Just a thought, punk rock and rat rods.

Whether you talk of art, music, cars, or ..... it still all boils down to one common denominator: People.

People can be (over) generalized into two categories: Leaders and Followers. (of course there are many levels within these two categories - but I digress).

Followers see and are influenced and strive to reach that level.

Leaders see and are influenced and strive to create the next level.

With these thoughts, two cars come to mind which I saw at the recent Asphalt Invitationals: From a distance easily and clearly they could be thrown into the category of Rat Rod. But upon further examination you find brilliant chasis design, artfully crafted brackets, artistic flair and skillful craftsmanship. Clearly the work of a "leader." Someone who is influenced yet invisions another level.

Of course it is a cyclical, but throughout history, the works of certain past "leaders" have always stood the test of time (Monet, Coltrain, Patsy Cline, etc.) because others can see the purity and brilliance of their contributions and those become benchmarks.

 

N.W.O.B.H.M'New Wave Of British Heavy Metal'Iron Maiden,Judas Priest,MotOrHead,Diamond Head,Saxon,Raven,Angel Witch
old punk i.e Black Flag,The Misfits,Dead Kennedys,Minor Threat
Cars primer,oil stains,no creature comforts just brutality on wheels thats my freebased induced high nuff said!!!
Fuck Billet Boyd Coddington and Chippie Foose with a rusted jagged rat rod themed shifter rod!!!

 

p.s. happy birthday Nads!

 

Punk is way more tied to car culture than a lot you older guys may think. I think there are a lot of us that came to cars via punk. The d.i.y. thing spilled over from music into other endeavors. It is some kind of anti-consumerism where you re-direct your desires away from the current consumer products and seek out your own aethetic gratification elsewhere in things that you and your peers can create. We weren't alive in the "heyday". And we don't worship "your" youth.

The d.i.y. hot rod thing of the 90's was labelled as a "back to the '50s" thing by a bunch of magazine editors because that is the only way they could package it and too many car guys believed it and started wearing '50s costumes to go along with it. And people made money selling the costumes.

I may be wrong but I think there are a lot of us that don't really give a shit about "the '50s". . .doo-wop, tiki, drive-in, bettie page bullshit. Itsall about learning from and extending the underground traditions of d.i.y. car building and it isn't tied to any particular era. There were home-grown cars built in the '60s '70s and '80s that are cool too. "The '50s" is just another marketing fantasy that has very little to do with d.i.y. car building in the past or today.

Punk was my introduction to d.i.y. and that has EVERYTHING to do with cars.

 

old punk? STOOGES, RAMONES, MC5, X-RAY SPECS, BLONDIE... new punk? AVRIL LEVINGE, BLINK 182, SUM 41, and all BOY BANDS i.e. LINKIN PARK, LIMP BISKIT...PASTEL, the new PRIMER, BILLET, the new SCRAP METAL, CHROME WHEELS, the new RED...
nic

 

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p.s. happy birthday Nads!

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You beat me to it...happy 43rd man!

 

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Punk and politics have been bedfellows since day one. Politics are an extension of social ideals. That which punk one way or the other is rooted in. Do you even understand what the idea of anarchy really is?


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Does "Punk" have an ideology?
A common one that is?
In the 60's I thought the so-called "Hippies" had an ideology but there was no group ideology or political thought at all, there were some who thought like Ralph Nader and some who thought like Rush Limbaugh. The only thing thay really had in common was they stunk like Pachouli oil.
I keep hearing Punk associated with Anarchy but have heard middle of the road status quo same old same old "Old Politician Man" politics coming out of the mouths of some people sporting mohawks.
I also think Nads is probabaly a good one to answer my question because he has international first hand experience on the subject.

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And see there lies in the danger of the labels we put on things. I just wrote cheaterjack, because though I unfoundedly attacked his credibility I began finding flaws in my own arguments based from his. No, punk doesn't have one pure ideology. Because punk is just a label. A small signifier for easy identification. Traditionally it has meant to exist outside the norm with a self-effigy opinionated state. But it has also existed solely as shock value. Alas I come back to my same old conclusion that to argue what is punk and what is not is as useless as whittling water.

