[Closed] Mint Sauce to Singletrack Petition

I'd love to ride in Mint Sauce world, it would be a colouful day out.

I quite like the world I imagine we have...
[url= http://www.bogtrotters.org/rides/2010/31jan/270p.jp g" target="_blank">http://www.bogtrotters.org/rides/2010/31jan/270p.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

The words you see scribbled, are usually lyrics. I actually like the bitter sweet sentiment, and I can't count the number of times riding buddies have suddenly realised their freedom pass is about to expire and they have to amble back to the car and check back in with reality.

But the cartoon is not anti family or anti anything, it just seems to capture our sport perfectly. Especially if you know the South Downs Way on a windless summers day.

Seems to be designed for those who think that Coronation Street presents an intellectual challenge.

phillistines

A lot of good reasons here why it wouldn't work in ST.

I think that Simon's adopted one of his 'I don't get it and nothing you can say will make me' stances perhaps we should all just move along and find another thread?

My favourite thing about Mint is how Jo seems to rip the p*ss out of what one might call the 'core' MBUK readerships chosen riding styles most months and yet it still gets printed.

This months 'shore' strip seemed to sum up my thoughts and fears every time I do something vaguely challenging 🙂

I think that Simon's adopted one of his 'I don't get it and nothing you can say will make me'

by no means, I'm trying hard, and have read about 10 different strips, but am none the wiser. I would love to be able to get them, and in any case I never adopt the suggested position, except about hifi, homeopathy & the 'soul' in metalwork...

I have been having similar thoughts, especially the one about the gnarly down hill, and waiting for the uplift...that was class art!
[img] [/img]

My favourite of all time is this. I had the sticker of mint and the revolver on my '96 P7.

😛

Went and dug out my old MTB magazines last night to have a look at the Mints (well I was also seeing if I could find a Bow-Ti review 😉 ) - first one I ever bought was March 1994, where Mint is washing his bike in the bath to his girlfriend's disgust (with a clever punchline). Shows how things don't change as that (and another one about buying expensive bikes) seem really relevant today - if anything I probably get them more now than back then.

I'm actually slightly surprised sfb has so much trouble - I'd have thought a lot of the themes were right up his street. Though enjoying JoB's subtle digs 😉

Ah, "the eternal reek of damp wool". A classic MS quote if ever there was one 😉

I'd forgotten how much I loved MS, pity I threw out all my old MBUKs when I moved out from my folks.

A book would be great.

I actually cried when they did the strip with Mint getting shot.

I seem to remember if you could spot which song the lyrics in the cartoon came from you used to win a prize too.

SFB, if you don't get Mint that's fair enough but you must realise comments like:

those who claim to are just pretending?

...do tend to get people's backs up.

Anyway, this is one of my favourites:

[img] [/img]

Why are so many people trying to explain MS to Simon? It doesn't float his boat, so what.

you must realise comments like...
...do tend to get people's backs up.

Apparently it's all based on Blade Runner anyway.

Why are so many people trying to explain MS to Simon?

because I asked them to ?

you must realise comments like...
...do tend to get people's backs up.

I posed it as a question because I don't know.

If M.S is not to his liking maybe my 5 page article on the Montane Kielder 100 in this month's MBUK might be more to his taste!

(Have trumpet: will play)

Are there people who still buy What is effectively the Worst cycling publication on earth, just for a single page cartoon?

I couldn’t give a shit where, or even If it gets published anymore , Mint sauce is what it is, a page of wistful Navel gazing for people who like to think they can see the profound in the Mundane…
It used to “Speak to me” then I turned 15…
It belongs in the “Comic” where it currently resides IMHO…

wistful Navel gazing for people who like to think they can see the profound in the Mundane…
It used to “Speak to me” then I turned 15…
It belongs in the “Comic” where it currently resides IMHO…

Enough of the bitterness, it's blinding you.

not the slightest flicker of comprehension

Simon, you're not that dumb.

[i]"It's not mother nature, it's her 18 year old daughter"[/i]

Do you really need me to strip it down to a basic explanation a primary school child can understand?
You, of all people, should see the sentiment in that. Which is partly why I chose that strip as an example.

what intrigues me is that many seem to have found MS iconic and to epitomise MTB, yet others like me just turned the page, regretfully unmoved.

Next issue - Mint gets his camera out and takes pictures of women's arses.
Would you [i]get[/i] that one SFB?

I feel on many days I live in a Mint Sauce world, Devon by the way. Always thought it was great, I will buy the poster .... please. I had to go out and buy a few copies of the mag at the time, a number of clip frames and hand them out to select few, inc LBS! My daughter did an A1 framed collage of Mint for the LBS, it has been up years and they love it. When the book comes out --JO!!! - I will buy a number of copies for special Xmas pressies. Long live Mint and what he stands for. And thank you Jo for many many smiles.

