Ryan submitted a new blog post: The Great American Dream Machine Continue reading the Original Blog Post
Oh What a priviledge, to be able to see the ED do ED. Those that know, know it is 'He who laughs'. Thank You Sir
The juxtaposition of Big Daddy and the Chrysler engineer is classic. Love Roth's brief explanation of some of his cars and also seeing Professor Fate's Hannibal Twin-8 behind him at the end.
I love PBS but I don't remember that show would you like to subscribe to public television or do you prefer a knee to the groin
I only met and spoke with him one time. Americruse 1993 in Springfield MO.. He was selling posters of "Rat Fink For President". I stopped to look at them and he said they were so much a piece not signed. Signed ones were $5.00 cheaper. I looked at him and said signed please. He replied you boys from Missouri are smarter than I thought. It was raining so I spent about 30 minutes talking with him. Really enjoyed the time.
I agree @Tom davison and @Moriarity. When I met him in the late 80's he was very quiet; until I pulled out my 1962 Rodding and Re-styling for him to sign. It immediately put a big smile on his face and he became a little more talkative. The other thing was his presence or should I say or lack-there-of most people walked right by his booth. All of my friends just thought it was some random old guy selling stuff.
The PBS piece is the in your face Big Daddy, next up was a Ron Covell interview where Ed talked about his last project. Two different sides for sure! Thanks, Ryan.
Hey Silent Rick, just go to YouTube and on the search do the great American dream machine, I looked at the one with Albert Brooks, pretty amazing for that time period, I graduated high school in 71, so I missed it as well, sure brought back a lot of cool hippie days memories for me for sure! Note the hippie beads! Thanks from Dennis.
Ed was "da Man", no question. When I was a kid, I wanted so bad to get down to his shop in Maywood, and have a personalized airbrushed sweatshirt. Never happened. I built the models of Outlaw and Beatnik Bandit. Ratfink was so cool. Anti-establishment before there was anti-establishment. Never met him, even though he worked at Knott's Berry Farm and Cars for Stars for a while, right where I grew up in Buena Park, but I always admired him. Sure, he had flaws, like we all do, but he was always pushing the envelope. Thanks for posting the video, Ryan.
That was frickin awesome! What a character he was and continues to be through videos such as this. No one knows that suit from Chrysler but we know Big Daddy, his creations and style he left us. The other night my wife and I watched Ford VS Ferrari and at the end of the movie she was disappointed that the VP suit at ford (not capitalized) stole the LeMans race from Ken Miles. I told her the same thing, no one remembers beebe (sic), but Ken Miles and Carol Shelby (and Big Daddy Roth) live on in our collective memories.
Far out man. Like grooovy daddyo. When that outta sight music started happenin on my boob tube, I couldn't keep my head from movin like a bobblehead on a dash. If you catch my drift. Gotta split, hear the fuzz outside my pad. Loved it. I was born a decade too late.
My 1st meeting with him was quite interesting. I was in a transitional point and considered packing it all in and moving. We chatted lightly about our work, direction, etc. I said "here's a left field question, could you use some qualified help?" At the time my hair was well past my shoulders, he said "would you get a haircut 1st?" "Really? Why do I get the feeling that if I did you wouldn't respect me?" He smirked much like one of those stills in the vid, and went on to ask what all the folks I went to school with ended up doing. "Are they bankers or lawyers or business suits? Probably." he said. "Well Ed, I don't know and don't care. Never seen any of em here in a venue like this. Their loss." We were at the Detroit Autorama, both of us exhibitors. That Sun night I asked him if he was gonna get in the tear down line. Didn't know it was a "thing" there and we both took it in for about 15-20 mins. "Kool, huh?" as car after car belched out in the big hall, open headers, a parade in motion. "Yeah, pretty kool." So while he was fairly professional and soft soft spoken most of the time that guy in the video was really who I was talking to. Good stuff Ryan, really good stuff. He's an icon.
I totally remember that show. The best part is the narrator, in his upper-crust voice, trying to convey exactly who Ed Roth is. The Chrysler dude is totally square, man.
Well Ryan, you really know your audience! That show (new to me) was like many I watched as a kid and teenager. I went every year to the indoor car show and saw many of (Moriaritys cars, ha, ha) as a kid. There were hand made car creations running around town and in the summer we would be dropped off at the local drag strip on Saturday nights. Now, we are fortunate to have you tube for hidden gems like this.
The Jalopy Journal
