Monthly Archives: July 2013

Motorsport Books — Cars at Speed by Robert Daley

Arguably one of the greatest books ever written on auto racing, Robert Daley’s “Cars at Speed” covers the Golden Age of the early to mid 20th century’s grand road races and nascent Formula One scene.

As a correspondent for the New York Times, Daley covered Grand Prix racing in Europe and around the world from 1958 to 1964 and the book was published in 1961, right at the crossover period between front and rear engined Grand Prix machines.  Along with Carroll Shelby, Daley is largely credited with helping to introduce the thrills of twisty circuit and street racing to the broader United States’ public, which previously only had interest in Indianapolis 500 and stock car-style events.

In “Cars at Speed”, Daley recounts the death defying years before seat belts, fire suits or big money, when men raced for glory and their own strange need to live on the edge and when drivers and spectators died with brutal regularity.  In this book, you’ll find stories of Phil Hill & Dan Gurney, Jean Behra and Juan Manuel Fangio, Alfonso de Portago & Stirling Moss and many others.  You’ll find tales from the Targa Florio, the Mille Miglia and Le Mans.  In this book, you may learn more about the history of road racing than you thought you knew and discover a lifelong passion for motorsports and admiration for the men who take the risks.  That’s how it worked out for me, anyway.

In a style heavily indebted to Hemingway, Daley’s wry, brutally honest tales are both funny and horrifying.  And always but always exciting and immensely enjoyable.  Along with his slightly later, larger photo-centric book “The Cruel Sport”, “Cars at Speed” may go in and out of print but belongs in every racing enthusiast’s library, casual or fanatical.

You can get nearly new copies through used book dealers on Amazon starting at around $4. Not a bad price for a lifetime of enjoyment.

What we’re cooking this Summer–Smoked BBQ Chicken

Hot summer days have many good points and one of the best is that they were made for outdoor grilling.  And the most fun type of grilling, in my opinion, is slow cooking.  Not only does it allow you to drink more beer while you grill longer, which is nice, but it also enables the grillmeister to demonstrate a bit more finesse and technique than a 5-minute steak (not that there’s anything wrong with that either).

One of my favorite semi-slow grilled dishes is classic hickory-smoked chicken.  This can be cooked on a standard Webber kettle-type grill (no smoke box required), in about an hour and a half to 2 hours depending on the size of the chicken pieces or whole bird that you’re using. This would be considered a “hot smoking” method and looks like this (this pic was taken closer to the end than the beginning FYI. And yes, that is a kielbasa and yes, I am happy to see you!):

BBQChix-1

You can see that we’re banking the charcoal to one side and the chicken and kielbasa is actually placed over the area of the grill without the coals, the cool side, so as to receive indirect heat. We don’t have to sear the chicken first with this recipe–it’ll cook just fine anyway with a delicious caramalized skin.

So here’s how we do:  Continue reading →

What we’re listening to now–Dahomey Dance by Coltrane

A groovy, near 11-minute workout by the Master of the Sax relatively early in his career as a leader, “Dahomey Dance” features an all-star backing ensemble of Eric Dolphy on alto sax, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Art Davis & Reggie Workman on bass and the inimitable Elvin Jones on the backbeat.

Originally released on the “Olé” album in 1961 but also available on the Atlantic Coltrane omnibus “The Heavyweight Champion” (among other compilations), this track is accessible to any listener and, most importantly, really swings with a loping groove and concise solos.  It’s long but somehow over before you want it to be. “Dahomey Dance” is what a great mellow jazz tune should be: smooth, full of soul and exhibiting superb collaborative musicianship. You owe it to yourself to check it out.

Plug it into your Pandora or download it from iTunes or Amazon.

Some Basics on Vintage Watch Collecting

Just a (not so) brief primer for the beginners on the kinds of things to think about when you start looking for a vintage watch.

First off, most of the watches that us vintage buffs are into have plastic crystals.  This can be alien to a lot of people who are used to modern timepieces with their ultra-hard synthetic sapphire crystals.  And yes, acrylic crystals are prone to scratches. But you can polish those out easily with some cotton balls and a neat little product called Polywatch.  It’s a light abrasive that will smooth out scuffs & nicks. In a pinch, even toothpaste will do. Once you become accustomed to the warm look of an acrylic crystal you won’t be so hung up about it, I guarantee you.

SpeedyPro321-3 copy

In fact some watches are so iconic, like this mid-1960s Omega Speedmaster Professional (aka “The Moonwatch”), that the companies still put plastic crystals on them today despite the superior hardness of modern crystals. They know very well: don’t mess with a classic!

Secondly, what to buy? And my answer to this is: buy what you like. Continue reading →

Ads We Like–Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World”

No great revelation here: We like the World’s Most Interesting Man in the World campaign.  Who doesn’t?  Here’s why:

  1. I’m not privy to the metrics but it must’ve lifted the brand’s profile in the States immeasurably, which is, after all, why companies pay ad agencies.  So great value for money to the client.
  2. The commercials are worth viewing for enjoyment on their own merits.  I’m sure they’ve won a closet-worth of awards.  So great prestige for the ad team while doing creative & fun work = win-win.
  3. And, most pivotally, the dude kind of reminds us of our dads, who really did seem to have done a lot more adventuring in their heyday in the 1960s & 70s.  We could be biased but our pops were more well rounded and, yes, masculine than most guys tend to be today.  The MIMITW is a caricature but he resonates because those years really did seem extra “actiony”.  And our dads were definitely in the thick of things.