Yeah Devon, Somerset...it has that sort of patchwork field vibe to it. With colours like you were riding on LSD.

"It's not mother nature, it's her 18 year old daughter"

ageism, mixed metaphors ? It sounds snappy but doesn't appear to mean anything.

ahem;

[i]I think that Simon's adopted one of his 'I don't get it and nothing you can say will make me' stances[/i]

@sfb

what intrigues me is that many seem to have found X* iconic and to epitomise Y, yet others like me just turned the page

*Insert cultural touchstone here.

That's just life, innit.

@aracer

Of course he does - why do you think he makes them?

🙄

New round here?

No.

simonfbarnes - Member
ageism, mixed metaphors ? It sounds snappy but doesn't appear to mean anything.

At a guess, in the context of the strip it means that the view's so good it's like looking at a young attractive lady rather than an older, not quite so attractive one. I don't see what's particularly hard to get about that, unless one is being deliberately obtuse.

Critics eh!

It's easier to shoot something down than actually produce something.

Good work Mr Burt, not too many iconic sheep in the world.

At a guess, in the context of the strip it means that the view's so good it's like looking at a young attractive lady rather than an older, not quite so attractive one

but "Mother Nature" isn't about attraction but fecundity, which doesn't relate to beauty at all.

what intrigues me is that many seem to have found MS iconic and to epitomise MTB, yet others like me just turned the page, regretfully unmoved.

I don't feel regretful about turning the page. It's just a cartoon sheep. I never read 'em. Find it all a bit guff too be honest.

Is that the first use of 'Fecundity' on STW?

Trust sfb 🙄

It's easier to shoot something down than actually produce something.

which is why I've not said it was bad, only that I don't get it. If you hold it far enough away it looks vividly graphic.

a sheep riding a bicycle doesn't stand a chance against sfb's relentless logic

I love Mint Sauce, always have (even when it was black and white). I've kept loads of them. Thanks Jo, the South Downs always remind me of Mint/Mint reminds me of the South Downs - so does Moby for some reason?

EDIT: Thats unfair and removed. Sorry SFB!

I'd love to ride in Mint Sauce world, it would be a colouful day out.

But you can; and isn't [i]that[/i] what it's about really?

sfb: but "Mother Nature" isn't about attraction but fecundity, which doesn't relate to beauty at all.

Unrelated to Mint, but surely nature is beautiful, although through happy accident, or maybe because of our longterm exposure to her. Ooo er!

Maybe this all stems from the fact that you live and ride in the heartland of off road cycling, and your mundane is an escape for others. Maybe you are so in tune to your cycling world, and the absolute, harsh and astounding nature of nature, that observations generically rendered through the medium of a wooly mammal with very wiry limbs present themselves as the straw that fell onto the camels back, after that particular mammal, with a very grumpy demeanour, had already collapsed under the weight of the previous length of sun dried grass?

And my friends ride through it with big bright lights

Brilliant. That's a fantastic strip. I think that's just become my favourite Mint Sauce.

I used to love it and used to spend hours as a kid attempting to copy the toons.

I used to read MBUK every now and again but a few articles were published with a fair few fibs in so decided against it. Plus it was never that well written.

I really like MS, and do 'get' it. I think Jo captures the subtle culture of mountain biking (or some mountain biking) and the South Downs landscape in the same way that Helms captured all the subtleties of club road riding. I dare say some people don't 'get' Helms, but again I thought his cartoons were great, and he'll be sadly missed by many.

Oh and Jo, I'd certainly buy a book of Mint.

a sheep riding a bicycle

I did once see a sheep steal a bicycle! We were lunching at Martindale church, and a sheep came up to get a bit of discarded sandwich under a bike. When the owner shouted, it jumped up and ran away with the bike on its back 🙂 Absolutely hilarious, but in those days I didn't carry a camera 🙁

but "Mother Nature" isn't about attraction but fecundity, which doesn't relate to beauty at all.

The cliffs and rocks down here in Cornwall give a sense of toughness, a hard beauty that could be mother natures old miner husband who shows the toil of his life on his face.

The Alps stand high and in their strength and size there is great age and wisdom, you may only spend a short time with them but they will teach you many things, like an evening of stories with mother nature herself.

And the rolling hills of England are lush and green, their soft shape inviting you to carefree, playful days. There's no sharp edges to snag on, just a youth and vibrance that may remind you of breezy summers with mother natures 18 year old daughter 🙂

Feeling relaxed delusional? 🙂

And the rolling hills of England are lush and green, their soft shape inviting you to carefree, playful days

nicely lyrical, but that's only part of the landscape, natural or engineered, and I revel in the whole of it, whether lush or stark, rolling or precipitous, warm or piercingly frigid.

