Ryan, if you look at the whole scene as art, which I do, Ed was revolutionary. Based upon that assumption, even the proponents of that theory will agree with the detractors that the quality of "art" went steadily downhill after such-and-such car (The Bandit, in my opinion). But even if you don't buy into the "car-as-art" idea, then I can certainly understand how "real hot rodders" (who would not buy the theory) would consider the whole "goofy car" scene as a big joke that he played on everyone. I knew him pretty well and I can guarantee you that the thought of it all being a joke had probably gone through his mind many times, even if he never expressed it. In conversation, It was impossible to know when he was putting you on.
I peed in roth`s car.On the way to a car show,he wouldn`t stop so I Peed in the car and now somebody ownes the car Roth owned and the car that Franco Peed in lol true story............
Not particularly attractive (read traditional) to my eye for the most part either, but they (Ed Roth's cars) were certainly way out. Way out was what it was about for Big Daddy. I love his artwork! For me it is Tweety Pie, Outlaw and Beatnik Bandit in that order.
Interesting thread. Since I knew Ed since I was born and spent many breakfasts after Church and lots of time at his shop and went to school with three of his sons,i'd say that I knew him better than most of the guys on here,except maybe VonFranco. He was my Godfather and his first wife was my Godmother. I grew up around many of his cars and watched him build a few of them. When I was a kid,the Road Agent was in his garage with laundry piled all over it! I asked him for a ride everytime I went over to his house,but he always said "it's not running". I believed him,cause I was just a kid. I did get a ride on his V8 Trike once. Burning rubber down Slausen Blvd! He was a wild guy. The wishbone was a driver,but it was hard to drive. When he put the shifter in it,he didn't put the pivot above the mount,like in VW's. Instead it had the pivot below the mount so all the gears were reversed pattern! The carbs leaked all over the place,and the front end bounced around like a springer Harley,due the lack of shocks. The front suspension was these long arms welded to the torsion arms from a VW,that were reversed,with spindles on the ends. I don't think he ever intended to drive it very far,maybe from the trailer into a show. I thought it looked cool,but it would have looked alot better with a big Webbered VW motor,instead of the goofy one he put in it. One of you mentioned that it was traded to a guy in Bell,Ca. That's right. It was Darryl Roth,Ed's youngest son. Ed didn't want him to restore it. The pic's you have there are after Darryl re-did it. I followed him from Bell to the old McDonalds in Downey once after he got it running. It was all over the place!!! I guess you can say i'm biased,but that's okay. I loved his cars! The big reason is because in a time when guys were just repainting and customizing exsisting cars,he was building one-off, unique,CRAZY cars! I love ALL of them and would do ANYTHING to own one of them!!! I tried to buy the Druid Princess when Darryl had it and looked for the Road Agent(my favorite)but didn't have any luck. They are WAY out of my price range now that he's gone. Yes,he was a jerk sometimes,and yes he did some bad shit,back in the day. But he was the real deal and danced to his own music! Many guys have built cars in the "Roth Style",some really nice,Atomic Punk comes to mind and the other bubble-top cars. That just lends to the appreciation he brings for his ideas. If you ever happen to see Dennis(Little Daddy)Roth at a show,ask him about the time he spent as a "slave" working on his dads cars! If you can get him to stay focused for more than 5 minutes,that is,LOL!!!!! He's really OUT THERE, too!!!
I saw the Wishbone in Tupelo in 2006... and it didn't do anything for me. I have been skimming through the Ed Roth book in my bathroom too, and after reading it, it seems like Ed didn't design most of his cars himself? Is this the case? From what I remember it seems like most of his cars were based on other peoples sketches, but while building them, Ed allways did some changes during the process. Is this the case?
I'm old enough to remember the Roth cars; even build one or two of the model kits as a kid. I know nothing of the man himself, so can't comment on that. I just thought of him as a wacky designer of cars that were over the top. I never understood the appeal for "RatFink", but to each his own I guess. Lots of weird shit getting designed back then, even by the "majors". But you gotta give Roth credit for being a rebel. My 2 cents.