But to address Nads original statement. Punk as term encompasses a movement that originally stirred up society from it coincidental being. It wasn't a revolution, but maybe a revitilization. And rat rods did the same, revitalized. But like all things initial impact dwindles into conglomeration where the revitilization only appears in small ripples, until the next impact.

 

Oh and Happy Birthday Nads,.....and to many more.....

 

I think ol-scratch and I have come to an agreement, that Rat Rod and Punk have both been basterdized so much that the meaning is lost. So in conclusion I like Hot Rods and I like Rock music . Fuck everyone else who doesn't.......

 

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Punk is way more tied to car culture than a lot you older guys may think.

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damn did I just get called an old guy? I'm only 26. I agree with you that I think a lot of punks came into hot rodding because of the D.I.Y nature of it, but I was only refering to what nads comments were about. and cheaterjack I couldn't agree more with the last comment you made.

 

Happy Birthday Nads!

 

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People can be (over) generalized into two categories: Leaders and Followers.

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Three: Roadblocks (and they're the worst of the bunch).

Happy birthday, Nads, old boy.

BTW, I know more car guys that are into music than musicians that are into cars. That's gotta tie-in to this conversation somehow...

 

Punk Rock and Rat Rods are related...

One's a hairstyle; the other's a fashion accessory.

(Oh yeah, Happy Birthday Nads, you old fart...
Maybe you and Doc can share a bran muffin when you come out west. )

 

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Punk's most important contribution to music was the idea of "do it yourself". You don't need a record contract when you can have your own records pressed and sell them at your shows. You don't need a manager or a songwriter. Bands had been putting out thier own records for years but never to the extreme that the punk bands did. "Rat Rods" said the same thing. Learn how wrench then build it yourselves. You don't need a "known" shop to do it.

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Very well said Voodoo... I agree 100%
Punk is about the attitude, not the music or the look!
CAB

 

Punk is related, but I'd say the DIY attitude is just a coincidence. To me, the DIY attitude comes out of personal pride in my car, in knowing that I built it and not someone else. I'm sure punks felt the same way, but before the two paths ever crossed. I've always loved cars, but Mike Ness was the main guy who pointed me to this scene. In the time since my introduction to the scene, I learned it's true roots and I'm now here for genuine love.

I always thought the "punk" attitide was all about not giving a fuck. But since punk has become more mainstream, there are those who conform to the pop-punk trend because they like the scene and those who are genuine. Harley went through the same shit; they used to be hardcore, now they have theme restaurants. can we draw some parallels?

Who's more real: the guy with sleeves of tattoos and pompadour who bought and drives his car as if he built it, or the guy who looks less rockabilly but built his car?

 

Still cool.......

 

ive been into real punk, not the greenday blink, and casualties crap, but anti nowhere league, varukers, skeptix, partisans, etc. for the longest time, then out of no where it became mainstream, all these fucken posers into punk for the fashion, and they fucken ruin it, take away all its meanings. now the same happened to tradionally styled hotrods, i like "rat rods" just because they are simple, low budget, and they look bad ass, and the fact that they are always in progress, just because they re rusty and in primer doesnt mean they ll be like that for good. and for the record punkrock and rat rods are the same both are for doing it yourself, doing it on a low budget, and not giving a fuck ok i written enuff im out

 

happy birthday Nads
dude if i lived in florida, I would so try to hang out with Morbid Angel.
punk rock and rot rods, i can see a few parallels.
I think they both come to the same ends though: maybe rooted in some sort of vauge counterculture ideology, but both quickly degenerated to a tacky social clique/fashion show.
i think i'm gonna get rid of my mercury, get a Delorean and listen to some New Wave.
anyways...
happy new years folks

 

Hahaha, I like the DeLorean / New Wave-idea.

I looking into finding a decent Peugeot 205 convertible, rig some good Simon Le Bon-hair, get hold of some good fuchsia- or skybluecolored suits and party on with Grace Jones. Im gonna shout and let it all out...

