Friday, October 1, 2010
GARAGE SALE
On the website store I am going to start selling stuff from my collection, maybe get enough to move to a place where the gov't does require 40% of what I make.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
I am a lot like you...
John Leland & his lecture on "the history of hip" completely miss the relevance of the So. Cal cultural impact.
So. Cal is vast, angry, multicultural, musical, artistically rich & car/bike-centric.
San Francisco is an east coast city on the west coast & Oakland is a midwest city in Cali.
LA & the surrounding area is a unique beast.
In 1927 Louis Goebal opened Jungleland in Thousand Oaks, California, right on the LA/Ventura Co. line.
The pictures in the previous post are of me & my cousins at Jungleland in January of 1969, when I was 2 1/2 years old. It closed in October of that same year.
I delivered the "News Chronicle" to Mr. Goebels front porch & used his overgrown "Hollywood Zoo" as my own personal playground. It was history to me, the fact that Tarzan & Robinhood were filmed there or Jane Mansfield's kid got his arm chewed by a lion, meant nothing me.
It was ours, our turf, hang out, a free skate park.
The Z-Boyz tagged the bowls we skated, perfectly smooth vast undulating tracks of cement, where alligators, sea lions & ducks once ruled.
While surfing may have had a Zen effect on those living in Hawaii or No. Cal, it was mean & territorial in So Cal.
Car Culture & Vatos, Surfing & Skating, Punk Rock & Hollywood, all left a scar on my personality, that makes me relate immediately with a Jason or a Cole.
Is it real or unique, better or special, more clever or neat than any other growing up experience? I think not, but it is mine & when watered down & commercialized by those reminiscing about a past that is not their own for the sake of selling a clothing line, it is surreal & brings out that angry, territorial tendency ingrained in me, since my youth.
"Stay off that knee" said Dr. MaGee
At home recovering.
Will I do it again, I tell you now, "never", in a month, "perhaps", by next year... I'll sign up.
I participated in an event that was a character builder at the very least.
The milage was boring in comparison to the crucible of personalities brewing in the late night hours.
During the day magnetos & hopes were fried.
The night, tantrums & wrenches thrown.
Riders with perfect scores lied & cheated as people with only a few hundred miles clocked proved to be inspiring to all.
Some where flown home under doctor's orders & others let their own poor sportsmanship pay for their flight.
The very same act was performed with perfect nuance by some & total hypocrisy by others.
I'm sure I drove people to near murder with my personality, but I also gained life long friends & fiends.
Among the newly beloved, and only at the very moment I publish this post will I remember the names I neglect, are;
Moe, Steve, Sean, Goose, Eric, Dale, "Bill's daughters", The Jersey Devil, Doug, Dave, Joe, The Motormaids &...
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Good times & bad times
We also arrived just seconds after Matt Olsen went down, & took him to hospital, he is a champ & with lots of cuts, a broken nose & arm is my hero.
Your humble narrator
Not quite last place but close.
This allows a freedom to share events as they are.
The riding is a constant monitoring of advance & retard, oil drip & worry that I may destroy a original paint machine worth more than I am.
Blew my knee out on day two, but pulled off a 280 & 300 mile day back to back... brutal.
As I limp with my shot knee, I idolize the Jersey Devil with one leg who has twisted two rods & made a third from a tractor store, an over night complete motor rebuild.
I have seen heroes in one night work magic that professions charge us thousands & take months to do...
I will put coherent thoughts together later, but for over two weeks I have been living on sloppy joes & 2 hours of sleep, Not at my prime.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
NEIGHBORHOOD underwear model
This is my son Cary & this post is wrong on many levels.Child exploitation.
Material for creeps.
But really, what a beautiful boy!
I never looked this good & it is a good thing, as I would be just like one of those over tanned old greasy Euro beach bums who live in a speedo.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
All noteworthy style is based in racing
Throw lights on the WR & you have a perfectly trendy bobber.
Looking at a DAH hill climber or CAC speedway machine, one see cues that are clumsily incorporated into poorly executed gimmick customs.Yet from nonsensical sparkle paints of sixties drag racing machines to simply stripping off dead weight from a stock bike, the essence of a lean, purpose built racer emerges.
The reason builders fail so often is they try to reinvent the century old bicycle's line & proportion.
A quick gander at sophisticated Tour de France cycle is virtually an unchanged silhouette of it's 100+ year progenitor.
The motorcycle began to build momentum as viable vehicle as novelty pace machines at Velodrome events. They were instant crowd pleasers & soon evolved into board track racers.
Remember this heritage, and use that inspiration accordingly.
We all know what happens when cues from the automotive industry sneak in.
A windshield really works, a stereo is very enjoyable, seat warmers are great, cup holders make sense, cruise control is nice, but if you need those things and crave the wind in your hair, roll your windows down & sun roof back. Do you and your motorcycle a favor, and park it til' the weather suits your clothes.
I understand that if you live in a wealthy country that has a season of no light for months, you'll get bored, & spend time with friends in your shop trying to not go stir crazy. If you are so original that you invent the square wheel, you will win an award in a custom motorcycle show.
But please be weary, I have been a judge at these shows and I know, me and my fellows were picked for political reasons and not because we understood, respected or knew anything about design. Three years in a row I was asked to judge a show, where I was given a judging criteria guideline. 10 sections worth 10 points each.
Paint-10 points
Plaiting-10 points
Wiring-10 points
Design-10 points... wait, design 10 points, really equal to wiring & plating... yes!
Yes, this means a complete turd with expensive finishing details, will every time defeat, line, proportion, nuance and stance.
At the Legend of the Motorcycle event, I was asked to give my own award, this I did, on my terms. I would not be required to attend any judges meeting, could pick without qualification or explanation. I walked the field and made snap decisions which were the absolute right choice.
Please remember there is a bigger gap between art & design than most think.
The Guggenheim received a million dollar grant from BMW to promote the motorcycle as art.
A bike becomes pop art, at it's worst, when it no longer functions and is based on a light hearted theme.
A well designed bike still functions. It starts, stops, turns, is balanced(literally), is aesthetically pleasing & is not laden with gadgets that serve little purpose. The human form should jive with the bike harmoniously & going down the road it should be more meaningful than when parked.
Strong design works well and looks good.
Before I step down from my soap box, I must say sharp objects on a bike have never been a good idea. You are a dumb ass not a bad ass. A short sharp sissy like Poseidon's Fork is just plain ridiculous.
Friday, August 20, 2010
looking up & down
So over loaded by Vegas lights, I started looking down.Found 100's of new 3/8 studs, don't need them, but couldn't leave them there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)