SFB I agree with you on this, which is why I'm miffed my response to your logic was placed at the base of page 3!

i liked the one where a dropped ball bearing bounces high and low across country and ended up under the fridge. think it was on a large poster way back. would look good in the shed if anyone knows where it can be found?

I also remember these words from a strip from a looong way back "if i didn't know there wasn't a reason for all this, i'd be crying"

Maybe you are so in tune to your cycling world, and the absolute, harsh and astounding nature of nature

well, I'm certainly immersed in biking, though not overly fond of harsh - though I do particularly cherish those moments (frequent recently) when I've been out in the bitter cold yet been too hot myself, as the effort of riding raises you above such vulnerability (so long as you can keep moving). I feel a continuous awareness of rocks, jutting hills, glinting water, silhouetted trees, secretive mist that makes routine urban life seem more like a dream.

what [i]are[/i] you on about sfb, i just don't get it
🙂

what are you on about sfb

beats the hell out of me 🙂

nicely lyrical, but that's only part of the landscape, natural or engineered, and I revel in the whole of it, whether lush or stark, rolling or precipitous, warm or piercingly frigid.

so there we have it, SFB. You actually enjoy the things a fair number of us all enjoy about our lifestyle choice (can't diminish it to hobby), but you're more of an umami than a menthol kind of chap eh?

Fair do's.

Now you've been nudged, maybe the sheep and his crew will grow on you.......

The only cartoon that comes near MS in terms of escapism is Bill Patersons Calvin and Hobbes. They both have that touch of the surreal that's grounded in situations we've all been in. Summer leaving answer machine messages like an old girlfriend. who's not wished that They could buy a summer backdrop?

if anyone knows where it can be found?

under the fridge. you just said.

:p

lol, i asked for that one. 🙂

and I revel in the whole of it, whether lush or stark, rolling or precipitous, warm or piercingly frigid.

A cynic might say that is delusion and that you have never *truly* experienced nature, only a narrow perspective on it shaped by the framing effect of a camera viewfinder; it's funny that you should try and provide a counterpoint to drawings of the countryside by using photographs. Photographs are not the same as the experience and are as subjective (framing, selection, editing etc) as any painting.

What's to gets anyway? It's not as if anyone is trying compel others to erect fetishes to the sheep God. Jo draws, paints and writes about his take on mountain biking and it resonates with a number of people who like how he sees things - it porbably coincides with some aspects of their take on mountain biking. And they are numerous/voiciferous enough for their appreciation of the sheep to be seen as one of the many components of the culture of mountain biking. Just as for some people stopping to photograph every few hundred yards of a ride is a way of trying to capture the 'truth' of the experience - for some that has a resonance, for others it doesn't.

+1 for a Mint Sauce book.

Sometimes Mint Sauce really resonates with me, other times less so but I always enjoy the visual splendour even if I don't always "get" the plot/joke/allusion/etc.
(Perhaps it helps that I have ridden the South Downs, IMO JB captures them perfectly).

I'd love to see Jo do something for ST but I'd like to see something new. Leave Mint where he is, there's a lot more to Jo than cartoon sheep.

(FWIW, my favourite cartoon [s]is[/s] was the DH cat from WMTB, I seem to have lost my copy)

only a narrow perspective on it shaped by the framing effect of a camera viewfinder

I use my [b]eyes[/b] first, compared to which any camera is a very poor substitute.

it's funny that you should try and provide a counterpoint to drawings of the countryside by using photographs.

I didn't, I was using words.

Photographs are not the same as the experience

which may be why I didn't mention them but referred to the actual characteristics of the countryside.

What's to gets anyway?

that was my question

Just as for some people stopping to photograph every few hundred yards of a ride is a way of trying to capture the 'truth' of the experience

actually, I stop to get my breath back - the camera is just an excuse...

I wish I was this man's crotch:

[img] [/img]

Well that was a good read - thanks for all the strips. Here's the best van I ever saw ever, in Glentress car park. Simon MUST get this. It's just nice is all. Like your pictures you know?

[url] http://www.flickr.com/photos/allankelly/3711904769/in/set-72157604079122726 [/url]
[img] [/img]

Cheers, al.

Oh, and here's my favourite ever picture of a sheep ever. Taken leaving Newcastleton after SSUK09.
[url] http://www.flickr.com/photos/allankelly/3622302263/in/set-72157619692484396 [/url]
[img] [/img]

Cheers, al.

