2008 Ripper Conference, Knoxville, TN

[George Hutchinson]

Hi all.

I'm sitting here on a free-for-all computer in the hotel lobby at the Four Points By Sheraton Hotel in Knoxville. The Conference starts in a few hours.

Dan and Kelly met me at Knoxville airport after an easy couple of flights but some of the worst service I've ever had. The cabin crew on US Airways are vile. So rude, impolite and unfriendly. I even heard one of them say to another as they walked past, at normal volume : "If you don't like the service, you're f***ed. Hire your own private plane". She was charming.

I knew I'd have issues with Customs, and sure enough, I did. My bags were checked several times, I was given the third degree in questioning (they couldn't see how a tour guide could be giving a lecture...) and they went right through my main suitcase. The airline also damaged it pretty badly. The flight to the US took 9 hours and then another hour from Charlotte to Knoxville.

It's warm here. Big wide spaces, quaint old clapboard houses and an awesome hotel. When I went to bed last night, my arms didn't reach the edges of the bed! I was jumping round like a kid when I saw my room.

I'm being picked up in twenty minutes to go and give a lecture to a company in the town. I was booked by a woman who came on one of my tours last year and stayed in touch - complete co-incidence she's in Knoxville. What the company is going to make of JTR is beyond me, though. I don't know what the set-up is at all.

Met up with Alan last night as well but am yet to meet the others properly. Tonight Dan is giving an introduction and Robert is giving his talk on the victim photographs (this time - unlike 2005 - with working Powerpoint!)

I'll update as and when I can. By tomorrow evening, US time, I will have something quite nice to tell you, I think.

PHILIP

[halomanuk]

Good luck Phil and have fun - sock it to em.

If this is something nice about JTR then i can't wait !!!!

[Mike Covell]

Sounds like your having a great time.

My friend got stuck in customs after he had bought some calculators, protrators and abacus, he was charged with "Having Weapons of Maths Instructions"

[Suzi]

Hey Frip!

That sounds great!!....Well apart from the journey and the 'unpleasantnesses' at Customs

Am seriously jealous and excited for you!! Give my love to everyone! Hope you've got THE CAT!!!- Don't forget the PICS!!!!!!!!!!

Stay in touch!!- so we can have a 'virtual conf' (Just kinder on the liver!!)

Hugs

Suzi 'n Dids x

(Is the 'nice' the same 'nice' that I think it is???)

[Monty]

**Warning****Warning**

This is an offcial Monty warning.....

Knoxville - Please DO NOT approach Mr Hutchinson and mention/carry any of the following :-

1) Shorts
2) Felicity mad woman (my words, not his)
3) that Rob Clack looks younger
4) that Rob Clack is younger
5) Hoodies
6) Tourists
7) Pope de Locksley
8) Karen Trenouth, Baziljet, Catweizel of whatever that bloody statute was.
9) A cake...he'll have the bugger away.

and

10) Monty is a really funny guy, no, seriously he is Philip, he honestly is. Dont listen to Bob, Monty is great, dont hit Monty when you see him next.

Oh, and only approach if you have a cup of tea in hand. It soothes him does tea. That and a nice slice of cake...or is that Worzel Gummage?

Seriously, you are very lucky to have the speakers you already have over there. Id give my left ear to listen to Robert McLaughlin and my right one for Phil...that way I wont have to hear him.

Kick back and enjoy the experience.

Monty

[Celesta]

Hi Philip,

I'm sorry they gave you a hard time in customs. I was afraid they would. I hope you will, at least, write some letters of complaint about the way the airline treated you.

Meanwhile, I hope you have some nice Autumn scenery to look at up there and that everything goes smoothly for you from here on out. Good luck on the conference.

Cel

[Suzi]

Hey Frip!
I couldn't agree with Mont more!!! Right and the last point is-
GET THAT CAT IN THE PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
----and say hi to Jana and Rob Mc C [Power Point be the devil's work!]-and anyone else who knows or can remember me!!!

