This just in! ROCKIN's featured (10 pages!!) in THE RODDERS JOURNAL issue #35

Have you heard the news? There's good rockin' tonite!

Steve Coonan and Chris McCreary at THE RODDERS JOURNAL were hugely helpful to me in creating key spreads (as in the LoneStar Roundup write-up) in ROCKIN'. Then, they went a step further and honored the book in TRJ itself.

Issue #35 is shipping now. One of the cover stories is Eric Clapton's newest ride, a '32 Ford Victoria. TRJ gave ROCKIN' ten full pages.

If you don't already know, TRJ is the most prestigious rod & custom publication in the world. It's the brainchild of publisher Steve Coonan, who's also one of the top three automotive photographers. In fact, he might be number one. Point is, it's a great, great honor and I'm very grateful for the interest and the exposure.

Check it out! Enjoy! Let Steve know you read the piece.

ROCKIN' with poster artist Dirk Fowler by way of the Marfa Lights

Rock concert poster artist Dirk Fowler, who's also a professor at Texas Tech in Lubbock (birthplace of Buddy Holly), just send me one of his newest pieces, done for Jeff Tweedy (Uncle Tupelo, Wilco) at Liberty Hall in Marfa, TX.

Being that I'm huge into trucks (I'm a founding member of the American Truck Historical Society) . . . and rock . . . this poster was perfect for me. I complimented Dirk on the day-glo truck headlights, not knowing the story involved.

Which is . . .

Marfa is located in the high desert of far West Texas (population 2,121 at the 2000 census). It's located between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park, and was a location during WW II for training army pilots (the abandoned site is still visible ten miles east of the city). However, Marfa is most famous for the Marfa Lights, visible every clear night between Marfa and the Paisano Pass when one is facing southwest towards the Chinati Mountains.

According to Wikipedia and the Handbook of Texas Online, "at times the lights move about, split apart, melt together, disappear and reappear."

Hmmmmmmmmm. UFOs!!!

According to legend, Presidio County residents have watched the lights for well over a hundred years, with an early first-hand report generated by a young cowhand in 1883. Presidio County has built a viewing station nine miles east of town, on US 67, and every year enthusiasts gather for the annual Marfa Lights Festival. You may have seen this phenomena in the television show Unsolved Mysteries. The film Giant, starring James Dean, was made in and around Marfa and the dry plains extending in every direction.

As for Mr. Tweedy, he formed cowpunk band The Primitives with his high school friend Jay Farrar, and they changed the band's name to Uncle Tupelo in 1987. In 1995, Tweedy formed Wilco with John Stirratt, Max Johnston, and Ken Coomer. Among the classic rock songs about cars there's Wilco's "Passenger Side," released on their A.M. album.

soon to be ROCKIN' once more with the restored Monkeemobile--this time at the Sacramento Autorama

Mike Gray and his team at Sacramento's Advanced Restoration did one hella nice job bringing the original Monkeemobile back to show quality. The car was originally designed by Dean Jeffries, then (once the TV show concluded) it was purchased and exhibited by George Barris.

At the Grand National Mike showed me a series of some one hundred photos detailing the dis-assembly and the restoration. Absolutely riveting to see the process involved. Stop by and chat with Mike--he'll fill you in on the details of what turned out to be a $300,000 job! In due course, also go to www.advancedrestorations.com and check out all the step-by-step restorations shown there--hugely informative.

I'll be at the Sacramento Autorama this weekend, selling and signing ROCKIN' books at a booth in the main arena which I'll again share with pinstriper Herb Martinez. It's likely ROCKIN's book designer, Brent Rector, will be making a guest appearance as well, since his studio, FUEL Creative, also is located in Sacramento.

Stop by, say hi, get a book signed (if you don't already have one).

ROCKIN' the hokey-pokey at the Grand National

as the song sez . . . "you do the hokey-pokey and you turn yourself around, THAT's what it's all about."

ROCKIN' with over-the-road journalists Ken Gross and Jerry Dixey

Two of ROCKIN's key advocates are automotive journalists Jerry Dixey (in blue jacket here) and Ken Gross.

