In economics, demand is the desire to own anything, the ability to pay for it, and the willingness to pay (see also supply and demand). The term demand signifies the ability or the willingness to buy a particular commodity at a given point of time.

Economists record demand on a demand schedule and plot it on a graph as a demand curve that is usually downward sloping. The downward slope reflects the relationship between price and quantity demanded: as price decreases, quantity demanded increases. In principle, each consumer has a demand curve for any product that he or she would consider buying, and the consumer's demand curve is equal to the marginal utility (benefit) curve. When the demand curves of all consumers are added up, the result is the market demand curve for that product. If there are no externalities, the market demand curve is also equal to the social utility (benefit) curve.

'''Elements of the Law of Demand As Melvin and Boyes note the law of demand is defined as: # The quantity of a well-defined good or service that: # People are willing and able to buy. # During a particular period of time. # Decreases/increases as the price of that good or service rises/falls # All other factors remain constant.

Melvin and Boyes (2010)

Demand is a relationship between two variables, price and quantity demanded, with all other factors that could affect demand being held constant.

:well defined - The key phrase in the first element is “well defined”. The purpose of the phrase is to ensure that we are examining the relationship between price and quantity demanded for the same good. If we are interested in demand for a particular good there is no reason to compare the relationship between the price of the good and the change in quantity demanded of a different goods. Goods are well defined if they share the same characteristics - brand, model, age, quality and performance to name a few. For example a Cadillac CTS-V is a high performance car manufactured by General Motors. The defining feature of the car is its engine - a supercharged OHV 6.2 liter L V-8. The engine produces 556 horsepower and 551 lb·ft of torque. The engine enables the vehicle to go from zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds. The car cost about 65,000.00. If we are interested in the demand for the CTS-V we need to compare the price of a CTS-V to the quantity demanded for a CTS-V and not a Ford Festiva.

:willing and able - to participate in the market a consumer must not only be willing to buy a good she must be able to buy as well. For example, John may want to buy a Cadillac CTS. However unless he has the cash or credit to consummate the purchase his unrealized desires are irrelevant.

:particular time period - demand measures the rate at which goods are being purchased during a specified period of time. For example to say that four thousand units are sold at a price of 65,000 does not tell us the level of demand unless we specify the time period per day per week per month.

:nature of the relationship - this portion of the definition establishes that the price and quantity demanded have a negative or inverse relationship along the demand curve.

:held constant ; there are innumerable factors other than price than can affect the level of demand. Some of the more important are income, price of related goods, number of buyers, expectations and tastes and preferences. To focus on the cause and effect relationship between the good's own price and the quantity of the good demanded all these other factors must be held constant. To hold a variable constant means to freeze its value and not allow it to change.

Demand schedule

The demand schedule shows the quantity of goods that a consumer would be willing and able to buy at specific prices under the existing circumstances. Some of the more important factors affecting demand are the price of the good, the price of related goods, tastes and preferences, income, and consumer expectations.

Factors affecting demand

Innumerable factors and circumstances could affect a buyer's willingness or ability to buy a good. Some of the more common factors are: :Good's own price:The basic demand relationship is between potential prices of a good and the quantities that would be purchased at those prices. Generally the relationship is negative meaning that an increase in price will induce a decrease in the quantity demanded. This negative relationship is embodied in the downward slope of the consumer demand curve. The assumption of a negative relationship is reasonable and intuitive. If the price of a new novel is high, a person might decide to borrow the book from the public library rather than buy it. Or if the price of a new piece of equipment is high a firm may decide to repair existing equipment rather than replacing it.

: Price of related goods: The principal related goods are complements and substitutes. A complement is a good that is used with the primary good. Examples include hotdogs and mustard, beer and pretzels, automobiles and gasoline. (Perfect complements behave as a single good.) If the price of the complement goes up the quantity demanded of the other good goes down. Mathematically, the variable representing the price of the complementary good would have a negative coefficient in the demand function. For example, Q_d = a - P - P_g where Q is the quantity of automobiles demanded, P is the price of automobiles and P_g is the price of gasoline. The other main category of related goods are substitutes. Substitutes are goods that can be used in place of the primary good. The mathematical relationship between the price of the substitute and the demand for the good in question is positive. If the price of the substitute goes down the demand for the good in question goes down.

:Personal Disposable Income: In most cases, the more disposable income (income after tax and receipt of benefits) you have the more likely you buy.

:Tastes or preferences:The greater the desire to own a good the more likely you are to buy the good. There is a basic distinction between desire and demand. Desire is a measure of the willingness to buy a good based on its intrinsic qualities. Demand is the willingness and ability to put one's desires into effect. It is assumed that tastes and preferences are relatively constant.

:Consumer expectations about future prices and income: If a consumer believes that the price of the good will be higher in the future he is more likely to purchase the good now. If the consumer expects that her income will be higher in the future the consumer may buy the good now. In other words positive expectations about future income may encourage present consumption.

This list is not exhaustive. All facts and circumstances that a buyer finds relevant to his willingness or ability to buy goods can affect demand. For example, a person caught in an unexpected storm is more likely to buy an umbrella than if the weather were bright and sunny.

Demand function and demand equation

The demand equation is the mathematical expression of the relationship between the quantity of a good demanded and those factors that affect the willingness and ability of a consumer to buy the good. For example, Q_d = f(P; P_rg, Y) is a demand equation where Q_d is the quantity of a good demanded, P is the price of the good, P_rg is the price of a related good, and Y is income; the function on the right side of the equation is called the demand function. The semi-colon in the list of arguments in the demand function means that the variables to the right are being held constant as we plot the demand curve in (quantity, price) space. A simple example of a demand equation is Q_d = 325 - P - 30P_rg + 1.4Y. Here 325 is the repository of all relevant non-specified factors that affect demand for the product. P is the price of the good. The coefficient is negative in accordance with the law of demand. The related good may be either a complement or a substitute. If a complement, the coefficient of its price would be negative as in this example. If a substitute, the coefficient of its price would be positive. Income, Y, has a positive coefficient indicating that the good is a normal good. If the coefficient was negative the good in question would be an inferior good meaning that the demand for the good would fall as the consumer's income increased. Specifying values for the non price determinants, Prg = 4.00 and Y = 50, results in the demand equation Q = 325 - P - 30(4) +1.4(50) or Q = 275 - P. If income were to increase to 55 the new demand equation would be Q = 282 - P. Graphically this change in a non price determinant of demand would be reflected in an outward shift of the demand function caused by a change in the x intercept.