 

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For every Gene Vincent there's an Everly Brothers. For every Rolling Stone there's a Four Tops. For every Jimi Hendrix there's a B. J. Thomas. For every New York Dolls there's a Jackson 5. For every Ramones there's a Captain and Tennille. For every Billie Joe Shaver there's a Dolly Parton. For every Richard Hell there's a K. C. and the Sunshine Band. For every Clash there's a Knack. For every Gen X there's a Wham! For every Beastie Boys there's a Sir Mix-a-lot. For every Social Distortion there's a Nirvana. For every Rancid there's a Celine Dion. For every White Stripes there's a Beyonce.



For every PPE there's a Cadzilla.

There IS NO damn revolution.

As the lady said, "it's all the same fucking day, man."

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So…the Everly Bros, Four Tops, Dolly Parton aren't punk enough? No. they're not. But right there you are FLAUNTING your ignorance. The Everlys recorded a bunch of Felice and Bordileaux Bryants songs, the Tops were backed by the Funk Bros and Dolly's early stuff is great. Just because you learned about music in the 80's or 70s doesn't negate the stuff that came before.

I'll stick with my earlier statement. Punk is what you do until you LEARN to play well.

 

Top 40 punk is like the Journey of today.
Pur eunfiltered smaltz. Buried beneath the crust of tough mall punksters are the real bands that still matter. The Casualties, TSOL, Anti-Flag for starters are what drew me to punk in the first place. They weren't about big venues, were not about following a path the was laid down ahead of them. Wrote their own material and attacked everything from preppies to the government but had fun as well.
Boyd is the pristine white buck wearing Fallwell/Pat Boone of the industry.
Fuck him.
Rat/DEATH rods are not what this is about, even though it is a start. Building a rod from cast off parts, and building it WELL, is an even better way of saying FUCK OFF to the Lexusized-fibreglas-bellybutton-billet-laden-so-called "hot rods" that you see so many of.
We may be classified by a monicker we do not like, but we have a style that is recognized and that many people can recognize as something the owner has built himself.
In short, when we are tooling around someday in my Son's '26 Willys-Knight on Model A rails, blasting "Halloween" by the Dead Kennedys, they will know we have arrived on our own terms.

 

I cringe at the thought of even dipping a toe into these turbulent waters. But, what the hell, won't be the first beating I've endured. The following should be considered;

1) Ther are only Two kinds of music. Music you like and music you don't. Listen to the kind you like.

2) If the other guy is having a good time with his car, more power to him. No other opinions matter.

3) Human beings label everything, then want to argue 'bout it. Don't get sucked in.

Does one relate to the other (music/cars), of course it does. Everything in someones life affects the other facets of that persons being, and differently for different folks. Is this really a revelation, hardly.

Personally, I gravitate towards the car events and people that make me smile. The one that don't seem to get forgotten rather quickly. Hot Rods and music are supposed to be pleasant aspects of life. The only Hot Rod problems should relate to fitting engine "A" into engine bay "B" and the like. I deal with enough knotheads in business, don't feel the need to drag conflict into my Deuce. The interior is just fine as is.

As for the actual correlation of rat rods & Punk Rock, below find what Morty wrote this in the November on-line Hop-Up. Quite possibly the most succinct statement applied to this discussion thus far;


Hop-Up Nov '04.
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FASHION

So, you get an orphan car because you can’t afford one that has proven aesthetics, and you chauvinistically, extremely, over-modify it to be ‘different’ and your peers say, “That looks so cool!”?.........Isn’t that what they said about the orange Mohawk the ugly kid had in high school?

They meant, “You are making a helluva statement, and you are very different, but that does NOT look good.” Avante garde, yes.

Good? No.

Believe it.

Punkrodders must be punkrockers with cars…………….. done the way they do (did) their hair. We wanna be pals but shit is shit, Boys. Make ‘em come to the party…………..different isn’t good enough.

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Seem to remember having similar sentiments about the Sex Pistols, but never the Clash. By the ay, I'm 41.

Johnnie.

