R.I.P. Larry

Well, I'm off to a wake.
My friend Larry passed away over the weekend.
He's the guy I credit for turning me on to British bikes.
I don't think I'll ever forget being behind him in traffic.
I was in my Buick & he was on this super low, super skinny BSA chopper.
This had to have been...'88? 89 at the latest & it was the absolute coolest thing I'd ever seen.
In fact, it wasn't 'till Rico Fodrey's pan showed up in that second issue of the then reissued Hop Up did I see anything that even compared.
I'll never forget him, or the look on his face when I told him what kind of influence he & that bike had on me....some 15 years later.

In a couple of weeks

I'll be heading to Portland Oregon for my birthday.
I can't wait....the weather looks to be fan-freakin'-tastic.
Shoot me now.

Marxism

That's right.
I'm a Marxist.
Always will be.
Happy Birthday Groucho!

Of course, I can't seem to find the clip I'm looking for.
I'm pretty sure it was when he hosted "You Bet Your Life"
This woman tells him she's the mother of eight & he says, "Eight kids?!?! I enjoy a good cigar but I take it out of my mouth from time to time!"

Mad Men II....Electric Boogaloo!!!

A few weeks ago I bowed to peer pressure and got my hands on the first season of Mad Men.
I'm always a bit leery when I start hearing "You have to see this, blah, blah, blah,you'll love it blah, blah, blah.."
I've been burned before...and again.
The show is crap.
Complete rubbish.
You don't need to spoon feed me 1950's social morays, and I really don't need to be reminded of how "Dangerous" toys were before the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Keep your crummy costume drama....if I want the look and feel of late 50's/early 60's entertainment, I'm perfectly capable of finding it on my own.

Growing up

My favorite pastime was pedaling down to the spot where the local gearheads hung out.
I like to think this particular group of guys let me hang around 'cause I was pretty well behaved, for a little kid.
I kept quiet, took in what I could & most importantly I never touched anything.
It's more than likely, however, that these guys put up with a nerdy 10 year old kid 'cause they were all friends with my father.
Either way, I'm grateful for having been there.
Looking back there's always been something about the cars from that group.
They were always tasteful, especially considering this was the late 70's & early 80's.
It's easy really, and I beat my brains out to this day trying to figure out why more people don't follow the simple
guidelines to a tasteful car.
Keep a stock "Gut" (more later), strong motor, a good sounding exhaust, wheels, and above all else, make sure the car is clean.
In fact, and this will answer some questions for some of you, I distinctly remember being sent home by the guy who owns this car because my bicycle was too dirty.
"Never show up with your rig looking like that!" was his advice.

This past weekend, I ran in to one of the guys from that group of way back when.
Of course, he's still doing it....just the way you're suppose to.

In some social circles....apparently

there's some kind of debate as to whether or not I even exist....which is fine.
I sort of enjoy being enigmatic and as I get older I'm not quite the socialite I once was.
Some would even go so far as to say I'm as elusive as, well, as Bigfoot.
Don't know where they come up with stuff like that.

A game of chance

I'll probably be milking the pictures I took at this year's Alter Boys show all week.
This thing is quickly becoming a favorite local car & I'm dying to know if the owner is on the winning side of the fuel bowl craps game it apparently plays.

Tomorrow!

Ready?
Set?
Go!!!

That's it

I think its over.
The relationship between a certain 1970 Triumph Bonneville and I has run it's course.
I think I'm installing a "For Sale" sign soon.
Anyone want it?
Speak now or forever hold your face.

Decidedly un hip

The Spindles Car Club is one of the older ones in the area & their Labor Day Weekend show is one of the longer running car shows as far as I know, yet I've never seen any of the,"Super Kool, rockerrific, hardKore, 100% living the lifestyle Daddy-O" types there.
Ever.
Sure, it is a bit more "Family" oriented (you could say) and yeah, there is a class of nothing but Corvettes but I'll take that over having to suffer through some lame ass band, listening to some mouth breathing dough head worry about where his next beer is coming from, or cringing every time some douche bag decided it'd be "Super Kool and just like the 50s" to give a flame thrower demonstration with his primered, four door Valiant.

