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OPINION
A heart-warming tale of a boy and his bike and a very long journey indeed
Wed, Apr 15, 2009 22:27
19
Ethan Johnson a teenager from Brisbane with mild Asperger's syndrome was the focus of a nationwide police search when he went missing two weeks ago. Spotted on cctv cameras riding his mountain bike along the Pacific Highway he kept going, unaware of his parent's pleas for him to return home. He lived on fast food and slept in truck stops and when found in Sydney on Good Friday told his parents that he 'rode from when I woke up to when I went to sleep'.
As the legendary Tim Westwood used to say, and possibly still does, respect is due.
Read more about Ethan's adventure in the Times online.
road.cc's founder and first editor, nowadays to be found riding a spreadsheet. Tony's journey in cycling media started in 1997 as production editor and then deputy editor of Total Bike, acting editor of Total Mountain Bike and then seven years as editor of Cycling Plus. He launched his first cycling website - the Cycling Plus Forum at the turn of the century. In 2006 he left C+ to head up the launch team for Bike Radar which he edited until 2008, when he co-launched the multi-award winning road.cc - finally handing on the reins in 2021 to Jack Sexty. His favourite ride is his ‘commute’ - which he does most days inc weekends and he’s been cycle-commuting since 1994. His favourite bikes are titanium and have disc brakes, though he'd like to own a carbon bike one day.
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19 comments
That was so good, here's part 2
DJ Derek pt. 2 from Grand Finale on Vimeo.
Well, I'm from London… only been to Bristol a handful of times in the 12 years I've lived down here. Though speaking of old Bristolians who know there way around a record bag - I have have seen DJ Derek a couple of times - now he IS old.
DJ Derek pt. 1 from Grand Finale on Vimeo.
I remember seeing Rodigan v Stone Love in the Malcolm X centre in St Pauls years ago. Bristol is a great venue for Reggae
You guys being from the Bristol, must know DJ Scratchy too, another old dude who knows his way around a record bag...
That Chicken Limo song has made me extremely hungry for some fried chicken.
Thanks.
Rodigan, now there's a DJ all right… he must be about 70. Yeah well once, believe it or not, Westwood's style was pretty much school of Rodigan.
Certainly sounds like prattish behaviour at Notting HIll.
David Rodigan manages to be both extremely credible, and still remains a normal person. He is still one of the best dancehall DeeJays, plays and wins clashes all over the globe, including Jamaica. He's way past 50, but he is not, nor has he ever been the twunt that Westwood is.
Going back a good few years, Westwood was at Notting Hill and I happened to be passing the stage when he was calling for all the white boys to move back and the black boys to come to the front, as there were cameras there and I think he thought it suited his image better for it to appear to be a black audience. The group of mainly black guys I was with were about as impressed as I was. I called him a twat back then (as loud as I could, not sure if he heard, but everyone else around did, and seemed to agree), and I still feel the same today.
Chicken Limo
While we were talking about Westwood the Chicken Limo started following us on Twitter http://www.chickenlimo.com/index2.php… spooky
AND I'm having chicken for dinner!
Probably cos he's got a show on national radion and been around so long. His Kiss show - though a long time ago was hugely influential, and for a long time he was not only ahead of the curve over here, but ahead of what was happening in the US too that is going to buy you a lot of credibilty (as is having a very large audience). Back then he sounded like someone who was called Tim as well.
In a way he has turned into the hip hop equivalent of Jimmy Saville.
I get annoyed just at the sound of Westwoods name, he really is a bufoon. The bit I really don't get is how he seems to get taken seriously by some of the big hip hop stars from the US?
Perhaps they think that is what we are all like over here, and they just decided to pretend he doesn't sound like some sort of Catherine Tate version of a bad bwoy...
Westwood is probably the wrong side of 50, he's been around so long that I've never even heard him on Radio 1. He made his name on Kiss (back when it was a pirate station, so early to middle 80s) and Capital in London.
Jo wiley is ok, surely? The others I agree with.
Sometimes its a shame that drive-by didn't finish him off all those years ago. When I saw Eminen at Milton Keynes Bowl years ago, he was a warm up DJ. Seemed like he was dj-ing for about 8 hours, and he nevered tired of playing a gun cocking sound effect and a bomb dropping. Irkesome.
Another thing, his presenting skill'z' on the UK version of Pimp My Ride are also terrible. Then again PMR as a UK show just doesnt cut the mustard. A garage in Slough with Westwood and some other awkwardly acting/dressed wrench monkeys is nothing compared to Xzibit and West Coast Customs.....
He must be mid 40's now too. Radio 1, the yoof station seems to be employing over the hill idiots. Moyles (please let the Sun story be true) Wiley, Bowman, Westwood. Sigh.
Enough from me.
I am actually a fan of the 'big dog'. He is his own parody. Listen to Westwood take the rise out of himself on the George Lamb show (6 Music)this morning about how he needs his milk to be 2.75% fat for perfect porridge.
I'm prepared to believe you, but only cos you're dressed like Sherlock Holmes.
The thing I particularly like about Westwood is that his dad is a bishop - wonder what the conversation is like over Christmas Dinner at the Westwood crib… well at least they've got that in common.
Not so sure about that Tony....some years ago at Noting Hill Carnival he annoyed me to the point of wanting to drag him off stage and cause him injury, although it wasn't me that shot him.
Once he was good.
About 25 years ago
Don't start me on that muppet Westwood...!!
Hmm… I think Westwood has it, he was 'repect is duing' back in the mid-80s
was it westwood, or was it Stoofer the blue(?) cat on Harry Hill?