celebrating Robert M. Knight's ROCKIN' photography, with a great automotive tale besides (involving Led Zeppelin)

(above) tinted for effect by the photographer, here is Led Zeppelin arriving

at Honolulu Airport, 5-12-69, about to jump into photog Robert Knight's VW bus

photo copyright Robert M. Knight

(above and two below) Jeff Beck, guitarist extraordinaire and car collector

photos copyright Robert M. Knight

(above) John Lee Hooker, Cadillac man
photo copyright Robert M. Knight

(above) the great Iz, one of Hawaii's musical legends
photo copyright Robert M. Knight

(above) Brothers Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan;

Jimmie, as readers of ROCKIN' know, is a major Texas car guy

photo copyright Robert M. Knight

(above) Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant, 1972

photo copyright Robert M. Knight

(above) John Bonham, Led Zeppelin drummer, 1972

photo copyright Robert M. Knight

(above) Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, 1972

photo copyright Robert M. Knight

(above) the sepia version of the famous Honolulu Airport photo

photo copyright Robert M. Knight

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Noted photographer Robert M. Knight (shown at left, in a portrait taken by his wife, equally-noted photographer Maryanne Bilham, copyright 2004) has shot many of rock's elite, including Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Rod Stewart, Santana, Jeff Beck, and just about anybody who played a significant concert in Hawaii.

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Along the way, he became very close friends with Jeff Beck, and shot Beck on a number of occasions with his hot rod collection at Beck's British estate (that estate is shown in ROCKIN'). And, one of the great automotive-rock stories involves his friendship with the guys in Led Zeppelin. Herewirth, a snippet from LAS VEGAS LIFE, September, 2006 (you can read the full piece at http://www.limelightagency.com/robert_knight/news/news.html):

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"When Knight first visited London, on a journey from his [boyhood home] on Oahu in Hawaii, having earned enough travel credits at age 18, he contacted some friends who were looking after a photo studio where a movie was being shot. He was invited to visit. The film being produced was BLOW UP, the 1966 Michelangelo Antonioni classic about a photographer in swinging London.

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""Everything I witnessed that trip blew my mind," he recalled. "The girls were so cool looking and the music, oh man, it was everywhere, this new raw, rock & roll. I fixated on this band called the Yardbirds and its guitarist Jeff Beck. I said to myself, "This is the crowd I want to run with."

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"Knight returned to Honolulu and befriended local concert promoter Tom Moffatt, who opened the doors to the teenager's first live gig experience. Two of the guys onstage were named Mick and Keith.

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"In 1968, Knight relocated to northern California to attend photography classes at the San Francisco Art Institute. At the same time he wrote a letter to Rolling Stone Magazine editor and founder Jann Wenner--a Hawaii native--offering his services as a photographer. Within the space of a month in San Francisco, he'd been assigned to shoot the Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and Jethro Tull. He even got to shoot Jeff Beck, who was disbanding the old Yardbirds and parting ways with the other guitarist in the group--an axe prodigy named Jimmy Page.

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""I got the tip from Beck that Jimmy's new group, Led Zeppelin, was playing their debut American gig at the Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood," Knight remembered. "Wenner sent me down to shoot the show, but when I got to the venue in the afternoon they wouldn't let me in because I wasn't 21. They called the hotel where the band was staying, the Chateau Marmont, and got Jimmy on the phone. He said, 'Send the kid over.' Knight hung out with the band at their hotel and shot the show. He'd become an unofficial roadie to the quartet that would soon change the face of rock.

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"Knight then rode with Zeppelin from L.A. to San Francisco and shot their Fillmore West performance. He also made a phonecall to his promoter friend Moffatt in Hawaii, hipping him to this brave new band from Britain, and urging him to book a concert in Honolulu immediately.

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"When Zeppelin arrived at the Honolulu Airport on May 12, 1969, Moffatt sent Knight over to the airport to pick up the band. "One of my most famous photographs is Led Zeppelin walking on the tarmac [between their plane and Knight's VW bus], carrying the master tapes of LED ZEPPELIN II, the album they were working on at the time. I drove them around the next couple of days in my VW bus, took 'em surfing, and to restaurants. It was a blast. And I'd finally turned 21!""

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Knight recently signed with the Limelight Agency. He helped develop the Guitar Center's inspired Rockwalk in L.A., and his photos are notably displayed as oversize blowups at nearly 200 Guitar Centers. He's also been associated, recently, with Fender Guitar's plans to tour a museum gallery of rock photography. I hope to interview him in the not too distant future.

