6 of the Best – W2 Global Data’s Gary Pine

This week’s 6 of the Best comes from Gary Pine, Chief Product Officer at W2 Global Data.

Keep reading for more on Pine’s eight-day Asian adventure, his ‘go to’ album, where to find the best atmosphere in world rugby and why weekend lycra is now “the order of the day”.

Best Holiday

Having recently returned to the office from a Christmas break in the Canaries, my first thought would be our annual, familial trip to Fuerteventura. Having been there about 20 times in as many years; the sun, sand, surf and cycling are hard to beat.

That being said, a recent trip to Hong Kong and mainland China sits right up there … Victoria Peak, the Symphony of Lights, Canton Fair, Canton Tower, Xi’an Muslim Quarter & Terracotta Army, Beijing’s Great Wall and Forbidden City amongst a long list of stop-offs in just eight days.

Best Album

Although the whole family are massive Biffy Clyro fans (and no, I haven’t jammed with them like the great Nick Knowles) …I must tip my hat at Fortress by Alter Bridge …my go-to album when in trains, planes and automobiles. Myles Kennedy is something else.

Although it’s not quite a Nick Knowles-esque story, I do have the set list from when I saw Biffy play at the Bowery Electric in New York back in 2012 …their Opposites album is probably number 2 on the list. The 1979 B-52’s by the B-52’s gets the third vote if I was asked for more.

Best Sporting Experience

Bristol RFC beating Bath RFC; at the Rec …at the Memorial Ground …at Ashton Gate. Don’t mind really. Having seen England lose to Wales three times at the Principality Stadium (yeap, I was there for the Henson/Tait tackle), I’m not sure I want to hark back to those final results.

However, I don’t think there is a better atmosphere in world rugby having tried the wares of Twickenham, Murrayfield, the Aviva and Lansdowne Road. That being said, the England versus Ireland game at Croke Park was something to behold.

Best Film

Grosse Pointe Blank. Martin Blank …Bobby Beamer …Debbie Radio …quirky characters, a twist on the school reunion theme and a great soundtrack including the Specials, the Beat, the Clash, the Jam, David Bowie and Queen. Only found out recently that the score for Grosse Pointe Blank was actually composed by Joe Strummer, formerly of The Clash.

I was tempted by John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ or Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Moulin Rouge’ …there are a few films that you can’t ever pass up when they slip back into the Christmas schedule.

Best Book

Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. As an Audible ‘Master’ with currently, 1 month …4 days …20 hours …47 minutes listening time, I’ve covered many of the British and US ‘classics’, but this had me chuckling from front to back. First published in 1961, this satire on the madness of war and the excesses of bureaucracy is considered a cult classic even if I came to it late.

In the same vein, I must offer a shout out to Scott Sigler – the American science fiction and horror author who introduced me to the notion of a Galactic Football League. Think I’ve now read all that he has to offer.

Best App

Strava. At I’m at the stage in life when / where weekend Lycra is the order of the day given most weekends …as such, an avid user of THE cycling, running, walking and swimming tracking app. As their strapline says …designed by athletes, for athletes …that makes me an athlete.

Although I’ve now moved across to a Wahoo Elemnt cycling computer to help me track my every move, Strava persists as the central repository for the raft of my sweatier pursuits. I never thought I’d care so much about the ‘elevation’ (ft gained = hills ridden).