A Treasure of Elitism Where You Least Expect
This gentleman is a treasure. I discovered Stephan Bayley’s writings when I began subscribing to, of all things, Octane magazine, a British car enthusiast monthly. His writing tone is alternately amusing, sardonic, elitist, poetic, derisive, snooty, lyrical, high-browed, disdainful, enlightening, reflective. Highly entertaining. Thanks to Stephan, each month I usually learn or develop an increased appreciation for something. When reading his column, a dictionary is usually a good tool to have nearby. There always seem to be at least a couple words in his essays to decipher.
The etymology of words appears an essential feature of his writing. He is at once esoteric and accessible. And I find a certain pace to reading Mr. Bayley essential to absorbing and enjoying the moment. One does not browse his writings. One must almost linger, savoring the article as one would a fine meal. This is an experience not unlike that of a connoisseur. Rushing through it misses the point.
Stephan Bayley is a 73 year old Welshman. He seems so much smarter than me. Truth be told, he probably is. The breadth of his knowledge is impressive. I like that he’s a Welshman – I’m a quarter Welsh; Morgan is a common Welsh name meaning “dweller of the sea.” He is much more than an auto industry journalist. Really, I shouldn’t call him that. Educated in art history and architecture, in the 1970s he gained notoriety as an authority on style and design. This led to a variety of successful ventures, such as London’s Boilerhouse Project art gallery of the 1980s and his subsequent role founding London’s Design Museum.
He is widely known as a prominent critic of industrial design and architecture. For those of you not familiar with the term, industrial design covers the aesthetic and ergonomics of pretty much every utility we produce – autos, airplanes, toilets, toasters, pens – anything. In short, that makes him a signpost of our times, an evaluator of our current aesthetic predispositions, particularly as relating to our past. Author Tom Wolfe said of him, “I don’t know anybody with more interesting observations about style, taste and contemporary design.”
As one might expect, he’s an accomplished author of more than twenty books, covering anything an inquisitive mind preoccupied by the beautiful might consider. Cars, sex, woman, ugliness, refinement, good (and bad) taste – you name it, Stephan can find a theme to evaluate its aesthetic appeal or lack thereof. These days Mr. Bayley also regularly contributes to an astounding number and variety of prominent newspapers and publications, including GQ, Vanity Fair, The Spectator and the Financial Times.
If you love being challenged while being entertained, the writings of Mr. Bayley are a wonderful place to begin. Often with a slightly acerbic tongue in cheek, he calls it like it is. Even that, these days, is refreshing. Most of all, though, I enjoy him because he is not interested in compromise. He pursues excellence. He has studied the sublime and the gruesome, hence he knows beauty and how to describe it. And I love that.
