Episode 13, in which we talk to author & world traveller Sam Manicom

22 January 2018

Hello and good morning! It’s great to see you all … if I *could* see you all, I mean.

Episode 13 is a bit of a departure. Back in October, world traveller and author Sam Manicom parked his book tour at my house for a night before his engagement at Morton’s BMW in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I took the opportunity to sit down with him and talk about his life on the road for the podcast. Since we were sitting in my dining room, we talked …and talked …and TALKED for over an hour! That makes this the longest episode of the podcast, but it’s well worth listening to, if for no other reason than to glean pearls of wisdom from Sam’s hard-earned experience. (I have to say that Sam was also a gracious and tidy house guest. He’s welcome back any time!)

**UPDATE (25 FEB 22): Sam’s newest book, The Moment Collectors, is out now and available. Click the title to buy your copy direct or get it on Amazon.

There’s no timeline for this episode, as it’s pretty much all interview. However, I can tell you that we discussed – given here in alphabetical order – the following topics …AND MORE…

  • ancestral genies
  • bike choice
  • book tours
  • clutch life
  • coffee vs tea
  • colonialism
  • crashing & gear
  • cultural differences
  • cursing in foreign languages
  • flexibility
  • fruit & the glory of apples
  • hooligan riders
  • living & riding in the UK
  • motorcycle shows
  • not being in a hurry
  • off seasons
  • sizes of the continents
  • spare parts
  • travelling in the USA
  • the writing process
Sam will be back in the USA in 2018, touring New England. His full presentation is something that shouldn’t be missed, and of course you can always pick up copies of his FOUR books in print or as audio books. In February, though, you can catch him at the Timonium Motorcycle Show near Baltimore, Maryland.

“Never miss an opportunity for a ride.” –Sam Manicom

By way of a bit of housekeeping, MailChimp notified me that they will be sunsetting TinyLetter some time in the future. Not exactly the near future, but in the future nonetheless. I will do my best to make the transition easy, and I’ll keep you posted on what happens. In the meantime, please send your friends (and motorcycle-loving enemies) to the podcast and this newsletter. All the links are below.

One last thing before I sign off – we’re in the final stages of securing our first sponsor. As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, we will never have more than two sponsors per episode, and that includes the newsletter. Sponsorship of the podcast includes a banner ad (tasteful, of course) in the newsletter. Those will be at the bottom of the newsletter, so if you’re an ad hater, you can easily avoid them. The impending first sponsor has shown an interest in providing some merchandise to our listeners, and the best way to win those drawings will be by being a subscriber to this newsletter, so stay with us!  (PS if you’re interested in being our second sponsor, or have any questions about the podcast, please email me.)

LINKS

Episode 14 will be out on 5 February and will feature a discussion with youthful cross-country rider Evan Laing. Season 1 continues through AT LEAST the end of March, so there’s plenty more coming from Chasing the Horizon. An upcoming episode will feature the CEO of the American branch of an iconic motorcycle brand (regular listeners might be able to figure out who it will be). Thanks for listening.

We’ll see you somewhere out there on the road – or off it!