Two Men and a Coffee Shop - 14th August 2003

They met at a coffee shop. Budding media entrepreneur. Promising writer. Two men, as different as night is to day, sharing a common goal: achievement and recognition. And today their vocational desires crossed over lunchtime refreshment. Colorfully dressed and equally colorful demeanor, one opted for three day growth look. Conservative in manner and apparel, the other preferred the smoothness of a morning razor. So many variances: personality, sartorial and facial, and yet the skills of the other drew them together.

Greg Tingle is the Media Man. He's unashamedly loud and fast and he's out there, making it happen. He's 100 miles an hour. He's television, radio, print, on-line. He's a little bit of each and he's wants a whole lot more of all. He's interviewed some of the big boys of Australian media: Phillip Adams, Derryn Hinch, John Laws, Doug Mulray and now he's staring over his steaming and creamy cappuccino and preparing himself for the interview of a lifetime. The big fish. The big kahuna. The biggest of the big. It doesn't come any bigger than this, Greg.

X X. Who? You say. Shame on you. He's sedate and quiet and mysterious. He's written a book that no publisher will touch. It's dark and it's coarse and it's brutally obscene and it'll make your lips curl. A nasty cocktail of sex, violence and humour, it's more in-your-face that a fist from the local pub yob. And now it's found its way to the busy desk of the Media Man.

Most of us want to move forward and get ahead. And these two go-getters want it as bad as anyone. Exchanging solid eye contact, quickly dispensing with the firm handshake and nod of recognition, they swapped thoughts and ideas and laughs.

Can the Media Man help take The Smile of A Lunatic to where it belongs: a bookstore near you? Can X X provide Greg Tingle with another stepping stone to crossing and conquering the fast-moving media river? Can George Bush ever overcome his aversion to the truth? Will Neighbours finally overcome its nemesis and out rate Home and Away? Life is teeming with the unanswerable: personal, international and meaningless. Life is full of lunchtime meetings.

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Editors note: Yes, this meeting really happened. What will happen next as this weekly saga unfolds? Media Man, Greg Tingle says, "Reality TV sucks, this is real folks".