Microcar hire.

[Bob Purton]

When I owned my Schmitt I had the car registered with a couple of agencies for hiring out for TV/film etc. I never heard a thing from either of them in eight years! Just by chance though I have a booking with the Isetta for this Saturday, the car has to appear and surprise the wife of a celebrity chef who owned one fifty years ago. The event is at the fiftieth wedding anniversary doo of the chef and his wife. I even get to stay and have lunch with the guests. Will let you know how it goes. Has anyone else made a success of hiring out there microcars? I seem to remember Nick Poll hiring out his TG500 for a Spice girls photoshoot! Come on Jonathan, post up a picture for us!

[Jonathan Poll]

When I owned my Schmitt I had the car registered with a couple of agencies for hiring out for TV/film etc. I never heard a thing from either of them in eight years! Just by chance though I have a booking with the Isetta for this Saturday, the car has to appear and surprise the wife of a celebrity chef who owned one fifty years ago. The event is at the fiftieth wedding anniversary doo of the chef and his wife. I even get to stay and have lunch with the guests. Will let you know how it goes. Has anyone else made a success of hiring out there microcars? I seem to remember Nick Poll hiring out his TG500 for a Spice girls photoshoot! Come on Jonathan, post up a picture for us!

I have never seen the pics nor the video! My dad dressed up as one of the spice girls because he didnt want to let them drive it!

My dad lent a Heinkel for a Beer advert (Carlsberg I think), and a friend (Nevile) lent out an Isetta for a film... Forgot the name, but you lot know it. eville drove the Isetta to the cinema's for the premiere!

I have been on TV (News) about micros. They cut me off actually, since I was about 8, had top translate from English to French, and I had a voice like a mouse then, not good enough for TV
I still have the footage as proof! you see a few of my dads micros I think.

JP

PS: I need to reg my Nobel when its finished, I want it to be the best Nobel for reference. I guess the main bad point is that mine is very early and has a load of small dfifferences to my dads for example. My dashboard seems to have a different press than my dads! It doesnt match model A or B, so it must be the unknown C model

[marcus]

I was/am on an agency and never had a call. I know several classic owners who have never had the call.
A customer for the mechanic next door is a Chauffeur bor a successful business woman, and despite having a small collection of fine cars including white Roller, Rover P5 Coupe etc he asked me to do his daughter's wedding with my trojan. A great day and a few nice photos. I made it clear that as a friend I would do it free but he insisted on paying me a VERY decent  thank you!
Not quite the same but there's a video on YT with DUF carrying me and my compact drum kit.

[Jonathan Poll]

I was/am on an agency and never had a call. I know several classic owners who have never had the call.
A customer for the mechanic next door is a Chauffeur bor a successful business woman, and despite having a small collection of fine cars including white Roller, Rover P5 Coupe etc he asked me to do his daughter's wedding with my trojan. A great day and a few nice photos. I made it clear that as a friend I would do it free but he insisted on paying me a VERY decent  thank you!
Not quite the same but there's a video on YT with DUF carrying me and my compact drum kit.

I doubt if the our 1923 Bentley can carry my mum's new toy... Fender Mustang IV amp... Its HUGE!

Now, I want to buy a Mustang III, its smaller but suits my needs! (Nice sounds, and being able to record on PC)

Hmmm. Back to micros...

Link to the video please

My dad also had to do a wedding in my brothers kr200 cabrio!

[marcus]

Only a few seconds of DUF, but here you go (and notice the wool DUF Squeak knitted for me, on the back seat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RWR0YMrgiE

That's Busker Cajon Kit 2, there is also Busker Cajon kit 1 and 3 there, but no DUF in them. At the end of 2 you can see DUF again, but I leave with the kit in a push-bike trailer.