Sure, the beer’s good with Mexican food and in hot weather.  But the campaign is better than the brew.  It is an all time classic.

Wiki article here: The Most Interesting Man in the World

What we’re reading now–Killer article on the Heuer Autavia “Viceroy”

Here’s a really cool article over at Ben Clymer’s Hodinkee watch site authored by Vintage Heuer guru Jeff Stein on the integral relationship between Heuer’s iconic Autavia and Brown & Williamson’s Viceroy cigarettes:

How the Number Three Cigarette in America Made Heuer a Household Name

Smooth tobacco flavor–I’m timing it!

Smoking is bad, m’kay, but you’ve got to love those retro ads and chunky chronos.  Not to mention that vintage Heuers from this period are some of the hottest collectibles going & Jeff really knows his stuff.  Click over to Hodinkee to check it out–its a fun read even if you’re not a big watch buff.

How the Number Three Cigarette in America Made Heuer a Household Name

What we’re listening to now–David Ruffin

David Ruffin‘s “Rode by the Place (Where We Used to Stay)” just belted out of my “MellowMix” playlist right now.

Hey girl, can I get next to you?

Ruffin was the co-lead singer along with Eddie Kendricks of the awesome 60s R&B act the Temptations.  He could not only rock a pair of geek glasses but had a slightly gruff delivery that was the perfect counterpoint to Kendricks’ controlled falsetto. In classic Soul Man style, he will sometimes jump up into a pained scream for maximum emotional effect.  This wonderful quality of his is shown beautifully on this solo effort, which is never maudlin or hysterical, but is still suffused with the longing for bygone days, an irrevocably changed past that ain’t coming back.  The galloping beat and Ruffin’s understated delivery cannot hide the pain from the memories stirred up driving by his old house and hood.  Gives me chills every time, which doesn’t happen too often on such an up tempo pop song.  God bless classic R&B for its sweet sounds wrapped around such serious and soulful themes.

Plug it into your Pandora or download it from iTunes or Amazon.

Mondays were made for hydration

If you’re like me, you take advantage of your weekends to have a good time, all the time…which means your liver is pretty cranky by Monday.

In general, I try to take the early part of the week off from booze (try being the operative word). Chances are that social engagements from Wednesday on are going to make it a gantlet of alcoholic temptations so best to try and get in a couple of “clean out” days early on (good theory, anyway).

So the key to recovery starting Monday is hydration, my brothers. As soon as you stumble out of bed, grab a shower and start pounding cool, fresh water, preferably filtered via a Brita or Pur system or the like.  If you’re feeling extra depleted from your weekend fling, you can supplement your H2O with some electrolytes from a concentrated add-in like elete (less is more with this stuff–it is extremely concentrated and contains sodium so follow label directions).  And probably the best (and best tasting) natural hydrator out there is good old fashioned coconut water, today commonly sold under the Zico and Vita Coco brands.  Slightly sweet and packed with potassium and other electrolytes, coconut water will quickly put back in what your drinking man’s weekend took out.  And it’s actually very light in calories unlike, say, Gatorade and other so-called “sports” drinks which are loaded with high fructose corn syrup and not really any better for you than a sugary soda.

Proper hydration is a key part of all around health and well being.  Among other things, it helps control histamines, blood pressure and, ironically, the better hydrated you are the less water your body retains.  It’s also good for your brain and digestion, not to mention better workouts. So sure you gotta pay to play.  But Monday seems like the right day to start refunding your body what the weekend’s beer, wine and cocktails took out.  Bottoms up, my boozy friends!

Vintage Watch Blogging: An Introduction by tomvox1

Hi all,

A big thanks to Jim & the boys for having me aboard and hopefully I can contribute to the fun around here.  Seems like a cool place to prop up one’s feet, crack open a beer and shoot the shit with some bros.

As some of you may know, I am a serious watchaholic with a special soft spot for vintage pieces.  I have a pretty large collection and have bought and sold many, many more.  Mostly they are watches produced prior to the 1990s and usually between the 1950s and the late 1970s.  The watches from this era have great panache both visually and in what I like to call their “superpowers” (chronographs, divers, GMT watches, etc.).   Before the 70s quartz revolution forced ever smaller margins in the Swiss watch industry and pretty much exterminated the American one the quality of these mass produced mechanical marvels was really top notch.  Which is why even today, some decades after their manufacture, you can enjoy them and wear them just about the same as you would a brand new watch.  But with the added huge plus of vintage style that can’t be beat and adds to your individual overall look.  Trust me, when you strap a nice vintage wristwatch on, you’re going to feel badass, manly and ready for the challenges of the day.

I’ll be talking about vintage watches in all price ranges because I firmly believe that there’s something cool to be had for any guy’s budget.  It doesn’t take a ton of dough to sport something cool and this ain’t no dick measuring contest.  So I’m cool with a watch like this…

ZodiacSeaWolf-1_edited-1

…a nice late 60s Zodiac Sea Wolf diver that was often favored by the soldiers and navy men over in Nam and will run you around $700 give or take…   Just as I’m cool with this baby…

6240-angl-cls

…a very hard to find mid-60s Rolex 6240 Cosmograph with water resistant screw down pushers and large crown, which will run around $30k…if you can find one.  Continue reading →