Peeking behind the scenes...

...with two guys who made it possible.

Consider a new DVD release of a feature film, especially one loaded with extras... Whether it's commentary form the director or writer, offering you some insight to the big "why" questions, or a peek at the cast, it's just cool to be a part of the action. Prior to DVD's (and their subsequent "special features"), seeking out those behind-the-scenes features required a little more effort. There were magazines, certainly, and the occasional "featurette" on TV, but in the earliest days, looking into the meat and potatoes required some serious digging, if not inside connections. It was much the same for custom cars and hot rods in the early days. Before there was Powerblock TV and Overhaulin', getting that in-progress glimpse of a build was a rarity, and required a trek to a local shop, or that rare tech article.

Enter two gentlemen who had a profound impact on their respective industries, as well as on me: Forrest J Ackerman and George Barris. Buckle your belts 'cuz we're going to mix and mash two seemingly different things once again, and hopefully leave you with some fresh insight... and don't worry, this one will be quick and painless!

About the time that George Barris was born (in the mid-1920's), Forrest J Ackerman was reading his first sci-fi tale in a copy of Amazing Stories. While Forry's interests were writing fiction and celebrating the genre and its writers, George and his bother Sam were customizing cars. Forrest was hanging with friends the likes of Ray Bradbury and Henry Kuttner, starting magazines like Futuria Fantasia (which would be a killer name for a bubbletop custom, mind you), The Barris boys were learning tricks of the trade from masters like Dick Bertolucci, and bolting together a slick '36 Ford which was used as a calling card, attracting paying customers. (Keeping with our "parallels" theme, at around this same time, George founded a car club named "Kustoms Car Club", reportedly the first use of "kustoms" with that "K"... Meanwhile, Forry and his friend Myrtle R. Douglas attended the first-ever World Science Fiction Convention, dressed in space suits, setting of a chain-reaction of future comic and Trek convention costumed attendees. Trendsetters indeed!) Add to the parallel that all three were in Los Angeles in these times, and, well, it just couldn't be any cooler had it been written that way. (oddly enough, Sam Barris and Forry Ackerman were both enlisted in WWII.)

Throughout the '40's and into the '50's, Barris continued building custom cars, and making a huge name in the industry, guiding it, in fact. It was during these years that George saw the potential in magazines, and was instrumental in documenting literally thousands of cars, and in the process virtually invented the modern "tech article". His photo essays in the popular car magazines of the time chronicled trends and techniques for customizers living outside of the California hotbed of activity, and offered that all-important "behind-the-scenes" insight, probably providing countless would-be customizers with some inspiration. Barris is often credited with inspiring many modern day customizers to practice their craft, and his efforts with his unique brand of Public Relations certainly has been a driving force behind the continuation of this industry into the twenty-first century.

Meanwhile, Ackerman was acting as a literary agent, representing hundreds of writers, and serving as "agent of record" for many more, ensuring that their work would be published in numerous anthologies, preserving the science fiction genre's past in not only written form, but providing an entirely new facet for the then-growing motion picture industry. Consider that his magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland exposed many aspiring special effects artists and film makers alike to those "behind-the-scenes" looks, and the parallels just grow stronger. It was these close looks at the men behind the special effects techniques that inspired such talents as Tim Burton, John Landis and Rick Baker, as well as countless other amateur home directors. Forrest truly created an industry that continues strong today, not only from the standpoint of the behind-the-scenes documentary, but for collectors of film memorabilia. He was also one of those rare "hands-on", approachable figures, leading tours of the "Ackermansion", his personal home and museum, packed to the rafters with his collection of movie props and memorabilia.

In this same way, George is a common figure at car shows and events, as well as still working from his shop. It's this accessibility that makes it all even more fun; having that opportunity to mix and mingle with the folks who not only "were THERE", but helped to preserve our hobbies for future generations. While we unfortunately lost Forrest J Ackerman in 2008, the next time you load that movie into your DVD player and pop open the "Special Features" menu, give a quick "thanks" to the ultimate fanboy, and feel free to share your knowledge of where it all began. And while you're at it, why not give a tip of the hat to George next time you're browsing those back issues at the swap meet. After all, chances are, many of the photos in that issue are courtesy of the "King of the Kustomizers".

Innovation, guest appearances and simple math...

...all combined in my head over the past couple of days. I had been in the studio almost non-stop this past week, trying to keep up, and finishing up some bigger projects, and as usual, began to ponder mysteries of life.

One topic that often entertains my gray matter is that of innovation. I enjoy looking back on instances where one single event or idea made enough of a ripple to change something. Consider skateboarding (not much of that happening with a knee like mine lately)... A simple trick like the Ollie took it from slalom and simple "sidewalk surfing" into a whole new universe. Arials, tricks previously unimagined... Hell, almost all extreme (board) sports can trace some lineage back to this simple trick (consider how surfing was transformed by the arial). Car-wise, consider Sam Barris chopping the first Merc...

...or better yet, his fastback Buick!

Style moved in a whole new direction! Lower, cleaner designs poured from Detroit following this most basic (yet complex) custom idea.