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You can read more about Knight's life at http://www.modernguitars.com/archives/000072.html, and view more of his work at http://wwwrobertmknight.com/

Stainboy's ROCKIN' great new book of artwork

(above) cover (and title page) of 'Stainboy" Greg Reinel's excellent new book
(above) poster for traveling film festival, featuring Reinel's fav

Highland Green '68 'GT 'Stang
five-color silkscreen w. metallic ink, edition of 130, 2005
(above and several below) Greg handbuilt his homage out of two
preassembled diecast models, then went for full-on street-worn authenticity
(photos by Paul Grushkin, at a Flatstock-isnpired show in Texas)

(above) five-color silkscreen w. metallic ink, edition of 190, 2006

(above) five-color silkscreen w. metallic ink, edition of 300, 2006

(above) poster by Stainboy Greg Reinel and Jeff Wood at Drowning Creek Studios

nine-color silkscreen w. metallic inks, artist ed. of 1,000, 2006

image courtesy of Galpin Auto Sports

(above) six-color silkscreen, edition of 300, 2003

(above) six-color silkscreen, edition of 150, 2003

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If you're an equal-parts fan of rock and cars, then 'Stainboy' Greg Reinel's new book, VICIOUS INTENT, is made for you. It was published earlier this month by Dark Horse Books, with a foreword by Frank Kozik and a special interview w. Greg conducted by yours truly.

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Kozik makes this observation: "I recommend you mix a good drink, take off your shoulder holster, drop the needle on an LP of good Jazz Flute, and let your eyes melt."

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I could not agree more.

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As many of you already know from the reading ROCKIN', m'boy Stainboy is one of this country's top concert poster artists. And no one that I know meets the criteria of 'rocker' quite like Greg. And on top of all that, he illustrates muscle cars very, very well (he also owns a bad-ass Mustang himself).

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You've also seen many of his newest posters in these blogs over the past two years.

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These days it's not so easy to get retrospective books published. You have to be a good salesman along with being a top artist. Since Greg loves travelin', loves meeting his fans, loves selling his product, that's no problem at all. And I have to commend Dark Horse for doing him proud, 'cause the production color is true throughout.

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Try it, you'll like it. Most comic book stores are stocking the book, along with B&N, Borders, and Amazon. But be sure to get yourself a first edition. Those won't be around very long.

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ROCKIN' with rappers, part two: more MOTOWN excitement with Pontiac and Chrysler

(above) RIDES Mar-Apr, 2008; our man 50 and his new G8, on the cover

(below) with his 2006 Dodge Charger, what prompted his interest in the new Motown

photo by Travis Shinn

(above) Fitty, in the G8, at the Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas, during SEMA week, 2008

(above) not to be outdone, here's Usher in his "Red Light" video,

looking for love in Chrysler's prototype ME 4-12 coupe

(above and three below) Chrysler's ME 4-12: is this really Motown's next wave?

(above) previous to his interest in Pontiacs,

50 Cent owned this MirraChrome(d) Lamborghini Murcielago roadster

photo by Travis Shinn

(above) Alsa Corp's MirraChrome finish, being applied

(above) Fitty and Lloyd Banks, stylin' in that shiny Lambo

photo by Travis Shinn for RIDES

(above) but hey, who's got the illest license plate in the hood? (hint . . . yer blogger)

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You realize of course, that I could meditate on rappers' cars for at least a month. But there are some interesting developments concerning hip hop's recent embrace of the latest Motown product,

which I began noting in my previous blog. Let's start with a few extra tidbits relating to 50 Cent:

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"50 Cent Appears at New York Auto Show, Debuts New Cars & Truck with Pontiac"

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Wed. 19 March 2008. "The Associated Press is reporting that G-Unit boss, 50 Cent, made a surprise appearance at the New York International Auto Show. 50 was there to help Pontiac introduce three of their brand new models to the press. He joined General Motors vice-chairman Bob Lutz on stage to debut two new cars and a two-seater sports truck. Winding Road magazine reported that 50 was apparently impressed by the new Solstice coupe which is a sleek roadster that he says goes faster than a Porsche Boxster. Pontiac also showed off its new G8 GXP and G8 sports truck, and will hold a contest to name the vehicle. The G-Unit king told the crowd that he already owns one of the trucks, and suggested that Pontiac name it "The Curtis.""

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"50 Cent Really Does Like Pontiacs"

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Posted 6-4-07 by Jonathon Ramsey at www.autoblog.com/ : "Remember when we suggested there was no way rapper 50 Cent would choose to put two Pontiacs, the G8 and the G6 GXP, in his video for "Amusement Park"? In fact, we sent so far as to say that you'd have to suspend belief in order to think that Fitty would want his girlz sliding all over Pontiacs instead of Lambo's and Bentleys.