Oh, and what it's like is Cerebus by Dave Sims if you've ever read that. Started as a joke "Aardvark as Barbarian Warrior" strip, and became a deeply political and emotional commentary on Sims' life as well as history and religion. Sadly disappeared up it's own ar5e, which MS has not done.

Cheers, al.

It's not about 'getting it' , or ' not getting it ' . Is it ?
Isnt it just , ' is ' .?

Like I said , I kinda like it .
I never really did rush out to buy MBUK once there were alternatives to buy . Ones that didnt involve me visiting ' specialist magazine shops ' for american mags , anyway .
I'm sure it just went a bit like this .
Jeremy Torr ..." so we're doing a 'proper ' magazine now ? I'll do a how to goddamn wheelie article .Eh ? "
Tym Manley ...." Yes .And We'll need a cartoonist . All the crazy kids want cartoons these days .It's the latest thing. "
Max Glaskin.. " There's this kid who does some quite clean inoffensive MTB related cartoons for our piece of A4 folded fanzine . I'll get him on the horn "
J.Jonah Jameson.. " Get Parker in here ! ( chews cigar ) . Some guy's changed the middle letter of his name .Drop the goddamn wheelie article. Timothy is a perfectly acceptable name . Communists everywhere !!"

or something .

Maybe some of the more recent participants of ( our ) sporthobbypastimesundaytimewastingpointlessexercise cant relate to it .
I actually remember seeing the very first ones . With my eyes on paper . Not some scan .
I am a terribly nostalgic person who is probably going through a mid life crisis , and I just kinda like the fact that it takes me back to a place in my mind .
But . An old advert for a Panaracer Smoke does the same thing .

I get a thrill from operating my Hite Rite .

I like rigid forks.

Last week I was wearing legwarmers .

Just let it be .

"it's not how much you do . It's how much love you put in the doing "

Okey dokey . The fava beans are done .

TIM . Rivi . Sundays . Getting it . Optional

As you scanned the above post before you actually read it , did you notice where I inserted sex?
Do you get that ?

You dont have to understand it .
It just is .

It just is .

I think that was my mistake, expecting more - but I always do 🙂

I like -
[img] [/img]
Ogri as well.

And - [img] [/img]
Joe Barr & friends.

But I really miss -
[img] [/img]
Bloom County.

Wow, yes I have 3 Ogri books, wonderful stuff :o)

Why do I not have /get /understand ogri ?

Exactly .

Or woodturning monthly for that matter .

Is there a cartoon in the peoples friend? I dont really care .

It just is ...bedtime .
I are definitely eating less coffee from now on.

[img] [/img]

SFB: Not all cartoons are jokes. MS is not a joke, it's visual poetry.

From the strip that Poddy posted: "It's not mother nature, it's her 18 year-old daughter". You're a bright guy; you can understand what that's about.

I have never understood why JB/MS is bound to MBUK, a mag aimed at a young audience. His work is much better suited to the ST crowd IMO. I might be a regional thing I suppose, given that MBUK is in Bath.

Hi, can I do my usual spam the Jo Burt thread and mention that I still have 3 medium and three XL Jo Burt Russ Appeal shirts left.

[img] [/img]

[url= http://www.russ-appeal.org.uk/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=16&MMN_position=28:28 ]Gwan Gwan Gwan Gwan Gwan[/url]

"I are definitely eating less coffee from now on."

Most people dilute it with water before ingestion.

SFB: Not all cartoons are jokes. MS is not a joke, it's visual poetry.

yet some appear to think otherwise, hinting obscurely at hidden depth...

From the strip that Poddy posted: "It's not mother nature, it's her 18 year-old daughter". You're a bright guy; you can understand what that's about.

yes I understand mixed metaphor

"[i]I have never understood why JB/MS is bound to MBUK, a mag aimed at a young audience. His work is much better suited to the ST crowd IMO. I might be a regional thing I suppose, given that MBUK is in Bath.[/i]"

the average age of the MBUK audience is considerably higher than you may think, and JB/MS live over 120 miles from Bath, several regions away 🙂

I was always very partial to Calvin and Hobbes,
[url= http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/ ] HERE [/url]
and if I rememeber correctly,Calvin's Dad was an occasional mountain biker..........

SFB: Not all cartoons are jokes. MS is not a joke, it's visual poetry.

I don't mind MBUK really, although I always feel a bit embarrassed for the guy who pulls the funny faces in their pics.

Is this where I admit that the first page I check out in MBUK is Mint?

If Mint were to hang up his Pace/Cotic bike...how would you release the need to share your views on our sport JoB?

Is there another side of JoB that could be nudged in the STW direction?