Demand curve

The relationship of price and quantity demanded can be exhibited graphically as the demand curve. The curve is generally negatively sloped. The curve is two-dimensional and depicts the relationship between two variables only: price and quantity demanded. All other factors affecting demand are held constant. However, these factors are part of the demand curve and influence the location of the curve. In many economics graphs, such as that of the demand curve, the independent variable is plotted on the vertical axis and the dependent variable on the horizontal axis. Consequently, the graphical presentation is technically that of the equation P = f(Q) where f(Q) is the inverse demand function, although the graph is referred to simply as the demand curve.

Income and Substitution Effects

The negative slope of the demand curve is due to the substitution and income effects. If the relative price of a good falls consumers will substitute that good for more expensive goods -that will buy more of the good whose relative price has fallen and less of the other goods. This is the substitution effect. When the relative price of a good falls the consumer can buy the same bundle of goods as before the price decline and have some money left over. This money can be used to purchase more of all his consumption goods. In other words his purchasing power is called the income effect.

Discrete goods

In some cases it is impractical to represent the relationship between price and demand with a continuous curve because of small quantities demanded. Goods and services measured in small units are best represented with a smooth curve. Examples include food measured in calories and leisure measured in minutes. However, when the price of a good is very high in proportion to a consumer's budget there is a need to incorporate this limitation in both the mathematical analysis and the graph representing the relationship. While cars and houses are discrete goods for most people, cheaper goods such as glasses and bicycles are discrete goods only for the very poor. On the national level, nuclear power plants or space stations may be considered discrete goods. The concept is more useful at the individual consumer's level than at the consumers' aggregate level, because for example the difference between 3,000,000 cars demanded and 3,000,001 cars demanded is so little that the market demand for cars can be viewed as essentially continuous.

The demand curve in the discrete case

The price where the consumer is indifferent between buying an extra unit and not buying an extra unit is called the reservation price (r) after the same term used in auctions. If p is the price of the good and n units of the good are demanded, then r_n>=p>=r_n+1. For example, John is considering whether to buy a car or not (n=0 or n=1). The price of the car is $15,000 (p=15,000). The determining factor in John's consumption choice is his reservation price, r, simply the maximum price he is willing to pay for the car, reflecting his preferences. If John purchases this car and only this car then r₁>=15,000>=r₂ but if he does not purchase the car then r₀>=15,000>=r₁.

As with other demand curves, discrete demand curves are usually downward sloping, but in the case of discrete goods the curve is shaped like a staircase, reflecting the properties of goods which can only be consumed in quantities of integers. The horizontal line segments represent prices at which the consumer is indifferent between buying an extra unit or not. The vertical line segments represent ranges of prices where the quantity demanded does not vary. Nevertheless, as prices change within these ranges, the consumer surplus may change.

Movements versus shifts

The demand curve is a two-dimensional depiction of the relationship between price and quantity demanded. Movements along the curve occur only if there is a change in quantity demanded caused by a change in the good's own price. A shift in the demand curve, referred to as a change in demand, occurs only if a non-price determinant of demand changes. For example, if the price of a complement were to increase, the demand curve would shift leftward reflecting a decrease in demand. The shifted demand curve represents a new demand equation.

Movement along a demand curve due to a change in the good's price results in a change in the ''quantity demanded'', not a change in ''demand''. A change in ''demand'' refers to a shift in the position of the demand curve in two-dimensional space resulting from a change in one of the other arguments of the demand function.

From individual to market demand curve

The market demand curve is the horizontal summation of individual consumer demand curves. Aggregation introduces three additional non-price determinants of demand: (1) the number of consumers; (2) "the distribution of tastes among the consumers"; and (3) "the distribution of incomes among consumers of different taste." Thus if the population of consumers increases, ''ceteris paribus'' the market demand curve will shift outward (to the right). If the proportion of consumers with a strong preference for a good increases, ''ceteris paribus'' the demand for the good will increase. Finally if the distribution of income changes is favor of those consumers with a strong preference for the good in question the demand will shift out. Factors that affect individual demand can also affect market demand. However, net effects must be considered. For example, a good that is a complement for one person is not necessarily a complement for another; Further, the strength of the relationship would vary among persons. So in the aggregate the goods might be substitutes or complements. Finally the demand for a firm's product or services will often depend on such factors as competitors prices and marketing strategies.

Horizontal versus vertical summation

When adding individual demand curves it is critical that the summation be horizontal rather than vertical. The derivation of the market demand function involves adding quantities. The conventional graphical representation is of the inverse demand function. Adding inverse demand equations involves adding prices. In order to add the demand functions algebraically one must first convert the inverse equation to the standard demand function where quantity demanded is a function of price. For example, assume that there are two consumers in a given market and their respective demand function are P = 30 - 2Q and P = 30 - 6Q. To sum these function to obtain market demand curve we must first convert to standard from. Q = 15 - (P/2) and Q = 5 - (P/6). Adding Q1 and Q2 = 15 - (P/2) + 5 - (P/6) = 20 - (4P/6)= 20 - 2P/3.

Coefficient Addition

Note that in aggregating individual demand curves to determine market demand we added the coefficients for the goods own price. The unexpressed assumption that is the basis for the addition is the law of one price. With some variables addition of coefficients is more problematic. For example income is an important determinant of demand. However, the percentage of additional income that a person would spend for a particular good or service varies widely making simple coefficient addition less tenable. To borrow an example from Nicholson assume that we have two consumers and that individuals 1’s demand for oranges is

X₁ = 10 - 2Px + .1I₁ + .5Py and individual 2’s demand for oranges is X₂ = 17 - Px + 0.05I₂ + .5Py

Where Px = the price of oranges

Py is the price of grapefruits

I₁ is consumer 1’s income

I₂ is consumer 2’s income.

