Is Jeremy Clarkson a good writer?
Discussion
I bought some old "Performance Car" magazines and found his columns to be very well written and funny. Some of the collected books of his columns have been good too.
In essence, when people slate him I like to think that he was a good writer/journalist first and foremost, something he does not seem to get much credit for.
On the other hand, I have met some people who are in publishing and newspapers and one person said that what he submitted to the Telegraph was "garbage that he hardly wrote it himself"
What do you guys think?
In essence, when people slate him I like to think that he was a good writer/journalist first and foremost, something he does not seem to get much credit for.
On the other hand, I have met some people who are in publishing and newspapers and one person said that what he submitted to the Telegraph was "garbage that he hardly wrote it himself"
What do you guys think?
i like him
take him with a pinch of salt, but he does have balls to say what we all think sometimes
I have all his books whihc are made from his newspaper columns.
above all what ever you think of him, the bloke earns a fortune sodding about in cars which lets face it we would all do if we had the chance
take him with a pinch of salt, but he does have balls to say what we all think sometimes
I have all his books whihc are made from his newspaper columns.
above all what ever you think of him, the bloke earns a fortune sodding about in cars which lets face it we would all do if we had the chance
(1) He's a journeyman writer, so some bits will be great, others will be terrible. He's not, and would never want to be, some sort of Proustian writer who agonised over every word. He sees his writing as essentially disposable, and it should be read in this context
(2) He benefits from good editing. The more successful he's become, the less he's been edited, and I'd imagine no-one would turn down a submitted Clarkson article on the basis that it was just a bit crap.
Overall, he's not as good as he used to be when he was younger and hungrier. He's not stretching himself at all, and has settled into a comfortable groove. That said, he's still (when he wants to be) a very good writer indeed, and communicates the sheer glee of his job in a way that few others do.
(2) He benefits from good editing. The more successful he's become, the less he's been edited, and I'd imagine no-one would turn down a submitted Clarkson article on the basis that it was just a bit crap.
Overall, he's not as good as he used to be when he was younger and hungrier. He's not stretching himself at all, and has settled into a comfortable groove. That said, he's still (when he wants to be) a very good writer indeed, and communicates the sheer glee of his job in a way that few others do.
I was a fan of Clarkson before I even knew what he looked like. His early articles in Performance Car Magazine (under the pseudonym 'Chattels') had me in stitches and were exceptionally well thought out.
His depiction of the experience of going to buy an Alfa GTV6, thinking that paying cash would get him a discount, then ending up dragging two sackfuls of ten-pence pieces along because banks don't have cash in them any more (everything on computers) so they had to raid the big plastic 'Guide Dogs for the Blind' charity box to get enough cash for his withdrawal was a hoot.
Another I remember very well was his 'cross channel ferry' story because it matched up with my own experiences perfectly (right down to the 'posh ex WW2 naval officer' tannoy announcements).
When I met him in person at one of the NEC Motorshows I tried not to act like a startstruck teenager, and that was all before Top Gear....
His depiction of the experience of going to buy an Alfa GTV6, thinking that paying cash would get him a discount, then ending up dragging two sackfuls of ten-pence pieces along because banks don't have cash in them any more (everything on computers) so they had to raid the big plastic 'Guide Dogs for the Blind' charity box to get enough cash for his withdrawal was a hoot.
Another I remember very well was his 'cross channel ferry' story because it matched up with my own experiences perfectly (right down to the 'posh ex WW2 naval officer' tannoy announcements).
When I met him in person at one of the NEC Motorshows I tried not to act like a startstruck teenager, and that was all before Top Gear....
Whilst I find Top Gear unwatchable nowadays I do think he writes well on occasion but not a big fan of every car review in the Times being 90 rant on some irrelevant subject then 3 lines at the end on the actual motor.
I would say that I find Anthony Ffrench-Constant awful in Car magazine and he strikes me as a poor mans version of Clarkson (in every sense I'd guess!). His stuff is unreadable tosh. So whilst I admire Clarkson's unusual style I think it has slipped into self-parody and influenced other writers detrimentally.
I would say that I find Anthony Ffrench-Constant awful in Car magazine and he strikes me as a poor mans version of Clarkson (in every sense I'd guess!). His stuff is unreadable tosh. So whilst I admire Clarkson's unusual style I think it has slipped into self-parody and influenced other writers detrimentally.
mikeyr said:
I would say that I find Anthony Ffrench-Constant awful in Car magazine and he strikes me as a poor mans version of Clarkson (in every sense I'd guess!). His stuff is unreadable tosh.
Too true - I literally cannot read an A f-C article - in fact I now find myself looking to who's written the article before I start it. If A f-C's the author, I stop there, as it's just not good for my blood pressure. I've never been so annoyed with a writer in my life, not even with some of the guff that LJKS used to come out with ("....Bristols, marvellous gentleman's carriage ......Honda Prelude the finest car ever.....smoking is great").i think people bad mouth him and his opinions when others confuse them as facts.
FN2 Type R is much worse than the EP3 for example - how many people lived by that fact, er, opinion without actually driving both?
Clarkson is not the last word in facts because they are only his opinions; personally i love the way he delivers them (outside of the panto that topgear has become)
I have also read a few of his books and find them very easy to read with some good points and man logic.
FN2 Type R is much worse than the EP3 for example - how many people lived by that fact, er, opinion without actually driving both?
Clarkson is not the last word in facts because they are only his opinions; personally i love the way he delivers them (outside of the panto that topgear has become)
I have also read a few of his books and find them very easy to read with some good points and man logic.
I think he writes quite well. Although it's quite formulaic, in other words you know what you are going to get, his stuff generally makes me chuckle. Like others I don't make time to watch Top Gear any more. It's the motoring equivalent of It's A Knock Out these days. Having said that the attempt to destroy the Toyota pick-up was gripping and an outstanding feature in my opinion. The rest belongs on daytime TV.
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