New Years Is Right Now!

Just got back from the Old Souls shop party/new years gathering. Such a cool shop and all the cool kids were hanging out. I was there for my average 20 minutes of being social and then I was out. So on 2013 with a bang. Here is to building more bikes, building my Hot Rod, and honing my hermit skills. Thank you and good night. Smash your Face!

Skewbald Grand Union (7'')

Top 5 Saturday

I am almost through with American Hardcore. There is so much in it that I did not know that I feel like I am even closer to full nerd punk status. It is mostly useless knowledge but it is knowledge none the less. It is funny how scenes in the 80's were very clique-ish. I guess it is no different now but back then every town or state had a sound. L.A. ,D.C., N.Y., Midwest, all had there own scenes and not till bands started touring did the scenes cross over. So I was trying to pick my favorite bands from that era and it is real hard to do. I have always flown the L.A. flag because I grew up there. But ultimately I am a D.C. fan through and through. I can't pinpoint the reason really but they are the fathers of the true D.I.Y ethos and I have always respected that in Ian Mackaye and Dischord records. So Today my top 5 is gonna be more of a list of all the bands Ian has done and why they are so fucking awesome. 

Teen Idles- The first punk band Ian was in pre Minor Threat. Ian plays bass and Jeff Nelson on drums. They released one 7 inch then split. This almost pre-dates the first Bad Brains recordings out of DC. This is the band that got there feet wet and got there chops up to speed

Minor Threat- I could go on and on but all it takes is a listen and you will know how many light years they were ahead of the pack. Musically it is about as sonic and tight as it gets before the riffs turn into mush. Lyle Preslar had a insane way of playing guitar and there wasn't one single member that did not add to the mix. A band that was a unit a single machine that could mow over the city with a single pass. The lyrics are what dragged me in at 13. So angry and so heart felt. He hated religion, school, people around him, other bands, at it all showed in a in your face direct assault. I have always liked people that are like that. I could talk forever about how good they are but you already know I hope.

Skewbald- While Minor Threat broke up for 6 months Ian did this little side project. Recorded 1 ep and then started up Minor Threat again. It is kinda tell tell of how he was gonna go after Minor Threat. I will post it up so you can hear it. It is good but different.

Embrace- So it is 1985 and Minor Threat is done for sure. All the other members have already joined other bands or just fell out of the scene. The violence at shows had spurred all the older scene guys to really hate what was going on. So as a direct reaction Ian starts up Embrace. The first Emo band on the planet. There was a time when saying a band was Emo meant they were good. Now not so much. Embrace threw out the manual on hardcore and went there own way. Still very much rooted in punk but like walking a line of early REM and the Kinks almost. I bought the record in 86 when the full length came out. I liked it a lot but was a little sad that it was not Minor Threat. The songs stand up after all these years and are very good as a starting point for the next band.

Fugazi- The one true forever changing band in a lot of lives. I have to say I love this band and all they have done more then almost any other band. The music will truly stand the test of time and fans devour it like a rabid animal. I saw there first tour in 1988 or 89 and I have to say it was a life changing event. These four guys could actually play there instruments and still write powerful and elegant songs. There is still the message and no fluff so to speak of. It is all meat and potatoes and that is true on every record they have ever made. The full movie named Instrument is truly amazing and captures the band in there ultimate weird prime. They keep themselves entertained enough with weird time changes and crazy guitar parts always being dragged back in by the best bass and drums in the world. I listened to Repeater so many times it is now instilled in my head like a soundtrack to my high school years. I spent more time trying to make it with girls, skateboarding, driving to shows, laying in bed with head phones on, trying to soak in what they were doing, but never quite getting it. They write music that is so beyond what I can do that it is almost alien. Much like some one that is prodigy of some sort. Everything I do I have had to work very hard at to get to the level I am at. The way they play as a band is like how trees know when to change color in fall or how a bird knows where to fly for winter. Beyond  beyond you know what I mean.