The market demand functions would be X1 + X2 = 27 - 3Px + .1I₁ + 0.05I₂ + Py.

Specifying values for I₁, I₂ and Px and substituting them into the demand equation we have:

'''X₁ + X₂ = 27 - 3Px + .1I₁ + 0.05I₂ + Py.

X₁ + X₂ = 27 - 3Px + .1(40)₁ + 0.05(20)₂ + 4

X₁ + X₂ = 27 - 3Px + 4 + 1 + 4

X₁ + X₂ = 38 - 3Px'''

If the price of grapefruits increased to 5 then the demand equation would become

*X₁ + X₂ = 39 - 3Px. Graphically this change in the price of a non price determinant of demand would be reflected in a shift out of the demand curve as the x intercept changed from 38 to 39.

Note that if an income tax was imposed that transferred 5000 from individual 1 to individual 2 then the new demand equation becomes

''''''*X₁ + X₂ = 27 - 3Px + .1I₁ + 0.05I₂ + Py.

X₁ + X₂ = 27 - 3Px + .1(35) + 0.05(25) + 5.

X₁ + X₂ = 27 - 3Px + 3.5 + 1.25 + 5.

X₁ + X₂ = 27 - 3Px + 9.75

X₁ + X₂ = 36.75 - 3Px''''''

The redistribution of income has reduce demand and would be reflected in a shift inward of the demand curve. Note that the assumption that each perosn's demand for a good is independent of everyone else's demand for the same good is a necessary assumption for aggregation. Finally one must be aware that simple addition of coefficients can produce non-sensical results over certain range of prices. That is individual demand curves may not be valid at certain prices.

As Frank notes, "Horizontal summation works as a way of generating market demand curves from individual demand curves because all consumers in the market face the same market price for the product. But when incomes differ widely from one consumer to another, it makes no sense to hold income constant and add quantities across consumers."

Price elasticity of demand (PED)

PED is a measure of the sensitivity of the quantity variable, Q, to changes in the price variable, P. Elasticity answers the question of the percent by which the quantity demanded will change relative to (divided by) a given percentage change in the price. For infinitessimal changes the formula for calculating PED is the absolute value of (∂Q/∂P)×(P/Q).

Determinants of PED

The overriding factor in determining PED is the willingness and ability of consumers after a price changes to postpone immediate consumption decisions concerning the good and to search for substitutes (wait and look). The greater the incentive the consumer has to delay consumption and search for substitutes and the more readily available substitutes are the more elastic the demand will be. Specific factors are: :Availability of substitutes: The more choices that are available, the more elastic is the demand for a good. If the price of Pepsi goes up by 20%, one can always purchase Coke, 7-Up, Dr. Pepper and so forth. One's willingness and ability to postpone the consumption of Pepsi and get by with a "lesser brand" makes the PED of Pepsi relatively elastic. :Necessity: With a true necessity a consumer has neither the willingness nor the ability to postpone consumption. There are few or no satisfactory substitutes. Insulin is the ultimate necessity, so the demand for it is inelastic. :Importance is terms of proportion of income spent on a good: Most consumers have both the willingness and ability to postpone the purchase of big ticket items. If an item constitutes a significant portion of one's income, it is worth one's time to search for substitutes. A consumer will give more time and thought to the purchase of a $3000 television than a $1 candy bar, so demand for the former will be more elastic than demand for the latter. :Duration: The more time a consumer has to search for substitute goods, the more elastic the demand. :Breadth of definition: how specifically the good is defined. For example, the demand for automobiles is less elastic than the demand for Toyotas, which is in turn less elastic than the demand for Red Toyota Priuses. :Availability of information concerning substitute goods: The easier it is for a consumer to locate the substitute goods, the more willing he will be to undertake the search, and the more elastic demand will be.

Elasticity along linear demand curve

The slope of a linear demand curve is constant. The elasticity of demand changes continuously as one moves down the demand curve because the ratio of price to quantity continuously falls. At the point the demand curve intersects the y-axis PED is infinitely elastic, because the variable ''Q'' apperaing in the demominator of the elasticity formula is zero there. At the point the demand curve intersects the x-axis PED is zero, because the variable ''P'' appearing in the numerator of the elasticity formula is zero there. At one point on the demand curve PED is unitary elastic: PED equals one. Above the point of unitary elasticity is the elastic range of the demand curve (meaning that the elasticity is greater than one). Below is the inelastic range, in which the elasticity is less than one. The decline in elasticity as one moves down the curve is due to the falling P/Q ratio.

Constant price elasticity demand

$Q=aP^\{c\}$ where a & c are parameter, and the constant price elasticity is c and $c\backslash le\; 0$.

Market structure and the demand curve

In perfectly competitive markets the demand curve, the average revenue curve, and the marginal revenue curve all coincide and are horizontal at the market-given price. The demand curve is perfectly elastic and coincides with the average and marginal revenue curves. Economic actors are price-takers. Perfectly competitive firms have zero market power; that is, they have no ability to affect the terms and conditions of exchange. A perfectly competitive firm's decisions are limited to whether to produce and if so, how much. In less than perfectly competitive markets the demand curve is negatively sloped and there is a separate marginal revenue curve. A firm in a less than perfectly competitive market is a price-setter. The firm can decide how much to produce or what price to charge. In deciding one variable the firm is necessarily determining the other variable

Inverse demand function

In its standard form a linear demand equation is Q = a - bP. That is, quantity demanded is a function of price. The inverse demand equation, or price equation, treats price as a function g of quantity demanded: P = f(Q). To compute the inverse demand equation, simply solve for P from the demand equation. For example, if the demand equation is Q = 240 - 2P then the inverse demand equation would be P = 120 - .5Q, the right side of which is the inverse demand function.

