They say all good things must come to an end. Actually I'm sorry to see this one happen. GM is stopping the Pontiac line of vehicles. Just yesterday I saw a plethora of Pontiacs on the road. One of my brothers is a big Pontiac fan. Plus, who can forget the "Monkees" and the tricked-out Pontiac, "Knight Rider" with the Trans-Am and "Smokey And The Bandit?" My friend Rosemary drives a Pontiac Grand Am GT, my brother had his share of Grand Prix and Grand Ams. Plus, I used to drive a Pontiac Bonneville. I've always liked the styling of the Pontiac. Especially the Bonnevilles. I think GM made a mistake there, but so goes the show. The only thing I didn't like about the Grand Ams is that I felt they rode too low. I always felt that my posterior was dragging the ground! That is the only drawback I ever had with them. But, things change as they always do. And...back in the seventies my friend had a Pontiac GTO with the deuce carburetors! That thing would fly. Oh well.
Bryan and me circa 1993
Just a couple of quick mentions. I was happy to land some new VO work which made me extremely happy. So, that was a good thing. And...how I love Bryan Duncan's music. When I added music for the stations, there was only one artist that I ever put a single into heavy rotation immediately, and that was Bryan Duncan! Actually, the rep wasn't happy that I did that. He said the shelf life would be shorter. Of course the rep was glad that I added the song, but you try to typically get three solid months from a single. He was worried that the song would burn out too quickly. He had a point, but after all, this is Bryan Duncan! Bryan has been a big subject lately. Some of my other friends love Bryan's music too. I love his performance on "Perfect Timing" when he was with the Sweet Comfort Band. As far as his solo work goes, my favorite song of all time is "When I Think Of Home." That song gets to me every time I listen to it. Well, that's all for today. Be well all.
When I Think Of Home
The GM branding model hasn't made sense for many years, in my opinion. Back in the day, there were definable market segments for Oldsmobile (which has been gone for a few years now), Chevy, Pontiac and GMC. Saturn was introduced well after these brands became outdated (as far as their usefulness goes). I can remember when you could buy the same GM car from three different companies with different names and only slightly different styling (usually the lights, bumpers, etc.). It made no sense at all.
ReplyDeleteAll of the useful models from Pontiac can survive under a newly organized GM--if they managed to figure it out. The whole auto industry doesn't make sense to me, anyway. How do they expect families to throw down $30k for a new car every few years?
As for Bryan Duncan's voice--probably the smoothest in the business.
Roger,
ReplyDeleteIt's so great to hear from you again! You're right. There's enough room to keep the Pontiac line! Did you ever see the newer Bonnevilles that came out? They were some good looking cars.
Like you, the whole industry doesn't seem to make any sense to me. Your question is true. How does a company expect someone to throw down 30k every few years for a newer car. Not in my budget.
I am sorry to see Pontiac go. As "Three Crosses" would sing, "Just Another Sign Of The Times." Now I know they were talking about spiritual matters, but the title seems to fit.
Be well Roger.
Its really a shame that Pontiac is being cut. Alot of great cars came out of the brand. Pontiac is an icon in the automotive world. Yes, some might not like the newer cars but no reason to send Pontiac to the grave. Seriously - look at some of these cars and say that Pontiac isn't something worth keeping
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jlaforums.com/album.php?search=pontiac&search_cond=Pic%20Description&sort_order=&start=0
http://www.jlaforums.com/album.php?search=pontiac&search_cond=Pic%20Title&sort_order=&start=0
Thats what I thought!
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts. Yes, like many of us, I hate to see the Pontiac brand leave us. Sad indeed.
Thanks for writing.
I too will miss the pontiacs. How sad the day has come. I understood GM dismissing the vegas and chevettes, but the Grand Pontiacs? What a tragic mistake.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteYeah the vegas and chevettes had to go. But, Pontiac had a great line up of cars. Sad.