Gearknob Official

Big announcement, and not a very happy one either.

Part 5's dispute claim got rejected. Because of this, Part 7 (Bolivia), which I had just finished re-scripting and Part 8 will not be coming out this month, despite prior promises. Not here at least; you will otherwise see and hear them soon at venues outside of YouTube. I simply cannot risk an appeal which will most likely get rejected and potentially end with this channel's termination. I will instead be focusing on more wide-appealing projects in my bid to attain 100,000 subscribers.

I've said this so many times I'm a broken record, but it just makes me shake my head in disgust how there can be so many channels, some with hundreds of millions of views through just reuploading unmodified Top Gear content, and they last for years. Yet actual, transformative and informative content which have tens or hundreds of hours go into their research just gets punished by a suit at the BBC who probably didn't even bother watching the video. No doubt he/she has to sit through hundreds of disputes a day and likely just sits at their keyboard skimming past every claim that they see.

If it's the same midwit in charge of handling all YouTube-related disputes (or someone decided to give that a job to a certain Mr. Sniff), parts 3, 4 & 6 which I recently had unblocked are most likely going to get blocked worldwide in a few days as well. So unless you fancy a holiday in Kosovo, Somaliland or North Cyprus any time soon (the only countries where copyright law doesn't exist), these videos will become unavailable to you.

But this doesn't render me completely naked. We have other options at our disposal.

It would be way too time and effort consuming to make two different versions of the same video, one YouTube friendly, the other not. I'm not going to do that.

So here's what I'm going to do instead.

All future series retrospectives will be firstly condensed into a Short (or short-form video) outlining the basic production notes, some interesting pieces of trivia, and to serve as promotion. Whichever nets me more views. I've been wanting to get into the short video game for a while, as I feel it will vastly increase my potential reach. The first part, the overview, and the last part, the review will also get posted here in unabridged forms.

From there, you will be able to watch the full videos on two separate platforms; Patreon (as a Top Tier supporter), and once the YouTube promo goes up, the Internet Archive. The existing Series 14 episodes will get a bit of makeover to correct mistakes and errors in the video (such as the model of camera used to film S14, for instance) I am aware of the many thousands of hours European legislators are wasting in their attempts to attack or block the IA as opposed to genuine, credible threats against their respective democracies, but I believe they will survive this storm as they have many others already.

To me, the only difference between piracy and preservationism is a few decades. My videos are reviews and should be covered under fair use, and to that end the BBC can endlessly cope, seethe and mald however they like. And they cannot silence the messenger forever.

I am also hereby permitting the upload of ALL Gearknob Original productions on alternative video and file sharing platforms, provided that I am credited and linked to as their creator and the original content is not modified in any way outside of hardcoded translations or watermarks which bear this channel's name. I won't name any in particular (since most of them are banned in the UK), but you probably know where.

Note that this does NOT include the Internet Archive. If you have already uploaded any of my videos to that platform, I humbly request you remove them as I will likewise be remastering them to give them things they were otherwise lacking on here (such as a soundtrack to the second half of the 2021 Top Gear documentary and better sound mixing for all of my other pre-September 2023 productions)

This is merely the first battle loss in what will be a very long, drawn-out war.

2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 136

Gearknob Official

Part 6 is up on Patreon, and hopefully YouTube too by the time this goes live. If the video gets temporarily pulled for copyright restrictions, please consider watching the video at this link (for free if you're a top-tier supporter, or for a small fee if you're not already subscribed.

www.patreon.com/posts/136707985

2 months ago | [YT] | 68

Gearknob Official

Part 5 is now live on Patreon (and hopefully will be soon on YouTube!)
www.patreon.com/posts/136168406

2 months ago | [YT] | 69

Gearknob Official

Edited this one to better clarify a few things.

If there aren't any reprisals, I'm happy to move on from this. If there are, as I previously stated, I will be deferring any counter-action to the relevant authorities and keeping my hands clean. I do not believe it is acceptable for anyone, whether in a joking manner or not, to say "someone's gonna die... probably you" with the informed implication that the person they're talking about is you.

That is something I want to be firm on. Given our history, that's how I perceived it. That is why I was so angry. There is pretty much no-one else on YouTube who regularly talks about Top Gear with the following I have. It's easy to jump to the same conclusion I did if you were in my place, especially if you're not in the right frame of mind.

Regardless if whether or not Porter did talk about me personally, it made me realise something when he used the word "fronted".

And I would like to say a few things about that.

I am not, nor have I ever been, in the economic position to hire an editor or anyone else who might be working on my behalf. I simply could not afford it. All you see is me.

