Is Chris Harris an 'a' hole
Discussion
Just to be clear, I love Chris Harris, watched his videos before I learnt how to drive, click on any video he uploads, he’s so enjoyable to watch and is the best motoring journalist ever in my humble opinion.
However, over the years of following him on Instagram where there are brief moments where I think he decides to go against the trend of whatever’s being said and today is what made me think, what if he is an a
hole
‘Harrismonkey New @bmwm M5 Touring! Weighs too much yadda yadda, moan whinge. I was one of those voices. And like most people I think it looks fecking good and I bet it's FAST! Dark green and brown leather’
He took a dig at anybody who complained the car was heavy when he hates heavy cars and is very vocal about it. I know he acknowledged he was also one of those people in that text above but it’s like he’s shifted his opinion on it because everyone moaned at how heavy it was so he wanted to be different.
The A45s, was getting raving reviews of the drift mode, performance and engine, then he posts this caption
‘ harrismonkey A45S. Most disappointing modern AMG I've driven. Understeers on the way in, with fake 'drift mode' oversteer on exit. So it's never neutral. Brakes lasted half a lap. Ride choppy on the road with severe tyre noise. Built to please influencers on a launch event, which I gather it did.’
Used his vastly superior skill and knowledge to diminish the opinion of ‘influencers’ on a car that will be 99.9% driven on public roads.
There’s a few other times I’ve seen him make fun of ‘influencers’ who make videos speccing their cars etc etc
I feel like he has something against car influencers which makes sense because he’s worked extremely hard to get where he is and there’s kids out there who have barely done anything to achieve the opportunity to drive and own these cars however, who wouldn’t take up the opportunity they did?
Last point that makes me wonder
He abruptly left collecting cars, why? I feel like he’s constantly switching jobs/roles etc and I’ve thought, maybe he’s difficult to work with thus proving my point
I know someone's going to say,
‘Do something better with your time’
‘Do you fancy him’
Etc etc
This is a predominantly motoring forum and I think it’s ok to ask the question I’m asking and receive input from others
However, over the years of following him on Instagram where there are brief moments where I think he decides to go against the trend of whatever’s being said and today is what made me think, what if he is an a
hole‘Harrismonkey New @bmwm M5 Touring! Weighs too much yadda yadda, moan whinge. I was one of those voices. And like most people I think it looks fecking good and I bet it's FAST! Dark green and brown leather’
He took a dig at anybody who complained the car was heavy when he hates heavy cars and is very vocal about it. I know he acknowledged he was also one of those people in that text above but it’s like he’s shifted his opinion on it because everyone moaned at how heavy it was so he wanted to be different.
The A45s, was getting raving reviews of the drift mode, performance and engine, then he posts this caption
‘ harrismonkey A45S. Most disappointing modern AMG I've driven. Understeers on the way in, with fake 'drift mode' oversteer on exit. So it's never neutral. Brakes lasted half a lap. Ride choppy on the road with severe tyre noise. Built to please influencers on a launch event, which I gather it did.’
Used his vastly superior skill and knowledge to diminish the opinion of ‘influencers’ on a car that will be 99.9% driven on public roads.
There’s a few other times I’ve seen him make fun of ‘influencers’ who make videos speccing their cars etc etc
I feel like he has something against car influencers which makes sense because he’s worked extremely hard to get where he is and there’s kids out there who have barely done anything to achieve the opportunity to drive and own these cars however, who wouldn’t take up the opportunity they did?
Last point that makes me wonder
He abruptly left collecting cars, why? I feel like he’s constantly switching jobs/roles etc and I’ve thought, maybe he’s difficult to work with thus proving my point
I know someone's going to say,
‘Do something better with your time’
‘Do you fancy him’
Etc etc
This is a predominantly motoring forum and I think it’s ok to ask the question I’m asking and receive input from others
He earns a living having opinions, to deadlines - To borrow part of a routine about Clarkson from Stuart Lee.
Sometimes an easy way to have an interesting opinion is to argue from a contrary point of view.
The former and latter might make someone you've never met seem more of an ahole than they actually are.
Sometimes an easy way to have an interesting opinion is to argue from a contrary point of view.
The former and latter might make someone you've never met seem more of an a
hole than they actually are. Possibly getting harder and harder to stand out when there's so much choice now and he hasn't got his telly platform anymore either.