 

5wj, Quite possibly I've read this whole thread just to find the last entry to be the only one that makes sense to me. I'll say this, all of the ranting, posing, explaining, and embracing won't mean a thing when it's all over. The truth as they say "will set you free". The time for REAL truth is fast approaching and sadly there will be a majority that will miss the train. Those who know the truth will eventually prevail and the rest will disappear into that vortex of self indulgence that's always confounded and confused man as a whole. The truth is written for all to see but few will read and understand, sad but true.

Frank

 

Different is good when it's done well.

There was some real shit punk. There's some real shit "rat rods."

I like traditional rods...but I've seen a few rat rods I've liked. By rat rod I mean the flat black, highly pinstriped, red wheeled, not-era-correct-mechanically stuff you see so very often in CK Deluxe, OSH, and such.

 

Nads- Thanks for bringing this topic up and getting my blood flowing again cause i was feeling dead for a moment..You hit the nail on the head holmes..I've seen more people fabricate the last 5 yrs of their self indulged lifes acting like they have always been about this when all they do is trace other people and there ideas just to grand stand at a show or cruise in w/there cloned shitboxes bad mouthing other kats like they stole ideas from him when back then this cat was flossin' his number matching Chevelle playing Big Willie now he's all about the Mike Ness of things w/out knowing the history..It just proves that some of these kats out here are more shallower than a puddle of piss..They can have the 'look' and the 'car'..but still lack the vision and heart!
just my 2 cents..

Dirty

 

I took a college course study on popular music in american culture, which had a huge emphasis on punk rock and it's effects on modern pop music.

When punk first came out, it wasn't popular, wasn't cool, and everyone hated punk. i'm gonna shout this next line, because people don't seem to figure it out on their own:

EVERY SINGLE BAND YOU HAVE EVER HEARD ON THE RADIO, SEEN ON MTV, ANY FORM OF MASS MEDIA, HAS SOLD OUT! IF YOU CAN BUY THIER CD FROM AMAZON, BEST BUY, AND RECORD STORE, THEY SOLD OUT! The sellouts are the only ones who are ever remembered.

Thats right, all your punk bands are sellouts.

Punk rock had a soul, but by the time it got to anyone's ears, it was dead.

Pop culture's trends a beyond predictable. One good new idea comes along, and the establishment trys to crush it. some times they are able to crush new ideas, sometimes not. those that are not destroyed, are used to make money. They did it with rock and roll, they did it with acid rock, they did it with punk rock(they turned it into new wave), they did it with synth pop, they did it with grunge, they did it with alternative, every kind of music that is performed today.

Jump ship now. they stole your culture and music, and are selling it back to you. they did it before and will do it again. David

 

Umm.. Dick I'd rate this song an 8. It has a good beat and you can really dance to it.

As an artist you get the muse then you want to share it. Spread the word. Sharing it with the largest audience as possible only makes sense. Sell out only happens when you give up who you are in order to get the word out.

Why did you get into music man? To meet chicks!
Why do you take your car to shows man? To meet chicks!
Why did you sign a multi million dollar deal with the TV man? To meet better looking chicks!

Who's really the sell out, the band who achieves success or the fan who loses sight of the musics message just because his unenlightened neighbor can listen to it as well?

The gold chainers aren't really bad people they just needed the "rat rodders" to come along and snap them out of their laziness and make them start "seeing" hotrods again.

Anarchy is the complete absence of government or law. That is not a comunity or a society. To have a comunity or society you must have government and laws. Anarchy is a childs dream to be able to do what ever he wants, funny thing is that when most children get to the point where they can do what they want they find a leader and ask him to take care of them. Anarchy could never work because if it existed I would kill you and take your hotrod apart to make mine faster and have no traffic!

 

Man Honest, you went through that whole rant and I thought for sure you would have thrown in BANDY THE RODEO CLOWN just for me.

 

4-13, -you have a lot to learn about music before you start to give lectures.

 

"Smash the Discos, Smash them up"....

Or, the ever-popular::

"Disco sucks, disco sucks, disco sucks like shit"....