The inverse demand function is useful in deriving the total and marginal revenue functions. Total revenue equals price, P, times quantity, Q, or TR = P×Q. Multiply the inverse demand function by Q to derive the total revenue function: TR = (120 - .5Q) × Q = 120Q - 0.5Q². The marginal revenue function is the first derivative of the total revenue function; here MR = 120 - Q. Note that the MR function has the same y-intercept as the inverse demand function in this linear example; the x-intercept of the MR function is one-half the value of that of the demand function, and the slope of the MR function is twice that of the inverse demand function. This relationship holds true for all linear demand equations. The importance of being able to quickly calculate MR is that the profit-maximizing condition for firms regardless of market structure is to produce where marginal revenue equals marginal cost (MC). To derive MC the first derivative of the total cost function is taken. For example assume cost, C, equals 420 + 60Q + Q². Then MC = 60 + 2Q. Equating MR to MC and solving for Q gives Q = 20. So 20 is the profit maximizing quantity: to find the profit-maximizing price simply plug the value of Q into the inverse demand equation and solve for P.

Residual demand curve

The demand curve facing a particular firm is called the residual demand curve. The residual demand curve is the market demand that is not met by other firms in the industry at a given price. The residual demand curve is the market demand curve D(p), minus the supply of other organizations, So(p): Dr(p) = D(p) - So(p )

Is the demand curve for PC firm really flat?

Practically every introductory microeconomics text describes the demand curve facing a perfectly competitive firm as being flat or horizontal. A horizontal demand curve is perfectly elastic. If there are n identical firms in the market then the elasticity of demand PED facing any one firm is :: PED_mi = nPED_m - (n - 1) PES where PEDm is the market elasticity of demand, PES is the elasticity of supply of each of the other firms, and (n -1) is the number of other firms. This formula suggests two things. The demand curve is not perfectly elastic and if there are a large number of firms in the industry the elasticity of demand for any individual firm will be extremely high and the demand curve facing the firm will be nearly flat.

For example assume that there are 80 firms in the industry and that the demand elasticity for industry is - 1.0 and the price elasticity of supply is 3. Then :PEDmi = nPEDm - (n - 1) PES, :PEDmi = (-1) - (80 - 1) 3, :PEDmi = -1(80) - (79 x 3) :PEDmi = -80 - 237 = - 317

That is the firm PED is 317 times as elastic as the market PED. If a firm raised its price "by one tenth of one percent demand would drop by nearly one third." if the firm raised its price by three tenths of one percent the quantity demanded would drop by nearly 100%. Three tenths of one percent marks the effective range of pricing power the firm has because any attempt to raise prices by a higher percentage will effectively reduce quantity demanded to zero.

See also

Demand chain

Demand curve

Demand schedule

Derived demand

Planned obsolescence

Law of demand

Law of supply

Supply (economics)

Supply and demand

Utility

Notes

Category:Consumer theory

bs:Potražnja ca:Demanda (economia) de:Nachfrage (Mikroökonomie) es:Demanda (economía) gl:Demanda hr:Potražnja it:Domanda (economia) pl:Popyt pt:Demanda ru:Спрос sq:Kërkesa sk:Dopyt sr:Potražnja

Name	James May
Birth name	James Daniel May
Birth date	January 16, 1963
Birth place	Bristol, England
Residence	Hammersmith, West London, England
Nationality	British
Other names	''Captain Slow''
Known for	Presenting:
Education
Years active	–
Alma mater	Pendle College, Lancaster University
Employer	BBC, ''The Daily Telegraph'',
Occupation	Broadcaster, journalist, author, pianist, media personality
Home town	Bristol, England
Height
Partner	Sarah Frater (–present)
Website	http://www.topgear.com/uk/james-may }}

James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring program ''Top Gear'' alongside Jeremy Clarkson , and Richard Hammond.

On ''Top Gear'', May has the nickname "Captain Slow" for his careful driving style, a love of small underpowered cars and habit of getting lost and distracted while driving. However, in a July 2010 episode of Top Gear he drove a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, reaching a speed of . After his attempt the Bugatti test driver Pierre-Henri Raphanel took the car to 430 kilometers per hour (267.5 mph).

May has presented a variety of other programs on themes including science and technology, toys, cars, wine culture, and the plight of manliness in modern times. In addition he has released a variety of DVDs and books with similar themes, and wrote a weekly column for ''The Daily Telegraph's'' motoring section.

Early life

James May was born in Bristol, one of four children; he has two sisters and a brother. May attended Caerleon Endowed Junior School in Newport, then in Monmouthshire. He spent his teenage years in South Yorkshire where he attended Oakwood Comprehensive School in Rotherham and was a choirboy at Whiston Parish Church. He was also at school with ''Life On Mars'' and ''Ashes to Ashes'' star Dean Andrews. A keen flautist and pianist, he later studied music at Pendle College, Lancaster University. After graduating, May briefly worked at a hospital in Chelsea as a records officer, and had a short stint in Her Majesty's Civil Service.

Personal life

May lives in Hammersmith, London with dance critic Sarah Frater, whom he has dated since 2000.

May has owned a number of cars: Bentley T2, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Triumph 2000, Rover P6, Alfa Romeo 164, 1971 Rolls-Royce Corniche, Jaguar XJS, Range Rover, Fiat Panda, Datsun 120Y, Vauxhall Cavalier Mk1, Ferrari F430, 1984 Porsche 911, 2005 Porsche Boxster S (which he claims is the first car he has ever purchased new), Mini Cooper, Citroën Ami, Mazda MX-5 and several classic motorcycles including a Yamaha XJR1300, Moto Guzzi V11 Sport, a Triumph Daytona 675R and a 1978 Guzzi California. He has a penchant for prestige cars like Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, simple and basic cars such as the Fiat Panda, and motorcycles. He often uses a Brompton folding bicycle for commuting. He passed his driving test on his second attempt and justified this by saying "All the best people pass the second time".

May obtained a light aircraft pilot's licence in October 2006 having trained at White Waltham Airfield. He has owned a Luscombe 8A 'Silvaire' and an American Champion 8KCAB Super Decathlon.

