A few snaps…
Ivor aka Chooch Humphreys and me in Japan in 1990
Ah, those were the days. Back in November 1990, Technics-Panasonic flew a host of journalists from Europe – and three from the UK, Ken Kessler, Ivor Humphreys, and me – to Japan for a ten day route march around its factories and various hi-fi related locations. First class flights, sight-seeing trips, rides on the Bullet Train, dinner at some fabulous restaurants, and Geisha girl service: Technics knew how to look after the press. It’s such a shame that the credit crunch has put paid to such PR extravagance. Please do not ask about the shirt I am wearing in the photo. Ask the geishas who had been pouring Sake down my neck all night! And, No. Chooch and I were definitely not thinking about forming a band to rival The Human League, even though I wore more earrings than Phil Oakey and had far more sensible hair!
The press and PRs in New_York
I don’t know who took this photo but it’s in New York when JBL took the press to see The Who play in Madison Square Gardens. From left to right there’s PR consultant Steve Harris, me, JBL’s Gary Mardell, What Hi-Fi’s Andrew Everard, and freelance writer, Paul Messenger.
I guess that there are less appealing people to whom one could be compared
Years ago at a CEDIA Expo I made the mistake of standing in front of a screen that was showing the movie Ronin. A real shame was that Sean Bean happened to be on the screen at the precise moment a kindly PR person snapped a photo of me. (Cheers, Keith!)
To this day he still refers to me as Sean Has-Been!
Marantz' MD Terry O'Connell and I enjoy dinner in Puerto Banus
The good old days when hi-fi manufacturers had money to squander taking the press to Spain for dinner and one could still smoke in restaurants! Photo: Andrew Everard.
B&W's Danny Haikin, who is tall, along with Naim's MD. Paul Stephenson (right) and me, who are not.
Rather than waste a load of cash at a hi-fi show, B&W very wisely invited its retailers and other tradespersons – including the press – to a lavish party at a London TV studio on the first night of the show. A smart idea…
MS in the beer garden at the High End show in Frankfurt
Almost as smart an idea as the cunning plan that Mr Harris, Mr Everard and I devised a few years ago in Frankfurt. Figuring that everyone needs refreshment at some point during the day, instead of schlepping round the High End Show all day we sat in the beer garden and let the exhibitors visit us. Worked a treat!
MS with the press liaison person for the German High End Show, the lovely, accommodating, ever helpful and resourceful Renate Paxa.
And finally a few shots that show that not only am I cleanly shaven on occasions but that I also own suits and ties!
Sharing a joke with Johan Coorg in the offices of KEF Germany.
I have no idea what I had just said but it clearly induced paroxysms of laughter in the normally quiet and sober Johan Coorg. And, yes, we were sharing that soliltary glass of beer!
A day at the Races courtesy of Mission (the original company)
A little bit of corporate hospitality courtesy of the original (i.e. not then Chinese-owned) Mission loudspeaker company. L to R back: Anne & David Marchant (Sales Director at Mission), Simon Pope (then a journalist) and his wife, and Rob Debenham, an advertising sales manager on a well-known hi-fi magazine. L to R front: my beautiful, long-suffering wife and me, and Rob’s glamorous assistant.
I should point out that I am sitting down in this photo… and that I am not especially sensitive about my height. Also I do not customarily wear dark glasses indoors but this was America where such idiocy is tolerated. In fact, it was Las Vegas where such ludicrous affectation is positively encouraged.
The man adopting the quasi-fatherly pose is Linn founder, Ivor Tiefenbrun who was at CES to launch the Linn Unidisk player.
Back in Germany some years later and, strangely enough, in a beer garden outside Munich we find the three musketeers looking a little older but no wiser…
Me in a beer garden in Ismaning near Munich, 2009
A gentle unwind before the High-End Show, which starts tomorrow…
Andrew Everard, also in a beer garden in Ismaning near Munich, 2009.
And Andrew is even more relaxed…before disappearing to his room to file a multitude of stories and blogs. My God: that man works too hard!
And Musketeer number 3, Steve N Harris also in a beer garden in Ismaning near Munich but doing something very high-tech on his iPhone.
Steve, true to form, has a new hi-tech gadget to play with on this trip and is currently downloading something or other onto his iPhone. And you should see his schedule for tomorrow!
