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For well over 150 months, as one month ends and another begins, it’s been part of my job to write a monthly Editor’s column. The subject of these have been varied over the years, either being rants about things that have pissed me off, praises to people in the industry, general ramblings, and when I didn’t have much to say, a simple rundown of what was featured in that month’s issue. To me it was more than simply a part of the job though and I have had so many people let me know that they always liked what I had to say and that it was the first thing they read in the magazine. I’ll always appreciate those comments.
Now, as I sit at home and the month has crossed over, I feel the need to write my monthly column, I realised that it’s become a sort of a habit now. There’s a big problem with this though, I have nowhere to submit it. You may have heard by now via the grapevine that I’m no longer employed thanks to ‘restructuring’. Yeah, you read that right; I am of the unemployed now. To say it came as a shock would be understating things by a fair margin and if I said the way it was handled was great I’d be lying. All of us at the magazine knew things were not going great and that things were set to change, but I never thought those changes would see me not waking up to go to the same job I’ve done just about every day for the last 14 years. Now I know how Shoneez, Chad and Warren all felt – pretty fucking shitty. There are other things that I’m sure contributed to what happened, and you don’t really need to know about them so I’ll spare you the details. I can still and will still hold my head up high though because I know that I have a perfect record and that I have never missed a deadline, I’m brilliant at what I do. Even though I’m no longer needed where I was, it doesn’t reflect on myself or the work I’m capable of producing. When I look in the mirror I’m very happy with the man that looks back at me. It was a long run, my longest ever. Just shy of 14 years is a long stretch at any job, and while there were good and bad times during my stay, I can positively say that the good far outweigh the bad. I cannot even begin to count the friends I have made as a direct result of my job, there are way too many to mention. The contacts too, so many awesome people in so many industries. I’ve had the privilege of meeting some of the biggest names in motorsport both locally and internationally, not to mention the celebrities I’ve crossed paths with. I was also able to attend manufacturer launches and as a result, I’ve been able to drive many cars that I wouldn’t have otherwise had access to. For someone who loves cars as much as me, that is priceless. Again, I’d love to tell you where I’ve been and what I’ve done, but it will take up way too much of your time (not mine, I have an abundance of it these days). So what’s next for Krutch? Well, I’m not 100% sure right now. I want to stay involved with the motoring industry, but I will branch out into copywriting for many different industries as required. I will be doing more photography as well as event coverage too. What I do will go on to my own website or to any publication / website willing to pay for the content. I have so many plans that I want to get running, but right now I still have to finalise goals and my direction, I’m still a little lost which I guess is to be expected when you realise 14 years of stability has gone and that you have bills to pay. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t absolutely shitting myself, but I guess this was the push I needed to get my ass into gear and do more with my life. Also, in a strange twist of fate, my wife is in the same boat as me now too, ‘restructuring’ seems to be the in thing. We’ll be working together in many aspects now; she is my manager, which can only be a good thing because she’s great at it. If you’d like to keep tabs on what I’m doing, check out me out online (www.chriswall.co.za - www.faceboook.com/chriswallza -www.twitter.com/IamChrisWall). I hope to be bringing you some pretty wicked content through these channels. I also have my website that concentrates on the local tattoo industry (www.prickedinsa.com -www.facebook.com/PrickedInSA - www. twitter.com/Pricked_In_SA) that I will be putting more effort into now that I have no constraints. Keep an eye out for my other ideas too. I’d also appreciate it if everyone out there can keep me in mind when they hear of things that I could possibly do. Referrals make the world go round. Many people, readers and advertisers, have asked me about the future of the magazine? I honestly have no idea. I’m no longer there and so I cannot tell you anything about it. What I can say is that I wish it all the best and hope it continues long into the future. Yes, I said that with a straight face and I do mean it, even though the way things went down were pretty damn disgusting, but again, details you don’t need to know. I still have a few friends there so I wouldn’t dare wish ill will on it. So I’m no longer “that guy from the magazine”… I am Chris Wall. Keep in touch. |