Jerry writes primarily for Street Rodder, and has been the 'lead participant', blogger, and writer/photographer associated with each of the (so far, six and counting) legendary Street Rodder Road Tours. For an informed look at Jerry's mania, check out The Rodders Journal issue #34 where you'll learn what it's like to see the USA by way of logging almost 300,000 miles behind the wheel of a hot rod. (see small photo above, where Jerry heads for Pikes Peak in Colorado). For a list of the 2007 tour stops, check out www.streetrodderweb.com.

At some time in your life you must meet Jerry if you want to understand the term "enthusiastic gearhead." He is that and more.

Ken, distinguished and erudite, is contributing auto editor for Playboy, Robb Report and Hemispheres, among much, much else. He travels the world--literally--behind the wheel of exotic cars that call out his name, and reports with great insight on his discoveries and revelations. Most recently he wrote about the '32 Ford "Deuce" 75th anniversary (many of the 75 cars honored were exhibited at the Grand National) for www.edmunds.com/insideline. There you'll also see highly detailed mini-pieces on each of these pathbreaking rides, including one on renowned musician Jeff Beck's traditionally styled, unchopped 3-window (which Roy Brizio built for him in 1999, pictured here).

For me personally it's a great honor to know that both Jerry and Ken feel I did my homework on ROCKIN' and made a significant contribution to automotive arts-and-letters.

ROCKIN' with with friends and acquaintances at the Grand National

All of a sudden, Abe Bradshaw and Nicole (his wife? his girlfriend?) showed up at my booth at the Grand National. We'd never met before, but we were instantly connected by way of the book. Abe and Nicole told me they had just bought a copy, and while they were visiting Southern California on business the book's subject matter connected them with the Grand National. And so they came to the Fairplex in Pomona to see the Deuce's 75th Anniversary exhibit along with the way-out customs and the zany rat rods.

Abe runs a record label in Brooklyn, NY--2Minutes59.com. I really don't know much about it, or which bands are are on it, but I related to Abe and Nicole in a big way. This is what I'm into too: rock music. cars. And the business surrounding both. And I plan to follow up to see what Abe's created and check out the music he's representing.

While I was happily getting to know the two of them, Larry Erickson and Dan Quarnstrom suddenly appeared (you read about them in the previous blog). Within minutes Larry, Nicole, and Abe were sharing stories (as above). Larry, who's as good as a professor on the subject of car design, was engaging them as only he can do. It was a huge pleasure watching new acquaintances hook up with someone I respect hugely.

It's what this book has been about right from the beginning: Friendship. Knowledge. Appreciation for some of the really great things in life. In other words, Kustom Kulture.

ROCKIN' with "the car 'n art guys from Cloverdale" at the Grand National

note: click on each image to enlarge.

Larry Erickson (in the striped shirt) and Dan Quarnstrom both hail from the small town of Cloverdale, CA, "the gateway to Mendocino County" north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Larry is now a chief designer at Ford's Strategic Design Group in Detroit; Dan currently is working with Sony on an upcoming animated feature (previously he was the creative director at Rhythm & Hues, one of the country's top computer animation / visual effects houses).

These two guys share an intertwined history. They met while Dan was at Art Center (Hollywood) and when Larry was preparing to go to Art Center. Both were "early scribblers" who have loved hot rods and custom cars all their lives, and Dan's career was hugely inspired by San Francisco's psychedelic music of the late '60s (having been turned on by the lettering on Quicksilver Messenger Service's first LP, then seeing the famous "Joint Show" in 1967 that in one gallery setting featured spectacular, original art by Rick Griffin, Victor Moscoso, Wes Wilson, Stanley Mouse, and Alton Kelley).

Larry, who has had much to do with the redesign of the modern-era Ford Mustang, later collaborated with Billy F Gibbons on CadZZilla (prominently featured over six pages in ROCKIN') and Dan did the two inspired Johnny Reno pieces (the invite is on page 46--the 'flagman', and the poster is on page 59--the 'blown rod').

