I have always been fascinated by both "Big Daddies". I been going to the drag strip my whole life, I grew up there. And I have been a roth fan forever. Here's a shitty pic of the work in progress on my arm. On my forearm is a front engine dragster done up kinda roth'ish
I shoulda looked around before I started this thread! Johnny Ace started one just like this an I found it yesterday. Oh Well...Keep the pictures comin, any kool Roth drawings or anything done by Roth I WANNA SEE!! is there any way to get in contact with Johnny Ace or Von Franco, I wanna talk to those guys...
Met Garlits at the NE Dragway in '69. He was a gentleman! Took time to talk w/a kid who loved cars. I won't forget it.
Know how ya feel man 17 too huge Roth fan i wish i could meet him too.When the Tales Of The RatFink came out me and all the guys in our shop class and our shop teacher watched it during lunch in the shop class and are teacher said after all his classes are going to watch this next year on the first day of class just to be inspired to build something kool like Roth did. P.S. RatFink should be a religion
I only talked to Ed once and that was at the last Autorama he went to. It was Sunday before the show open and and he and his wife stopped by a booth i was working at. I had an in tank EFI fuel pump and hanger there designed for 50s and 60s fuel tanks. Ed was quite interested in the concept and asked me several questions about it. He walked away shaking his head and wondering why anyone with an old car would want to put a modern EFI unit on it when there are still perfectly good 97s around. I still ask myself that same question today. I'll never forget that conversation. What a cool guy he was.
Remember, Garlits only has half a foot,...... might not have knowen he was stepping on you ,...... The year "Big" started showing Bandit II, Clyde and I had breakfast with him and Dennis the day after autorama, ... they left Bandit II at Clydes house for a couple weeks, Ed said to me they were going to Wright-Patterson,.. He was convinced they had a engine from a UFO there and wanted to use it for his next project ,....... true story ask Dennis
Don't know if any of you have seen this,...... "Ed Roth interviews Von Dutch" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruf4QQuBEmM hope this works, not shure of its origins either
Seek out Johnny Ace and Kali on myspace. They hang out there alot....or try acekustoms.com. Good luck tryin to get them to answer the phone. Ha!!
I want to say this first, because Ive been accused of Bragging in the past when I share this stuff with folks. There is Bragging, & there is Sharing, The difference is in the intent. If your intent is to rub someones face in it and say Ha Ha I did this and you didnt! Thats Bragging! When you are just telling the story of your life because thats what happened and your intent is not to make others feel bad thats sharing. Beside at some point how you decide to react to something is On You, anyway But that said! I mean, Im still surprised any of this happened to me myself. 1990-1996 I got the privilege to work with Ed. I loved it! But there was a part of me that always wished I could have had the opportunity to work for him back in the 1960s when Robert Williams described Roths studio as a "Bohemian Think-Tank." You see when I worked for him he had artist scattered all over the country & they all sent faxes to each other. Not the same vibe as a group of highly imaginative eccentric artist sitting around a shop brain storming. The few times Ive got to do that Man the energy Its hard to describe. But I did get a taste of that one night! I had been airbrushing shirts in Reineros booth at the Santa Clara, CA World of Wheels show. It was the last night and every one was packing up to head for the Oakland Grande National Roadster show the next week. I was done helping Reinero pack up got my money & decided to go see if Ed needed any help. I helped Ed, Von Franco, & Gary Mizar pack up all their stuff & load it on Eds trailer. Then we all headed for a local Carls Jr. across 101 for burgers. So at the table we all started throwing ideas around for a back cover illustration he wanted me to do for Rat Fink Comics. I was in heaven. Sitin around throwing out ideas with these creative genieses and laughing our heads off. I could see how Ed sort of kept the main concept in focus in a real gentle way while the rest of us went off. In the end it was mostly Von Francos ideas that got used although me an Gary got our licks in too! And the concept that held it all together was Eds. Ed had a lot of good artists working for him. But Im hear to tell you that Ed had his gentle way of making sure for the basic core of all that art, that it was his personal vision that got expressed. He was the glue that held it all together. We all ended up at Francos house and Ed was asleep on the couch as soon as he sat down. So Franco, Gary, & myself went up-stairs to Fracos studio and shot the shit way into the early hours. Thanks Ed were ever youve gone! One last piece of unfinished business. I promised Franco that I would give him credit for the bulk of the ideas on the art. But the week I drew the thing was so crazy; I was spraying shirts all day in Reineros booth at the Oakland Roadster show. I would then leave and drive back across the bay to Cupertino. Draw until I couldnt keep my eyes open. Get up drive back to Oakland, barley making it in time for the doors to open. And do it all over again the whole week. I got it done in time to get it to Roth as he was packing up to leave. But in all that I had forgotten to give Franco his credit he gave me one of those "So thats how you are!" looks Ive never forgot. So anyway sorry bout that Franco, didnt do it on purpose. I did 4 back covers 3 got used. It was the one with the Rat Fink & the B.B.Q. in the back yard. I think Ed used it on the "Rat Fink Coloring Book" he put out in the 1990s.
