Folks Of Interest The Curse Of Kenneth Howard

Scum is scum. No matter what side you are on....

 

Ryan, you got some responses on this one !

It’s sometimes a tough thing to separate an individual and their actions/art/etc. As I look at the pinstriping of VD I see things I really like; the angularity of it, the complexity of the crossing lines, and as I recently noticed - the imperfection. Having read a fair bit about the man - yes, he was an ass and even worse, but should I now dislike his pinstriping I saw before I knew who did it?

Lots of good thoughts in this thread so far.

Hey - we’re just having a conversation here. Thanks for rolling the dice on this one Ryan.

John

 

Very interesting topic and discussion here. I just wanted to add my perspective on what I see as idolization and the term hero. What makes someone worthy of being called a hero? For me, it’s anyone who has accomplished something for the greater good without looking for the pat on the back. Ego’s and selfishness dominate, which no hero should ever be idolized for. I can appreciate the skill, talent, determination, and gifts that some people have. At the end of the day, they truly are just like me, human beings complete with flaws and redeeming qualities, some just more unbalanced than others. Some people I find fascinating and would love to just sit down and chat with, possibly with libations. Fame doesn’t impress me, the human mind does.

 

Nothing to it...are there not several moderators?

 

Familiarity breeds contempt.

Sometimes the more we know someone or something, the less appealing it becomes. Some people are like cars that are a “20 footer”, they are ok at a distance - not so much up close.

 

I cannot sit here and say “I knew it”, because I didn’t know…but for sure had heard similar points and never had much appreciation for most things he did, or really understood them at all. But this post really puts the last nail in that coffin. There’s got to be a point in everyone’s life who has some pretty shitty ideas about their fellow man, where they decide to change their ways or to dig in. And that miserable guy really dug in.

Something that I grapple with pretty regularly as my perspective of the world has changed in the last 10 or so years…is how many people I once had respect for actually turn out to be pretty horrible human beings. It’s crazy how one sentence uttered or posted can bring up so many questions on how you see someone. It really makes those folks who are genuinely great people all the more special.

 

History, culture and the news is full of people who fooled all of the people some of the time (you may have been raised by one, married on, and probably have voted for one). They have a very unique skill set that allows them to escape the consequences of their behavior. They are ass-kissers and assholes, inhabiting either persona at will. I have seen them climb to the top using smart people like Kleenexes and trump cards, and I just don't don't get it. They are con-men of the first magnitude, and to feel guilty or shame at having been fooled by a psycho-predator-user-parsite is to wrongly indulge in self-flagellation. Life is about making mistakes and learning from them. Nobody said making mistakes is fun or painless, but it's how we grow into better, wiser humans. Remember that "feet of clay" and "made of dust" applies to everyone.

 

Ryan,
I don't know you from Adam but I do think that this has been one of the most interesting threads I have read. It has strong content from all of the contributors and is very thoughtfully explained by all. In my opinion, you should be commended for your comments and honesty. Thank you for posting .

 

I watched that documentary as well.
Controversial ?
Indeed it was, and to a certain extent, very revealing about how greed, murder, treachery and out and out racism, combined to be a strange recipe, for what is considered to be fashion, as filtered from the likes of a pure sociopath, ( VD ) that was often mistaken for an innovator and trend setter, for the hot rod universe at that time in history.

A new broom, sweeps clean !
Good on you @Ryan , for posting this intriguing thread and bringing to light, some of your feelings about VD, which, so many have reflected on here and have shed a new light, on an old wound, that continues to not fully heal.

VD was never mentioned in the pages of Mad Magazine, nor was any of his works displayed in the Chicago Art Institute along side such works as " La Grande Jatte " by the famous artist, Georges Suerat.

Nope, VD's works, ( the VonDutch logo ) ultimately wound up in bulk, on racks at truck stops and flea markets and the market was flooded with that crap, and worn by those that really didn't have a clue who VD was, or what he did, or what he embraced.

Its usually not good, to speak ill of the dead, but in this case, its more than justified, to bring a sort of clarity, to VD's existence and his legacy !

 

Learning, thinking, and re-evaluating are good things. Nothing to be embarrassed about. You saw a rebel through a child’s eyes. You see something else as an adult. You know more now than you did then.