[Jonathan Poll]

Only a few seconds of DUF, but here you go (and notice the wool DUF Squeak knitted for me, on the back seat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RWR0YMrgiE

That's Busker Cajon Kit 2, there is also Busker Cajon kit 1 and 3 there, but no DUF in them. At the end of 2 you can see DUF again, but I leave with the kit in a push-bike trailer.

Wow, that is a weird drum kit! When you said compact I thought you meant one of those electric kits!

Great make Stagg, same make as my guitar (gave my other one to my bro, was a cheapo XP chinese thing).

Right now I'm trying to learn a solo

Maybe one day I will go gigging in my Nobel

And you where wrong, the original drummer of Mud is still alive, and he lives not far from us, I've played Stray Cats Strut with him, and a few other songs!

[Bob Purton]

Fender Mustang? Naaaaa!!! Ya cant beat the old Vox AC30! True sound of the sixties! My Gibson ES 335 sounded great though it at full volume. Alas my entire guitar collection is gone, sold in answer to hard times. Just left with a Yamaha APX electrocoustic.

[marcus]

I used to have a Fender Twin reverb and a Vox AC 60.

Now I have an Alligator 200 Ebony combo, it may not sound like the 60s, but it does eat all other amps for breakfast! 7 inputs into 3 channels, reverb, FX send and returns, graphic EQ, two drivers and a bullet tweeter and full frequency range, so it can be used for keyboards, ukuleles, guitars, bass, P.A., disco, my old electronic kit, or for micing up my standard kits. Punchier than 'enery Cooper, sweet as a nut, reliable as a Concorde.

As for my drum kits being weird....cheers! They are....for very good reasons!

[Big Al]

No idea what equipment we had as it was beg, borrowed or stolen, including equalisers for levels obtained by my mate after a Moody Blues gig, ahem. The assembly was then made into a Punk Band called Bumfluff and did some gigs, hung around with Dave Id and his Android Pups, Dave Durwood and Whoresly and The Cortinas who made publication, met Marc Bolan, bla bla. It was all great fun and was the start of my being known as my alta ego Al Bum, He along with R Soul on lead, A Nuss, bass/vocals and the welsh drummer Dai Rear were the band. My task was to make a racket in rhythm and lead the outfit as it was my idea. Needless to say we were brilliant save for a total lack of talent musically. I kind of think the guys realised they would be more successful doing their own thing without my playing skills so it foundered relatively as fast as it formed. If I had been older and more worldly I think it could have succeeded as a sort of Punk version of the Bonzo Doh Da Band but that is one of the cusps of life and I gave up playing music to listen leaving Bristol at the same time. Still got some old tapes somewhere, there were some good ideas......
The Grim Ripper does occasionally make an appearance with trombone, mainly playing with Ernst Heinkel and his Trojans - fav raves being Wobble with Dave and a version of Stairway to Heaven involving a loaf of bread!

[Big Al]

When I owned my Schmitt I had the car registered with a couple of agencies for hiring out for TV/film etc. I never heard a thing from either of them in eight years! Just by chance though I have a booking with the Isetta for this Saturday, the car has to appear and surprise the wife of a celebrity chef who owned one fifty years ago. The event is at the fiftieth wedding anniversary doo of the chef and his wife. I even get to stay and have lunch with the guests. Will let you know how it goes. Has anyone else made a success of hiring out there microcars? I seem to remember Nick Poll hiring out his TG500 for a Spice girls photoshoot! Come on Jonathan, post up a picture for us!