May received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Lancaster University on 15 July 2010.

Journalism

During the early 1980s, May worked as a sub-editor for ''The Engineer'' and later ''Autocar'' magazine, from which he was dismissed. He has since written for several publications, including a regular column called ''England Made Me'' in ''Car Magazine'', articles for ''Top Gear'' magazine, and a weekly column in ''The Daily Telegraph''.

He has written a book titled ''May On Motors'', which is a collection of his published articles, and co-authored ''Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure'', based on the TV series of the same name.

He has also written the afterword to ''Long Lane with Turnings'', published in September 2006, the final book by motoring writer L. J. K. Setright. In the same month he co-presented a tribute to Raymond Baxter. His book, ''Notes From The Hard Shoulder'', was published on 26 April 2007. ''James May's 20th Century'', a book to accompany the television series of the same name, was published on 6 September 2007.

Dismissal from ''Autocar''

In an interview with Richard Allinson on BBC Radio 2, May confessed that he was fired in 1992 from ''Autocar'' magazine after putting together a hidden message or acrostic in one issue. At the end of the year, the magazine's "Road Test Year Book" supplement was published. Each spread featured four reviews and each review started with a large red letter (known in typography as an initial). May's role was to put the entire supplement together, which "was extremely boring and took several months". He went on to say:

So I had this idea that if I re-edited the beginnings of all the little texts, I could make these red letters spell out a message through the magazine, which I thought was brilliant. I can't remember exactly what it said, but it was to the effect that "You might think this is a really great thing, but if you were sitting here making it up you'd realise it's a real pain in the arse". It took me about two months to do it and on the day that it came out I'd actually forgotten that I'd done it because there's a bit of a gap between it being "put to bed" and coming out on the shelves. When I arrived at work that morning everybody was looking at their shoes and I was summoned to the managing director of the company's office. The thing had come out and nobody at work had spotted what I'd done because I'd made the words work around the pages so you never saw a whole word. But all the readers had seen it and they'd written in thinking they'd won a prize or a car or something.

May's original message, punctuated appropriately, reads: "So you think it's really good, yeah? You should try making the bloody thing up; it's a real pain in the arse."

This was referenced by Jeremy Clarkson during episode 2 of series 17 (in the course of the "hot hatch"-challenge in Italy) when May was noting Autocar's opinion on the Renault Clio Cup he had chosen for the challenge, to which Clarkson replied "Autocar.... The magazine that sacked you...?"

Radio and television

His past television credits include presenting ''Driven'' on Channel 4 in 1998-99, narrating an eight-part BBC One series called ''Road Rage School'', and co-hosting the ITV1 coverage of the ''2006 London Boat Show.'' He also wrote and presented a Christmas special called ''James May's Top Toys'' (for BBC One) exploring the toys of his childhood. This list was followed up the next year by a sequel of sorts, broadcast on BBC Two, entitled ''James May: My Sister's Top Toys'', this time attempting to investigate the gender divide of toy appeal. In series 3, episode 3 of Gordon Ramsay's ''The F Word'', May managed to beat Ramsay in eating animal penises and rotten shark (which Ramsay himself couldn't keep down) and with his fish pie recipe.

''Top Gear''

May first co-presented ''Top Gear'' in 1999, before it was axed by the BBC because of poor viewing figures. He rejoined the show in the second series of the present ''Top Gear'' format in 2003, where he earned the nickname "Captain Slow" owing to his careful driving style. Despite this sobriquet, he has done some especially high-speed driving, including in ''Top Gear'' Series 9, taking a Bugatti Veyron to its top speed of 253 mph (407 km/h) which is nearly one-third of the speed of sound at sea level and later on taking a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport edition to 260 mph (417 km/h). In an earlier episode he also tested the original version of the Bugatti Veyron against the new Pagani Zonda F. On the show he claimed that it was 'a piece of cake' driving those cars, but seconds later Jeremy Clarkson played a tape showing him spinning wildly over the test track in the Zonda. Originally he did not want to do this test, but Clarkson had hurt his neck in the previous episode while driving a truck through a brick wall and Richard Hammond claimed that he was busy selling fish at Morrisons. He is often mocked for a poor sense of direction, shown getting lost many times throughout the course of the series, including race tracks and even being mocked once by Jeremy and Hammond for mistaking a normal Range Rover as the camera crew. He also flew in a Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon at a speed of around 1320 mph for his television programme, ''James May's 20th Century''. He also became one of the first people – with co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson and an Icelandic support crew – to travel by car to the magnetic North Pole, using a modified Toyota Hilux. He claims to be the first person on the north pole who didn't want to go there. He was also one of the first people to drive across the Makgadikgadi salt plains in Botswana. He has driven a 1.3 litre Suzuki SJ413 through the Bolivian jungle and along Death Road and over the Andes to the Pacific Ocean in Chile. He also drove a modified Toyota Hilux (also used as a crew car during the North Pole expedition) up the side of the erupting volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland.

Science

May has also presented a documentary for Sky about sharks called ''Inside Killer Sharks'' and a series looking at inventions and discoveries during the twentieth century, entitled ''James May's 20th Century''. In late 2008, the BBC broadcast ''James May's Big Ideas'', a three-part series in which May travelled around the globe in search of implementations for concepts widely considered science fiction.

''James May on the Moon''

In June 2009 May presented a documentary on BBC Two called ''James May on the Moon'' commemorating 40 years since man first landed on the moon. This was followed by another documentary on BBC Four called ''James May at the Edge of Space'', where May was flown to the edge of space (70,000 ft) in a U.S. Air Force Lockheed U-2 spy plane. Highlights of the footage from the training for the flight, and the flight itself was used in ''James May on the Moon'', but was shown fully in this programme. This made him one of the highest flying persons, along with the pilot, at that time, after the crew of the International Space Station.