The Johnny Reno pieces were produced at Hatch Show Print, the country's oldest letterpress print shop. Dan has promised to show me the actual "cuts" (the blocks) used to print the invite and the poster, as he knows I'm a student of printing history, as was my Dad.

It was fun, and an honor as well, to see Larry, a Hall of Fame inductee himself in 2004, show ROCKIN' to prominent attendees at the Grand National's Hall of Fame luncheon such as Dave Boule (shown here with Larry), who's with PCG-Campbell specialty marketing.

We'll hear from both Larry and Dan in future blogs. The beat goes on!

auctioning off ROCKIN' for charity at the Grand National

I donated a copy of ROCKIN' for the charity auction at the pinstriper's reunion at the Grand National on Saturday. It was much appreciated, but by far the treasures were all the fabulously pinstriped pieces, including that rocking horse. The money raised went to a key battered womens shelter in SoCal.

Dena, pinstriper Jimmy C's wife, kept us all focused on the event, as Herb Martinez, whom you met earlier in the blog, will attest (!!!).

ROCKIN' on Saturday morning with the SoCal Road Devils at the Grand National

I first met the Road Devils (a car club with roots going back to 1946) in Ohio, through rock poster artist Mike Martin. We drove out to president Patrick Brown's house in rural Ohio and there I met Big Jon, Face, and Josh. It was a great hang, and I included photos from that day in ROCKIN' (page 204).

On Saturday at the Grand National I arrived kinda early. The problem with running a booth is that you see everything that comes in front of your booth, but sometimes not much else (especially not the cars in the other buildings). So Saturday morning was a chance for me to walk around outside before the buildings opened. That's when someone shouted, "Hey, Paul." It was one of the Road Devils, SoCal chapter, whom I met at the booksigning at the Petersen Museum in December with Mike Ness.

So for the next half hour or so I admired the rods and customs they brought and we talked about some of my adventures since the Petersen event. Spontaneously, I asked if they'd sign a special copy of ROCKIN' that I tote around. They very kindly did--so big thanks to Ray, Jason, Chuck & Robin, Aaron, Jimmy, George, Chris, Lefty, and John.

Along with the Devils on page right, note such signatures as Stanley Mouse's on page left, along with Big Slice's and a hundred others. Good mojo. Good juju. Reminds me everyday that the book is all about the people--the people who love cars and rock & roll equally, and with great passion.

also note: the chapter photo they lent me was taken at an earlier event.

more Herb Martinez in action

note: click on each image to enlarge.

ROCKIN' with esteemed pinstriper Herb Martinez at the Grand National

Herb Martinez and I shared the "Battle of the Hot Rod Books" booth at the Grand National Roadster Show. I figger we met about 5,000 people between us.

Herb was autographing his two books: PINSTRIPE PLANET (Motorbooks) and HERB MARTINEZ'S GUIDE TO PINSTRIPING (Krause Publications). The first introduces you to the world of pinstripers, from historic figures like Tommy the Greek (Herb's mentor), Ed Roth, Von Dutch, and Dean Jeffries, to currently well established names like Jimmy C, "Wildman" Ishii, Makoto, and Neil Meillard, and young turks like Dirty Donny, Simon Watts, and Skratch--to name only a few.

GUIDE TO PINSTRIPING is long overdue. Until now, it was difficult to find even a classic guide on the subject. Now, it's a matter only of how confident you are--are you willing to take up 'dances with brushes'?

Herb has been pinstriping vehicles for decades, having learned his trade during a long apprenticeship with some of the best customizers in both Northern and Southern California. He grew up in Oakland, CA and at age 12 a neighbor showed him how to hold a pinstriping brush. His first official work began at the Oakland Roadster Show in 1960.

I should add that Herb and I formally met at the TRPS rock art show, where we both realized we were kindred spirits. My ART OF ROCK has been a bible for him ever since it was published in 1987. Both of us are unabashed fans of the great pen-wielders like Stanley Mouse, Rick Griffin, David Singer, and Victor Moscoso

Hundreds of people watched Herb in action this past weekend, pinstriping cars like this one owned by Rich Guasco. "Pure Hell" is a 1929 roadster which won the prestigious "America's Most Beautiful Roadster" award in 1961. The name also is synonymous with Guasco's other drag racing cars. This one's painted in 'Pure Hell Purple,' and was aching for a master prinstriping.