I spoke to Roth twice. The last time he said somthing that has stayed with me to this day. We were talking projects and plans, and the conversation turned to money, and the things we give up to follow our dreams. He got real serious then and looked me in the eye, then he said "Hot Rodding is a addiction I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy." I was taken aback by that, and wondered why, if he disliked it so much, he spent his life involved in all things car related. Now years later, I think I finally understand.
In mid-June of 1964 my best friend Harry and I had just graduated high school and took a trip to California. It was a car trip - of course we drove but it was a CAR trip. We were in his '54 Chevy 210 with a 235. On the same day we went to Harvey's Broiler we visited Roth's shop. We knocked on the door and Ed opened it and just stared at us. We explained we were from Chicago and had been to Barris', Jeffries' and Cushenbery's shops - he slammed the door in our faces. We went next door to a shop that had an open-air back yard and sold concrete statuary (birdbaths and stuff). As we looked over the chainlink fence into Roth's unbelievably messy backyard, the owner of the statue shop walked up to us and asked "What are you kids doing?" I told him my mom wanted a birdbath and how much were they? He replied "Baloney, you're watching that guy next door!" I sheepishly admitted we were and explained we had come from Chicago and that Roth had refused to let us in the shop. The statue guy said "Look over the fence all you want - the more you piss that guy off the happier I am." I saw Roth again a couple of years later at a Rod & Custom show at Navy Pier in Chicago. He was at the Revell booth dressed in a tux and top hat. The crowd was tremendous and Harry and I just walked by. In the late '90's I bumped into Roth at the World of Wheels in Chicago. It was early in the show and he was setting up his t-shirt display. I told him I was a sign painter and striper and that I had been inspired and influenced by his work. We spoke for almost a half hour and he was a most humble, kind-hearted guy. He was interested in computers and how they related to the commercial sign shop. He asked for a business card and I invited him to my shop whenever he came back to town. I never mentioned 1964 - it just wasn't important. As I left he asked if I wanted to buy a t-shirt and I replied, "No, thanks." I saw him one last time at another WOW show. He looked ill and had a long line waiting for autographs so I just walked by. The only Roth item I have is an original autographed black & white trading card featuring Ed and "The Baron". I won it in a charity auction at the Pinstripe Legends display at the World of Wheels show in Milwaukee in 2005. It was donated by the Baron's grandson Tom Kelly who was receiving a lifetime achievement award at the show. Tom is also a wonderfully humble man and told many stories about Ed that weekend. Larry
Kids... Reno-Howard Roth Lil Daddy-Dennis Roth Charlie Roth George Roth Darryl Roth Ed was my Godfather. Yes, Reno passed away. Lil Daddy is still going on strong. Him and Darryl have their own t-shirts and stuff they sell. Check "RothOriginals.com" .They also sell Roth Flake! Dennis is building another car, but told me to keep it a secret. By the way...there was a long thread about Ed, not too long ago. You should do a search for it. Lots of good stories. I think it was during the Roth exhibit at the Peterson Museum. "Peterson Museum Ed Roth Exhibit Pictures" search for this...
