Something to reflect on. He was incredible. My next tattoo will be the Rat-Fink, in honor of the MAN.
You know there was a time I really thought Roth was a total jerk. I heard him say years back that a love of cars was the worst curse that anybody could be given. He went on to say that they had totlly destroyed his life. But you know there are times now that I'm older, I look around and take a look at what I have. A couple pair of dirty jeans in the closet. A back yard that looks like a wrecking yard. A bad back, twisted fingers, welder burns scars, and raggety T-shirts. Plus the debt on my credit cards run up from Hot Rod parts..... and maybe I can see what he was trying to say.
Well please tell me if this is bull!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While I was down at the March Meet I met up with a guy that is repopin his t-shirts "legally of course!" and he knew alot of interesting things about Ed. I never knew he was Mormon? And he also told me that the first rendition of RAT FINK was done on a refrigirator door in Ed's garage. He said under the rat it said RAT ****.Guess that kind of language would make it hard to sell t'shirts.
I know what you mean Terry; at my age I wonder why I'm still at this some times. Every one has their vices so I guess we can say that even though ours takes its toll ,we're far better off than many others. I'd probably be a lot better off if I HADN'T taken up the profession but the sound of a fresh engine firing up for the first time still makes me smile.
Back in the 60's I bought my first T-shirt iron on. It was one of his, my mom & dad about killed me for destroying a nice shirt. It's been down hill every sence. I only got to meet him once in the mid 90's. I've read his pinstriping books.
Ed and the Deuce were both born in 1932. As long as there are hot rodders and rat finks, neither will really die...
Ed was amazing. Believe it or not, he was my Sunday School teacher. He also gave me my first job, staplin' his xeroxed minibooks together for 5 cents a piece in his little house in the backyard. He taught my brother how to silkscreen, and let me pinstripe some guys van at age 3. Man, was that guy pissed. I missed him when he moved. Looked forward to Rat Fink Reunions. The last time I saw him, he gave me one of his old pink elephant brushes. The man would give you the shirt off his back, and they always had ink. A true friend.
I meet him at a flea market in Englishtown @10 years ago, just a nice normal guy. He had all his stuff on tables that he hauled out in a mini pickup, nothing flashy. Still remember seeing "The Outlaw" in NYC when it was near new.
If the guy you were talking to was Burt "The Shirt", it's all true. Ed was a mormon, later in life and the first Rat Fink was painted on a fridge door, the part I never heard before was the Rat ****...makes sense though... Long Live the Fink!
I worked alongside ED for about a year. I used to manage Movieworld Cars of Stars,sales division, in California, and he worked there with me. He was one hellofa guy !! I could tell some funny storys.
...........but I bet your happier from all the good times behind the wheel and in the shop, richer from all the great relationships and friends made and wiser from knowing you'd probably do it all over again. Good to know alot of us are traveling down that same highway of life!! .......and we can all pull over off that busy highway of life to spend time with our HAMB family!!
i'll never forget that day, sat down and talked to ED, and he asked me if i wanted a peice of lemon pie, he had a stack of them. i said no thanks...damn i'm stupid. what a hero
LOL, thats cl***ic. At the 50th GNRS, my 2 year old daughter was tradin her Jelly Bellys for Eds nachos. He had an iron stomach.
A fellow HAMB'r was givin his brush name by the man himself. I tell ya, he had an eye 'cause Har**** has turned out some great work and I have seen him throw down some lines at a couple of shows. They worked around his last name and came up with Har****! On a friggin burritto wrapper as I can recall. Cl***ic Roth I tell ya! KNUX!
I've got Ed's signature (and signicant others) on a '28 roadster dash that has yet to find a car to live in. So in the meantime, it hangs proudly on a wall in my shop office. He was an original.
Just one more thing that I wanted to add to this thread. A friend of mine who is Mormon, was up around Roth' house and made his way up to his driveway and there was Roth doing his thing in the garage and welcomed him. After an hour of talking, his wife asked if he would like to stay and have dinner with them! I wish I was in his shoes that day. KNUX!
Here is a picture of the bandit and two signatures 40 years apart. I hired the bandit for a show in 1961 and what was surprising was the production audio that Roth produced to play every half hour during the show. Really spectacular and just another of his talents. The music would start and you could see the crowd gathering around the Bandit and then the show would start. During the presentation the car was set to fire up on alcohol and the crowd went wild. Top went up and down and the wheel turned with the Unistick steering. Great memories! what a showman.
Holy cow, 5 years, already? Seems like yesterday. Howdy Chopperman, I hope you're well, see you soon, someplace.
I first met Ed in 1992 at the World of Wheels in Boston M***achusetts.He had Gary Mizer working with him at the time and they were both great people. Someone had stolen his striping brushes and as I had my paint kit in the car offered him to take what he needed. He picked out the rattiest brush I had(I should have thrown it away a long time ago)and thanked me profusely. As I was getting ready to leave,he told me to pick out any T-shirt I wanted in exchange for the brush.Naturally I picked out a Rat Fink shirt.Down on the bottom of the shirt he wrote," Ray Thanks for da brush! Ed" I still have that T shirt and although I can't count how many times it's been washed,the signature still remains.The collar is falling off and there are paint stains and holes everywhere and I know that's exactly the way Ed would want it. I also have one of albums he did(The Weirdos and Mr. G***er)which he so graciously signed. Rest in Peace my Brother of the Brush.
5 Years, hard to believe......there will never be another to match the talent, inagination and showmanship Roth had
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