Everything you see in my videos, from the first draft to the finished product, is entirely my doing. I write the script based on hundreds of sources. I buy any DVDs I require out of my own earnings. I locate and pre-render each of the clips. I apply all of the effects and transitions. I master the audio levels. I select the soundtrack. I render the final video. I engineer the thumbnail in an ancient copy of Photoshop. The computer I use is mine, built and paid for with my own money. I render at 1440p even though my monitor is only 1080p. The nicest thing I own in life is a Galaxy S22 I used for the face camera in my last video, and that's only because it was bought for me from a store who were offering an unusually generous trade-in policy. I'd have never bought something that expensive for myself. It's not in me to do that.

YouTube needs people like me more than ever. Those who come from nothing, who want to make something of themselves, as opposed to a sea of disinterested middle-class hobbyist podcasters who harbour minimal passion for what they talk about. Again, I am not accusing Fowler of being such a creator. But YouTube is filled to the brim with people who match my description, and I am sick of it.

Mostly, I am sick of the fact that all the friends I had at the beginning of this project, Razor440 (who helped edit my original project), A.G., Justin, Cracc, Nik, Killian and Savidge (who I believe might have even subscribed to my Patreon earlier in the year) are people I'm no longer in touch with. They helped me out a lot during my toughest days and I wish there was a way to get them back with the extremely limited social life I now have.

For my whole life, I was constantly written off as someone who would achieve nothing. I spent 24 years of my life thinking they were right. Then that first Top Gear documentary picked up steam. Tavarish promoted it. Suddenly I was a big deal. But then my growth stunted. More and more people turned against me. My mental state worsened. And when I got unceremoniously chewed up and spat out by Porter in September 2023, that was it for me.

Nonetheless, I remain proud that I am able to garner more views for my videos than a team of amateurs or pros can with several hundred dollars in the swanny with each video they make, and with zero promotion or sponsorship to boot. I am extremely proud of all 50,000 of you who shared and continue to share my creative vision. I love all of you, even if you don't love me anymore.

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 104

Gearknob Official

One final addendum, as per my latest post on Patreon.

I would like to apologise for my earlier behaviour. The red mist descended, and I believe I have made a grave mistake based on the notion that former Top Gear scriptwriter Richard Porter is personally gunning for me. This is based on the fact he has criticised my work in the past and I saw what he said in "Someone's going to die, probably you fronting the channel" as referring to me personally.

Of course, he could be referring to a lot of people. As you all said, there are evidently a lot of YouTube channels that talk about Top Gear with many subscribers who could make Porter's blood run cold. I perceived it as a death threat. And I take such things very seriously.

With all that said, I do stand by a lot of what I have said elsewhere - the fact that a lot of things he's said behind closed doors aren't as public as he thinks they might be, claiming the Top Gear vehicles were a "liability", his reticence in acknowledging Alex Mills' role in Top Gear's success, and of course, that original criticism of my video all worked in building my ire to a boiling point.

If Richard Porter says anything more direct to me in a similar vein of "someone's going to die", naming me explicitly, I will seriously consider involving the police and otherwise stay out of it. I have far better, less destructive things to do in life than deal with a petty feud that will turn two years old towards the end of the year and started from what I feel what were among the stupidest reasons imaginable.


No-one is going to die.

3 months ago | [YT] | 82

Gearknob Official

Bugger.

I will try to dispute as I successfully did last time, but it's unlikely this will be appearing on YouTube, even though you can watch an upload from 2010 comprised of all the MIRA tests in a fully unedited form, among others. If it does work, there will be no premiere for that reason.

Although I'm sure there are some of you ready and waiting to dunk on my failure as I know there are, the fact is existing copyright detection systems, especially the BBC's, are unnecessarily harsh towards content that is clearly transformative and critical in nature. Most of the episode's sound is gone, it's in a frame, it's been re-ordered, chopped and screwed, interspersed with unrelated footage, and bizarrely, it's even claimed amateur footage of the challenges filmed by pedestrians.

I still do not understand how there have been people who can upload unmodified 5 - 10 minute long segments from 2002 Top Gear and have their content accepted despite doing nothing but ripping footage from downloads I sourced 5 years ago.

If this issue persists, I will look into alternative solutions. If I have to put my series review on a competitor service, I will. Otherwise most of the video will be made up of freeze frames and the occasional <10 second snippet.

4 months ago | [YT] | 220

Gearknob Official

Part 3 of S14 review tomorrow on Patreon, covering the Electric Car episode.

On YouTube, it will be the usual time - Sunday the 1st at 8PM.

5 months ago | [YT] | 74

Gearknob Official

Lads.

It has come to my attention that a talentless Ivan by the name of Evgeny Chebotarev just released a video of himself wrecking a 90 year old BMW and a 110 year old rifle. All while dressed like a Gucci tennis ball. No pictures beyond this one, look it up if you want, but I am furious beyond all reason.