Let's face it 99% of what he says when reviewing a car is utterly irrelevant to future owners of those cars anyway.
As an aside I'm assume BMW are underselling the figures for the new M5 otherwise they've managed to make 700+hp fairly 'slow'.
Let's face it 99% of what he says when reviewing a car is utterly irrelevant to future owners of those cars anyway.
As an aside I'm assume BMW are underselling the figures for the new M5 otherwise they've managed to make 700+hp fairly 'slow'.
compare a video review by a proper journalist (any) and an 'influencer' (one of the worst is that Joe Achilles BMW man) and you will see why so many journalists have disdain for influencers.
They can communicate more in 5 minutes than an influencer will say in 30 minutes. and what they tend to produce is 30 minutes of poorly edited and poorly considered drivel.
bye, I'm flea.
don't miss my next video series of five 30 minute instalments about what polish I have decided to use on the new exhaust that I might get for a special edition car I have. If you're one of my flea-pack, you can catch the exclusive pre-launch episode now. in which I detail 24 quite insignificant and boring ways in which the special edition model I have differs from the normal one, starting with the type of semiconductor material used in the LED bulbs on the classy and exclusive branded door downlighters.
They can communicate more in 5 minutes than an influencer will say in 30 minutes. and what they tend to produce is 30 minutes of poorly edited and poorly considered drivel.
bye, I'm flea.
don't miss my next video series of five 30 minute instalments about what polish I have decided to use on the new exhaust that I might get for a special edition car I have. If you're one of my flea-pack, you can catch the exclusive pre-launch episode now. in which I detail 24 quite insignificant and boring ways in which the special edition model I have differs from the normal one, starting with the type of semiconductor material used in the LED bulbs on the classy and exclusive branded door downlighters.
Edited by PlywoodPascal on Thursday 15th August 20:28
He has strong opinions and is prepared to voice them, even to the extent of getting on certain manufacturers’ naughty lists. I think he is quite thoughtful and that means that from time to time he will shift his opinion. Those two characteristics disqualify him from being an ahole in my view.
hole in my view. There are a very few motoring journalists who can meet some essential requirements for the job.
a) Write well.
b) Actually drive, as opposed merely being able to make a vehicle physically move from A to B somehow.
c) Not afraid to say when they've driven a lemon.
There are others but those are the top 3 in my opinion.
Chris Harris meets all 3 and is all the better for it. Like all of us he has some faults or characteristics. Some would say being opinionated makes him an a-hole, I would totally disagree, he is not that.
On influencers and some motoring journalists they're nothing more than the car industry equivalent of those glamour models who pointed at the prizes on the Price is Right and similar game shows.
Carry on Chris.
a) Write well.
b) Actually drive, as opposed merely being able to make a vehicle physically move from A to B somehow.
c) Not afraid to say when they've driven a lemon.
There are others but those are the top 3 in my opinion.
Chris Harris meets all 3 and is all the better for it. Like all of us he has some faults or characteristics. Some would say being opinionated makes him an a-hole, I would totally disagree, he is not that.
On influencers and some motoring journalists they're nothing more than the car industry equivalent of those glamour models who pointed at the prizes on the Price is Right and similar game shows.
Carry on Chris.
FiF said:
There are a very few motoring journalists who can meet some essential requirements for the job.
a) Write well.
b) Actually drive, as opposed merely being able to make a vehicle physically move from A to B somehow.
c) Not afraid to say when they've driven a lemon.
There are others but those are the top 3 in my opinion.
Chris Harris meets all 3 and is all the better for it. Like all of us he has some faults or characteristics. Some would say being opinionated makes him an a-hole, I would totally disagree, he is not that.
On influencers and some motoring journalists they're nothing more than the car industry equivalent of those glamour models who pointed at the prizes on the Price is Right and similar game shows.
Carry on Chris.
Yes I would go with that but I am a fan of his style. Him and Henry Catchpole are my favourites.a) Write well.
b) Actually drive, as opposed merely being able to make a vehicle physically move from A to B somehow.
c) Not afraid to say when they've driven a lemon.
There are others but those are the top 3 in my opinion.
Chris Harris meets all 3 and is all the better for it. Like all of us he has some faults or characteristics. Some would say being opinionated makes him an a-hole, I would totally disagree, he is not that.