As a bonus I looked up all the bands he has been in it is insane how many bands he has done or projects. Here is some more.
Pailhead
Egghunt
Guitar ensemble
Solo  projects
The Evens

This Makes Me Want To Go Ride, Like Now!

Fried My Little Brain

So this is the one bike out of all the bikes at the Yokohama show that I keep staring at. So Fucking awesome.See I look at bikes like this and I know it would be a blast to ride. It looks good, stance is perfect and the basics are all done with taste. It flows and that is the key. In all my years doing this I have never seen anyone do a tank like this. The paint and tank match with the lighting bolts. three piece seat is sick and  its a Ironhead so you know I like it.

2012 In The Books and 2013 Is Unwritten!

 Never been a big New Years Resolution kinda guy. I live the life I want and don't really feel like there is much I should resolve. Wait just a minute I do have all kinds of shit I need to resolve. It just so happens I need to finish my bike, get back to work on customers bikes, listen to more records, stop building bikes for myself, stop making girls cry, find a new day job, open a proper bike shop, spend more time with my kids, sell my house, move into a better house, stop cutting my beard, read more books, stop trying to juggle twenty things at once, listen to my heart more, stop thinking so much, stop wanting to be a hermit, and most of all never ever under any circumstance think I can have it all.
 2012 was for all intents and purpose a completely shit year. Lost Todd and Bunt, took no long trips, been pretty broke all year and that is just the tip of the iceberg. I am not so much into wallowing in the shit but after a year like this one I am looking forward to the over night wash out and on to the next. Is it possible to wake up on 010113 and all the things that are frayed  in my life are fixed. No fucking way in hell it is but the positive action of the date change means there is a better days ahead. Love so deep you drown in it and live so loud anyone around you goes deaf. Make no excuses for being a asshole and on my death bed that is when I hope I find peace. Up till then I will fight the good fight and listen to Black Flag Everything Went Black over and over again. Its Henry free so its great!

Super Freak In Action. I Wanna Go Ride!

Enjoy One Of The Best Records Ever. Close Your Eyes and Just Fall Into It.

Shop Day...

Well spent most of the day wrangling cars around the shop so I could get my 51 down to the shop. Gonna blow it apart and get the thing finished up for real this time. New color of primer and new wheels and tires. Redo all the brake lines and that should do it for awhile. Got some more parts cleaned and helped Shea get some stuff together for his 750 that is sold. It was 18 degrees today and absolutely brutal to to be down at the shop. I end up dragging a space heater about 10 inches away from my ass all over the shop. Ass sweating while your knee caps are frozen. I hate the midwest. I don't think I have gone into my love of girls in cowboy boots. I DO NOT like cowgirls but more the look of trashy rock and roll girls in trashy tore up boots. This painting sums it up magically. I wish I could paint, I would paint just like mister Toombs

Something Like This...

All very cool and well built  Hondas. Like the top one best that was built by Kiyo from Garage Co.

Hot Dock, or Hot Dog

I am blown away by the Hot Dock Parabellem. This is one of the sweetest bikes out of Japan ever. Some of there other bikes are to crazy for my taste but this one is all business. It was in the Horse a few years ago and is where I read about it. Built for street racing and looking good. sounds great to me. I am losing my taste for flashy hipster choppers and am leaning more towards big inch street choppers. So cool.

Merry F-ing Christmas

Just in case you have not been brow beat with Christmas shit here I go. I was raised in a cult basically so I never had a xmas until I was 13. Who cares at that point. But since having children I can see why and how Christmas is good and fun. My kids are basically jumping out of there own skin for the next two days. I can't wait for the day to be over. So as I am a music snob and I like it that way I thought I could post some xmas songs that are not terrible. We went to the mall and I was crawling out of my skin having to hear the shit they had playing. I want to say I heard a hip hop version of sleigh bells and that was it. The Pogues song is an all time favorite of mine as well as the others. Starflyers version of" Have Yourself a Merry Little Xmas" was done perfect, slow and moody and I would listen to it all year as well as the Happy Holiday song. So with that I will just say with all the terrible shit that went down this year I am grateful for my friends, family and motorcycles. So all you fucked up people out there I hope you are in love with something/someone, happy, content, warm and fuzzy. I am being as sincere as I get and that is your gift from the Anchor. 