Suzi x

Anyway Go Frip!!!!- and Alan and Rob Mc C !!!!!!!!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxx

A N D beware of ANYONE who you overhear saying anything along the lines of 'I've written 2 books' or mentions THE MASONS-OR God forbid a single whisper from a little grey haired guy with glasses and a deerstalker---- RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We wait for Agent Hutchinson's next report!

[Celesta]

As a reminder, it looks like the JTR special, Jack's London, airs tonight, in the US, at 10 pm on the History Channel. That's Philip's, I do believe.

[Celesta]

As a reminder, it looks like the JTR special, Jack's London, airs tonight, in the US, at 10 pm on the History Channel. That's Philip's, I do believe.

And Rob's too?

[Ash]

My contribution!



The Hotel



The City

And to confirm what Phil says, this is definitely the nicest hotel I've stayed in in my four conferences so far, the rooms are fabulous, the staff couldn't be more helpful, and the sweet potato fries are going to make me even more clinically obese than I already am.

I flew to Atlanta and drove up from there. I didn't have much trouble with US customs this time (not compared to last time when it took me over two hours to get through, anyway), but they did insist on re-checking my bag meaning I had to wait for it at the baggage carousel twice which was a pain in the rear.

But the staff at the Alamo Car Rental at Atlanta Airport are morons who couldn't organise a piss up in a proverbial. On the other hand, this has resulted in me driving round in a beast of a seven seater van with a five litre engine or something, all for the price of an economy size. Killing the planet and loving it.

[George Hutchinson]

Registration has just started. A Canadian walked up to me about five minutes ago whilst I was on this very computer. He looked rather like Rob, and by golly he was.

Madness this morning - I was picked up in a big car and driven over to the town of Maryville. I gave a private Ripper tour to some Americans last year and we stayed in touch. Turns out they live just outside Knoxville. This morning I was taken over to the woman's company and gave a talk on JTR to a load of factory workers (not so bizarre as it seemed; they do this as a group bonding and motivational thing sometimes). I left with a bag stuffed with goodies, a Thai meal with some of her colleagues, a guided tour round Knoxville (it's beautiful and the sun is really bright and it's about 25C outside - so unexpected!) and $200 for an hour long talk - totally unnecessary and unexpected.

Suzi - I don't know what you think it is that is going to be let out of the bag tomorrow (no cat) but I don't think you know what it is. If that makes sense.

It's so weird to be sitting in this hotel with Alan's jpegs above knowing I'm in the building and the view from the window is rather like his other photo! This is one awesome place and I'm having the time of my life.

Monty - you just talked yourself out of another ten years of your life. Just remember that there is nothing Rob can do about being older than me, even if it is only by a year.

Bet I'm the youngest here, though!

Celesta - you sure that the programme on tonight is my one? In the UK it's being called IN THE WORLD OF JACK THE RIPPER. If you don't see me in a long brown raincoat at the start in a montage giving a tour to one of the presenters (a precursor of things to come), then it's not the one I did last.

Right - time to go and register and finally meet this Fido bloke.

PHILIP

[Monty]

Philip,

Youre the youngest? that Rob told me he was!

Have a good un and best o luck with the talk...not that you need it. We both know its going to be a brahmer.
Monty

[Ash]

Another quick one. I spotted this on the way from the Hotel into town to get some lunch, and it seemed to sum up the difference between Britain and America in a nutshell!



(I thought registration wasn't for another hour?)

[Celesta]

Hey Phil,

I copied this from the TV Planner on Comcast, online. Who knows? They're wrong half the time. They show it is new.

In the World of ... Jack the Ripper
052 HISTORY [Closed Captioned]
Fri, Oct 10, 10:00p - 11:00p
The pattern of life of Victorian London plays out as though seen through the eyes of one of the most-infamous and bloodthirsty serial killers in documented history.
2008 | TVPG | 60 mins

Look, you guys up there, have a great time.

Nice photos, Ash.

[Bulldog]

This is one awesome place and I'm having the time of my life.

Bet I'm the youngest here, though!

Sonny,

Y'all behave yourself now, y'hear?

Bulldog