Such a great story Ryan. I remember looking through lame street rod magazines here in Australia in about 2000 trying to get ideas on how to 'restore' my 65 Falcon sedan I had just bought for $1600 with billet wheels and IFS - when I came across an almost sarcastic article on the 'young punks' and primer at the inaugural 'Un-blessing of the cars' and was totally floored! Like a lightening flash - the cars, the girls, the tattoos and the hair - I was hooked in that moment, just like that I knew it was what I wanted for my car, and myself. I ran out and rented 'Rebel without a cause' and slicked my curly hair back. It took ages of groping around on the old internet before I finally found a decent barber, a decent car magazine (rolls'n'pleats in my back pocket all the time) and some like minded folks. Fast forward and I love the life I have, I know the whole retro thing isn't for everyone but I still love it and its introduced me to some of my best friends, way more than just working on the car alone and being 'normal' in every other way would have done, for me at least. I still cherish that article, and when I look at it I remember who I was at that time and everything I've experienced and all the friends I've made because of it - including the HAMB.
Ill watch the movie, I am a prime member. Its just ironic that we have to pay the man, to get a look at subculture. Probably a good thing for the group that made the film, if they still own the rights.
Hey Ryan, That was a phase similar to what most of us have gone through. Searching for some kind of identity, how we fit into the scheme of things, and in a few years after high school, it was going to hit us in the face with some force. Whether it was 4 more years of college classes, the 6 years of military obligation, a full time job, or by chance, a full time commitment in marriage, these all played the major point in the “Wheel of Fortune” game for us. Our group from high school did talk about the future, but it was not the forefront of any conversation until the spring/summer of 1962. When one of our classmates got accepted to college, now, it was hitting us in the face. Make a commitment and follow through with something. (many years later, the commitment from a friend was now up to a “General” status…that is sticking to a long time decision) We were all confused high school kids. Even after a couple of years of college, being twenty somethings was still part of searching for our place in society. By the mid-60s, the world was drastically changing and once a decision was made, it was time to reconsider what we actually wanted in life. Jnaki I can see the trail of your thoughts at the time. We all love hot rods and building them, we just have different ways to show it. Back then, everyone that had a driver’s license had a cool looking car for high school. It was the way some were modified and some just used for everyday cruising. (Freedom that comes with any car… that was the point) Something cool hits all of us at one time or another to start us thinking if that is the right track. Then in a month/year or two, something else comes in and changes the whole scenario. Society’s pull to conform is strong and a few get going early to settle in their path to the future. Some are still wondering what is over that hill in the next phase of their lives. I remember my mother, in her secluded lifestyle, always saying that she knew more than I did at the time. Her answer was, “I have more experience than you.” Laughing at the silliness of that statement was a point that was driven into me. But, I did not know it at the time. So, many years later, experiencing everything that we did and liked (hot rod/drag racing/motorcycles/photographer/surfing included) made our world the way we lived. So, thank you, mom for those words of wisdom.
The Jalopy Journal