The Pogues & Kirsty McColl Fairytale Of New York

The Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) (HQ) + lyrics

The Sonics - Santa Claus

Starflyer 59 - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

A Holiday Song (Happy Holidays) by Starflyer 59

Le Super Freak Revisited

So if the devil is in the details then this is Satan himself. Chopper Daves Superfreak is one of my favorite bikes of all time. I liked it in the first forms but this is the one. Just like that one fucked up dream that you have over and over again. When ever I have the need to feel inspired or am looking for a idea this bike can help. There are few bikes out there that have all the right parts and then actually be put together the correct way. Frame, pipes, bars,front end, wheels, etc etc. Killer. I have been cleaning all my Sportster parts and am awaiting the powder coated parts. Gonna be fucking awesome and I love putting shit back together. Clean, assemble, clean ,assemble, over and over till its done. Did not crack the motor open so I don't have to worry about break in miles. Just bolt the the last thing on wire it and go. Can't wait. Drool Drool Drool

Lucero Is So Good It Will Bum You Out.

RIP Joe I Can't Believe It Has Been 10 Years 52-02

Well It Is Here....

That is the first snow of the year is here. Fuck I hate snow. Had one of the most terrifying drives to work ever this morning. I don't worry about me its all the other dumb fucks out on the roads. So went and picked up my new tire and set the front end back up. Man I love these tires and I can buy 3 of them for the cost of a Speedmaster. Yes indeed tires can make or break a bike and this just made it. As a side super fucked up note as I was painting my stuff last night I have come to the conclusion I FUCKING HATE PAINTING. It just makes me love the people that do and can do it well. I had some kind of crazy chemical reaction and add to the mix it was still to cold in my shop to be painting. My fault and I guess if I was more prepared it would of gone smoother. So all my stuff is now getting blasted again and powder coated Gloss Black. I loved the last bike Shea bought so now I will have a all black bike that is gonna look SWEEEEETTT. Especially with this new tire. Its just money right?

Reading History, Saturday Top 5

Seeing that I did not get into Hardcore until 86 I was at the very tail end of the real deal 80-86 years of hardcore. I am about half way through this gem. Went and saw the movie but now I am reading many words. So far I'd say it is the definitive book about those crucial years. I however do not agree with about half of what the author has to say. He seems like a arrogant prick and was most likely on the side lines while the others were in the trenches if you know what I mean.I was always in the school of Punk and Hardcore is the same and different all at the same time. I never really fit in with the Mohawk punks and I really did not fit in with the jock mentality of hardcore. So I found a nice easy way of just being me and that is the key. Out of all the super ultra mega punk kids I grew up with I am the only one that even remotely is still truly punk. Well as punk as a old man can be I guess. I looked up to these bands and used there lyrics like the bible. It was good for me to find Straight Edge and I have never thought once of breaking. Don't care what others do and that is why I am comfortable in this old man skin. Seems to be a true time in American music when kids literally made there own scene. And then promptly destroyed it but that is the way of the world. Gonna have a crazy weekend so here is the ultra early Saturday Top 5 Hardcore records in my eyes.

Number 1. Bad Brains S/T. So this record is so brutal I can still remember the first time I heard it and I had run over my jaw on the ground. I had never in all my days heard something so fast and amazing. I went to the local record store and found a copy on tape and went about wearing that tape out that summer of 86. I still could not believe that they were 4 black guys making this insane music. I had only seen maybe a few real life black people in the 13 years I had been on earth. I damn well new 4 dudes from DC that made music like this was a rare thing indeed. It did not matter that they were black and I don't think it would matter if they were green and from XXX!@#@#. Who cares they made the finest music in the history of Hardcore.

