Well, shit. I was excited as Hell about reading this story. Damn, Ryan, Not even women have let me down that hard and fast. You pulled me in, then threw me off of the cliff.. A friend of mine sat with Roth in his booth at a show in, I think, Oklahoma years ago. he told me that Roth was crazy as Hell, but my friend loved every minute of it.
Wish I could type with more than 2 fingers. Ed was grate off chart. We met around 197? at a Rain Out in Seattle. I stepped under a canopy just to get a little coverage and a brake. I didn't know it was his. No crowd and nobody was buying. First thing out of my Mouth I believe was Oh I'm sorry I'll move on. He just said, no stay till it lets up. We talked for over 2 hours. I've always been a misfit in the Car world, and he related but we both made a good living in it. Ed remained my friend and in contact anytime we picked up a phone and called. Wish I had done it more. You never know what's under the wrapper.
Ahhh, the madness that accompanies genius. You gave it your best shot kid! An interesting character, let alone a legend.
I wrote this story over a decade ago—just a short piece for someone else. They didn’t like it. Thought it felt like a tease, like it was holding something back. I disagreed then, and after re-editing it this morning, I disagree even more. So, bear with me. This is a story about peeling back the layers of Ed Roth—the showman, the hustler, the artist, and the man buried somewhere beneath it all. Roth wasn’t just a character; he was a paradox. A guy who built his life on spectacle but seemed, at times, completely drained by it. A man who created something so much larger than himself that it might have swallowed him whole. His initial response to my questions—fast, theatrical, full of grand, sweeping hand gestures I could hear through the phone—was Big Daddy Roth, the sales guy, the hot rod icon, the legend. But when the conversation turned real, even for a moment, the mask slipped. Just for a second. “The best thing about being me is that I got exactly what I always wanted. The worst thing about being me is that I got it all.” That’s not the voice of a man coasting on a dream. That’s the voice of someone who understands the price of success. And then—boom, just like that—he snapped back. Shouting about vulcanization. Shifting gears so hard it felt rehearsed, like muscle memory kicking in to shut the door on anything too raw. It was like he realized he’d let the truth slip, panicked, and retreated to the comfort of the carnival act. That tells you something. It tells you that, for all his noise and bravado, Roth might not have been all that comfortable with introspection—at least not in front of an audience. Maybe after so many years of being Big Daddy, Ed Roth the man had faded into the background, a side character in his own life. In one way, it’s tragic. A guy who spent his whole life making art, chasing his vision, building his legend—only to end up trapped inside it. A man who got everything he ever wanted, but at a cost. And when that cost showed up in a conversation? He drowned it in noise. But in another way, it’s not tragic at all. Maybe Roth was so consumed by what he loved that nothing—not exhaustion, not success, not even time—could take it from him for long. Maybe that manic energy wasn’t a mask, but a refusal to let anything else win. Which version is true? That’s up to you. And honestly, I like it that way. That's a good story.
Vulcanization...ah yes! Having worked in the tire recapping industry for a few years I totally get vulcanization. Could not recap a tire without it. But that was then and this is now. Recapped passenger car tires are pretty much ancient history.
I have admired the man and his work for most of my life. He may have had some missteps, but he always swung for the fences. In music, it would be singing or playing with gusto and full confidence. I'd imagine looking back that his life was full of warts and bruises, long years of the carnival hustle to make ends meet after a decade or so of limelight. He also seemed to have a knowledge of how a kind word at the right point can make someone's day. That little note he scribbled on a piece of paper I cherish even now.
https://orlando.craigslist.org/ele/d/orlando-vintage-panasonic-mini-cassette/7811853031.html Or swing by here and ask for the strangeness. https://austinvintageaudio.com/
Roth was mostly always soft spoken around me. I talked to him many times as I was restoring some of his old show cars and had questions. He didn’t understand people wanting to relive the past. He said that he was more interested in looking to the future. He tried pretty hard to get me to donate Rotar to a museum. He told me I would never own it until I gave it away, then I would own it forever. Really interesting guy….
He was my topic of research for my "BFA" degree in college. Very interesting man indeed. (art work I did)
I met the man the myth the legend in the D.C area "World of Wheels " car show in Chantilly VA. in the early/mid 90's, he was following the "WoW" circuit driving a squatting in the rear white S-10 with a cap on in loaded with his amazing accumulation of Roth gear to sell. It was late on Thursday night, a set up night. He asked me where he could get a good salad. I think he was a vegetarian, please correct me if I'm wrong. I told him the was an Applebees not to far away. He asked how are the salads ?? I said not sure, do you want to go I'm kind of hungry too. He said swell you drive so I won't get lost. We piled into my beater and he was off and running. Much like his "Vulcanization" explanation to Ryan, he was full of life. The man ate 3 different salads and at about the time we were done, he said "I'll flip you for the bill". I said sure. He pulled out a quarter from a shirt pocket, flipped it, snapped it on the table with his hand covering it so I could not see it, next he said "call-it". Heads shot out of my mouth. It was tails that he showed. With a twinkle in his eye he said "pay the bill Jr. where the ladies room ??" and he was off. I met him at the door and back to the show we went. I saw him later the Sunday of that 3 day show, the crowds slowing down by then. He saw me and said "Hey Jr." and waved me over. He said thnx for dinner again as he did Thursday. Next he said hold out your hand. Of course I did but you never know whats next. He put a Quarter with 2 tails in my hand and said Jr. most people call heads. He then handed me a tee shirt just as some other "Fans" showed up for some merch and Roth the "Carnie Barker" was back. What an adventure.
