Topic: I think I'm in love with pay TV........... (is that bad???)

[Terry in Australia]

I don't watch much TV, I'd rather spend my time doing stuff than watching other people do stuff, but my oldest boy just got "Foxtel" connected, and as he was hogging my home PC, I wandered into his room and started watching his TV.

The first show I watched was "Biker Buildoff". Woohoo! What a buzz, there were two rival bike shops, one in Virginia building a Harley based bike called "The Virginian" and another shop in Texas building a 200 BHP Suzuki GSXR1000 based bike, they both had 7 days to build them, and then they were pitched against each other on the 1/4 mile to decide which was the better tool.

The "Virginians" were making lotsa "Rice Burner" jokes, (including sending the Texans a bag of rice for fuel) and all semed sure that they'd kick some Jap asss, but the Suzy won the day, and the Harley boys had to concede that they'd lost, fair and square. Great show, for sure!

I can't remember the name of the next program I watched, but it was about a company that "pimps" peoples rides (no, not that show) and they were doing a really neat job on a 10 year old SUV that belonged to a guy who'd donated a kidney to his best mate. Once again, all done in 7 days, and a brilliant result, although I couldn't understand the humor in "pranking" the owner and making him mad, I just didn't think it was that funny?

Anyway, 2 hours after I walked in to his room, my son was suggesting that it was time for me to leave, but there was another show to watch about Bomber aircraft! Damn, I gotta get me a set top box.................   

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Damn, I can't believe you just discovered cable/satellite. Forget about sleep now Cooler Boy. Crank up your recorder, you're in for a ride. I installed a TV card on my computer to go along with Windows Media Center and Dish Network. I have 10 different shows scheduled for recording and that doesn't include the races. You might even find some X rated shows "by mistake" on that funny box but you'd have to fight your son for that. Between this site and the bike shows my wife sees me occasionally. 

[CrisPDuk]

The show with the cars is called 'Overhaulin' Terry

I've never found the humour in the pranking thing either but there's no denying the standard of their work, or Chip Foose's designs.

They did a Pontiac GTO for Lance Armstrong on one show that was absolutely the mutt's nuts


BTW does this mean you've never seen them rough-arsed butchers from Orange County Choppers yet either? Or the arrogant, self obsessed wanker that is Boyd Coddington

[Sam Green Racing]

You lucky MFKs, where I live out in the country I haven't even got a phone, we have only had gas for a few years, I'm still coal fired.
You going on about all this TV crap and we only have 5 Chanel's and one of them is that snowy, you can't see it half the time.

Sam.

[Terry in Australia]

Geez Sammy, apparently TV hasn't improved much in England since I was there back in the 1970's, ha ha! 

Hey Crispy, a mate loaned me some OCC DVD's last year and I got them copied, I like that show, but the bikes are a little silly, don't you think? Who's Boyd Coddington? Cheers, Terry.

[dusterdude]

terry,the guy that built the "virginian" was an idiot,he built a bobber to drag race with,that was beyond stupid.

[UnCrash]

OCC those guys are a joke.  They don't build riders, they build showroom queens with lots o doo-dads and bling, and are half lazy hotheads about the whole thing.

I really like those biker build-offs, you see some quality talent.  They also make the builders ride the bikes a few hundred miles to an event for judging.

Another builder I like is Jesse James, though I don't exactly care for the chopper styling, I appreciate his attention to detail, craftsmanship, his appreciation for the history of metal working, fireworks, and mayhem in general.

Some great builders that have been on that build-off show:

Matt Hotch  http://www.hotmatchcustomcycles.com/  Check out his Vincent build!




Hank Young! ----> http://www.youngchoppers.com  He turns old to new and makes it look like it came out of a steampunk (http://steampunkworkshop.com/) dream...

[Steve F]

".....Or the arrogant, self obsessed wanker that is Boyd Coddington"
Man, aint THAT the truth?  OR that d/[k head of a foreman Duane (I think his name is).
Wathing that show just pisses me off the way they talk to each other.  It's no wonder that the really talented guys quit there and are working for Foose now.

[BobbyR]

I am really surprised you fellas did not have cable. Welcome to the late 20th Century. Wait till you get a listen to Satellite Radio. 125 unique channels of music or talk.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Sam,

You have electricity?!   There are these things called satellites now. They started shooting them up in the sky when you were in your 50's back in the 50's. There are kinda like glorified rabbit ear antennaes. They send you special TV signals from outter space. I think the Martians control these. You can probably even watch I Dream of Jeannie again or The Beverly Hillbillies (US shows from the 60's of great cultural value that have great stars such as Barbara Eden and Ellie Mae).  

Don't forget about V Twin TV, 2 Wheel Tuesday, Corbin's Ride On, Super Bikes, Epic Ride, American Thunder just to name a few.    

[mick750F]

   Kill your television!  Before it's too late! 

[ofreen]

   Kill your television!  Before it's too late! 

Ain't it the truth.  Life is too short.

[tsflstb]

Those shows kind of lose their appeal after a couple of episodes.  There's about 45 seconds of good footage in a half hour show, the rest is either commercials or worthless dialogue.  There's a channel called "DIY" - "Do it yourself" that used to run a show about rebuilding an old Indian motorcycle.  It didn't get too involved, but they did rebuild forks, lace wheels, and do a few other neat things.  Of course that show didn't last.  Us Americans need drama in everything.

YouTube is a good alternative to cable TV for me.  There are some good instructional motorcycle videos out there...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVExD-Fz688

Crazy SOB's...but they sure can ride.

