...has it ever been told why Dutch painted the famous flyin eyeball? what did it mean to him?....anybody know or have any thots on this?
Before Von Dutch there was WWII aircraft nose art, and I think that would be where the eyeball originated. Probably been discussed before. He is certainly the name most ***ociated with the flying eyeball.
Flying high maybe? Attached is a picture that someone took of the back of Von Dutch's bus, at least that is what the caption stated when I copied it a while back.
...actually he was really into egyptian art history. It originated from the "all seeing eye," the flying eyeball was just his take on it if I'm not mistaken. I know someone else probably know more about this...
I thought it was to see into the future also ..... But i was under the ***umption he saw all the Poser~Billy greasers driving 8 deep in Honda's to start Knife Fights at the car shows & The *****y Ho's they brought with them to lay all over Poorly built Junk Rat Rod's to get into 'Ol Stool Rodz... This ultimatly drove him to drink himself to a drunken stuper
The Eye is telling me............That you need to get over your hatred of rockabilly and greasers..Grow up..
Thats funny, maybe its true! He never said he hated any genre of music, and he never said he hated "greasers". He was making fun of rat rods and a silly magazine that often glorifies junk. In the 1950's Greasers didnt drive falling apart, rusted, 2" ground clearing cartoon cars. And Carl Perkins didnt have tattoo's from his rists up to his neck (not saying I hate tattoo's either!), and wear 4" cuffed Levi's and enginner boots. The HAMB is about traditional hot rods and customs, not costumes and music.
Has any body ever thought that maybe he got bored and drew flying eyeballs every where? And they actually didn't meen anything?
The flying eyeball may or may not have been a Von Dutch original. I have heard that Dean Jefferies may have had the idea first. Either way, its ruined now with all the dip****s and Hollywood no-nothings parading around with it plastered all over everything. Another hot rod image is dead. I attended the Von Dutch auction in May of '06 at the Peterson Museum. I went out of curios***y and to see a large collection of Big Daddy Roth items that were also on the block. I attended the preview on friday and the auction on saturday. I have never see so many Hollywood artsy-fartsy cornballs in one place in my life. I left as they were all giggling to one another about how they just "scored" a Von Dutch screwdriver that had his "name" carved in the handle for a measy $1500.00. Geez! Never ever doubt that as soon as the m***es get ahold of an image (flying eyeballs, skulls, etc., etc.) that it will ruin it for the true dyed-in-the-wool rodder. I loved seeing the Roth stuff on display along with Von Dutch's craftsmanship on his knives and guns, but the flying eyeball has been made extinct for the true rodders by the Madison Avenue fashion douche-bags. The fashion *****s own it now and it is deminished in the aisles of WalMart along with the other ****. So what did the flying eyeball mean to Dutch? We may never know. What does it mean to the pimps that are pushing it now? MONEY! This, too, is ruined along with the Von Dutch logo. Kenneth Howard would not be happy.
I know and have talked to several people who have known and painted with Kenneth Howard and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. These guys were really out there, especially Kenneth Howard. He was not the nicest guy and would probably be very hateful to most of us if we met him. I'm pretty sure the Rat Fink was Ed Roth's version of the bad Mickey Mouse and made fun of all that was "Disney". I'm not sure what exactly the eyeball means, but I do know someone who claims to own the copyright to it (it was given to him from Kenneth Howard himself) and is fighting these cheap *** knock off clothing lines as we speak. I understand the "traditional" hot rod thing but do you think the guys that owned these cars when they were originals where worried about keeping everything "traditional" or where they interested in modifying them and making them stronger and faster than the original?
If your asking me my point It would be that by by yahooing the phrase THE LIFE OF VON DUTCH it takes you to a great web site with a good history about the man If your comment was directed at someone else you should still do it and learn something Point made
I think if you understand the background from this one, ('68-after VD's), by rick griffin there is a similar theme to von dutch's. Not just that it looks the same but the reason it was drawn. If you don't than you probably won't ever get it! TP
I always read these types of posts with great interest... Sometimes it's to see if someone will surface with the right answer, even if by accident....when no one actually HAS the right answer, the thread veers off.. Who knows the origin of the Howard Flying Eyeball? That would be me. Who knows the real origin of Roth's Rat Fink? Same nice guy...me. Year after year,people argue and debate over these topics,but unless I tell you, you'll never know.... Robt. doesn't actually know.....Newt knows a little, but he's looking to me for the visual I.D. The Eye.....deeper and more spread out than has been discussed... xoxo, Ace
Looks like we all need to drive our ***es to Texas, buy Johnny a nice steak dinner and find out the truth, cause I'm bettin' that he ain't lyin. - Joe
The flying eyeball was an original. Once you accept it, and copy it, it is no longer a pure thing. Everybody wants to be different, by copying each other. Now days, an original, self found person is if you don't own a Harley or have tattoos.
If you check Strong's Book of Designs,copyright 1917, you'll find a very Art Deco drawing of a woman holding a sphere, with bird like wings.Strong's Book of Designs is an old Sign painters reference book;Von Dutch's father was a sign painter. The White Truck hood ornaments in the '30s,was a Globe, with wings. Not much of a stretch to go from an orb,or a globe,to an eyeball.
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