Tuesday, June 30, 2009

And here I thought it was me

There was something I was missing (or so I thought) about these, I don't know what to call them, "Scenester" Car Shows?

You know the ones.
The flyers are pretty formulaic & usually have some kind of pin up girl, switchblade, tattooed tough guy (or all of the above) with words like "Pre 1960 something or another, traditional, blah, blah, blah" all in an effort to attract the (K)coolest of (K)cats and the hippest of (C?)kittens.

Yet, I show up ('cause I still haven't learned my lesson) to find some alleged "Rockabilly" band covering a Springsteen song & a group of tattooed greaser/hipster types listening to crummy hip-hop?

Really?

Do I not get "It"?
This seemed to be even more off their self-advertised mark than the convertible GTO or the 80's style "Street Rod" I walked by.
Or this is their idea of some kind of.....tradition?

Now, I'm fully aware that I am coming across as some kind of "Hot Rod Snob" or, better yet, a douche bag.
I know exactly why & it's fully separate from the every day "Hard-to-pleasedness" I suffer when it comes to cars.

Sometime back in the mid/late 90's (That still sounds weird to me) there was a flyer floating around announcing the formation of a new "Hot Rod" club that was going to "Show the guys in California how its done."

Excuse me....what?
You're going to show what to who?

I never quite understood how a couple of guys sporting the rockabilly uniform & a 4 door 60's family sedan (who's only modification was a Schlitz can puke tank) were gonna show the guys out west how to do anything any more than I understood how (or why) they spelled both words in the name of their car club wrong.

So, you'll have to forgive my high expectations when it comes to these...genre specific?
Era specific?
Scene specific car shows.
It's really not the fault of anyone involved.
It's the attitude that I perceive (there's my little disclaimer) as being part of the uniform.

I don't get it:


However, before you start calling me "Debbie Downer", of the small handful of cars at the latest "Hot Rod Civil War Re-Enactment" These knocked my socks off:




Then, of course, there's The Alter Boys.
Not only do the do one hell of a job with a show of their own, their cars just have the right look & feel.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Snapping the Rocket

Yep.
There's a new euphemism in town.
My ultimate goal is to talk in a code only I understand & I'm sure there's people out there that will tell me I've already succeeded.
Anyhow, the gal and I went for a ride yesterday & I told myself it would finally be a good opportunity to get out & take some pictures of stuff that catches my eye around here.
We where heading south when I realized we were pointed right at a used auto parts place that has the coolest rocket/missile thing out front.
This was my chance.
I'd driven by this thing for years.
Years!
Usually I am already late for something else, or with someone, camera-less or for whatever reason just don't stop.
Not this time.
This time I was gonna do it.
I had it all figured out.
I was gonna take my time, get all the possible angles and finally have a....a what?
A privacy fence?!?!
Someone had surrounded the whole place with a chain link privacy fence & signs that say, "Excuse our appearance while we remodel"
Who the hell remodels a junk yard?!?!
Needless to say I was kinda bummed out.
When the gal asked "How long have you driven by this thing?" I was almost ashamed to tell her, "Since the Reagan years."
Her advice to me was simple, "Sometimes you just gotta pull over and snap the rocket."
She sure does have a way with words.

Friday, June 26, 2009

I haven't

I haven't been this unaffected by a famous person's death since Richard Nixon.
One thing I can credit to Michael Jackson?
I've got some mileage out of this one:
What's the difference between a jockey and Michael Jackson?










A jockey gets paid to ride 4 year olds.

Thanks.....I'm here all week.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Someone famous died today

One hell of a way to celebrate Custer's Last Stand.
R.I.P Sky Saxon

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

1 year, 8 months & 10 days

That's how long it's been since my last cigarette.
If I get through these next 2 or three weeks maybe I'll have turned a corner....but for right now I'd do almost anything for one.
Smoking was one of the few things I was good at.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

If it wasn't for bad luck

While I'm posting pictures I've stolen, here's another:

Monday, June 22, 2009

I don't normally do this

I try to keep this place reasonably original & don't like copping stuff from other message boards, blogs, or anything (unless, of course, it's super heroes in questionable positions) and if I do happen to do this I'll try to give credit where credit is due.
If I fail to for any reason, please feel free to call me out on it.

That being said, this is too cool not to steal and re-post.
I was sifting through some old posts on the HAMB looking for something completely different and found this....which someone "stole" & posted....so maybe I should just get over it?

