My Dad, book designer Philip Grushkin, was a revered calligrapher. I watched him execute exquisite lines throughout his life. Not very different from pinstriping. The thing I learned about watching both my Dad and Herb perform their eye-to-brain-to-hand magic is . . . it's all about an understanding of zen.

ROCKIN' with the Fabulous Jimmie Vaughan at the Grand National

Jimmie Vaughan stopped by my booth at the Grand National on Sunday to pay respects to the ROCKIN' book. He also wanted to point out that I'd neglected to include the 1982 "T-Bird Rhythm" LP cover art in the material I'd devoted to him. He was of course right (although, in my defense, I'd have to say that isn't my favorite photo of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, so that's why I likely overlooked it). I prefer the boys a little more slicked up, Chicago-style.

But it's also true that "T-Bird Rhythm" is a fabulous album of fortified and funkafied Texas and Gulf Coast blues. Nick Lowe, of Rockpile fame, was the producer.

Jimmie's '54 Ford pictured here won a nice award at the Grand National. Unlike some rockers who tend to hide their presence, Jimmie was everywhere, admiring all the great creations.

Hopefully I'll be at the Lone Star Round Up in Austin, TX not too long from now, and will finally hear Jimmie playing Steve Wertheimer's legendary Continental Club. Now THAT will be a butt-rockin' night, for sure.

ROCKIN' and makin' friends at the Grand National Roadster Show, Pomona, CA

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note: click on each image to enlarge.
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What an outstanding weekend!

I sold and autographed nearly a hundred copies of ROCKIN' this past weekend at the Grand National Roadster Show, "The Grand Daddy of Them All" (originally held in the Bay Area, now in its 58th year, and the fourth at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA under the direction of John Buck Enterprises). Nearly 150,000 people apparently attended on Saturday alone.

This show also featured the "75 Most Significant '32 (Deuce) Hot Rods," coordinated by, among others, Larry Erickson (senior designer at Ford, and designer of the Billy F Gibbons "CadZZilla" featured in ROCKIN') and Greg Sharp, historian and curator at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum (also located at the Fairplex).

I met hundreds and hundreds of gearheads and rockers. Let me introduce you to four fine gentlemen.

Mike "Woody" Atwood (shown here in front of Rich Guasco's 1961 AMBR-winning rod) is the Captain of the Saucony Pacers Elite Development Racing Team, out of Chino Hills-Glendora, CA. He's also assistant manager of the Pacers Running Company, and a grad student in education-kinesiology-physical education. He and the team are gunning for the USATF club national championships. You can read more about Mike at www.PacersRunningCompany.com. He's also a longtime Mike Ness/Social Distortion fan as you can see, and has the shirt (and now the book) to prove it!

Mike Szuba is a member of the informally named "Rusty Nuts" car club back in Maryland, running a '47 Ford. He's also founder and director of the Jalopyrama event in Glen Burnie, MD, held annually to raise funds for the Providence Center in Arnold, MD which assists 450 developmentally disabled adults each day. You can learn more at www.jalopyrama.com. After Mike purchased his copy, I spontaneously decided to donate a book to this worthy cause, and Mike spontaneously asked me to sign his shirt, which I did there on his shoulder (he has the signatures of many famous rodders and drag racers all over the shirt as well).

Frank Schaefer (left) and Pete Hold (right) suddenly appeared before me, ranting and taxing me about an obscure song called "Hot Rod Queen," waxed by the very obscure Roy Tann in 1957. The song appears on the rarely seen and hard-to-find "Chrome, Smoke & Fire" picture disc set (1991) on the Blast First label that's a compilation of the best hot rod records as hand picked by artist Robert Williams (and all four sides are shown in ROCKIN'). Note to Frank: Tann also recorded the even more obscure "Your Driver's License Please."