 

Thanks for posting this Ryan!
I've never been a fan of his work, but I also didn't know much about him... Thank you for enlightening me about this blight on humanity!
As was pointed out (by @VANDENPLAS , I think) Winston Churchill famously said "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." Most people today have either never heard that or understood the truth of it, but it applies even in our somewhat limited (in the overall scheme of things) world of cars. We NEED to look at history accurately!
VD would not have been tolerated by an immediate post-war society (at large) because of what was recent memory (not yet history) and therefore more accurate and well known. His (misguided and deplorable) beliefs were anti-American after what the world had just gone through (WW II). The fact that his "fame" came later in time, after the world was trying to heal from the lower human nature exhibited by the Nazis indicates how easily we, as humans can push history out of our minds and move on.
There is no room in this world for racism, Neo Nazis, bigotry, Anti- Semitism, or other prejudices!
It's easy for us to become "enamored" by those in the arts, politics, athletics, whatever, but hero (or idol) admiration is a strange and dangerous thing... Too often we look at the surface without seeking and understanding the underlying truths of these people.
It's also easy to get caught up in the group of "followers" of such people. Current social media sites are witness to this.
What's not so easy, but more important, is to seek out the truth and skeletons of such people. It's also sometimes humbling and embarrassing to do so. But it's important to really compare these people to our own standards of right and wrong, just and unjust, humanity, and if you are inclined... Christianity. It falls under the category of "To thine own self be true".
Ryan, I don't think you have anything to be embarrassed about, because as you learned more about this scumbag, you revealed him for what he was, and changed your attitude about him. I admire that. I think we all need to look deeper into those we might admire, and find the true "them". That's more important today than ever!
I am rambling here, but PLEASE everyone, "look behind the curtain" of those you admire and find the truth! I think you'll find that those who are deserving of your hero worship are right around you... in your circle of family and friends, NOT someone who has somewhat developed a "cult" following.
Thanks for providing this forum, Ryan!

 

I've read whatever I could find about him, for years, even bought a book knowing that as a person I didnt like him, but it was the Art I liked , I still like it , if he was alive and healthy today and working locally would I get him to do my car? maybe, I have done business with people I dislike, you cant avoid that in life. Some of his crap is hard to get past though. what about the rest of you?

 

From what I have now learnt VD was a scumbag to the end and I cant tolerate racist assholes, never have, yes if you are racist you are an asshole. I cant and wont seperate one part of a person from another, ie his art vs the rest. Its like people that beat their Mrs, nothing else they do matters. They are scum. Having previously not really cared about him, now its a big Fuck You Von Dutch. Im not in any way religious in a normal sense but if Im wrong and the loacl church is right, I hope you are feeling the burn asshole. Thanks Ryan for helping me understand more about that clown.

 

Thank You...
Seems there should be a lot more Ken Howard artifacts available soon..

 

My head is spinning from all the replies to your post! It made me proud to be associated\on beam with my own views about VD compared to everyone else who have been motivated to reply to an ugly part of hot rod history.

 

This one lady at work oft said, everyone is normal until you get to know them.

I think he came about at the right time and stood out from his luminaries by a mile... not all for good reasons.

99.999% of all other car painters, stripers etc will be long forgotten after their deaths, but not VD. Follow me around for a week and record everything I say or do... there will be an army waiting to cancel me or hang me from the nearest oak tree. I don't care if you are 8 months old or 108, we all have something that we would like others not to know.

The car magazines did nothing but embellish the guy. Crazy G-rated stories, funny posed pictures, the media made him a culture hero which most including myself at the time took it in, hook like & sinker.

 

Spot-On!
Reminds me of America's Dad... A While back.

 

Stay off social media. Writing can be an art and can say many things at once.

Ken Howard is dead. I regularly cringe at the things I see posting to social media today and this is by people not hiding behind made up names.

25 years ago I would have swore that things were better than in the past, but now I am not so sure.

