Event Coverage Barris = Low Class

Well, you did do the hat... and the nose.

 

Here's my take on it from yesterday:

I got a chance to meet, and take pictures with, a bunch of guys that I have idolized my whole life. The first person I met was Gene. My wife and daughter and myself were walking through the front gate and we didn't see a car coming up behind us. Gene bent down to talk to my 2 1/2 year old daughter and said "Watch out sweetie, I don't wanna see you get hurt." Class act all the way. The one I really wanted to meet was Bill Hines. I walked over to him and asked if I could take a picture with him. He said sure and signed one of his stickers for me to have before we took the picture. Then he said, "Oh wait, I didn't have my stogie." He fumbled around in the car (no easy task for a little guy like him) and grabbed the cigar. Then he said, "There we go, now take another picture." Cool guy. As fr Barris, he was the only one that stayed in his booth, even while the charity auction was going on. I took a picture with him too, but I had to ask his handler. Good thing he didn't charge. If Bill Hines, with all of his obvious health challenges, can stand there ALL DAY with no booth in front of his car, the least Barris could do is give people a simple autograph.




Wanted to be there. ^




Clearly wanted to be somewhere else.^



Oh, and Larry Watson was cool too. Talked to me for a while about coming over and checking his museum out. Also a class act guy.

 

I am saying probably.. Barris no longer customises cars, this may be his only source of income (doing car show appearences). You have two choices go with it or ignore it and move on. I would move on myself.

 

I paid for Paul le Mat's autograph a few years ago but didn't really mind. He didn't look too well and I thought maybe he really did need the money.

 

1) i would hate to get the point where someone, anyone, would ask me for an autograph. Let me re-phrase that; Being rich and famous would be cool--- i just wouldn't want someone asking me for an autograph.

a) Having said that, i personally believe that all autographs should be free. It's the time factor that would prevent someone from giving one. If someone doesn't have the time to sign, then that's one thing, but to charge is uncooth.


2) i personally feel that Mr. Barris more recent creations---from jurasic park on up aren't as good as his earlier creations. The magic isn't there. Then again, nothing in society is as good as before.

 

I've had people ask me to autograph magazines with my builds in em? My question is always, why? I'm a nobody and dont sign it. Maybe next time I'll try to make $10 off the deal?

 

Never rubbed shoulders with Barris myself, but Winfield is the complete opposite...he's happy to sign anything you put in front of him, lead paddles, pictures, etc. and is always happy to do it...just look around at shows and count how many dashboards and glove box doors have his name on them...

He seems to be the type of guy that is still surprised at some level that so many have hero worship for him...

Unfortunate that Barris seems so unpredictable, but everyone that clamors for his signature on their memorabilia helps to perpetuate the problem.

my $.02

 

Make a check out for 10 bucks, Have him sign it. Then your even!

 

If ya think that's bad, Henry "Fonzie" Winkler was @ the LARS last June and wanted $20 for a sig, came with a 35 yr old pic of the Fonz! He was being handled by the same guy who handles Paul LeMat. Heck even Paul gave me his for free.

Barris does have a draw with most custom enthusiasts, but meeting Dean Jeffries,Gene Winfield,Dick Dean, Larry Watson,Junior Conway and Joe Bailon one could tell where the talent that made the work that Sam started and George promoted and even photographed really came from.
They all have their specialties, George just has a new one now. .

 

That is the perfect solution.

 

I would have payed the $10.00 - How ever being the ass I can be. I would have said Mr. Barris, Sir you need a new pimp $10.00 is cheap!!

George was the salesman, Sam was the Tradesman

 

Ive never met Barris but ive heard and seen things from him that would make me walk on by. Like when he was trying to auction off the REAL american graffitti 5 a few years back . Walt Bailey got involved with that one " he owns one of the REAL 2 lane cars." After shooting one barris story down after another the auction company started calling it a clone . He tried to say it was the burn car " which was actually a 2 door hardtop" and all kinds of other stuff.

Met boyd once when i was 16 , wish i never got within 20 feet of the man . what an asshole

 

On the other side one of the niecest guys around Blackie Geieian always stops and talks to anyone wanting to talk this is a true man of class. also John D,agasteno is hell of a good guy I have talked to him many times over the years and with all the folks he meets he still remembers a little guy from Oregon by name thats a good guy.
oh ! my names on my coat the wife had to point this out. lol

 

...and I'll bet George now claims that he built the car!

