Thursday, August 27, 2009

Limo

Limousines used to be for the rich and famous. The white gloved, the black gloved the brass-tacked, the high-heeled, the well-heeled. They used to drive at a snails pace to the horse race or glide by with a glimpse of a royal wave for a flag-waving public.

Today, Limousines are the perogative of the celebrity, schoolies formal clan, the crass, the cheap, the wannabes and the has-beens. The're the ostentation that good taste forbids and the wanky swank of those who have champagne tastes on beer budgets. They're the bling fling for rappers and knicker-less feast for the Papparazi.

The classic Lincoln, Mercedes or Cadillac have been replaced by the overly stretched the pink swank wank or the gold and stone encrusted. Sleek lines give way to that almighty pariah of the road - the stretch hummer . . more arse than class . . .

I hired a limousine once because at $50 an hour and able to take 8 of us from the airport to our holiday flat on the Gold Coast, it was cheaper than a taxi . . what's the world come to? A limo is cheaper than a taxi . . speaks volumes really. I wouldn't be caught dead in one. I have as much class as arse thank you! You know the word comes from the long cloaks worn by Limousin cattle herders . . now they herd cows of a different kind.






Take a peek at the other contributions for Theme Thursday
Apologies punters but I'm running so far behind . . I'll catch up by the weekend!

32 comments:

Grannymar said...

I was in one of those contraptions Once and that was too much. No way can you enter or exit gracefully. I almost had to double up to climb inside. Celebs can keep them as far as I am concerned.

New Yorker wannabes said...

"A taxi cheaper than a Limo" imagine that :)

Have a great day Helen :)
xoxoxo

Kate said...

No - they're not for this lady... I'll stick to my black Picanto adorned with pink hibiscus flowers! I know... I have no class - but I just don't care!!!

Brian Miller said...

funny....i used to have a limo pick me up each week to take me to the airport...cheaper than a taxi and cheaper than parking for the week.

i beati said...

ok I'll suck up that excuse Miss Far behind because so am I -

Anonymous said...

Hey Marianna stole my line-LOL! Cool vid, as well. I liked the beat!

Roy said...

Hear, hear, Baino! Here in the US a limo for senior prom night seems to be required. We've become a nation of wannabes; how pathetic!

nick said...

Stretch limos are rather beautiful, though I can't say the same for some of the tarty loudmouths who emerge from them. As you say, nowadays they're just a fashionable accessory for a night out, with no real function whatever. And presumably they're monstrous gas-guzzlers as well.

Alan Burnett said...

Classic vitriol : well composed, well aimed and well delivered.

laughingwolf said...

well said, baino...

i just wannabe left alone, to walk, bike, or drive my car....

Susan at Stony River said...

How true and how sad. I love, no LOVE, how you played the cattle-herder connection!

When I was a child a limousine used to follow the hearse in a funeral, carrying the family. At my father's funeral we were all silent in the thing, on the way to the graveyard, and when we were almost there, my mother broked the silence with a quiet: "I always wanted to ride in one of these." Maybe she just couldn't bear our silence anymore, I don't know. We all just looked at her, my youngest sister collapsed into silent tears, and it was probably the saddest moment of my life.

So I don't really like limousines much either.

Anonymous said...

@Susan at Stony River, I was waiting for someone to bring up the funeral angle. That's the only time I've ever ridden in a limo...following the hearse that had my Pop...

Megan said...

Harsh!

I've had some good times in limos. Best was on the way to my sister's wedding. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life as I did at the look on my brother's face when he realized we'd forgotten the bouquets and had to turn back...

Darlene said...

I thought it pathetic when my daughter's sister-in-law arrived all alone in a limo for her third wedding. Very few people even saw her arrive. I guess she was fulfilling her dreams for her last chance to do it right, but I thought it just looked tacky.

Kat Mortensen said...

That last line was fantastic! You hit the nail on the head. (I've never been in a limo, by the way.)

Kat

Betsy Brock said...

Really nice...love the video! :)

Tom said...

I'll have to remember this if ever on vacation somewhere and without a car. Still, I'm like you...i think i'd rather take the bus, or better yet, a streetcar!

Mike said...

I am cheaper than a limo also! haha!

Baino said...

True Grannymar unless of course you're wearing a long wedding dress, guaranteed not to flash yer knickers then.

Hi Marianna, certainly so for long trips. How are you faring with those fires?

Haha . . pink flowers. Well I have a pink Basque sheep on one of my windows so I guess I'm more arse than class as well!

