come off the same factory line. I find new high-end vehicles to be just bollocks and cater for people with attitudes and egos. In the 40’s/ 50’s, you’d ave perhaps three types of car.

Now, you can get a car for any need you can imagine, and companies are trying too hard to fill every facet of the market.

No fun in driving modern cars, no one says “I love driving this little car,” when do you hear that anymore?

People’s attitudes in the 40’s and 50’s were simpler too, they were happier with a lot less and they helped eachother out more. People now have so much more but are less happy and are always searching for that thing that’s going to make them happy. People think that buying materialistic things makes them happy - it doesn’t. You have to be happy within yourself.

What sort of places do you like to ride in?

Long winding roads where you can stop, have a tea and a chat.

Country lanes where there’s no traffic, beautiful scenery, nothing blocking your view, and it’s all natural.

Where would you love to ride anywhere in the world?

Land’s End to Jonna Groats UK tour West coast of America Europe - Spain, Switzerland, Alpes Same kind of country roads If you could keep everything you wanted to, would you?

I would keep things if I had the space, but I would have it on display not hidden away. It would be in order and I would know where everything is. I can’t stand not knowing where something is. If you can’t be bothered to put something back then don’t get it out in the first place.