I met Ed in the late 70's; I was a partner in a business in Santa Ana & Whittier called the Mini Truck Store - before they were , well never mind. Anyway we had this Bad Ass Mid Engine Chopped Tube Frame Datsun Truck that we wanted to letter our name on. My partner says I'll call Roth. Next thing I know this crazy looking Honda Civic shows up and Big Daddy gets out, all 6 ft million of him, looks at the truck, lays on the floor and starts lettering the front air dam. The store was right on Whittier Blvd and the truck was in the window - I thought people were going to wreck watching him work! Damn I wish I could find that picture! While he's lettering he tells me how he had fought with the Edison Company because he had a wind mill and was making more electricity then he was using! He won. He then goes on to say he'd built a bicycle that was hooked to a generator that was hooked to storage batteries and that in turn was hooked to the TV. Said if the kids wanted to watch TV they had to peddle. Don't know if it was true but we laughed our asses off. Every time i saw him after that he remembered me as the Mini Truck dude.
I'm still not sure, I think I might have. But the guy was asleep, and it was in Oklahoma. That's all I'll say.
Yup, He was a cool kat alright. Always treated me like we were the best of friends. It was a pleasure to know him. He really liked painting on my 57, as he had one much like it in the 50's. Here's some stuff he did, and my tribute to "what Micki Mouse's Grandma would of looked like". B
Was headed down to Ft. Myers area to see my girl's kids and saw the sign and stopped at Garlits museum. Some dude cutting grass outside on big John Deere mower when we pulled in he waved , we waved but we really didn't notice who it was. Went in and next thing this fellow shows up inside all sweaty and dirty from mowing and said "What you think of the place" was big Daddy himself. What a great guy, we talked for about 20 minutes.
"Big Daddy" Roth ? I know but Re: Memories of "Big Daddy" ? And Garlits was mentioned, only famous person I've met , sorry for destroying your day.
I remember meeting him at The World of Wheels along time ago. My buddy Gabe and I were all nervous walking up to him. The first thing that came out of his mouth was "what are you guys Used Phone Sales Repairmen?" We got our Devil with a Hammer prints signed by him and tried to get some Hot Wheels Beatnik Bandits signed but he made the sign of the cross and went on to tell us how Hot Wheels had ripped him off and would never sign them. Man, that had to be one of the coolest days ever...
Hey HEATHEN, Was that at the Goodguys show? My bud Roy and I were walking thru and I saw Roth with his top hat at his display. I lucked out and got to shake his hand,talk briefly with him and he graciously signed my glove box door.... A great day!
Roth was an IDEA man. That's where the power is baby. I met him, I did some work for him (he never used it but paid me anyway!) He saw it all coming...the Japanese and European passion for the good stuff, the surf/skater/fine art link and everything else. He'd no doubt be building a hydrogen/electric/wheatgrass open wheeled 1200 h.p. liquid glass death machine as we speak... "Thousands of years from now when the aliens dig up our crap, they'll think we worshipped the car." - GET DOWN.
I was privileged to meet Big Daddy (I met Garlits also) at Carlisle in 1991. Here's my right arm. Flash art by Johnny Ace (who worked with Ed) and ink by Nate Hough:
I hung around Roth when he showed the Outlaw and painted shirts at the 1960 Kansas City car show when I was 15. I would watch him work and go get him hot dogs and he helped me get started painting shirts. Later that year, when I was on my last vacation trip with my parents, we were in LA so I had my dad drive me over to Maywood. Ed said, "Hey, you wanna stay here this summer and paint shirts?" My Dad hadn't said no yet and then Ed took us inside and said, " I even have a place where you can stay!" Then he showed us the filthiest toilet I have ever seen and he said that would be my room! Needless to say, my Dad (already pretty suspicious of the whole deal anyway) got me out of there fast. I saw Ed many times later but I never thought to ask him if he had been messin' with my head back then or if he was serious. He loved to say outrageous stuff offhandedly and keep you guessing.
The Jalopy Journal