[super pasty white guy]

Shut off my cable about 6 months ago... Can't say that I've really missed it all that much.

dave

[fuzzybutt]

Those shows kind of lose their appeal after a couple of episodes.  There's about 45 seconds of good footage in a half hour show, the rest is either commercials or worthless dialogue.  There's a channel called "DIY" - "Do it yourself" that used to run a show about rebuilding an old Indian motorcycle.  It didn't get too involved, but they did rebuild forks, lace wheels, and do a few other neat things.  Of course that show didn't last.  Us Americans need drama in everything.

that show was "a bike is born" they did the indian, an old harley flattie and a bonneville that was the cats ass.

[andy750]

GREAT video tsflstb!!!!! These guys CAN ride! Excellent stuff especially the 3 guys on the bike cornering!

cheers
Andy

[mcpuffett]

Sam you have 5 channels  , we only have 4 and 1 of those is the radio were still on Redifusion up here    ;)mick.

[Terry in Australia]

As I said, I don't watch too much tv, but when I come inside from my garage it's nice to find something interesting to watch, all we get here of an evening is American cop'layer shows, or English cop/lawyer shows. Why are people so fascinated with cops and lawyers? I'd much rather watch car and bike programs. Cheers, Terry.  

[Klark Kent]

I've never had cable television, but rent about 60 movies a month from netflix.  i can get tv that has been released on dvd, and don't feel like i am missing much.  plus with all the money i saved on cable i got a digital projector that throws a 100" picture.  for $30 a month (half of cable i think) i am always flush with dvds.  and if i like them, well lets just say sometimes the 1s and 0s find a way to stick around.  sporting events and other such things you can only get with a decent cble/stelite hookup are best viewed in the bar anyhow.  cable is for zombies. 

i do ge tmy five channels through rabbit ears (yes i watch rabbit ear tv projected 7 feet wide) and use it mostly to watch the simpsons every chance i get, but also have a hard time finding those coplawyer shows as captivating as they must be to a lot of people. 
-KK

[Raul CB750K1]

Let me share my experience with you. My Philips VCR broke down a couple of years ago. It turned out the rubber roll that moves the tape had dried up. The VCR was discontinued by Philips and there were no parts available. Back then it was clear the videotape was living its last days, so I shopped around for a hard drive recorder. It was expensive at the moment (700 euro), so I put myself a target price of 300 euro. As soon as the appliances cost 300 euro I would buy it.

It happened a couple of months ago. The DVD player + hard drive recorder costed 299 euro, with a 160 Gb HD. In that moment I realized I had been without VCR for almost two years..... and haven't missed it because I didn't really needed to record any TV program. If you have broadband you don't need satellite radio or cable TV. Get the music or TV programs you want  and make your own channel! I have mp3 at the car and portable mp3. I listen to my music whenever I want, what I want, with no commercials. I download from Internet American Chopper, Biker Build Off, movies, bike videos, you name it. This last week I just watched "Straw Dogs" -never seen before- and "Deliverance" -saw it many moons ago-. I also watched recently both versions of "The Time Machine" and, obviously, the newest one pales in comparison with the original, even when the special effects were crude at the time.


I saw by chance a pop-up the other day and it was a link to a ESPN program called something like "metric build off", some sort of biker build-off but with stock metric cruisers. As I vaticined, it is just a matter of time that cafe races get media attention and probably Carpy will become a media star.

[CrisPDuk]

As I said, I don't watch too much tv, but when I come inside from my garage it's nice to find something interesting to watch, all we get here of an evening is American cop'layer shows, or English cop/lawyer shows. Why are people so fascinated with cops and lawyers? I'd much rather watch car and bike programs. Cheers, Terry.  

Terry, they aren't always about cops and lawers you know sometimes they're about doctors and hospitals instead


BTW Boyd Coddington owns a 'Hot Rod' factory in California I think?  He and the workers are the stars of a series called American Hot Rod.  You should try to catch it, even if it's only to see what a complete wanker the guy is
Plus, as Steve F pointed out, his idiot cracker foreman Duane defies belief, how somebody hasn't yet wrapped a wrench round his ignorant red neck I don't know


I sometimes think that if Americans just took a step back and looked at some of their movies and TV programmes from the POV of a foreigner, they'd get a far clearer idea of why a large section of the planet's population hates them so intensely

[toycollector10]

Here we have SKY TV....I'm into the History Channel...lots of war stuff, aviation, boats planes and trains etc, and I dig history in general..

Wifey wanders through snorting about "watching that bloody 'Death Channel' again"   

[Raul CB750K1]

I sometimes think that if Americans just took a step back and looked at some of their movies and TV programmes from the POV of a foreigner, they'd get a far clearer idea of why a large section of the planet's population hates them so intensely

I think they make their TV programs with the american population in mind, not the rest of the World. It is not their fault if the rest of the World is dying to buy their programs or rights to make similar programs. Movie industry is so big they need to have the gears well lubed in order to make a given number of films a year. We don't like them? Film producers couldn't care less, the big money is in the teenagers, the people with money and time to spare. Movies are made for them, not for us. Just a few are made for adults. Movie plots will keep repeating for years without end. It's like pogo sticks, hoola hoops and other toys' fashion. After some years, they are back to please a new generation. The same goes with movies. I enjoyed Karate Kid and The Last Dragon when I was 16. I watched them again a few months ago -thanks eMule- and I couldn't help but wonder how could I liked them the first time. Different time, different age.

[Terry in Australia]

Er, I'd just like to say that I like Americans............. (walking away slowly, whistling nervously and not making eye contact)   

[CrisPDuk]

  @ Terry


I never said I personally didn't like Americans   I'm sure a large proportion of them are nothing like they are portrayed in the media.

But that portrayal is often all that some people do see of them, and to be honest it's not a particularly flattering image