''James May's Toy Stories''

Beginning in October 2009, May presented a 6-part TV series showing favourite toys of the past era and whether they can be applied in the modern day. The toys featured were Airfix, Plasticine, Meccano, Scalextric, Lego and Hornby. In each show, May attempts to take each toy to its limits, also fulfilling several of his boyhood dreams in the process. For example, in August 2009, May built a full-sized house out of Lego at Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey. Plans for Legoland to move it to their theme park fell through in September 2009 because costs to deconstruct, move and then rebuild were too high and despite a final Facebook appeal for someone to take it, it was demolished on 22 September, with the plastic bricks planned to be donated to charity. Also for the series, he recreated the banked track at Brooklands using Scalextric track, and an attempt at the world's longest working model railway along the Tarka Trail between Barnstaple and Bideford in North Devon, although the attempt was foiled due to stolen batteries and vandals placing coins on the track, causing a short circuit.

Drink

In late 2006, the BBC broadcast ''Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure'', a series in which May, a committed bitter drinker, travelled around France with wine expert Oz Clarke. A second series was broadcast in late 2007, this time with May and Clarke in the Californian wine country, and was followed by a third series in 2009 called ''Oz and James Drink to Britain''.

Career

Television

Year !! Title !! Role
1999	Top Gear (1977 TV series)>Top Gear (original format)''	Presenter
2003-present	Top Gear (2002 TV series)>Top Gear (current format)''
2005	''James May's Top Toys''
2006-2007	''Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure''
2006	''Inside Killer Sharks''
2006	''Petrolheads''
2007	''Top Gear of the Pops''
2007	''James May's 20th Century''
2007	''James May: My Sisters' Top Toys''
2008	''Top Ground Gear Force''
2008	''James May's Big Ideas''
2009	''Oz and James Drink to Britain''
2009	''James May on the Moon''
2009	''James May at the Edge of Space''
2009-2011	''James May's Toy Stories''
2010-present	''James May's Man Lab''
2011-present	''James May's Things You Need To Know''
2012	''Grandstand - Alternative Grand National coverage''

DVD

Title !! Label !! Year
''Oz & James' Big Wine Adventure: Series One''	Acorn Media	2006
''James May's Motormania Car Quiz''	DMD
''James May's 20th Century: The Complete Series''	ITV
''Oz & James' Big Wine Adventure: Series Two''	Acorn Media
''James May's Big Ideas: The Complete Series''	DMD
''James May On The Moon''	BBC DVD
''James May's Amazing Brain Trainer''	DMD
''James May's Toy Stories: The Complete Series''	Channel 4
''Oz and James Drink to Britain''	Acorn Media
''Top Gear: Apocalypse''	BBC DVD
''James May's Man Lab: Series One''	Acorn Media
''Top Gear: At The Movies''	BBC DVD
''James May's Man Lab: Series Two''	Acorn Media

Books

BBC Books Virgin Books Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton Pavilion (Anova) Hodder & Stoughton Conway (Anova) Conway (Anova) Conway (Anova) Conway (Anova) Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton

Title !! Publisher !! Year !! Notes
''May on Motors: On the Road with James May''	Virgin Books	2006
''Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure''	|	2006
''Notes from the Hard Shoulder''	|	2007
''James May's 20th Century''	|	2007 (H/B)	Reprinted 2007 (P/B)
''James May's Magnificent Machines''	|	2008
''Oz and James Drink to Britain''	|	2009
''James May's Car Fever''	|	2009 (H/B)	Reprinted 2010 (P/B)
''James May's Toy Stories''	|	2009
''James May's Toy Stories: Lego House''	|	2010
''James May's Toy Stories: Airfix Handbook''	|	2010
''James May's Toy Stories: Scalextric Handbook''	|	2010
''How to Land an A330 Airbus''	|	2010 (H/B)	Reprinted 2011 (P/B)
''James May's Man Lab: The Book of Usefulness''	|	2011 (H/B)	Reprinted 2012 (P/B)
''James May: On Board''	|	2012

References

External links

''Telegraph Motoring'' - James May's weekly column

James May on Top Gear

''Daily Mail'' article on May

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:British television presenters Category:People from Bristol Category:Top Gear presenters Category:English writers Category:Alumni of Lancaster University Category:British motoring journalists

cs:James May da:James May de:James May es:James May fa:جیمز می fr:James May it:James May he:ג'יימס מיי lv:Džeimss Mejs hu:James May nl:James May ja:ジェームズ・メイ no:James May pl:James May ro:James May ru:Мэй, Джеймс fi:James May sv:James May

name	The Edge
background	solo_singer
birth name	David Howell Evans
birth date	August 08, 1961
Birth place	Barking, Essex, England, United Kingdom
origin	County Dublin, Ireland
instrument	Guitar, vocals, keyboards, piano, bass guitar
genre	Rock, post-punk, alternative rock
occupation	Musician, songwriter, activist
years active	1976–present
label	Island, Mercury
associated acts	U2, Passengers
website
notable instruments	Gibson ExplorerFender StratocasterGibson Les PaulFender TelecasterGretsch Country GentlemanGretsch White FalconRickenbacker 330/12 }}

David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), more widely known by his stage name The Edge (or just Edge), is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record. As a guitarist, The Edge has crafted a minimalistic and textural style of playing. His use of a rhythmic delay effect yields a distinctive ambient, chiming sound that has become a signature of U2's music.

The Edge was born in England to a Welsh family, but was raised in Ireland after moving there as an infant. In 1976, at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, he formed U2 with his fellow students and his older brother Dik. Inspired by the ethos of punk rock and its basic arrangements, the group began to write its own material. They eventually became one of the most popular acts in popular music, with successful albums such as 1987's ''The Joshua Tree'' and 1991's ''Achtung Baby''. Over the years, The Edge has experimented with various guitar effects and introduced influences from several genres of music into his own style, including American roots music, industrial music, and alternative rock. With U2, The Edge has also played keyboards, co-produced their 1993 record ''Zooropa'', and occasionally contributed lyrics. The Edge met his second and current wife, Morleigh Steinberg, through her collaborations with the band.