It's all simple math, really. Add where you must, subtract what must be removed for the sake of style, and, if you do your math carefully, you have a winner! Consider that there are an almost infinite number of equations to arrive at a solid design, and it boggles the mind. It all falls on vision, and carrying elements to the right places.

Speaking of innovations, simple math, etc... I listen to a lot of music in the Studio, and I enjoy a broad range of styles. A recent spinning of some classic R & B really got the brain firing on all cylinders. I began to think about guest appearances, and the blending of occasionally different, and sometimes similar elements, and how they can affect the final product, be it music, cars, or even food. Canned Heat recorded an album with the legendary John Lee Hooker, entitled Hooker n' Heat, as the band was getting back to their blues roots.

The album is almost, in essence, a John Lee Hooker album, with the Heat playing backup... But it works. In fact, it's something beyond a simple listening experience... it takes on a life of its own (namely in Wilson's unbelievable harmonica playing-- sadly, also his last appearance). The meshing of Canned Heat's loose, funky, boogie style, with Hooker's down and dirty demeanor make this not only a great listen, but inspiration!

Consider how, in most cases, a guest appearance by anyone (be it TV, music, or anything) is often watered-down. In the case at hand, Hooker just stomps his way in front, and stays there... It's pure "attitude music" if ever such a thing existed.

How does this apply to cars? Like any good design, it's in choosing the right ingredients, and using them to the right level... pulling the most from their potential. It's not about just bringing in the hottest "at-the-moment" thing (remember composite headlamps being installed on EVERYTHING in the '80's? There's a warning.), it's choosing some elements that may be, on the surface, anyway, entirely different... and finding some common ground or theme for them to work from. Looking at the raw material, and then seeking out an element, a slice of character in either a part or a modification that just makes visual "sense". Consider the use of Buick trim on a Merc. Just looks "right" somehow. A good idea that spawned countless clones. I suppose that my point is simply to hone your ability to discern what makes for good design, and to absorb those things that look (or sound!) "right"... and make sense of the WHY (why they look right, why it flows). In short, don't be afraid to kick the tail of your board, invite a different co-host (or opinion), or throw a few new numbers into the equation.

After all, when it comes to innovation or imitation, there's really only one way I'd like to go...

Ingenuity...

...is defined by Webster's as "skill or cleverness in devising or combining : inventiveness, or: cleverness or aptness of design or contrivance".

It's been a word that has spent an unholy amount of time bouncing a

round in my brain lately. I find it to be a powerful word when applied to our hobby/industry of hot rodding in general, as it's really the backbone of what we do. Consider an engine builder, working to tweak every last ounce of power, Sam Barris chopping the first Merc roof, or the first guy to conceive the idea of using lace to create killer patterns in custom paint. Hell, each day I'm confronted with the challenge of bringing unique ideas to a project, and in some cases, finding ways to stretch a budget, and draw in some wicked little details to set a car over the top. It's a matter of using what's there in front of you (and occasionally what doesn't exist!) in a new or different way, and then getting it all to flow.

A recurring theme here in the old blog has been that of cool details and inventive use of materials on a project, and this entry brings in some really neat stuff. First off, time had shot over some pics of his new, self-made planishing hammer.

Confronted with pre-made units that maybe had the power but lacked the throw he needed, or even vice-versa, he did what any hot rodder might do: He made his own. 

Pretty slick, indeed, and a great illustration of the point here. The human mind is capable of solving problems with amazing agility at times (there's even some grace in banging a sheetmetal panel to shape over a 2x4 when it's in the right hands!), and when it comes to creating tools to aid in work, provide convenience, whatever, it's always cool to witness. 

Speaking of ingenuity, a recent side trek on the web, seeking more info on Sam Barris' Merc led me to a video highlighting a car that's always kept me fascinated (and, amazingly, another Barris-constructed car -- I say "constructed", as the majority of the innovations on the car were those of the owner), the Golden Sahara II, from the ingenuity (see a theme here?) of owner/designer Jim Skonzakis (aka Jim Street). Every inch of this car is loaded with ingenuity, and inventive, if not a step beyond state-of-the-art for its time (this was pre-1962!)... Man, consider that this was the FIRST car to have a TV in it, much less every other technical marvel thrown in. You may know this '53 Lincoln Capri from the Jerry Lewis movie Cinderfella:

or even the old Rob't. Williams "Leadsleds" poster (it's there in the original incarnation, anyway), too! In any event, over on YouTube is the following video... take a peek, and we'll pick this back up in a few: 

How absolutely freaking cool is THAT??!

...and those light-up tires? Dig this:

In the '60's, Goodyear toyed with translucent polymers to create pastel-colored, illuminated tires! More likely than not, they were to be marketed toward women (color matching everything was in fashion, after all), yet the material proved to wear too quickly, and they never made it to market... 

Ponder the thought that went into this car, the forward thinking, the sheer inventiveness... the INGENUITY. Granted, there's a lot of gimmickry going on here, but isn't this car just the perfect illustration of the times? That whole "world of tomorrow" kinda vibe going on, and all wrapped up neatly in a pretty slick custom.

 
I had shown this to my kids, and they flipped that the car had a TV, a remote... and then they said "they had TV back THEN"? Illuminated tires, whoopie.... TV? Amazing to kids. Go figure...