PS, that's my booth you see. I shared it with legendary pinstriper and esteemed author Herb Martinez, and yes, it was a royal 'battle of the hot rod books.'

Much more in the next several blogs about my great, good time ROCKIN' at the Grand National.

ROCKIN' soon in THE RODDER'S JOURNAL (February-shipping issue a-comin')

Attention everyone who'll be at the Grand National Roadster Show this weekend at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA.

Please stop over at THE RODDER'S JOURNAL booth and ask to see the new issue shipping the first of February. It's got eight pages on ROCKIN'.

THE RODDER'S JOURNAL is absolutely the finest modern-era publication devoted to rodding, custom cars, and drag racing. I'm honored to be in it, and will share more with you about it in the next week or so.

Let's get ROCKIN' at the Grand National Roadster Show at the LA County Fairplex in Pomona this weekend!

I'll be selling and autographing ROCKIN' DOWN THE HIGHWAY books at the Grand National Roadster Show January 26 - 28 at the LA County Fairplex in Pomona. Come by, say hi, get your book signed!

Address:
LA COUNTY FAIRPLEX
1101 West McKinley Ave.
Pomona, CA

My booth, which I'm sharing with pinstriper Herb Martinez (author of several books, including PINSTRIPE PLANET), is in Building 4 (Main Hall), space 264, near the stage and the ladies bathroom (!).

Here are the hours I'll be there:

Friday Jan. 26th:
2 pm - 5 pm; 6 pm - 9 pm

Saturday Jan. 27th
10 am - 1 pm; 2 pm - 5 pm;
and 6 pm - 9 pm

Sunday Jan. 28th
10 am - 1 pm; 2 pm - 3 pm

The Grand National, produced by John Buck Enterprises, is the oldest running indoor hot rod show in the nation. It's back for its third year at the Fairplex, although it's actually in it's 57th year (with roots in Northern California).

Watch this blog for lots of great photos!

ROCKIN' honoured as 'Book of the Month' in January '07 OCTANE Magazine (UK)

The prestigious OCTANE Magazine (published in the UK) honored (or, honoured) ROCKIN' by naming it "Book of the Month" in the January, 2007 issue (#43).

It's hard to put into words what this means to me. For a time (before I got on to Fast Freddie Lorenzen of mid-'60s NASCAR fame and the great A/Gas and C/Gas competition drag coupes of Stone/Woods/Cook and Big John Mazmanian) I was a UK buff, growing up first as a huge fan of Jim Clark, the great Formula One driver for the Lotus team. I read--avidly, cover to cover--all the sports car magazines I could find in Englewood, NJ, rooted for the Ford GT's to beat the Ferraris at Le Mans, and if you asked me in high school what car I most wanted to drive, it probably would have been the Austin Healey 3000.

So to see my book reviewed alongside columns by Jay Leno and Nick Mason (of Pink Floyd), and interspersed with features on . . .

. . . Richard Petty; the Lotus Cortina; the long-lost "Serenissima" Ferrari-like street racer; and the cover story on all the aircooled Porsche 911's . . .

plus

. . . a huge and authoritative review of cars in films and a nostalgic look at Wellington boots . . .

plus

. . . reviews of books from all over the world ("The Incredible Blitzen Benz;" "The Jaguar XK120;" "British Mini Racing") and all those incredibly mouthwatering British ads . . .

well, gosh.

ROCKIN's editor, Dennis Pernu, also pointed out that the reviewer not only completely 'got it,' he saw the book as "a John Peel radio show on paper." Now that is a special comment indeed, because Peel was England's greatest DJ, a man of the most electic and informed tastes. By the time the review got to saying, "loud, thrilling, and utterly engrossing," well, it had me at John Peel.

I hope you can find OCTANE at your local bookstore's magazine rack. You'll see exactly why I'm so proud as hell of ROCKIN' and the friends it's made . . . and now, being seen, in such a nice light, across the pond.