I was lucky in '88. I met Roth at Rod Powell's Picnic in Monterey back then, along with Von Franco. They were 2 of the most genuinely nice people I've ever met in car culture. I couldn't wait to show Ed my art, and when I did he was brutally honest, which immediately improved my skills double. He told me the right materials to use so my work would stick around "Ya got it all wrong man, that marker inks gonna fade on ya. Here, go get this stuff, (made a list of morilla board, india ink, poster white etc.) then copy this drawing and send it to me. If you do a good enough job maybe I'll have you do some work for me". I was 22. UNREAL. The thing that always bugs me about folks' opinion on Roth is the same thing that bugs me about opinions on Dutch...Every striper I've ever met except 2 get peeved when Dutch's name comes up as the legend. They say, "Well, he might've thought of it, but he wasn't very good at it." Same with Roth, "Well, he might've been completely original and different, but his cars were crap." I didn't grow up with Roth, but I spent a few hundred bucks on phone bills for a while talking with him. He was the best kind of customizer. The pure ideal of customizing and hot rodding...Ed Roth could take any number of things on any time/money budget in any situation and create something fantastic with them. He was influenced by financial survival as well as creativity. He, like Dutch, was a CREATOR. An IDEA MAN. Most importantly though, was his role as a catalyst...Artists like "Newt" Newton and Robert Williams were there to supercharge Roth and vise versa. Ed used to tell me how much he loved developing ideas and watching them grow. The Beatnik Bandit started as an unfinished project by someone else. It wasn't anywhere NEAR as cool (in the original sketch the car had a tall T top etc.) Wether he thought the whole thing up or just part of it, Roth was the "edge". The muscles Ed and Dutch flexed barely get used today in car culture. Now it's a bunch of unreal craftsmen bent on recreating, restoring, welding, fabricating, painting, striping, drawing and marketing "better" than the next guy. Mercs are chopped better. Stripes are straighter. Even the new "Roth" style cars are driveable. Would there be a place for Roth or Dutch on this board today, if they didn't happen to be cornerstones in the foundation of this entire culture? One thing I know. Anybody can learn every skill needed in our culture fairly easily except one...Ed had that "one" DOWN.
There are cars that Roth did that don't quite do it for me, but one thing I've got to say I never looked at one and had the thought "who inspried him to build that one". He WAS his own inspiration. I always thought that his current project was an effort to top the last. i might be wrong but that's the way I viewed it. For my take he could have stopped when the Beatnik Bandit hit the scene. That one was IT, and it remains to this day. I ordered a T shirt from him via a Rod and Cutom ad he had placed. I took a long time detailing what I wanted: '32 coupe, shifter throught the open top, SW gauges, fire out the exhaust, huge slicks, dropped axle, etc, etc. When it came the only thing on it that I asked for was the tall shifter. It was absolutely PERFECT. Frank
Conder,man that was a long time ago lol.But it is so true on what you said.For me hanging out with Roth and Dutch,was the begining of Kustom Kulture,and when they died, so did the real Kustom Kulture.........................
Tim, Franco That was quite a day wasn't it. Ed was absolutley the greatest. This thread is the kind of stuff that keeps me lurking around here. RodP
Joe Henning drew alot of Roth's cars and Ed tried to make them look like the drawing. In regards to the original drawing of the Beatnik Bandit being a tall T, that is correct. Darrel Starbird showed Ed how to make a bubble top. That's why he named his one son Darrel. Ed told me this himself. If you look at Joe Hennings drawings of Orbitron, it looked great. Ed told me he just couldn't get it to look like the drawing.
Exactly my thought as I read it, Tim. BadBob, that's a great story. Thanks for sharing that. What a unique perspective.
I like a lot of Roth's art cars, but that would not be one of them. That thing is hideous. He was right though about a VW being a viable power plant though. A well built hot rod VW motor in the right car will eat small block chevy's for lunch.
I love the Roth stuff, all of it, for the mere fact that most of it has bled into all the aspects of the modern and retro car culture. It sparked my imagination when I was a kid and made me want to learn more about him and his creations, all that led me to learn more about other aspects of car culture. So the wishbone does not look too traditional, one must remember what was in fashion at the time of its creation and what was the norm at the time. Wasn't this about the time of the T-Bucket explosion. Imagine going to show and seeing T after T and then suddenly, this thing pops up! Wow, that is just weird, and it gets your thoughts going. And for the record, I love T-Buckets. This is just an example. Most of his cars must be considered and compared to say, fashion cloting. Most of the clothing can be really weird and make you wonder who would actually wear such crap, but it eventually trickles down into your everyday stuff. Same thing with cars. You see concept cars that are cool and some that are just too damn ugly or weird, but some parts of them eventually get into regular producton down the line. I think his and other custom car builders influenced us more that we know, wether they where building classics or turds, most of our stuff has their DNA somewhere in them. But then again, this is just my crazy opinion
Franco piss in a coveted "Roth Car" Actually Franco I think you just doubled the value of that car! LOL Roth as a "God Father" (In truth I'm jealous) I love the H.A.M.B.! LOL Well said Tim! Also I agree 3 of the nicest guys I ever met in this hobby/life style (!?) as well I Totally respect Ryans opinion cause thats how he relates to this thing we do. And more power to him for his honesty. I like cars you can drive too! But I knew Roth well enough to know he didn't think of himself as a "Fine Artist!" And I believe I understand why too! Al though he did live long enough to see his stuff in Art Galleries & Museums. But being an artist (not necessarily a "Fine Artist" myself) the idea of a car built just to look at doesnt bother me in the least Also for me personally discovering Roth as a child of the 1960's turned me on to a way to live life that I'll never regret as long as I live! Even if I haven't been as successful at it as he was. So I guess I'm way prejudiced about his cars. The Wishbone was cool but I love the Beatnik Bandit best! Despite what I sound like I dont worship the man I just am graetfull for the doors he opened for those who also think that way to go through. Cause back then in the early 1960s the presure to suppress your wilder creativity where I came from was pretty major. Thats all! The way I see it is their is room for a whole spectrum of cool cars from ones you drive the wheels off of, & that you appreciate how well thought out, and put together they are. To ones built just to go fast in a straight line, to ones you just drool over in a car show. And all the combos in between. The main thing is that someone, or small team of folks working with what they have. Put their heart, and sole, and imagination, and skill into it "by hand!" That ties it all together, and makes what we do different than the cars when they role off the assembly line as "products for mass consumption!" Call it art, craft, or just a hobby, It's cool we can gravitate toward the way that fits each of us best, and do that! Ed did it his way, and it works for me
Even though I'm not a big fan of his car builds, his "art", mainly airbrushed T-shirts, have had a big influence on my crap......I only wish I could have met him. Keep the stories comin' guys. Really good stuff to read about!
