FIXING A HOLE.
Editor's Note: This week, Peter reflects on the urgent need to pull back from the chaos that is engulfing us and try to find a bit of solace by focusing on what really matters (hint: it's not the 24/7 onslaught of rancor and division). In On The Table, we take a look at the limited-edition 2026 BMW M2 Turbo Design Edition. And the "new" Chevrolet Bolt returns for 2026. Our AE Song of the Week is "Fixing A Hole" by The Beatles. In Fumes, we have Part VII of Peter's series on his all-time favorite racing cars. And in The Line, we have IMSA results from Petit Le Mans - the season finale - at Road Atlanta. We're on it! -WG
By Peter M. De Lorenzo
Detroit. After a tumultuous few weeks filled with hate mail, personal attacks (and this is different from any other week, how? -WG) and an intense heightening of the Sturm und Drang that’s roiling the “biz,” I’m finding it useful for my mind to wander on to other things. Well, sort of, anyway.
I was reminded of this need to meander away by one of my favorite Paul McCartney songs from the “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album (let’s face it, every track from this legendary 1967 album is a favorite) – “Fixing A Hole.” He opens this whimsical song with:
I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go
I'm filling the cracks that ran through the door
And kept my mind from wandering
Where it will go
Yes, indeed. Where will my mind go in this Graceless Age of division, rancor and hatred? Or where should it go? Needless to say, the auto biz and this website offer no safe haven from these odious times. The national downward spiral is so pronounced right now that I’m finding it extraordinarily difficult to keep writing about what is, for all intents and purposes, an insignificant sidebar to the crisis at hand. Except that I have to remind myself that it really isn’t insignificant. The auto industry has always served as the canary in the coal mine when it comes to the industrial fabric of this nation. When “Detroit” gets hammered, it doesn’t take any time for the manufacturing sector of this country to feel the effects, even in this Starbucks and silicon chip-driven “we don’t build anything anymore” economy.
And as I and many others have duly predicted, the effects of these capricious tariffs as orchestrated by the current occupant of the Oval Office – aka the Dictator-in-Chief – are just now starting to decimate this business and the greater economy at large. It’s no secret that the effects are gathering momentum too, and as an industry and a nation we’re pirouetting into a Giant Bowl of Not Good.
You may disagree, as many who pledge their allegiance to the Orange King vehemently do almost every single day here, but they’re collectively whistling past the graveyard, trudging through the gathering quicksand. Or, as Sir Paul put it:
And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right
Where I belong I'm right
Where I belong
See the people standing there who disagree and never win
And wonder why they don't get in my door
But I’ve found that engaging with the hate-filled missives and the unending vitriol is not a value-added activity, because there is simply no “there” there. I don’t need to, as I have never had a compelling need to be “liked,” nor do I want to; my time is too precious at this point. So, I’m moving on to other things, at least in fleeting moments.
I'm painting a room in a colorful way
And when my mind is wandering
There I will go
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ah
Hey, hey, hey, hey
No, I’m not painting a room, as my rooms are already brimming with bold. vibrant colors, but I’m allowing myself to soak in and finally relish the chill of fall around here, after a super-heated September. And as Sir Paul continues to remind me:
And it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong I'm right
Where I belong I'm right
Where I belong
Silly people run around, they worry me
And never ask me why they don't get past my door
I’ve been reminded in no uncertain times in the last year that life is fleeting and there are absolutely no guarantees. There’s an enduring saying that has been floating around for basically forever that suggests that no one is promised tomorrow. That’s easy to say, of course, but when it’s staring you in the face, it takes on a different, more urgent meaning entirely.
I'm taking the time for a number of things
That weren't important yesterday
And I still go
Ooh-ooh-ooh, ah-ah
Yes indeed. Things that weren’t important yesterday have become extraordinarily important to me, and that’s quite alright; in fact, it is perfectly fine. Life in this business will go on in its lurching, one step forward, three steps back, cadence. It is inevitable. Mistakes will be made, so-called “geniuses” will continue to be exposed, breakthroughs will be realized, and promises will fall by the wayside. The Swirling Maelstrom isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, folks. In fact, it is swirling and churning at an unprecedented rate.
As for the country, all we can muster, apparently, is a hope and a prayer that somehow, someway, things will work out. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for optimism, but that’s all I got for now.
In the meantime, I will let my mind wander a little – okay, a lot – and where it goes is just fine with me.
I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go
Where it will go
I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering*
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this week.
*“Fixing A Hole” written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Publisher: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind. Read more about this song in this week’s “
On The Table.”
Editor's Note: Click on "Next 1 Entries" at the bottom of this page to see previous issues. - WG