 

The very first article I read about Kenneth was in the 70`s. It spoke about him as a German helmet, sword collecting person. With a Nazi interest to him. That`s what I saw in the article. I never put anybody on a pedestal higher than me. We are all equal. I couldn`t tell you won the super bowl this past season. Who cares? I couldn`t tell who the last top 100 signer is either. Who cares? I see things in people most people don`t. I look past the money they make or the nice cars they have. I see the true person who they are. I also look past the family they came from, the place they live or the crap they have been thru in their lives. More than likely, Kenneth was raised this way(Nazi) by his father, a neighbor or a close friend of his youth. Or he did a lot of reading at a very early age in life. Either way, It made him a messed up man his whole life. It ate at him everyday with the addiction to hide what was eating at him. Hatred toward others not like his race.

 

I'm not on Facebook, Twitter, etc., the HAMB and a home building forum are enough for me. If I may ask, why are they not considered 'social media'? Beyond their technical focus there is plenty of what I would consider social content.

Not that I'm complaining..

 

It's nice to be reminded that your beliefs/thoughts are aligned to complete a clear conscience without regrets.
To be clear and to the point..I don't have idol worship or star gaze for anyone, it comes from my belief that as humans we are equal, and we are far from perfect.
No one is worthy (including sports stars, clergymen, Hot Rod personalities, etc.) of idol worship.
Kind of like autograph seekers, pictures being taken with their idol, name droppers, etc...apparently somehow that connects them?, as a friend?, or is it for an ego trip?,
I reserve the right to be friends and appreciate people after I know them personally..and even then, do we really know them?
We are an imperfect being, some more than others.

 

I suppose they are considered social media but Ryan and others do a pretty good job at keeping it narrowed down to the technical focus.

 

Well look at all the turning worms. Up front, no hate-fuck here. Not in the least. You folks and this place is near and dear, and I wonder how many can see how blessed it is to have this discussion in the open.
That said, fuck Dutch. If I had a shot at shaggin an original work for cheap I'd do it in a heartbeat and shamelessly flip it for a profit. Many would say I'm a hypocrite piece of shit for that. Nope. I didn't set the value, no interest in owning it, I could buy hot rod parts or advance my home life, or help one of my kids, or, well, you know.
Was he "that" in the art world? No, he was a fuckin freak living in a trailer or bus abusing his family and himself and got a pass because he stuck some striping brushes in his ears and focused on the edgiest of topics. Genius? Far from it. People wanted the name, because quality was easy and repeated by an army of Mack wielding stripers from coast to coast. Some got a name too, some just made money.
Nazi shit? These fuckwits who embrace that are akin to some hung-like-a-hummingbird insecure milquetoast that gets abused by a biker club for a year just so they can look tough, wear colors, and have some backup. Yeah, biker gangs are basically full of cunts looking for power and will suck up to that 1 or 2 guys. Prove me wrong, I DARE YOU. Back to nazi bullshit, apparently those pukes never studied the atrocities of WW II Japan. Theres a reason things are like they are now and nobody teaches that. My parents taught me, and yet today Japanese products and advancements are admirable. As it should be too. Nazis on the other hand? Punk ass maggots with no original thought.
I see Dutch as weak, self destructive, zeroed in on the worst to boost what we call street cred. If you can balance the history of good and bad it's not hypocrisy to say the Hirohata wouldn't be the same without the glovebox door.
There's the dichotomy (?) of how we can loathe what we learn and remain satisfied with what we see, or have seen, or enjoyed as urban legend. Full disclosure, I actually knew the truth a long time ago and erased it as "who gives a fuck" in spite of the occasional hero worship. Tell someone wearing a Von Dutch shirt "Hey, Ken Howard hates you." and I'd bet a good coffee you'll get "Who?" as an answer.
Here's a challenge for ya, who do we learn of next? Is Coop ok? Roth's boys? Robert Williams? As far as I'm concerned any talk of this asshole and those guys is like putting mustard on a peanut butter sandwich.
What a scab we've picked, or Ryan picked.
In the meantime I did some more on my Standard...

 

Rite... Pretty Sure Hunter S. Thompson wrote a book called the Curse of Lono..
Now there's a rabbit hole..

 

By all accounts, VD lived miserable life, was a ornery human with a chip on his shoulder he couldn't or didn't want to shake off. Never understood all the "rah-rah" around him. I avoid people like him. Maybe because he was one of the first? Certainly there were better. Unfortunately, there a more like him just around the corner....