ROCKIN' with Ann Arbor, MI's Commander Cody and Jean Jennings, now President of AUTOMOBILE Magazine

Jean Jennings, one of the most influential members of the automotive journalism community--longtime editor, now President, of AUTOMOBILE Magazine--penned her entire February column on ROCKIN'.

She began by writing, "It's heartening to know that there are others out there in the world with a love of music so completely intertwined with a love of cars that you can't tell where or when one stops and the other begins."

We met over the phone just before Christmas, when she'd received her copy of the book. She talked my ear off about Commander Cody and The Lost Planet Airmen, as they were of course originally from Ann Arbor, MI (where AUTOMOBILE is headquartered).

She and I swapped stories (or, in Jean's words, "free-associated") for the better part of an hour. I told her about my standing a foot away from the stage at back-to-back Cody and Asleep at the Wheel sets at Homer's Warehouse in East Palo Alto, CA in the early '70s. Nothing could be finer. But she also knew George Frayne (Cody) was a fine artist, as was his late brother Chris who did so many of the Cody band posters and album covers (as shown in the book, and recalled in Jean's column).

Jean is a true-blue rocker. You'll have to read the entire piece to see why. But for now, let me say that she totally understood the entire point of the book, which is captured in the immortal psychedelic-era saying (highlighted at the bottom of her column) . . .

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHEN YOU GOT ON THE BUS, IT'S THAT YOU GOT ON THE BUS.

The emphasis points are all mine (Jean Jennings and Dennis Pernu, my editor, both place the accent on THAT). But it's all the same thought . . . to get on that bus, whenever you got on the bus, you gotta be a rocker.

Sista boogie-woman Jean Jennings, thank you for remembering what it was ALWAYS all about.

Grushkin soon (!!) to be ROCKIN the streets of Philadelphia with Rich Brigidi

Rich Brigidi just got in touch with me!

Many of you who read the Bob Frump-penned piece in ROCKIN' (pages 164 - 165) about Rich's awesome Olds 442, the baddest street racer in Philly (and, in my humble opinion, the epitome of what Bruce Springsteen was singing about in "Racing in the Street") have asked me, "does Rich still have the car?"

The answer is a resounding YES. But there's a twist!

"Paul, my friend, you've written a soulful book," Rich recently wrote me. "You--just like Bob--deserve to climb in that bad boy and hear it fire up. I'll gladly accept your advanced reservation for a ride in the Olds. But did I mention there's a 2007 Shelby sitting next to it?"

Ah, decisions, decisions!

Rich also apologized for bringing up the next thought that would likely come into my mind. "See, I got another caption for these pics. I wish I could say that I thought of it, but I didn't. I saw it on a poster. How's this . . ?"

FOR ERECTIONS LASTING MORE THAN FOUR HOURS, CONSULT A PHYSICIAN.

Grushkin's ROCKIN' walk-thru at the SF Rod, Custom & Motorcycle Show

Didn't have time to do much walking around, but "these were a few of my favorite things."

The winner . . . (top photo) The Rick Dore-created '57 Cadillac roadster, with paint by Marcos Garcia, Lucky 7 Customs (Trendsetter of the Year). Now, I would climb into that in a heartbeat.

ROCKIN' with Cole Foster of Salinas Boys Customs, at the SF Rod, Custom & Motorcycle Show

Cole Foster and I finally met! I'd been admiring his work for years. Suddenly there he was in front of me at my set-up at the SF Rod & Custom show. It was a nice, nice moment.

Many of you rockers know Cole led the collaboration on Mike Ness' '54 Chevy custom (shown here, and also the car Mike's driving in the photo on the book's foreword page, taken by his wife Christine). Cole lowered the car, later dropped in a 327 with a powerglide, re-worked the front suspension, smoothed the firewall, and chopped the top. Later it went off to Marcos Garcia's Lucky 7 shop in Antioch, CA for its killer paint job.

It's said that Cole "creates cars that are so clean they don't have lines--they simply flow." He's built customs and bikes for guys like Sammy Hagar, and is very well known for constructing Kirk Hammett's '36 Ford (shown on ROCKIN's page 232 in bare metal).

You can read lots more about Cole in Gearhead Magazine #14.