I see him as an educator, but first and foremost, a top notch shoemaker. He is passionate about his craft and wants to pass it on. He isn't an angry, grumbling old man, by any means.
If people bothered to read his posts, that is.
I've spent the past few months reading what he's written in numerous threads and his knowledge is immense and vast. He talks about WAY MORE than just the problems with GYW and gemming. He is merely EDUCATING, not grumbling. Sure, he's got into arguments, but never unprovoked.
He is also a heck of a shoemaker, he is probably one of the last surviving people who are capable of closing his uppers by hand. And as reference, ALL the Japanese bespoke makers close their uppers with a SEWING MACHINE. I respect him, tremendously.
He is probably one of the last surviving makers who really give a s**t about what he does. He definitely makes better shoes than every English maker there is. For that matter, probably almost ANY maker.
Like LHB has mentioned, he is semi-retired. He isn't obliged to spend all his time on the internet sharing his knowledge, but he does, because once again, he gives a s**t.