I have legitimately had enough at this point. The "joke", if there ever was one, is long played out and it just needs to stop. It is EXACTLY why my upcoming video on WhistlinDiesel is sorely needed; if it wasn't for him, this guy would still be doing dumb stunts, not engaging in soul-destroying ragebait the likes of Mr. Detwiler pioneered. If *no-one else on YouTube* has the balls to step up to these people, I volunteer mine. I've got the audience, and I've already got more than enough counter-ammunition for the "b-but Clarkson!" types who'll invariably bring up stuff like the 911 destruction from Most Outrageous, as though there's a genuine comparison to be had. I'm ready and raring to go full scorched earth against every last one of these people.

In comparison, for those who might wonder what my feelings towards Tax The Rich are, the only thing he was ever guilty of was his F40 LM burning down in a genuine, freak accident. He clearly respected the cars he owned and the fire he suffered was a legitimate, unintended mistake. He is not a target of my ire and likely never will be, because at its core, he was genuine and someone who didn't have to pretend that he loved cars. Not like certain Oscar-worthy performances where a different YouTuber who most likely grew up around cornfields pretended that a red-hot V12 dragging against bone-dry maize wouldn't result in a massive fire (spoiler alert: it did), inconveniencing a rental firm who happened to loan his friend a Chrysler minivan that also ended up incinerated.

My latest revision of the script already had a bit on this bald Russian fraud, but thanks to this senseless act of historic destruction, he's getting a few more paragraphs and a starring feature as far as I'm concerned. He can sic whoever he wants on me, I'm not scared of this limpwristed coward or whoever his connections may be in the slightest. If he or Cody or Jellybean ever experience a downfall in their careers, I want to be front and centre of it until they learn to leave us the hell alone.

For me, the days of "live and let live" are over. After the success of my last video, I will be going after all of these figures equally and with no punches pulled. Especially Junkie Jimbo. And there'll be a sizable focus on the likes of Squeeze Benz too, just to make sure every base is adequately covered on how car enthusiasts are continually being failed online in terms of entertainment and the people who get popular.

Why?

Because I'm pissed off over people who don't have a modicum of talent getting more money than they know what to do with after perhaps a handful of years of moderate hardship at most. My hobby is not some spoilt undisciplined rich brat's punching bag, be they Russian or American. Spit on me, I'll spit on you in return. Until YouTube and other social media outlets become platforms where hard work and genuine skill is rewarded over unoriginal, algorithm-chasing losers causing the most seethe.

5 months ago | [YT] | 137

Gearknob Official

For those who haven't read my latest Twitter posts, Magix really doesn't like it when you add a fisheye effect to every clip (to make the screen look 3D) and tried to offer me a 45 hour long render time for my latest video. Naturally, I was distraught, but chose to abort in favour of further tweaks and adding a soundtrack. This is simply what happens when you don't re-engineer your programme after 20+ years of development and just pile more and more spaghetti code on top of deprecated and legacy code. Because the programme hasn't evolved much past the 32-bit era of computing it was initially developed under, it can't really use modern hardware. Like at all. If I'd used another editor (like After Effects), it would have been much shorter.

This is sadly an effect of me not having learned to use AE. In terms of how limited Vegas is by modern standards, I can't even do that "3D screen capture" effect a lot of other video documentarians can do that I'd like to learn how to do in future videos. To Magix's credit, however, I hear they are re-developing the program from scratch, so provided they sufficiently retain the interface I'm used to and don't cut support for certain filetypes, I'll be really looking forward to that. It should not take two days to render two hours of footage.

As a consolation, here's the finished/mastered audio track so you can listen to my latest video on the anniversary of the fracas:
vocaroo.com/19CKJOBmT54K

Certain words will be bleeped out on the final upload.

7 months ago | [YT] | 137

Gearknob Official

Extremely ironic that leeches like Van Inhalin and similar "creators" can get tens, if not hundreds of millions of views without a single problem through not creating anything original and just reuploading clips of Top Gear in a verbatim form to how they aired (with YT compression to boot) but the second you put any work and research into anything, the BBC suddenly awaken from their coma and strike you down.

After losing the dispute they levied against my original upload of S14E01's review (because they tried to claim footage from Love The Beast that wasn't theirs), they then retaliated by striking the re-upload for footage that was previously not deemed a problem. It seems the pretense of "review" is working for the time being (because they ARE reviews, and the content is being critically assessed, I'm not trying to circumvent the rules that I believe I am 100% obeying) but it looks like the gloves may have to come off in the future to ensure these videos STAY up.

Bit of a shame we're still doing this over a TV programme that's now 23 years old.

8 months ago | [YT] | 383