Real Von Dutch Stories?

Inspired by the cheating post, I had a thougt. Let's take a moment to reflect on a dude who deserves to be remebered for more than Pink truckers caps and 1200 dollar belt buckles.

Let hear the real stuff on old Kenneth Howard aka Von Dutch.

Frank Palmer told me a this one. Seems in Dutch's heyday, one of the
mags did a feature on pin-strippers and a few different writers were dispatched throughout So Cal to interview different cats. The mag's editor realized a mistake but was on dealine and couln't do anything about it. No one covered off on the king hisself, Von Dutch! So Mr. Editor hopped in his car and drove over to explain the oversight to Mr. Howrd and offered to persnalypen an exclusive on Von Dutch for an upcoming issue.
The editor, feeling as if Dutch seemed satisfied then asked Dutch if he wouldn't mind doing a little something on the editor's personal ride while he went off and drafted the Von Dutch's big "exclusive" for the magazine. A few days later, the editor brought back the "exclusive" and was miffed to find that Dutch hadn't done squat to his car. Seems all he'd done is paint a tiny musical note on the dash. The editor figured he it was Howard's little way of getting back at the slight of being left out of the original article.
He left with his car none too pleased.
Days later, a passenger slid the car's ashtry open and chuckled, "Wow. That's pretty cool." The editor looked down and both passenger and driver discovered an entire symphony orchestra was intricately hand-painted on the inside of the car's ashtray. Note to editor. You get what you pay for.

Dunno if the exclusive ever ran.

Hope I relayed it as well here, as Palmer (Who else?) told it to me.

Now let's hear sum more!

 

I read this in the newspaper awhile back: He's dead.

 

I dont really know any stories, of course I dont hang out with racist junkie fucks. But thats just me.

 

I remember when it rained and rained and the town was almost flooded. He found a hole in the Dyke and put his finger in it to stop the flood.
Everyone was saved and they praised him from the hills and valleys.
(the dyke ended up living with Ellen Degenitals )

 

Racist junkie fuck? yep
Not as talented as guys today? yep
Diifficult? Oh yeah
Dead? We'll all get there.

But lets not forget on whose shoulders we stand...
Thank you Dutch.

 

That guy designs some COOL clothes!

 

That's HOT!

 

I had no idea he pinstriped too

 

This place couldn`t handle the truth..............
Say what you want, he is who he is, and you are what you are.
Endsville Franco..........

 

I talked with Dutch this morning while striping a bike tank. He say's "Fuck you, I aint no junkie!". Show a little respect for the KING!!!

 

sure the guy was a couple fries short of a happy meal but"racist junkie fuck".come on. have some respect for the dead.the guy was only one of the founding fathers of the "kustom kulture" we all know and love.maybe you are on the wrong website or something.try Rage against the machine or public enemys website if you want to make everything a race issue.i thought this website was about hot rods not race or social commentary.

now get down off the cross,use the nails and wood to build a bridge, and get over it.

 

i know very little about Von Dutch. Looks like I won't be learning much from this thread.

C'mon guys, get off your lazy fat asses and start writing, dammit!

It's like all of Von Dutch's buddies all decided to die of a heroin overdose out of respect for their artist pal?

-85% jimmy

 

Please let Kenneth Howard aka "Von Dutch" Rest In Peace.

 

Actually there is a guy 10 mins from where i live that pinstriped my bike and car that used to know and even pinstiped with dutch,hes got pictures and stories to go along with them,hes says that Von Dutch wasnt that great but like everything new the first is hardly ever the best,and he says much respect to the man that started it.
Jamie of Dead City MC/CC

 

I have to go with Seldom Scene, Mr. Howard had a difficult life in a difficult time and provided a "Legend" for the hotrod crowd. Best not to look too close at Legends lest they disappoint.
Rest in Peace indeed.

 

I'd bet most of the guy's that talk shit about Von Dutch would have tried to blow him if they had ever met him.

 

I read somewhere that he was not actually "racist" but hated everyone equally!