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"Well, we were wrong. What we should have remembered is that rappers work in mysterious ways. According to a Pontiac spokeswoman, 50 saw the G6 GXP--a car that could be called "Flipper" on account of its massive, trunk-mounted fluke--and G8 at the NAIAS, and requested one of each for himself.

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"The last time we heard about 50 being pulled over, it was in a Murcielago roadster, and word is he's selling that along with his Connecticut mansion. Does his new album CURTIS and the recent Pontiac fetish herald a slower, more frugal 50 Cent?"

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"50 Cent Request Buys Charger 'Street Cred'"

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from http://www.detnews.com/ (1-18-05) : "It turns out Snoop Dogg isn't the only hip-hop artist who wants to see a new Chrysler in his garage. Chart-topping rapper 50 Cent made clear last week he's impatient to get a 2006 Dodge Charger, a four-door update of the classic muscle car that made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show last week, and goes on sale this spring. "I need to know what I gotta do to get that Charger," the rapper told Myles Kovacs, publisher of auto customizing magazine DUB, in a telephone message made available to the Detroit News. Chrysler is wasting no time getting 50 Cent what he needs, just as it did last summer when platinum-selling rapper Snoop asked Chrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche for a Chrysler 300 sedan, a move that paid off in reams of publicity. "Chrysler has been savvy about how they have approached the hip-hop community, letting the artists find them rather than chasing after endorsements," said Kovacs."

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"50 Cent Puts Chrome Finish on that Mur-ci-el-ago"

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from http://www.leftlanenews.com/ : "Rapper 50 Cent, the man who "put Lamborghini doors on that Es-co-lade"--has enlisted the help of Alsa Corp. to put a chrome finish on his Lamborghini Murcielago roadster. Alsa specializes in custom finishes for exotic cars."

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"50 Cent Disappointed His Bulletproof Cars Haven't Been Shot At

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from http://www.contactmusic.com/ : "Rapper 50 Cent is disappointed nobody has tried to shoot him while he's been out driving--because he spent $200,000 bulletproofing two of his cars. He recently told Blender magazine, "I have two (bulletproof vehicles), one in New York, one in L.A., and the(bulletproofing) was about 100 grant each. I'm actually disappointed though: nobody's shot me. I spent a lot of money on that s___t."

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Speaking of guns 'n rappers and car stories involving 50 (and editing a segment from his bio at Wikipedia), "50 Cent's popularity started to increase after the release of his successful but controversial underground single, "How to Rob," which he wrote in a half an hour while in a car on the way to a recording studio on May 24, 2000. The song was intended to be released with "Thug Love" featuring Destiny's Child, but two days before he was scheduled to film the video for "Thug Love," 50 Cent was shot, taken to the hospital, and then confined under heavy security for thirteen days. He was attacked by a gunman outside his grandmother's former home in South Jamaica, Queens. He went into a friend's car, but was asked to return to the house to get some jewelry. On returning to the back seat of the car, another car pulled up nearby. An assailant then walked up to 50 Cent's left side with a 9mm handgun and fired nine shots at close range."

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Certainly on a much happier car-related note, another rapper, Usher, recently made noise with one of Chrysler's more obscure products . . . the ME 4-12 . . . seen moving quickly through the streets during the video for the song "Red Light," off the Usher's CONFESSIONS album.

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"It was supposed to be

Just one night

In and out and I'm out the door

So why am I sittin here

At the red light

Drivin round lookin out for her

Lookin out for her."

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According to www.allpar.com/cars/me412.html, (edited chosen bits reprinted here) "Chrysler's ME 4-12 is not a concept car, but a prototype. [Supposedly around 300 units were to be built each year]. largely with carbon, aluminum, and other lightweight metals. The car itself was being built in the United States by Metalcrafters, and we have been told that the lead engineer is from Chryslert and the lead suppliers are from North America--and that this was the outcome of battles with Stuttgart [home of Chrysler's parent, Daimler], which wanted to use European suppliers and engineers. Most of the off-the shelf-parts appear to be from Chrysler, aside from the engine. The transmission seems to be based on Chrysler, Mercedes, and other designs. The ME stands for "mid-engined." The quad-turbo, 850 bhp V-12 powered Chrysler ME 4-12 may in time establish real-world performance records, but interestingly may even now set a record for lightning-quick vehicle development. Styling was done by a young and friendly Chrysler designer, Brian Nielander, who normally designs trucks; he worked directly with engineers and aerodynamics experts to shape the interior and exterior and make sure that the engineers did not make the ME 4-12 'uncomfortable.'"

