I'm going to guess it was around 1997. That was the year that I first met Dennis McPhail. I had been running The Jalopy Journal and the H.A.M.B. for a few years by then, but I was doing so in a complete vacuum. Living in Norman, Oklahoma where there... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! Great story and interview. Dennis seems like such a great guy and extremely driven, so cool!! Thanx Ryan for the great work!! The pictures are great too!!! Ian
Fantastic story and interview....I have always been a huge fan of McPhail's art and his cars...it's so cool to see the bumps, turns and forks in the road that shape a person's passions, talents, style and life. Dennis certainly has rubbed shoulders with some real legends of the hobby and is now fulfilling that role himself.
I met Dennis when he was in need of an engine for his hot-rod. Voo-Doo Jim told him I was a Pro !!! Must have been around 1999 !! >>>>.
McPhail Sucks! Amazing talent Dennis... and it was a pleasure to meet you last year.... Candyman bought a piece of dennis's art last year from the Kontinental gallery.. I just stare at it for hours when I visit his house.... I gotta get me one of them stickers.....
I am proud to call Dennis my friend, amazing talent. He came to my house in 01 and laid out the panel paint on the Futurian after I had gone through countless rolls of fine line and couldnt get it. Great guy
Great story and pic's. I really liked his story of taking his 2nd roadster to the HAMB drags and racing it that he posted here 2 or 3 years ago. A great artist. Gary
Very cool interview. I have a great deal of respect for him and his work and for people that do what they love for a living.
No way in hell I would call him "Mr. Fruity Pants" ...you'd end up with a brass knuckle tat on your fivehead. Great story, I really enjoyed reading it.
Great interview, one of the folks that makes life less boring. Thanks Ryan, and thanks Dennis for giving us peak into Koolsville.
I was a John Trentons house in 01' he had a bunch of McPhail stuff, it was so cool! I went home and got on his website, ordered up a bunch of stuff! They sent me a extra poster with my order!!! It is all framed and in my shop still to this day! Next I want to get tattooed by him!
Seems like a cool guy. Man I can't believe he's already ditched the Chevy, that thing was badass! Dennis, if you're serious about building a '57 Plymouth, let me know. I know of several "good ones" for sale right now and the market is soft...
McPhail Sucks!!! Ya know, Ryan, I think that Ft. Smith was the first time I met Dennis too. Maybe it was a year or two earlier. I still remember the "deathly pale" color of your face in the "office" of the Go Away. If you get a chance to get your hands on an "OG" McPhail, do it. I've got one in my office I look at every day.
Great read. In 1996 I bought a couple things from him at the KKOA Spectacular in Hamilton,OH. Great guy to talk to and I still have those two posters in my hobby room.
"I don’t want to be finished with this one soon" I like that quote... I think a lot of people 'round here are like that. I started buying Street Rodder back when McPhail's art started showing up in them... What was that, late 80's early 90's? Still have those issues.
So, I'm sitting there at the Go Away Garage... Dennis is fucking digging three inches deep in my skin to inject some foreign substance (that's how it felt anyway) and I'm thinking, "This is bizarre. Am I doing this? My parents are going to kill me!" And what happened next? A transexual dude/broad randomly walks in the shop, takes his/her own personal tour, and then walks out. Mitch, Dennis, and everyone else in the shop just went about their business acting like it was nothing out of the ordinary at all. I also almost fainted dude.
Definately a great story and interview to let those of us who haven't met him have some insight. Thanks.
Great story/read! Love that 56 man. "Notice the third brake light... Embarrassing, I know. McPhail ripped it off that weekend" Haha, that is classic.
Dennis has been a huge inspiration to me...not only as an artist, but as a person. Growing up in Wellington, KS I remember the first time I met him. My art teacher at the time noticed I was drawing Rat Finks and flying eyeballs quite a bit...and at the same time he was looking for a local artist to come and speak to our class. Little did I know he would have Dennis come show off his work, tell us his story, and eat pizza with us! I had seen his cars around town, but had never met him. Just to show you how cool of a guy Dennis was, he brought James Hetfield's guitar that he had painted to show...We got to see up close what most people won't get to see in real life! The way he painted that monster on the back in what I believe was a 55 Chevy...made me realize that this was the style I had been wanting to create on my own. Of course Dennis had a Roth influence, but his style made something spark in my head. About a year or so later Dennis opened up his first tattoo shop in Wellington. I remeber that I wasn't able to go in for awhile, because I was a young punk kid intimidated by him. I thought, "Who am I? Just some kid that will be in his way asking dumb questions." I finally gathered the courage I needed to go in one day...and boy was it life changing! The first walk in through the door, artwork everywhere! Not just your average flash on the wall tattoo parlour either...but Hot rod artwork! Dennis' posters lined the walls to no end, he had some of Weezner's posters, of course Ed Roth and Robt. Williams had stuff hanging too. He greeted me and remembered me from the art class, we talked for awhile and he sent me on my way with my own Artist at Large t-shirt. Dennis was very cool and always welcomed me in the shop. I would go in after school and sketch there while he was tattooing...typically just copying his artwork. I remember he always had the right things to say, and I gathered alot of information from him. Another big step in my life is when one of my hot rod buddies was building his 57 Ranchero and asked me to paint a pinup on the dash...good thing I knew who to run to on how to get it done. I had never used 1-shot before and I asked Dennis if he would give me some tips. Since the dash was being painted he said, "Just bring it here to the shop and you can work on it in the loft." He showed me how to transfer my drawing to the dash...how to get the right consistency to the paint, how to mix the colors just right..and how to step shade since 1-shot is a very hard paint to blend. Here is what came of it...keep in mind it was my first time with 1-shot... At first Artist at Large open house show, which brought in talents from all over...he had a charity art auction which had art from the brush bash the night before. He took the money that was raised at the auction which was around 2 grand and donated to my high school art department! I don't want to type too much here, but I just want to say that Dennis changed my life, made me a stronger person, instead of the shy kid that walked into his shop one day. He taught me a lot of life lessons. He still gives me advice when I go back to Wichita to visit every once in awhile. Last time I was back he made me realize that I had to do something with myself since I decided that college wasn't for me... Overall I think my point is that even under all the intimidating tattoos, beard, and dark sunglasses...Dennis is the most genuine guy you will ever meet. He'll help you out when in need, and tell you like it is. Thanks Dennis for being there for me...you helped me more than you know and were like a second father. Hope to catch you again soon man...still need some ink!
Thanks for the insight on an interesting guy and great artist. If I ever see him at Hershey again maybe I'll get up the nerve to say hi.
They have weird people in Wichita???? You sir, must have been mistaken, there are no weird people in Wichita. They're all in Austin. Was that the year Tammy got drunk and showed her fire engine red undies to everybody at the garage???
Dennis has always been very nice to me. I first met him when I was just a young dumb kid (I still am to a lot of people I guess) about '99 or 2000 or so I think, when I was just learning to pinstripe and paint with One Shot. He was always super supportive and even managed to make me feel like I knew what I was doing. In a way it helped keep me going, having that positive reinforcement from someone that I looked up to. I don't paint as much as I used to, but painting and pinstriping led me to where I am today...trying to run my own shop and build hot rods and customs of the highest quality I can muster. As Kevin Lee said above, he is one of the most genuine guys I've ever met...and he's influenced more people that he will likely ever know...all from a small town in Kansas.
I honestly think this might be the best interview I have read on here. McPhail is a hero. Great job Ryan! Norton