On influencers and some motoring journalists they're nothing more than the car industry equivalent of those glamour models who pointed at the prizes on the Price is Right and similar game shows.
Carry on Chris.
PlywoodPascal said:
compare a video review by a proper journalist (any) and an 'influencer' (one of the worst is that Joe Achilles BMW man) and you will see why so many journalists have disdain for influencers.
They can communicate more in 5 minutes than an influencer will say in 30 minutes. and what they tend to produce is 30 minutes of poorly edited and poorly considered drivel.
bye, I'm flea.
don't miss my next video series of five 30 minute instalments about what polish I have decided to use on the new exhaust that I might get for a special edition car I have. If you're one of my flea-pack, you can catch the exclusive pre-launch episode now. in which I detail 24 quite insignificant and boring ways in which the special edition model I have differs from the normal one, starting with the type of semiconductor material used in the LED bulbs on the classy and exclusive branded door downlighters.
I completely agree and a lot of them are wafflers, I like joe achilles because i think hes a nice guy, i subscribe and like his videos to support him however i never get past 5 minutes of his videos unless its about a car i intend to buy.They can communicate more in 5 minutes than an influencer will say in 30 minutes. and what they tend to produce is 30 minutes of poorly edited and poorly considered drivel.
bye, I'm flea.
don't miss my next video series of five 30 minute instalments about what polish I have decided to use on the new exhaust that I might get for a special edition car I have. If you're one of my flea-pack, you can catch the exclusive pre-launch episode now. in which I detail 24 quite insignificant and boring ways in which the special edition model I have differs from the normal one, starting with the type of semiconductor material used in the LED bulbs on the classy and exclusive branded door downlighters.
Edited by PlywoodPascal on Thursday 15th August 20:28
However, i understand why professional motoring journalists have disdain for these influencers but for them to indirectly poke fun at them makes me think theyre bitter and question their integrity.
At the end of the day, me, jeremy clarkson, shmee and chris harris love cars. If i was a clown and somehow managed to create a following large enough for me to own and test cars i dreamt of, it should give them satisfaction that a fellow petrolhead is able to achieve his dreams instead of give them disdain.
No.I don’t think he is; he is a good writer and a good driver. However, there are predictable outcomes for successful journalists: First, they become self- important and image conscious; secondly they extend their writing into non-car topics and begin pontificating about politics, etc; finally, and linked to the second hazard, they start awarding prizes and attending awards ceremonies, with the inevitable photo shots.
FiF said:
There are a very few motoring journalists who can meet some essential requirements for the job.
a) Write well.
b) Actually drive, as opposed merely being able to make a vehicle physically move from A to B somehow.
c) Not afraid to say when they've driven a lemon.
There are others but those are the top 3 in my opinion.
Chris Harris meets all 3 and is all the better for it. Like all of us he has some faults or characteristics. Some would say being opinionated makes him an a-hole, I would totally disagree, he is not that.
On influencers and some motoring journalists they're nothing more than the car industry equivalent of those glamour models who pointed at the prizes on the Price is Right and similar game shows.
Carry on Chris.
Totally agree. After reading his book I like him even more. He may be a grumpy old man at times, but so am I, and I suspect most of the posters on PH.a) Write well.
b) Actually drive, as opposed merely being able to make a vehicle physically move from A to B somehow.
c) Not afraid to say when they've driven a lemon.
There are others but those are the top 3 in my opinion.
Chris Harris meets all 3 and is all the better for it. Like all of us he has some faults or characteristics. Some would say being opinionated makes him an a-hole, I would totally disagree, he is not that.
On influencers and some motoring journalists they're nothing more than the car industry equivalent of those glamour models who pointed at the prizes on the Price is Right and similar game shows.
Carry on Chris.
FiF said:
There are a very few motoring journalists who can meet some essential requirements for the job.
a) Write well.
b) Actually drive, as opposed merely being able to make a vehicle physically move from A to B somehow.
c) Not afraid to say when they've driven a lemon.
There are others but those are the top 3 in my opinion.
Chris Harris meets all 3 and is all the better for it. Like all of us he has some faults or characteristics. Some would say being opinionated makes him an a-hole, I would totally disagree, he is not that.
On influencers and some motoring journalists they're nothing more than the car industry equivalent of those glamour models who pointed at the prizes on the Price is Right and similar game shows.
