great interview, I think what sets Cole Foster's work above a lot of the rest is that you can see that he puts his heart into every one of his projects. there is no circus, no shock and awe, no corporate driven false enthusiasm. every time I read or hear his wisdom, or see his work, it is obvious that this guy is coming from someplace deeper than those high profile guys Cole has heart
I'v eliked his stuff ever since I saw a light blue Harley he did in a Harley mag a few years ago. Everything he's done that I've seen has been beautiful. Now to go read the interview.... EDIT: this is THE bike in my mind.....
Great read and COle is one of my favs, his lines are always clean, simple and badass. Don't think i've ever seen anything he has done that i did not like
Cole is the "SHIT"!!!! When I first saw the '36 in person (GNRS) I was taken away. I have seen his other builds in magazine's and never really got what all were talking about when they say, "You should see Cole's latest" or something like, "Did you see what he did to that part?" I saw the latest bike that he is doing at 'paso this year and even un-finished that thing stood out from all the cars and bikes there. No ass kissing here just given props to a true craftman that has been long overdue. Cole, it is a good thing that you kept away from racing....Ryan wouldn't be writing this about you. Now go get that cafe style bike done I saw ya with at 'paso. KNUX!
Cole doesnt know it but he is personally responsible for the direction of my taste in cars and bikes. I was 16 yrs old and in monterey ca. on vacation with my dad.We were at canery row on like a wed. night (it was a dead night)My pops was in a blues bar hanging out and i was to young for the after 10pm. crowd so i was roaming around out front when this blue 54 chevy pulled up and my jaw dropped! I was looking at it and this gentleman says "you wanna see the inside" of course i said yes and then he said "go ahead sit in it" i was like this is the coolest car ive ever seen! Anyways that gentleman was Cole Foster we shot the shit awile and he gave me his biz card It said "Salinas boys" Cole Foster. i still have the biz card to this day ! Cole I dont expect you to remember some 16 yr old punk kid but you took the time out to show me "whats up" and it just shows how the little things in life have huge impact on others! You could of been whatever kid but you took a few minutes to change a kids point of view not only on cars but life! Moral of the story dont be a dick when a yougster ask a few questions about your ride! Thanks again Cole your a stand up guy and anytime your name comes up i tell this story. Joe
Cole is a great guy, with the eye of a true artist. Everything he builds shows his refined aesthetic sense and quality craftsmanship, but the thing that really sets him apart is that everything he builds has soul and life to it. Taking a mass-produced object like a car, and making it into a one-of-kind creation that is infused with your own personality, your blood, sweat, and tears, that's the mark of a real talent. Plus, I'm totally jealous of his hair.
Wonhunglo. I believe that Cole is the type that is down to earth and never forgot where he came from. I bet he would remember that night that you did meet him and he let you check out the car and even sat in it. That is just the way Cole is from the vibe that I have gotten from him only from the couple of times that I did actually get to meet him and from what others have said of him. KNUX! Coop. If I had hair, I would want it to be like Cole's!
I think he's better off not having 900 sponsors and having 10 hit t-shows. I'd rather be underground and doing okay, than to sell out and have the world think i'm a tv personality. There's something about having people who actually know something about the automotive world recognize you, and not the arm-chair builders. at least that way when you're accosted at the super-market, it's not by someone with no idea what they're talking about wanting you to sign their shirt.. I've always loved cole's work. I wish i had an eye for the finish product like he does.
Prime example to that said Jey is Von Dutch. He ain't no fashion designer, he is a true artist and "Beatnik" ta boot. Try explaining that to Paris Hilton and the rest of LaLa Land!!!!!!!! KNUX!
I've only known of Cole Foster maybe a year now. (I'm 41). Yet, when I think of an automotive artist, he's one who comes to mind right away. I hope to meet him someday, ya never know! Cole, I believe all of us are where we're supposed to be in life. Sounds like you are too. So you're not with a major company, even better for us! (quick! name a designer at Ford, GM or Chrysler..) Thanks to you and Ryan for taking the time for sharing this interview with all of us. Excellent read! Inspiring and interesting! Cheers, John
What more can be said? I love his work. I wish I was as good as he is. Looking at his work is depressing because I ask myself Why cant I do that? What the heck am I doing with my life? I should be out in the garage building stuff like that! great article I want more. Even if it was depressing/motivating in a I need to get of my butt kind of way.