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Hopefully our man Usher did indeed find the ME 4-12 'suitably comfortable.' Nice video! Now, let's hope 50 Cent puts his newest GM product in his garage through similar paces in upcoming filming.

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Moral of this story, yo . . . at least according to some important rappers . . . Motown lives.

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ROCKIN' the 500 HP Pontiac G8 partnership with rapper 50 Cent (and Unique Autosports)

(above and all below) 50 Cent and his newly customized Pontiac G8,

unveiled at SEMA in Las Vegas and the New York Auto Show

(above) more recently, Fitty with the Sport Truck version

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What with a new professional friendship that's come into play with DJ Funkmaster Flex (a major presence at Hot 97 in NYC, and host of his own impressive car shows all around the country) I've been aiming to blog about many rappers' continued and steadfast interest in Detroit product. Flex runs with Ford, but recently 50 Cent has been hanging with GM's Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, as the newest iterations of Pontiac's G8 sedan and sport truck were introduced at SEMA and the New York Auto Show. Here follow a few excerpts from key articles I spotted.

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From http://ezinearticles.com/ (as penned by Brenda Williams, with my editing for space and clarity): "Curtis Jackson, also known as 50 Cent, loves fast cars. He has put a classic GTO in one of his videos, and is collecting a stable of both new and old performance cars for himself and to put into additional music videos. These include several Lamborghinis and Ferraris, but one of his most recent additions is his take on the Pontiac G8. This new "classic car" from Detroit shows the renewed interest by both car manufacturers and the public in stylish, powerful cars.

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"Generally the cars that are put in music videos need to be dressed up for use in those videos, but sometimes the cars themselves [without significant additional exterior adornment] are themselves worthy of attention. Pontiac is now very happy to have their cars featured in 50 Cent's videos, and the trade-off was that Pontiac asked 50 Cent to be in several of their commercials. The designers of the G8 asked for 50's input on the customization, and he came in with the idea of designing something like an AMG kit, but when he saw the existing car design he was pleased with it primarily "as is." So his personal G8 [shown here] is red with a black racing stripe--but it's a special stripe that gets wider as it flows toward the back of the vehicle.

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"One of 50's observations is that the styling of some recent Detroit cars really is reminiscent of the classic muscle cars of the 1960s and 70s. Only a few alterations in the color scheme, detailing, rims, and size of the tires need to be done to give an even more distinctive look to an already distinctive car."

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From http://www.worldcarfans.com/ : "With lyrics that don't pull punches and themes that are brutally honest, rapper 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) has risen to the top of the hip hop scene. He's also a passionate car enthusiast, with a [relatively recent] penchant for Pontiacs. His video for the song "Amusement Park" featured both the G6 GXP and the G8 concept cars.

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"Now, 50 Cent has teamed up with Pontiac and the New York-based tuner-to-the-stars, Will Castro, and his shop, Unique Autosports (the same shop featured on the television show "Unique Whips"), to build a one-of-a-kind G8 performance sedan. It debuted at the 2007 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

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"Partnering with Pontiac," said Fitty in a recent press release, "has given me the opportunity to create something truly unique--a customized performance vehicle I am really proud of. This G8 is like none other, and it pushes the boundaries of what people think a car can be."

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"This new G8--which will make its way to the dealer groups in early 2008--is thoroughly customized [although not radically reconcepted]. It has custom paint and special exterior details, as well as a re-trimmed interior outfitted with an 800 watt JBL audio system that shakes the ground something fierce.

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"Fitty's G8 is powered by an LSX 427 engine, dyno-tested to more than 500 horsepower and assembled with components available from the GM Performance Parts catalog. The engine uses the durable LSX cylinder block as its foundation. The engine assembly was filled out with a variety of production-based components used on the Corvette Z06's 7.0L LS7 engine, including a forged steel crankshaft, lightweight titanium connecting rods, racing-derived aluminum cylinder heads, and a complete LS7 intake/throttle body/fuel injection system. Detroit-area Thomson Automotive oversaw the assembly, dyno testing, and installation of the engine. From there the car was shipped to Unique Autosports, on New York's Long Island, for the rest of its transformation. That included an all-new Spies Hecker Torch Red exterior paint job with a bold graphic that mimics the shape of Pontiac's "dart" insignia; 22-inch chrome wheels from NC Forged that have a deep-dish, seven-spoke design; low-profile Pirelli Scorpion-Zero tires; tinted glass; and a Borla stainless-steel exhaust system.