Back in the early 80's at one of the last World Of Wheels shows here in San Diego, I got to meet Roth for the first time. I scored free tickets to go to the show and to be quite honest about it, that was the only way I could afford to go! I came upon his booth where he was doing shirts along with someone else that was with him. Other than his custom shirts he also had hats and keychains and other trinkets for sale. I only had a few bucks and got one of his Rat Fink hats and keychains. He came over and asked if I saw anything I liked and I pointed out a hat and keychain and asked him if he could autograph the hat for me. He said sure, I can do that! He took the hat over to his airbrush and proceeded to totally brush it up for me! Signe his name and added all kinds of little critters and lines to it! I asked if that was going to cost me more and he just laughed and said no charge. Shook my hand and made a fan out of me for life. The last time I saw him was at a local show here in San Diego held at a shop in Lakeside, he had a booth set up and he was selling his stuff, signing autographs and taking pictures. I walked up to him and introduced myself and told him about that day he totally made my day with that hat. He laughed and said he was glad he made my day, shook my hand and we parted ways. A few months later, he was gone. The hat is long gone, but the memories remain. Thanks Big Daddy
his cars always seemed to be for the under 12 year olds,sorta like bubble gummers,just too far out for me. dont like anything u cant drive,
i to met him in the mid 70s after subscribing to his bike mag choppers he came off to me as a wise ass and not to nice of a fellow do not like his cars?if thats what they were,seemed to me he was aiming at the under 12 year olds
Daddyfink that was me in the booth painting shirts with Ed.The san diego was a crazy show,lots of storys of that one man................
No kiddin'! I remember that the Druid Princess was also there next to the Richard Petty stock car! What year was it? For the life of me I can not remember, I think it was '84 So, what kind of stories?
Man you got me on the year?Here`s one for ya.At that same show Kit from night rider was there too,and I was good friends with one of George Barris`s right hand man named Tubs.This guy was nothin but trouble but in a cool way.So it was sunday taredown time and he asked me if I wanted to go get some food,I said sure and I told him I was with Ed and didn`t have any wheels.So he said lets take Kit, well I said sure.So we go to jack in the box with the car,we pull up to order and got to pay for our food and the lady see`s it the kit car and starts freakin out.She starts saying "is that you in there mr David Hasselhofe" so the car has a mic. in it and he start teasing her ,saying yes but we are in a hurry.Cause this lady was freakin out so much and he didn`t want her coming out and touchin the car and causing a scene.Well it gets better so we pulled out of the drive way and he does a huge burn out in the car and a cop saw us and pulled us over. the cop walks up to the car and tell`s him to rool the window down.Well him beeing a trouble maker say`s to the cop with the mic. no were in a hurry to get back to the studio? im thinking were going to jail lol.Well the cop is getting pissed and he finaly does roll the window down and start bullshiting the cop.Making thing`s worse and here Im sitting wit the food in my lap just thinking about jail.Well he tell`s the cop the truth and tell him he won`d do it again and hands the officer two tickets to get in the show.So we start to take off and he tells me the ticket`s were for that weekend and there were no good and the dumb shit doe`s another burn out.Well you asked for it, my fingers are numb lol.That`s not all that happened that weekend,but it was one of the craziest. Endsville Franco..................................
I liked Roth's stuff cause it was part of the culture.. I never liked the cars..always looked like cartoons to me. Growing up in the 60s..the customs all seemd clumsy..overdone..mostly to shock or show. I liked drag..sports cars..of the era much more. The earlier cleaner traditional styled hotrods..and 50s stylized customs seemed more balanced...more "designed".. Beautiful..elegant..not cartoonish..60's stuff..and Roth's stuff (any era)always..they seemed to yell "Look at me"..