Yes I get occasional jobs. This in the main because Nick Mason of Pink Floyd is chums with Mr Wang who lives down the road. They play Ferraris. I know Mr Wang's factotum well. Nick Mason owns Ten Tenths through which he extends playing with his car collection. He was telling Mr Wang he needed some Bubblecars for a some job and of course my name came up. Helped as he nearly ran me over in his GTO! Since then I have had same really good gigs including a huge function for Bloomberg where I was a treasure hunt clue and issued with two very pretty young ladies to help. These tasks have not only been paid well, by invoice only though, but tend to come with perks, freebies and all the nosh you can eat so as to keep you happy while hanging about. I particularly recall a Schmitt going into a days Photoshoot on a closed set. They gave me cash to not be present for the day as it was for a naughty magazine or some such. On returning to get the car back I met Lindsey Dawn MacKensie (spelling, but once seen, not forgotten, big lass) and two other models of similar build. LDM was quite interested in the car. Later I found oily oval marks on the dome. Hmm. No doubt one of you dirty boys have a copy of this session? I have not and they would not give me any proofs or info so I do not know if it was motion or stills. £330 plus piss off cash for a days work in Abingdon, I thank you.
Reminds me of staying in Otto's Orchard, with NIck on the trip ending at Ant's flat and Zaandam?, and being told not to be present at a certain time as they were doing a calender shoot with a model. Similar situation I think.

The trick is to avoid the underfunded and stupid jobs. TV tends to not pay to well unless they are desperate for the car. So it pays to ask a lot and bluff them out. In most cases they have cocked up anyway and want a car in a rush at the whim of some director. Real film, pop videos and such tend to pay better but corporate beanos are the best. No doubt at the moment budgets are trimmed all round but I do not leave the house for less than £300 plus expenses and insurance cover. Knowing the length of time you can be on set and the amount of messing about cheaper is not worth it, frankly.

I have toyed with creating a bit of a business based on this props and extras thing. If I have a more settled lifestyle and a better spread of collectables plus stash space and the sort of chums with interesting machines I could bring a service together along with being a professional film extra. This because with the advent of portable technology you can be on set working or waiting being paid while working on a laptop OWHY. Add in catering and you get to be subsidised to do your own stuff only interrupted when on set in the background. Easy life! Not only that you get known as does your prop business. Forget his name but the Motorcycle despatch rider that got killed but was into Microcars from Sussex supplied much of the props used on The Darling Buds of May. I recall talking about it and he found it pretty good as a background income.

[Bob Purton]

I used to have a Fender Twin reverb and a Vox AC 60.

Now I have an Alligator 200 Ebony combo, it may not sound like the 60s, but it does eat all other amps for breakfast! 7 inputs into 3 channels, reverb, FX send and returns, graphic EQ, two drivers and a bullet tweeter and full frequency range, so it can be used for keyboards, ukuleles, guitars, bass, P.A., disco, my old electronic kit, or for micing up my standard kits. Punchier than 'enery Cooper, sweet as a nut, reliable as a Concorde.

As for my drum kits being weird....cheers! They are....for very good reasons!

The Fender twin reverb is a great amp too but oh boy is it heavy!! Our lead player owns one but usually opts to use his Musicman, a fender under a different name. That also weights a ton! All I have now is a Carlsborough Sherwood for electacoustic work. I think at this stage we should reestablish a microcar connection by noting that Microcars and giging do not go together well, the most I ever got in my Nobel is one guitar in its case, as I would gig with an APX Yamaha, the Gibo or a Burns plus two amps, the Sherwood and the AC30, getting them into my Nobel was not an option! THus enter the old Reault Trafic camper van. Happy days!

[Bob Purton]

When I owned my Schmitt I had the car registered with a couple of agencies for hiring out for TV/film etc. I never heard a thing from either of them in eight years! Just by chance though I have a booking with the Isetta for this Saturday, the car has to appear and surprise the wife of a celebrity chef who owned one fifty years ago. The event is at the fiftieth wedding anniversary doo of the chef and his wife. I even get to stay and have lunch with the guests. Will let you know how it goes. Has anyone else made a success of hiring out there microcars? I seem to remember Nick Poll hiring out his TG500 for a Spice girls photoshoot! Come on Jonathan, post up a picture for us!