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"The most interesting aspect of the project is what we didn't do to the exterior," said Unique's Will Castro. "We didn't add a body kit or spoilers, or lower the car. The G8 already has the right stance and appearance. The only real hint of excess is found inside, where the black leather seats have been retrimmed with perforated red-leather inserts and a 50 Cent/Unique Autosports logo embroidered into the headrests."

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Prior to his partnership with Pontiac on the G8, Fitty was impatient to get his hands on the 2006 Dodge Charger. Chrysler was pivotal in their approach to the hip-hop community--letting the artists find them rather than chasing after endorsements. For example, Snoop Dogg quickly turned on to the Chrysler 300 when it was first released. He quickly spruced that up with suede seats and scissor doors. Then, the company allowed him to use several of their sedans in one of his music videos. Then, rapper Nelly was one of the first to showcase a Dodge Magnum in a video.

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50 Cent's association with Vitaminwater "Formula 50" also paved the way for him to be seen with a tricked-out Ford F-150, as may be viewed at http://www.automotiverhythms.com/coolconversions/fw_2007f1fifty.php.

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Much more on rappers and their love of fine whips in the blog that follows.

a great ROCKIN' knockin'-on-the-van story with the Foo Fighters and HiFi Handgrenades

(above) poster by artist "Chopper." Nice van!!
(above) the HiFi Handgrenades in action
(above and two below) the Foo Fighters in Toronto
photos by Mike Bax

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While I was ruminating about the vans driven by The Beatles' road manager Neil Aspinall, and then reviewing all the great automotive-themed gigposters that surfaced in April, I came across a current (Fall '07) tour poster (above) for the HiFi Handgrenades, who opened for the Foo Fighters on their recent tour. Said to myself . . . "nice van." Then I chanced upon an even nicer van story, written by Sara-Jane Murree and published in the FAZER OnLine Music Magazine, which was part of a review of the two bands' appearance at Toronto's Air Canada Centre on March 22, 2008:

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"At the recent Foo Fighters concert in Toronto," wrote Murree, "Dave Grohl [shown above] told a great story of his early beginnings in the music industry. Back in the late '80s he was in a punk rock band named Scream that was lucky enough to get a gig here in Toronto. The day of their big show, they were so anxious to get on stage that they went into the club several hours before their show started, hoping to get in some extra sound check and rehearsal time.

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"Well, unfortunately for them, the club was alread booked for another event during the day, so the owner sent them out back to their van [in which] they had been living for months. Not having anywhere else to go, Dave and his band sat in their van lamenting their plight when all of a sudden a limo pulled up beside them. The door opened and out walked Iggy Pop who had the club booked out for a release party that afternoon--thus the reason why the guys in Scream were all shooed out of the club.

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"Not being too happy about being given the boot by the club, they all started to dog Iggy a little, calling him a sellout, saying he wasn't punk like them anymore. Unbeknownst to them, Iggy was now approaching their van and, seconds later, surprised them by knocking on their window. It seems he felt like playing a bit for the release party and needed a band to play with him. So they all got to jam with Iggy Pop here in Toronto, in a 'dream-come-true' type moment. For Dave in particular, who remembered how odd it felt, an hour later, to have a record exec offer to get him whatever he wanted to drink or eat, he must of known this was a glimpse into what the future held for him."

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Nice little knockin' to get some rockin' story there.

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Here's Murree's specific review of the HiFi Handgrenades that night:

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"The first opening band for the Foo Fighters on March 22 was the HiFi Handgrenades, which is a melodic punk band from Detroit which played a great set to the incoming crowd. The song "Facing the Firing Squad" really grabbed everyone's attention with its quick "Ramones-inspired" tempo and accessibility. Primarily led by the singer/songwriter and lead guitar talent of John Speck [see photo at the top of this blog], their onstage presence belied their relative newness as a band and was more indicative of the many years they all spent with different groups such as The Fags, Hoarse, and The Suicide Machines. Their first full-length album, Carry On, is due out this spring. It was recorded in the Foo's 606 West Studios where Dave walked in on them recording and offered them a spot on the tour."

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Note that the HiFi'ers also have played with Bad Religion, the Dropkick Murphys, and Billy Talent. They've been compared favorably with the Loved Ones, Superchunk, Naked Raygun, Lawrence Arms, the Replacements, and Against Me! (which was the band that played between the Hi Fi's and the Foo's sets on this tour). Look out for the HiFi Handgrenades on this year's Warped Tour. There are many great photos of them (taken 3-12-08 by Kyle King) at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kyleking79/sets/72157604117555039/

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