As a member of U2 and as an individual, The Edge has campaigned for human rights and philanthropic causes. He co-founded Music Rising, a charity to support musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina. He has collaborated with U2 bandmate Bono on several projects, including songs for Roy Orbison and Tina Turner, and the soundtracks to the musical ''Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'' and the Royal Shakespeare Company's London stage adaptation of ''A Clockwork Orange''. In 2011, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine placed him at number 38 on its list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

Personal life

David Howell Evans was born at the Barking Maternity Hospital, Essex, England to Welsh parents Garvin and Gwenda Evans. When he was one, his family moved to County Dublin, Ireland where he attended St Andrew's National School. He received piano and guitar lessons and often performed with his brother Dik Evans before they both answered an advertisement posted by Larry Mullen, Jr. at their school, Mount Temple Comprehensive School, seeking musicians to form a band. The band accepted both of them. This band went through several incarnations before emerging as U2 in March 1978 (Dik Evans left the band just before the name change). U2 began performing in various venues in Ireland and eventually began developing a following. Their debut album, ''Boy'', was released in 1980.

In 1981, leading up to the October tour, Evans came very close to leaving U2 for religious reasons, but he decided to stay. During this period, he became involved with a group called Shalom Tigers, in which bandmates Bono and Larry Mullen Jr. were also involved. Shortly after deciding to remain with the band, he wrote a piece of music that later became "Sunday Bloody Sunday". The Edge married his high school girlfriend Aislinn O'Sullivan on 12 July 1983. The couple had three daughters together: Hollie in 1984, Arran in 1985 and Blue Angel in 1989. The couple separated in 1990, but were unable to get officially divorced because of Irish laws regarding marriage annulment; divorce was legalised in 1995 and the couple were legally divorced in 1996.

In 1993, The Edge began dating Morleigh Steinberg, a professional dancer and choreographer employed by the band as a belly dancer during the Zoo TV Tour. They had a daughter, Sian (born 1997), and a son, Levi (born 25 October 1999), before marrying on 22 June 2002. He appeared in the 2009 music documentary film ''It Might Get Loud''. The Edge has been criticized for his efforts to build five luxury mansions on a 156 acre plot of land in Malibu, California. The California Coastal Commission voted 8-4 against the plans, with the project described by the commission's executive director, Peter Douglas, as "In 38 years...one of the three worst projects that I've seen in terms of environmental devastation...It's a contradiction in terms – you can't be serious about being an environmentalist and pick this location." The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy agreed to remain neutral on the issue following a $1 million donation from The Edge and a commitment from The Edge to designate 100 acres of the land as open space for public footpaths.

Music style

Guitar playing

As a guitar player, The Edge has a sound typified by a low-key playing style, a chiming, shimmering sound (thanks in part to the sound of VOX AC-30s) that he achieves with extensive use of delay effects and reverb. The feedback delay is often set to a dotted eighth note (3/16 of a measure), and the feedback gain is adjusted until a note played repeats two or three times.

On 1987's ''The Joshua Tree'', The Edge often contributes just a few simple lead lines given depth and richness by an ever-present delay. For example, the introduction to "Where the Streets Have No Name" is simply a repeated six-note arpeggio, broadened by a modulated delay effect. The Edge has said that he views musical notes as "expensive", in that he prefers to play as few notes as possible. He said in 1982 of his style,

"I like a nice ringing sound on guitar, and most of my chords I find two strings and make them ring the same note, so it's almost like a 12-string sound. So for E I might play a B, E, E and B and make it ring. It works very well with the Gibson Explorer. It's funny because the bass end of the Explorer was so awful that I used to stay away from the low strings, and a lot of the chords I played were very trebly, on the first four, or even three strings. I discovered that through using this one area of the fretboard I was developing a very stylized way of doing something that someone else would play in a normal way."

Many different influences have shaped The Edge's guitar technique. His first guitar was an old acoustic guitar that his mother bought him at a local flea market for only a few pounds; he was nine at the time. He and his brother Dik Evans both experimented with this instrument. He said in 1982 of this early experimentation, "I suppose the first link in the chain was a visit to the local jumble sale where I purchased a guitar for a pound. That was my first instrument. It was an acoustic guitar and me and my elder brother Dik both played it, plonking away, all very rudimentary stuff, open chords and all that." The Edge has stated that many of his guitar parts are based around guitar effects. This is especially true from the ''Achtung Baby'' era onwards, although much of the band's 1980s material made heavy use of echos.

Vocals

The Edge also supplies the backing vocals for U2. U2's 1983 live album and video release, ''Under a Blood Red Sky'' and ''Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky'' are good reference points for his singing (as are the live DVDs from the Elevation Tour, ''U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle'' and ''Elevation 2001: Live from Boston''). For example, he sings the chorus to "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (Bono harmonizes on the final 'Sunday'). U2 used this tradeoff technique later in "Bullet the Blue Sky" as well. His backing vocals are sometimes in the form of a repeated cry; examples of songs that use this approach include "Beautiful Day", "New Year's Day" and "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)". Another technique he uses in his backing vocals is the falsetto, in songs such as "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of", "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own", "A Man and a Woman", "The Wanderer", live versions of "The Fly", and "Window in the Skies".

The Edge sings the lead vocal on "Van Diemen's Land" and "Numb", the first half of the song "Seconds", dual vocals with Bono in "Discotheque", and the bridge in the song "Miracle Drug". He also sings the occasional lead vocal in live renditions of other songs (such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" during the PopMart Tour and "Party Girl" during the Rotterdam Zoo TV show when it was Bono's birthday). He also plays a solo acoustic version of the song "Love is Blindness" that is featured in the documentary film ''From the Sky Down''.

Other instruments

He has played piano and keyboards on many of the band's songs, including "I Fall Down", "October", "So Cruel", "New Year's Day", "Running to Stand Still", "Miss Sarajevo", "The Hands that Built America", and "Original of the Species" and others. He plays the organ on "Please". In live versions of "New Year's Day", "The Unforgettable Fire", "Your Blue Room", and "Moment of Surrender", he plays both the piano and guitar parts alternately. In most live versions of "Original of the Species," piano is the only instrument played during the song. Although The Edge is the band's lead guitarist, he occasionally plays bass guitar, including the live performances of the song "40" where The Edge and bassist Adam Clayton switch instruments.