Cole has inspired me more than any other builder. He doesn't know me from Adam and has answerd some questions I had via email. Spoke with Susan briefly at GNRS about Oklahoma and she is super nice also. Great people and great interview by Ryan.Thanks.
Up until I saw Cole's '36 in person, I used to wonder why chicks would start crying when they saw Michael Jackson. You know, the chicks from the concert videos who would collapse and be carried off on stretchers. I always thought WTF's wrong with these people, and assumed it was hormones or something. But then the first time I saw Cole's '36 in person, my eyes started to well up. It was just so goddamn beautiful I wanted to cry. I had spent countless hours studying Cole's 36 in Rodder's Journal, and then there it was, even more beautiful in real life. And for the record, I kept the tears in--don't wanna sound like a queer or nothing--besides, that '36 is a curvy voluptuous woman.
There's nothing queer about crying, especially in public whilst looking at a car, it's queer to keep it in, that's not manly and it shortens your life span. But why do you gotta bring Michael Jackson into this?
Great interview and writeup, Ryan! Cole is the reason I started looking into building something from scratch after seeing his Salinas Boys bobber in the July 2002 issue of Cycle World. I admire him for staying true to his "backstreet" style and not getting sucked into the glitz and glam bullcrap.
Since the first time I met Cole he has a been a stand-up guy, I first went to talk to him on a Sunday to ask him if we could photograph his car for a magazine we wanted to start.. As we were knocking on his door my friend (who was one of those high school kids who worked for Cole) told me, "Don't be sad if he's not the nicest guy, it is Sunday, and this isn't only his shop but he also lives here." So when he said he'd let us shoot his car we were excited. My brother and I came back 2 weeks later and Cole let us shoot everything... His 54, the nomad, the blue bike, his harley... this was our first shoot as "Deadend Magazine" and the pic that Ryan chose to start this topic with is from that day... Oh yeah his work is good... I think... -Juan
Great interview,thanks.I've always liked the simplicity of his work,tons of work to make it look simple and clean.
From Ryan's blog, "Obviously, this could be viewed as a travesty of sorts and I am sure Cole looks at it in that way sometimes. But fifty years from now, long after his colleagues reruns have stopped airing and long after all of those t-shirts have become used shop rags, all that will be left is the tangible - the cars and bikes. And you know what? Its those tangibles that make history and make a legacy." Yep. I think it boils down to being a legacy in the general public's eye or, more importantly, being a legacy in the eyes of future "like minded" people. Most people on the street know the name Ed Roth, he's documented in national media (film and print). I love Roth and most everything related to him but he is known more for his outrageousness than anything else. Same thing with Barris. I told Cole once that history will prove him to be an incredible talent, but probably, mostly within our segment of the population. History, as recorded, is not always factual or accurate or even fair. But WE know.... ...and yeah, great hair.
Everything I've ever seen that was built by Cole is simply entrancing. I could stare at the Salinas Olympic Coupe for hours on end. Good read too...I'm really diggin' these interviews. Bryan
Coles legacy is already cemented.He already has tons of magazine ink and still never made a mistake on a custom car,,,,ever!How do you think I feel,Im the best pin-striper to ever walk the face of the planet,the most knowledgable custom historian in the world and still am flat broke !!!!Maybe its because the last time I worked on my Merc unsupervised ,I rendered myself half naked with a little round wire brush!.
every time i talk to cole he is more than willing to answer my questions (as dumb as they may be)...its amazing tho, i was just reading a post a few pages back about how a punk 16 year kid was shown right by cole and how it changed his point of view on cars and kustoms...well mine isn't as cool as actually meeting cole but the first car that made me REALLY get into kustoms was on the back of "cheating at solitaire" and guess who built it...oh yeah cole foster!!! yet another mind altered to the wonder that he builds and to this day he is my favorite builder and one hell of a guy!!!! COLE YOU ROCK!!
The Jalopy Journal