 

He was a quiet man, kept to himself a lot: Oh wait a minute that was that serial killer on the news.

 

Un-fuckin-believable-------------!!!!!!!!

 

We’ve been hittin the local auto swaps for years in SD and even sold some of the Von Dutch clothing there around the year 2000 before it got all crazy in Hollywood. (we havn’t sold there stuff in 5 years)
A guy stopped by the booth around that time and said he had an original 1950 Merc glove box that was striped by Dutch! He showed up a couple hours later with the glove box and I tell you what, I have never seen anything like it. The intricate lines and beautiful pinstriping was out of this world. He had even signed his name so minutely and perfectly. Another guy came by with one of his hand made knives that he said he bought off a bum in LA. The metalwork was just perfect. Seeing some of his work in person, the man was a genius when it came to metalwork and paint.

 

Really???? I thought that comment was pretty funny

 

all of those of us that are perfect can now bitch about von dutch.

that leaves me out ..never met him read lots about him good/ bad , books ,articles and stories being told ..
so i'll say he helped make hot rodding a personalized art form ....
his work being cutting edge since he started ..
doing work for others changed his attitude ...
seems his work for himself was just what he wanted to make him happy... money or none
he will be praised by the work he did ...
and he will be condemned by the way he lived / treated others..

the optimists - pessimists.. will wage war
and in the end we then realize that we were all at war....
the battle was over personal opinions.

so hot rodding is better for his creativity
and the world may not miss his lifestyle/ attitude
hope the creative side lasts...

R.I.P. MR.. HOWARD doubt if he is tho?


paperdog

 

He was also an incredible machinist. I have seen some of his hand made guns and knives, and they were truly works of art.

 

The Guy Just Wanted To Build Shit, Get Loaded, And Be Left The Fuck Alone. Sounds Like Most Of The People I Know. He Wasnt Tryng To Be All Famous And Worshipped And Shit. That Shit Happend By Itself And I Bet He Wasent All Too Happy With People Rideing On His Rep And Shit.

 

You certainly have a way with words.

 

I've heard a few stories of the guy, one of them he did a job for some guy that pissed him off, so he painted a lady bug by his wind blade just to annoy the hell out of him.

I heard he also had pro-nazi paraphenalia all over the front of his house, which could be seen a racist, but if its true I tend to think it was a big "F-You" to passing people and neighbors.

 

My buddy told me about a cop or sheriff's deputy in the San Fernando valley who wanted his boat painted. I guess one of the things that Dutch wanted in exchange was to have a ticket taken care of. The guy wouldn't do it. Anyway, he picks up the boat and is very pleased with the job. That is, until the boat went on its maiden voyage and the paint washed off the bottom half due to a lack of hardener in the paint.

I've probably got some of the story wrong, but I think that's how I heard it.

 

junkie? doubtfull. alcohalic? most likely. Ed Roth mentions taking pizza out to the Brucker ranch in Santa Paula Cali.{Hotrods by Ed"Big Daddy"Roth. written by Ed Roth and Tony Thacker.page 113}where Dutch was staying in the late 70's. Dutch threw the pizza to his dog"challenger" and tells Ed"I dont need food,I get all my vitamins from the booze". He may have been an anti-social,drunken asshole,but he is the inspiration for almost every pinstriper,artist,knife maker,engraver,gunsmith,gearhead today! And I dont begrudge his family for trying to make a few bucks off his fame. T-shirts,repopped from his original art,okay. His logo on an energy drink?toy cars?BOXER SHORTS? no effen way! He's probley thinking "why are these folks STILL interested in a dead striper?" or ,he just doesnt give a shit. Kenneth Howard hates us all, and I can deal with that.

 

See, threads like this = http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Orig-50...5QQihZ016QQcategoryZ20135QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

He was a very tempermental artist/fabricator/designer/machinist/etc; according to Norm Grabowski, he liked the company of those he considered "fellow artists". The guy was, in many ways, a trendsetter of his time. I'm going to allow him to rest in peace.

still shootin' for that 800th post!