Solo recordings

In addition to his regular role within U2, The Edge has also recorded with such artists as Johnny Cash, B. B. King, Tina Turner, Ronnie Wood, Jay-Z, and Rihanna. The Edge connected with Brian Eno and Lanois collaborator Michael Brook (the creator of the infinite guitar, which he regularly uses), working with him on the score to the film ''Captive'' (1986). From this soundtrack the song "Heroine", the vocal of which was sung by a young Sinéad O'Connor was released as a single.

He also created the theme song for season one and two of ''The Batman''. He and fellow U2 member, Bono, wrote the lyrics to the theme of the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye''. The Edge, along with bandmate Bono, recently composed a musical adaptation of Spider-Man. On May 25, 2011, a single titled ''Rise Above 1: Reeve Carney Featuring Bono and The Edge'' was released digitally. The music video was released on July 28, 2011.

Musical equipment

The Edge plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano, bass guitar (on "40" and "Race Against Time") and lap steel guitar. Compared to many lead guitarists, The Edge is known for using many more guitars during a show. According to his guitar tech Dallas Schoo, a typical lead guitarist uses four or five different guitars in one night, whereas The Edge takes 45 on the road, and uses 17 to 19 in one 2.5-hour concert. He is estimated to have more than 200 guitars in the studio.

Philanthropy

In 2005, The Edge along with Bob Ezrin and Henry Juszkiewicz co-founded Music Rising, a charity that helped provide replacement instruments for those that were lost in Hurricane Katrina. The instruments were originally only replaced for professional musicians but they soon realized the community churches and schools needed instruments as well. The charity's slogan is "Rebuilding the Gulf Region note by note" and has so far helped over a hundred musicians who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. The Edge also serves on the board of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving global health by advancing angiogenesis-based medicine, diets, and lifestyle.

See also

List of people on stamps of Ireland

Timeline of U2

References

;Footnotes

;Bibliography

External links

U2.com, official U2 site

Music Rising

The Edge – Album Credits

A Study of The Edge's Guitar Delay

The Edge: 'It's all about the vision'

Food Bank For New York City public service announcement

Comment on the mathematical analysis of The Edge's guitar sound

Category:Irish male singers Category:Irish rock guitarists Category:British male singers Category:British rock guitarists Category:Irish people of Welsh descent Category:People from County Dublin Category:People from Essex Category:People from Dalkey Category:Lead guitarists Category:Slide guitarists Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:Golden Globe Award winning musicians Category:Backing vocalists Category:U2 members Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Pseudonymous musicians Category:Rock songwriters

bg:Дейв "Едж" Евънс ca:The Edge cs:The Edge da:The Edge de:The Edge et:The Edge es:The Edge eu:The Edge fr:The Edge ga:The Edge gl:The Edge hr:The Edge is:The Edge it:The Edge he:דה אדג' ka:The Edge lv:The Edge lt:The Edge hu:The Edge nl:The Edge (U2) ja:ジ・エッジ no:The Edge pl:The Edge pt:The Edge ro:The Edge ru:Эдж sq:The Edge simple:The Edge sl:David Howell Evans fi:The Edge (muusikko) sv:The Edge tr:The Edge uk:Едж zh:The Edge

name	Parry Gripp
background	solo_singer
birth name	Parry Gripp
birth date	September 22, 1967
birth place	Santa Barbara, California
instrument	Vocals, Guitar
genre	Rock
occupation	Musician
label	Oglio
associated acts	Nerf Herder
website
notable instruments	}}

Parry Gripp (born September 22, 1967) is a singer-songwriter as well as lead vocalist and guitarist for the pop punk band Nerf Herder.

As a songwriter, Gripp is best known for fake jingles, as in his 2005 solo album ''For Those About to Shop, We Salute You'' - a 51-track concept album mimicking various musical styles as product commercials. While it does not have one single concept, it goes through many various concept suites, such as trucks, beer, and insomnia. He also maintains a song-of-the-week website and a YouTube channel on which he creates soundtracks to internet memes as well as music videos for his own novelty songs, with titles including "Do You Like Waffles?", "Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom","Last Train to Awesometown", "Spaghetti Cat (I weep for you)", "Hamster on a Piano (Eating Popcorn)" and "Baby Monkey (Going Backwards On A Pig)". Gripp also performs the Super Hero Squad Show theme song.

Gripp also joined forces with MC Lars to perform some of the vocals, including the chorus, to 'Guitar Hero Hero (Beating Guitar Hero Doesn't Make You Slash)' a song commenting on the notion that video games like Guitar Hero take kids away from playing in bands and actually learning their instruments.

Along with faux jingles, Gripp also creates some real advertising music, such as Beatles-inspired tunes promoting the Wawa Food Markets' Breakfast Hoagiefest, and songs for the Hallmark Cards e-characters hoops&yoyo.

On July 9, 2009 Parry Gripp debuted a new song called "The Girl at the Video Game Store" for the 1000th episode of the G4 TV program ''Attack of the Show!'' The video features the show's hosts Olivia Munn as the titular character and Kevin Pereira on drums.

Aside from his music, Gripp is the co-owner (with his sister) of the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, which was founded by his father.

Discography

Albums

''"For Those About to Shop, We Salute You"'' (2005)

''"One Donut a Day"'' (2007)

''"Do You Like Waffles"'' (2008)

''"Fuzzy Fuzzy Cute Cute: Volume 1"'' (2010)

''"This is My Ringtone"'' (2011)

''"Fuzzy Fuzzy Cute Cute: Volume 2"'' (forthcoming, expected release date 2012)

Artwork

Nathan Mazur, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based cartoonist, provided the animation for some of Gripp's music videos: "Do You Like Waffles?", "Up Butt Coconut", and "Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom". He also creates the "album art" that accompanies Parry Gripp's song-of-the-week.

See also

Nerf Herder

References

External links

Gripp YouTube channel

Category:1967 births Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Living people

fi:Parry Gripp