Glitterman Speaks About Part 2. The bicycle Today.

[glitterman]

This episode covers the bicycle up to the present day.

Absolutely everything you see [and sometimes music you hear] has been designed and created by me, 'Pattaya's Golden Wonder'.

Whenever i discover something in the shops that i can use, i usually cover it all over the bike, and i have to carry the bike upstairs to the 6th floor to work on it. So that is how it is created, not all at once but in waves, growing like a tree.

It has to be durable for street use, and securely attached, i have gone through thousands of cable ties and many yards of various grades of steel wire, and countless tubes of cyanite glue.

Apart from gold i use 'fire' colours; red, yellow, pink and orange, not green or blue which would bring the effect down.

The bike is like a sailing ship, very connected to the winds behavior.

 

FLAG POLE [MAIN MAST]

2 paralel 4ft aluminium tubes with an intricate locking device for complete removal for everyday storage. Very strong gusts of wind are generated in a wind tunnel by Central Shopping Plaza and next doors 'view talay'. This has broken the base of the main mast 5 times already. Although never snapping completely off, I cycle back home looking like a capsized listing ship, with the main mast at a 45 degree angle.

 

FLAGS.

I am not really bothered as to what flags i fly as long as the colours are in my colour scheme. If the colours had been right, i would of flown the pirates 'skull and crossbones'. as my bike is like a decoritive spanish galleon.

Getting into the spirit of Thailand i originally only flew the Thai flag for the first couple of years. But the Thai flag has a large blue stripe in the middle, and blue is not in my colour scheme. So i decorated the blue area with 3 coloured flowers. But a year later a policeman rightfully pointed out that i am not allowed to cover the Thai flag. So my artistic licence made me put the more colourful 'Union Jack' instead. In all the 4 years of doing my show that is the only time the police have ever stopped me. I always find the Pattaya Police here to be wonderful, very friendly people, considerably nicer than the disliked by many English Police in England.[ i have never been in trouble with Police ANYWHERE in the world]

Other flags [there are 4 in all] are the King of Thailands yellow flag, another British flag and an old American Dixie flag. This has led to alot of confusion by people as to 'where i come from'. The Dixie flag [bonnie blue or general lee, or confederate flag, same as the painted flag on the roof of the 'Dukes of Hazard' car], is there only because of the movie star Clint Eastwood. When i was young [so much younger than today] i was a huge fan of Eastwood and so he later influenced my design. The Gold Coat i wear is styled after a cowboy Western 'long coat' [more about that in part 3].

 

FLOWERS.

All the colourfull flowers you see are the same plastic or material ones used for Buddhist offerings, [NO i am not a buddhist, or of any religeon, but my own]. I cut the binding string, selected my colours, and stuck wire through them.

 

Osterich feathers.

These are great, they are lightweight, colourfull and take up alot of 'air space'. I have 21 [and 5 on my other bike 'Rebel 2'] They are relatively expensive at up to 300 baht each, and then you would have to be very lucky to be able to find very large, good shaped feathers as i have. Feathers and exhaust fumes do not mix. So i have to re-dye or completely replace them every few months.

 

GOLD TROPHY MASCOTS.

Some shops in Pattaya sell trophys. I simply rummaged through their 'select a mascot' box for champion winged ladies, cyclists [very rare], singers [yes me], body builders [to give a Baroque effect, anyway i have bigger chest muscles than Arnie Swartzenneger from swimming everyday], Oscars [yes], horse/rider, and eagles. They sell for around 60 Baht each, without having to actually buy the main trophy cup.

 

WHEELS.

I had considered flowers, but i wanted something very aerodynamic, so settled on flouresent sticky plastic sheets wrapped around the spokes. The back wheel bearings need replacing often because of the weight of the bike [i imagine around 50 kg] a complete nightmare to change.

 

RIBBONS.

Very durable gold plastic ribbons [now unavailable] are everywhere on the bike. And i have made tassels from narrow flouresent ribbons.

 

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS.

Recently i have added xmas tree balls as a sort of 'disco mirror ball effect'. I do try and stay away from tacky xmas decor and none of the original gold tinsel from years ago can really be seen anymore.

 

PLASTIC FIBER OPTICS.

These torch light tops make great plastic tassel effects [this type no longer available]

 

COLOURED LIGHTS.

5 separate tube units [used to be 12 for my night show] of sequinced flashing L.E.D.s

 

HORNS.

I now have 8 separate horn units [3v each], 26 buttons to choose from. 6 units can be triggered off at the touch of their buttons. [other 2 units are hand held buttons L/R] I choose a long up then down siren sound, which when all 6 horns are triggered off, with a one second gap inbetween button pushing will give a very loud portomento glide chord. It sounds fantastic, generates cheers and clears the road blocking Baht taxis out of the way [more about that in another episode]

 

LITTLE GOLD METAL BELLS.

30 of these rattle and toll as i ride along.

 

CASSETTE PLAYER.

I have always been dissapointed with the low volume level of this unit. The make is A.J. and on the box it says 1000w P.M.P.O. It also has non existant bass. I have searched everywhere for something better with bigger speakers, but nothing available. All my tapes are 90 min compilations from my 5000 record collection etc back home in London. So C.D. players, i pods etc are impractible for me, and so are rechargeable batteries.

 

Many photos for this article and past articles can be seen on; 'Secrets.com'. also 'Punter69.com', and 'live.com'.

 

 

 

COMING SOON PART 3.

 

The Royal Glitterman hath spoken.