When George was in Canada for the Plunkett show last summer on the first night here he got pisspants drunk and was slobbering all over girls that were old enough to be his granddaughter,...George certainly contributed a lot to the custom car world over the years but he is in no way any sort of "ambassador" to the hobby,...just an embarrassment.

 

I don't think it's any secret hes a dirtbag. I got his autograph when I bought a book of his at a show. My buddy had his pic taken with Barris and his girl, and in the pic Barris' hand in on her ass and hes looking at her tits. He told her all about getting her in movies and wanting her to send him "body" shots and a portfolio.

 

Blackie was a nice guy.

 

He's still a nice guy

 

I always thought the idea behind big names at charity events was to draw more people to pay at the gate. The gate money then goes to charity, and whats inside is for the already paying public to enjoy. Seems like that 10 bucks was probably goin to the booze fund, not the charity fund.

 

He ain't dead.

Boyd was an asswipe to me when I met him but at least he didn't grope me like George Barris did.

 

I met Boyd when I was at Wyotech in Laramie in the spring of '99 (I was 22), he was a hell of a nice guy. Spoke to our class for about an hour...we invited him out to a party that evening at our favorite watering hole and poured back a few margaritas with him...

L to R is me, Boyd, and two friends at Wyotech:

 

F%$k that Fossil! I saw him up in Canada a few years ago and I tell you I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire.

 

I met Boyd at Columbus at the PPG Nats a couple of years ago. I had a 51 Chev. that was really friendly (it waved all over the place) it was a basket case to say the least. Anyways, after I introduced myself he asked if I had a car and he wanted to see it. He came over asked me my ideas about it, complimented my progress, and was nicer than anyone else at any show I had ever been to. Then I asked if he could sign my Goodguys hat and he did. FOR FREE!!! First year of me being a member of Goodguys, wish all of their members were that nice.

 

I spoke at length with Boyd at the NSRA Nats at Syracuse years ago, he seemed very uncomfortable in a social environment and in a casual conversation,...he was probably a much happier person if left alone with his milling machine, some people are very anxious when thrust into the limelight.

I went to Sam Foose's shop in 1999,...you couldn't meet a nicer, more down to earth guy than Sam,...it's too bad I was there around midday,...I'm sure if had been later in the day we would have cracked a beer or two!

I'm hoping to meet Denise someday,...she's a Rockstar!

 

But you don't look like a newt ?

 

Uh, OK. I think we've all got that, thanks.

 

I don't get the whole autograph thing.

Ever see a celeb on the street and there is a mob of people half of them shoving random pieces of paper asking for an autograph and the other half taking worthless cellphone camera shots. Gross.

I have one autograph. As a kid in about 1976-77 I was in Reno,NV at a casino wth my parents. The Fonz (I didn't know his real name was Henry Winkler) was in the dinning room and he signed a Keno card for me. He signed it as the Fonz.

 

Autographs can be valuable, but fans are fans. As the person giving the autograph you have to decide to be greedy and try to compensate on the autograph assuming they might themselves, or you have to decide to be the guy everybody likes that does it for other reasons than the money.

When you get to the point you treat a fan like a commodity, you should reconsider your position.

 

I was able to get an autograph from Barris 20 years ago and he wasn't charging, but perhaps he has gotten tired of people asking after that long. Who knows.

Regarding Carroll Shelby, yes he does charge most of the time, but the money goes into the Carroll Shelby Foundation which is slowly building funds towards organ transplants for children. The charity is being tight with the money right now as funds are building but there are already millions in the fund, and when Carroll is gone there will be a legacy with a solid purpose.

I just mailed off the passenger sunvisor from our Shelby Mustang to have it signed and it is going to cost close to $300 after the childrens fund donation and postage both ways. And truthfully, I could care less if anyone can see the autograph, or if anyone thinks it is cool (or stupid for that matter). This car is one of my keepers and I just like the fact that it will be hand signed by a legend, a legend who is 86 years old and still kicking (for now!)

Now at the World of Wheels autorama in Indy this year, I did draw the line at standing for an hour to get a FONZIE autograph, though I was somewhat entertained by those who did!!!

I guess it just comes down to whether it is personal to each of us, or not.

To each his own!

 

I got better.

 

I should have noted that the night at the bar, a lot of my buddies were having Boyd sign stuff...I didn't have anything other than bar napkins and business cards so I went out and pulled one of the stock hubcaps off my '60 El Camino, which he signed...I still have it, and even though the sharpie signature has faded, it's a cool conversation piece and a great memory...

That's why I like keeping the few signatures I've collected.