Carry on Chris.
Agree with all of this. Chris is a professional, swimming in a sea of those trying to blag a living doing what he does. I think he's fairly consistant in his reviews, and enjoy his content. Enjoyed his book, its fairly self-aware and modest. a) Write well.
b) Actually drive, as opposed merely being able to make a vehicle physically move from A to B somehow.
c) Not afraid to say when they've driven a lemon.
There are others but those are the top 3 in my opinion.
Chris Harris meets all 3 and is all the better for it. Like all of us he has some faults or characteristics. Some would say being opinionated makes him an a-hole, I would totally disagree, he is not that.
On influencers and some motoring journalists they're nothing more than the car industry equivalent of those glamour models who pointed at the prizes on the Price is Right and similar game shows.
Carry on Chris.
Opions may vary, but I think the motoring landscape is better with him in it.
I think influencers are (of course, this is a generalisation) basically publishing the equivalent of not even a first draft, just notes on a topic.
I don’t think you need to be employed to be a journalist, it’s about what/how you produce, more than the outlet or the format.
When journalists say influencers in a disparaging way, I think they mean people who produce content that is unstructured, unedited, lacking narrative, lacking broader view or perspective (e.g. often beyond a single marque), etc. I don’t think they mean all content published on youtube/instagram. So, they’re talking about people who are perhaps aping the form of journalism but lacking any of the craft of it.
It is amazing what writing for an editor does to quality of your work.
I don’t think you need to be employed to be a journalist, it’s about what/how you produce, more than the outlet or the format.
When journalists say influencers in a disparaging way, I think they mean people who produce content that is unstructured, unedited, lacking narrative, lacking broader view or perspective (e.g. often beyond a single marque), etc. I don’t think they mean all content published on youtube/instagram. So, they’re talking about people who are perhaps aping the form of journalism but lacking any of the craft of it.
It is amazing what writing for an editor does to quality of your work.
Timbo_S2 said:
Agree with all of this. Chris is a professional, swimming in a sea of those trying to blag a living doing what he does. I think he's fairly consistant in his reviews, and enjoy his content. Enjoyed his book, its fairly self-aware and modest.
Opions may vary, but I think the motoring landscape is better with him in it.
If people wish to view what some describe as blaggers, does that not legitimise the creations of said blaggards.Opions may vary, but I think the motoring landscape is better with him in it.
A different category perhaps, but detractors sounds more like snobs.
Journalistic depth and integrity when it comes to product reviews mostly comes under the category of entertainment after all. It's hardly war reporting.
Simply focusing on aspects not traditionally commented on does not make their inclusion invalid.
I don't agree with everything he says and he was pretty terrible on TG, but he knows his stuff about cars and can clear drive pretty well.
To pick up one point, while finding faults with a road car on a track can be a moot point, if a car understeers into corners and has artificial oversteer out of it it's going to do that to some extent all the time, so it's not unreasonable to bring it up, even if most people will never drive theirs fast enough to notice (realistically, most cars are more than fast enough for the road these days, in the UK and having a 200MPH car in Germany only gets you going fast on the autobahn - in a few places - which aren't really a driving challenge, except for your eyesight and nerve...)
He certainly has a point about 'influencers' - a lot of the people who many see as framing opinion about cars, simply have money and/or access to cars, but little actual skill or knowledge to pass on salient facts.
I can think of worse motoring journalists, but no-one comes close to Henry Catchpole, IMO. His reviews are the only ones I actively look for.
To pick up one point, while finding faults with a road car on a track can be a moot point, if a car understeers into corners and has artificial oversteer out of it it's going to do that to some extent all the time, so it's not unreasonable to bring it up, even if most people will never drive theirs fast enough to notice (realistically, most cars are more than fast enough for the road these days, in the UK and having a 200MPH car in Germany only gets you going fast on the autobahn - in a few places - which aren't really a driving challenge, except for your eyesight and nerve...)
He certainly has a point about 'influencers' - a lot of the people who many see as framing opinion about cars, simply have money and/or access to cars, but little actual skill or knowledge to pass on salient facts.
I can think of worse motoring journalists, but no-one comes close to Henry Catchpole, IMO. His reviews are the only ones I actively look for.
Edited by marcosgt on Friday 16th August 09:35
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