I'm convinced these could have been taken in Anytown, USA in the 70's.
They remind me of being a little kid & pedaling too far from home to hang in the parking lot where cars like this one (and by "this one" I mean, these actual cars):


This one:


This one:


And this one (Sorry for the crummy pic. It's this car here but close to 40 years ago.


would cruise, hang, race & do some of the craziest stuff I've ever seen....all in the name of having fun.
I've always felt a bit slighted that the scene had died down a bit by the time I hit the streets but there will always be the guys telling you how things "Used to be".
I kind of like to think their influence was felt.


(Actually, my apologies for quite a few of these crummy pics....digital photography sure has come a long way in 10 years!)

Friday, June 19, 2009

Guitar Hero

I can't believe it slipped my mind to mention this.
The Back CC's opened for The Mummies last week & their guitar player is my new hero.
Not only did the whole band "Get" the whole trashy rock & roll thing but 3 songs in to their first set, the guitar player asked the sound guy if he could be turned down.
God, even now, when I type it it feels like I am speaking a foreign language.
The guitar player asked to be turned down.
This is a first....anywhere.

Here's all I could find of them on Youtube.
The skinny jumping guy only sang once with them...and his main function seemed to be unplugging microphones and leaving his shoes behind.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

My own "Little" Shovel project

A while back I mentioned I had a little shovel project of my own happening. 'Cause, you know, when you've got a bazillion more important things to be doing, it's always best to waste time with plastic toys.

Now's a good time to mention that, if you're squeamish about "Ruining" or otherwise "Devaluing" rare-ish & harder to find model kits it might be a good idea to go listen to the best playlist in blog world over on Missinglink's, nicely ask Cain for an update, or look on in horror here as monkeys learn to use firearms.

I'm sure no one knows this but I've got a pretty decent little pile of motorcycle models & I'm going to say it's my hot rod upbringing that facilitates cutting up the ones that are harder to find.
Like this Triumph.
Which, for the hipsters keeping score at home, now sports things like a Model A tail light on what used to be the front fender:


Anyhow, this time around it's Revell's old Chain Gang chopper, that they want to sit like this:


Not that there's anything wrong with that really, I just had something different in mind & until the model companies start making what I want, I gotta "fix" that they gave me.


It seems like it may just need a little off the top.


According to the date on the box, this kit has been untouched since 1973 yet, with one uneven cut the "Collector" types can have a teeny little conniption.


Of course, there's nothing a little 2 part epoxy and some time upside down can't fix.



After taking away most of the forks, this is what I was after.


Now, being the geek that I am, I've got a hefty little stock pile of tanks & I wanted to try my hand at what the magazines always referred to as an "Axed Fat Bob".
(Did I get that right? I'm never good with the lingo)

Here's the beginnings of the hack job on this tank.


Some cutting, filing, sanding and puttying & I am ending up with this lopsided alien looking thing.


Obviously there is still some more puttying that needs to be done but I am hoping to be able to fake it enough.
I've kind of always thought of my models as "suggestions" more than anything.


All this work might wind up being for nothing anyhow...one I figure out how to get a tunnel in the bottom of the tank.
Right now I think it's going to involve some drilling....I want it to sit down over the backbone.


Yup....nothing says, "I've never been with a woman!" quite like customizing little plastic vehicles.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I need a Truck

OK, so...I don't need a truck.
I want a truck.
I need a job.





Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Whoever "They" are

They always say you shouldn't speak ill of the dead....so I am having kind of a hard time coming up with something to say about another one of The Ventures kicking it.

At one point, this band was super important to me.
So important in fact, I remember exactly where I was (Heading north up rt 128) when I heard Mel Taylor had died.

Oddly, it was the first tour after Mel had died, one with his son playing drums, that I got a chance to meet them & I kind of wish I never had.

30 years after their prime & they were nothing but arrogant and dismissive.
Now, I wasn't looking for an ass kissing or anything but you would think a band that could have easily become Vegas Elvis would be a little more appreciative of the people that held them in such high esteem.

Whatever.

Bob Bogle is dead.
75 is a good run for anyone, especially a musician.

Here's some pics of the T bucket from the cover of "The Ventures in Space"




I really don't know why this is so funny to me

As found on a Boston music message board:

Monday, June 15, 2009

This one

Can't she just go back to shooting animals from helicopters?
Jesus lady, shut the f*ck up already!