Yes I get occasional jobs. This in the main because Nick Mason of Pink Floyd is chums with Mr Wang who lives down the road. They play Ferraris. I know Mr Wang's factotum well. Nick Mason owns Ten Tenths through which he extends playing with his car collection. He was telling Mr Wang he needed some Bubblecars for a some job and of course my name came up. Helped as he nearly ran me over in his GTO! Since then I have had same really good gigs including a huge function for Bloomberg where I was a treasure hunt clue and issued with two very pretty young ladies to help. These tasks have not only been paid well, by invoice only though, but tend to come with perks, freebies and all the nosh you can eat so as to keep you happy while hanging about. I particularly recall a Schmitt going into a days Photoshoot on a closed set. They gave me cash to not be present for the day as it was for a naughty magazine or some such. On returning to get the car back I met Lindsey Dawn MacKensie (spelling, but once seen, not forgotten, big lass) and two other models of similar build. LDM was quite interested in the car. Later I found oily oval marks on the dome. Hmm. No doubt one of you dirty boys have a copy of this session? I have not and they would not give me any proofs or info so I do not know if it was motion or stills. £330 plus piss off cash for a days work in Abingdon, I thank you.
Reminds me of staying in Otto's Orchard, with NIck on the trip ending at Ant's flat and Zaandam?, and being told not to be present at a certain time as they were doing a calender shoot with a model. Similar situation I think.

The trick is to avoid the underfunded and stupid jobs. TV tends to not pay to well unless they are desperate for the car. So it pays to ask a lot and bluff them out. In most cases they have cocked up anyway and want a car in a rush at the whim of some director. Real film, pop videos and such tend to pay better but corporate beanos are the best. No doubt at the moment budgets are trimmed all round but I do not leave the house for less than £300 plus expenses and insurance cover. Knowing the length of time you can be on set and the amount of messing about cheaper is not worth it, frankly.

I have toyed with creating a bit of a business based on this props and extras thing. If I have a more settled lifestyle and a better spread of collectables plus stash space and the sort of chums with interesting machines I could bring a service together along with being a professional film extra. This because with the advent of portable technology you can be on set working or waiting being paid while working on a laptop OWHY. Add in catering and you get to be subsidised to do your own stuff only interrupted when on set in the background. Easy life! Not only that you get known as does your prop business. Forget his name but the Motorcycle despatch rider that got killed but was into Microcars from Sussex supplied much of the props used on The Darling Buds of May. I recall talking about it and he found it pretty good as a background income.

 Maybe you should do it Al. A pal of mine who was an antiques dealer whilst I was decided to give it up and start props hire. He now has a massive warehouse in Park Royal full or medical and scientific props and is doing very nicely thank you! The spin off is that I repair all his broken props and when an item is requested that he doesnt have I get to make a replica [Oh no, not that word again!]

[Big Al]

That touches on the problem of rental. 75% of returned cars have damage, it may only be minor but it is there. Clear insurance is a must but for a scuff and boob mark a claim is not really feasible is it? Another reason why you make a high daily rate.

[marcus]

Nick Mason's daughter (forgot her name) is also a regular racer, sometimes in Daddy's Birdcage Maserati.
I reckon getting my kit in a Bubble Car and bike trailer shows that with the right gear micros are great for musos! There is the Heinkel pilots Jazz Band in Sweden who tour with six players and instruments in 3 Heinkel/Trojans

That kit in my video has:

Cajon (slappy percussion box)
Bass drum
Stool
Packing case and Trolley
Side table

(all the one unit)

Plus

Carpet to set it all up on and hold everything in place
Snare Drum
3 toms
fully working hihat with pedal and 2 hihat cymbals
Ride Cymbal
2 crash cymbals
Cowbell and Cow Crasher
Pedal Cowbell and woodblocks
Pedal Cabassa

Plus room for sticks, brushes, tools, spares

AND, MOST IMPORTANT

A big bag of peanuts and a bottle of ALE!

All in one Trojan-friendly box.

[richard]

i think all this rubbish should be on the chat line