Photobucket

That crappy photo storage site I use to store and re size all the junk I show both of you is giving me fits again.....ssssoooo....you're gonna have to settle for more old photos from the hard drive.
Hopefully I haven't posted any of these yet.
For whatever reason, I want to do all black and white.
Some of these are 10(ish) years old....some are 45(ish) years old.

21 years?!?!?

Christ.
I was always more of a BMX kind of a kid than a skater but there was a time I could be found kicking my Sim's Jeff Phillips model around town.
In fact, I don't think there's a parking lot in Massachusetts' south shore that I haven't been kicked out of.
To this day I will never know what it is about skateboards that gets people so angry.
Today I figured I'd put this now fully functioning scanner to work on my "archives".
Here's Transworld Skateboarding's October 1988 (21 years ago?!?!) article on the little Boston scene.
The title page was a 2 page spread & I have no idea how to make it look like 1...so you'll have to use your imagination.

Friday again?

I know I've been heavy on Youtube again this week but that should all change now that the scanner is up & running.
I saw this movie a few years ago & have the song on a few different compilations, that guitar just knocks me out.
Forget any of these new "So you think 'merka's got talent" or "Sing your ass off" TV shows.
This is better
AN-Duh.....
Way better than Swayze.

*As an after thought, it's taken me most of the day to realize how close this is to "Beat Girl".

A whole new kind of hell

I've got a scanner now.
So with all my free time & over flowing photo albums, you'll all be subjected to pictures from my past.
It has been mentioned to me however, that I really don't have any pictures of people but of their vehicles.
Except this one of me.
I think it's a few years old but judging by the good time I'm apparently having, it must be one of my birthday parties.

You make the call

Is it me or is this 59 Chevy missing a few things?
Namely, a motor, radiator and core support, inner fender wells & bumper brackets?

I'm still trying to figure out is there's even a real frame under the car. I know they have those weird X frames but wouldn't there still be some kind of horn at the front?
And no, my tin foil hat isn't on too tight.

The bright side to Swayze kicking it

is of course, that he won't be able to kill again.
Horrible actor in crap movies.
Seriously.
You can't change my mind on any of this.
Oh!
Uh...and Cain, I'm sorry you lost your action hero.
Here's an early birthday present:

Well, it's not like I didn't try

This has nothing to do with getting my bike running just before the Lars Anderson European Motorcycle Day only to say , "Screw it" and go by car, or completely missing the Ty-rods show again this year.
No.
This has to do with me trying to be a little more open minded when it comes to things like relatively modern music.
Dig! showed up via Netflix & although I'd never heard either The Dandy Warhols or The Brian Jonestown Massacre I have to admit they've got pretty snappy names.
That being said, both of these bands seem to embody everything I hate about new music.
Everything.
I'm not one to condone violence but Antone Newcombe needs a punch in the middle of his face.

I'll stick with listening to music 50 years too late thanks.

Never.....forget?

There's a little chip in my cell phone that tells the police where I am if I dial 911.
You can use Google Map's street view to see exactly what my house looks like.
Boston's subway cards can track your every movement through the city.
There's all kinds of "Savings" and "Membership Rewards Blah, blah, blah" for every retail outlet in the country that no doubt keeps track of your purchases and we can't find ONE Saudi Arabian guy responsible for the deaths of more than 2000 Americans in a single sitting?!?!?
Huh?
Oh...wait....right.
His family is in tight with the Bushs.
Yeah.



Trust your mechanic.

What are kids shows like these days?

Something tells me this kid's kids watch crap.

From the "Why?" Department

I took these probably 10 years ago at the Ty-Rod's Old Timers Reunion and I distinctly remember the comment I heard from the guy behind me, who said.......



"Just goes to show you'll never cut all the ugly off one of them things."