I met him about the same time around ‘99. He was there at his booth. I was the only one standing there, so I tried to talk to him for a minute. I tried to tell him how much his art meant to me growing up. How he really was an icon in this industry. He basically told me I was full of shit. Then he started making fun of my speaking voice “Where you from, hillbilly”. “You gonna buy something or not“. I’m not easily offended, so I said something like “Well. It doesn’t seem like you like being famous. I’m still gonna say I respect you in your work.” I think he grudgingly grunted OK. I think he was pretty damn tired of selling T-shirts
He was at a big rod show in Houston. Had my 8-9 year old daughter with me and we stopped at his booth, she got a big kick out of Rat Fink (so did I) and Roth wearing that hi top hat. He gave her every bit of attention he had, really sincere. Of course I bought 2 T shirts, on one he wrote a personal note just to her and his signed name, and name on the other. I'm not the type who's impressed easily by "famous" folks (no brag, but I've met others), but that memory is still strong - and I still have both shirts never worn! Hard to find sincere people today.
Generally, your description of Ed the enigma is generally accurate, Ryan. The best results of a visit with him was to approach him as you would anyone else. I was 16 when I came to set up day of a 1960 Starbird show, with a card table and custom car models to show. Ed, no icon, just another West Coast rodder (years before the "Big Daddy" nickname) was unloading the Outlaw. We started chatting and he offered my models a display inside the ropes with the Outlaw. He would have been 28 years old. The trunk of his new dusty-rose '59 Coupe de Ville was littered with hot dog bun wrappers and a cook stove. All weekend, I watched him paint shirts and fetched him Cokes and hot dogs. I knew what I must do....paint shirts Six months later at Farhner's first show, he was showing the just-finished Beatnik Bandit and I had a booth in the show painting shirts. We hung out, he painted me a shirt gratis, and gave me important tips on becoming a better airbrusher. Kind and generous. we became lifelong friends throughout the years. As mentored by Roth and Farhner, I enjoyed a 47 year career and earned a comfortable retirement. Me and Ed (and Tommy).. Photo courtesy of Revell Model Cars National Model contest banquet.
Walmart photo center can digitize audio and video from vhs tapes to reel to reel...may be worth doing to preserve it
Great stories everyone! It's always fascinating to learn about the real person that exists behind the facade. Sometimes it takes a tremendous effort to break through to that real part of their personality. Sometimes it's impossible.
I had a short conversation with Mr Roth on June 18th, 1994. He was just getting his booth ready for the day at MSRA Back to the 50s. I was looking over his goods and he started a conversation about the OJ Simpson low speed chase of the evening before. He stated his belief in OJs obvious guilt. I bought a shirt from him which he signed. He seemed like such a down to earth normal guy.
Whoa, Thanks Ryan. As your comment about liking the work I found it the same. I did once, give my hard earned cash for a monster driven abbreviated '57 Chev... Ooops, forgot I wanted to mention that always,,, I wondered what the fumes of his mediums do to the noggin
Very cool! Thanks for sharing Ryan. Not to get too deep here...I might argue that we all have a "public" face we put on for most folks in life. Getting to the real person under the surface only happens with a small group most of the time or maybe even no one along the way in some cases. And, that problem may be getting worse, not better when we can portray who we are how we want even easier today than we could in the past...
Pretty cool to meet these movers and shakers that left a undeniable mark in history...mind you Ryan, you are one in many ways yourself. I remember your story on meeting Von Dutch...kinda memorable as well...people whether well known or not leave a memory that can be notable for better or worse...it is what it is...he was a quite a man.
1979 Rat Fink Reunion at Brucker's Cars of the Stars Museum in Orange Co Ed polaroiding me Robert Williams, Rick Griffin, Jim Brucker and Alton Kelley Dave Mann and Ed Ed Newton
I never met Ed Roth, but as a kid I idolized him and there wasn't a T-shirt or sweat shirt I didn't vandalize with Ed Roth type images of rat fink inspired madcap monster's driving out of proportion hot rods with shifters stick through the roof and multi eyed monsters shifting the gears. I went through a lot of magic markers, and at 12 years old the art work wasn't that bad, for a while all the kid's I knew was sporting Roth look alike shirts. HRP
I met him a few times. Best one was in an ice cream shop in Manistique, MI (population...not many) mid-90s. We sat, talked about hot rods. He signed every flippin' Rat Fink poster I bought at the St Ignace car show that weekend. It was unreal. I have a great pic I took of him eating a baloney sammitch while painting Rat Fink on something...I'll never forget that.
The Jalopy Journal