Definitely cheaper Brian although now we have a company called Shuttlez that will pick you up and drop you off super cheap in a little minibus.

Sorry iBeati, I am far behind. Not so much because I'm madly busy but working long hours lately.

Subby, Som Hens behave badly I'm afraid. Not my style at all!

Roy, my daughter used to do graphic design for a limo company and 'prom' or in our case 'formal' time was very lucrative indeed!

Sorry Nick, I just find them ostentatious. If I have to move a crowd I'd rather get a minibus. Gas guzzlers indeed with 'look at me' written all over them.

Why thank you Mr Burnett . . I have the occasional flash of creativity

Wuffa, I don't think there's any wannabe about you frankly. You shoot from the hip.

Sad that you had to ride in one for a funeral Suze. We dispensed with hire cars for our funerals, there's nothing wrong with the old Falcon, Frankly if someone had said that to me it would have probably broken the ice and eruptions of giggles. Ironic isn't it.

Oh I bet you have Miss party girl! I did actually forget that we had two mercedes for my wedding. Not stretch but limo's nonetheless. You forgot the bouquets? Little tipple before the Church was there?

Darlene, my son's girlfriend's sister was married recently and they had this huge stretch limo that simply couldn't corner the curved driveway to the church. They all had to get out and walk 50 metres! Hilarious. Served 'em right for getting such a silly car.

Only once for me Kat but 8 of us fitted nicely, Otherwise we'd have paid over double for two taxis to accommodate us all. Plus the driver was a friend's dad so it was fun,

Naughty girls aren't they Betsy. Happens too often.

Well a bus isn't an option with loads of luggage Tom and we don't have streetcars in Sydney so . .

Otin you're a twit! A nice twit, but a twit! Actually during Clare's Formal at school, someone was delivered in their tux on a front loader!

e said...

Great post, Baino! I was late on posting for TT but it's up now!

laughingwolf said...

awwwww baino, you PEEKED! ;) lol

[word verif: honisti]

Tess Kincaid said...

WT used to use limos a lot, because they were cheaper than hiring a taxi, at least here in the midwest.

I'll be 53 in October, as well!

Wings1295 said...

I can't recall when I last rode in a limo. Was either someone's wedding, and I snuck in as a kid or a funeral, and I didn't want to be there anyway.

Ed & Jeanne said...

That's just insane that a limo is cheaper than a taxi. Next thing you know Australia will be hosting the winter Olympics!

Dreamhaven said...

No wonder my friend the limo had a headache,lol. You can bet it wasn't a diamond ring that got left behind with that group.

Megan said...

Um, yes. Just a wee dram.

Baino said...

e darling you are excelling yourself with blog posts this week. And I'm mad jealous that you're meeting theonlymegan!

See, word verification does not lie!

Snap Willow we'll have to cook up some mayhem! Yeh I'm about an hour and a bit from the airport so $60 for a limo is way cheaper. The tolls are $17 and the parking out of this world!

Wings I'm pretty sure that I had flash cars for my wedding, mercedes I think but I was too excited to notice.

Don't knock it sun boy! We have snow . . .It aint Aspen but we do have snow!

Haha . . more likely their knickers Dreamy

Oh alright then. Me, You, Annie, Limo 2011 . . birds behaving badly!

Candie said...

OMG!My ears!My eyes!LOL ;D

I've never been in a limousine,but it's not one of my dream honestly,an aeroplane,I'd like to go,although drinking champagne in there,is not so recommended!LOL

jay said...

I'm with you, Baino! I could not believe my eyes when I saw a stretch Hummer for the first time, parked in our city, no less! And then when I looked at the company's website ... yikes! The whole pink glitzy, red velvet seat thing ... OH said they looked like brothels on wheels.

Interesting that they are cheaper than a taxi. Must look into that when we go to the airport next. On the other hand, I do need a comfy ride and I doubt they are that.

Anonymous said...

This brought back memories of a very excellent hen night I was at - on a limo bus!

It was all pimped out with tables at the back, a fully stocked bar at the front, and a mike set up by the driver with a dude on a guitar... he even let us get up and play a few tunes when we were half-cut! We drove for miles and got plastered.

What an excellent way to party without making a public show of oneself.

ashleigh said...

Ah yes indeed - the modern stetch limo is indeed the place for the bogan to hang out. No more the preserve of the upper crust - its now just a glorified pub on wheels - with the curved seat, the boom box, TV, blah blah.

The rot all set in back in the 1980's with the Nissan Bluebird - I bet you remember the ads on TV - "The 4 cyclinder Limousine". Yeah right.

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