Number 2. Minor Threat- Life changer for sure. Super fast songs and the lyrical content my little brain could understand. I hated everything in my life at the time I got this record. They made me feel part of a movement and not like a alien in my town. About this time I really got into skateboarding and through that I met some friends that shared the same interest. We'd all lie and sneak out and skate all night. We had this shitty little boom box and we always fought about who was gonna have to go steal batteries for the damn thing. Summers were wasted skating, swimming, and listening to Minor Threat.

Number 3. Negative Approach- Tied Down LP- This my friends is by far the heaviest most pist off of the lot. John Brannon is the best screamer in the world ever! Ever band he has ever been in is amazing and that is now going on 25 years. The Tied Down LP is about the most perfect record for anyone the has the ability to hate. Ready To Fight is a anthem for every kid about to get his ass kicked. The music is raw and really simple which is how it should be. The Bad Brains could play there instruments and the songs showed it. With Negative Approach it was more about getting the songs to beat you about the head and shoulders. While you laid there bleeding the next songs is already to stomp you again.Check Out Easy Action and the Laughing Hyenas. Two other John Brannon Bands and both are just as good.

Number 4. Black Flag -Jealous Again EP. I'm just gonna say it FUCK HENRY ROLLINS. He is a scab and a terrible fucking singer. There I said it. True I like the Damage lp but I will take the first three singers over Henry Garfield anyday. And with that out of the way The Jealous Again EP is with the best singer Ron Reyes(CHAVO). Just these four songs are enough to put them in the top 5. Greg Ginn has always been one of my guitar heroes. They riffs are always frantic and perfect. The band was already on the uphill when all the different singers started changing up. Dez was also super good but like all good bands they shot there wad real early on and never could keep it together. 

Number 5. Youth Brigade-Sound and Fury. As a whole this might be the tamest of the 5 but I love this record so much. I have worn out three copies of this record since 86. When ever I see a copy I just buy it because I know I will go through another at some point. The Stern brothers makeup this band and they had a music quality and message that always stuck with me. Good sing along choruses and the topics were a little deeper then NA but still I felt what they were saying. Out of all the So Cal bands from 80-82 I know they were the best. The other runner ups are the Adolescents, Agent Orange, CH3, Etc etc

I stayed to the pre- 86 rule that the book stayed with. Honestly the late 80's Straight Edge scene was when I was actually going to shows and started playing in bands. Bands like Chain of Strength, Youth of Today, Infest, Cro Mags, Agnostic Front, Gorilla Biscuits, Judge, Inside Out, Etc Etc. Whatever If you have not heard these records do yourself a favor and hunt them down.

Brain Explodes

Larry Watson Skills

It is hard to top Larry Watson when it comes to paint. He of course is world famous for paint on the Grapevine( The car pic). It is my favorite Chevy ever in the history of custom cars. He is not so well known for painting bikes. So here are some examples of his work. So killer and I am looking for some inspiration for the Sportster. Got the tank in primer and need to sand it next time I am down at the shop. Next will be the frame, oil bag and fender. Got the frame and fender at the blaster Thursday and should have them back tomorrow I hope. Went a got a new front tire ordered and dropped the rim off so it can get mounted and balanced. I fucking hate taking off and mounting tires. Plus I don't have a good way to balance them except the ghetto way. It's the one luxury I use is letting some other smuck cuss and scream while wrestling a tire on. It actually saves me time and at this point I need as much as possible. The paint is gonna take at least a solid week if I worked 40 hours straight on it. So at 2-3 hour increments it will take a month. Fuck then I still have to put it back together. Nose to the grind stone while juggling every other thing in my life. I embrace the stress and hold it against my chest tight enough to strangle the life out of it. As a little side story Larry's shop was about 15 miles from my house in high school. Me and my friends would just cruise by and see what he had going on. He was always cool to us and he would ask why we wanted to drive old crusty shit. He still was around until the early 90's until he closed shop. Anyways he was cool and had skills so deep that you'd be better off starting off in Japan to find the other end. RIP

Dig This Sporty.

Best Quote Of The Night

 So some super drunk kid came up to me after our set. In a very slobbery drawn out country ozark style accent says" For a bunch of old dudes you guys rule". I said thanks and then went to load my shit out. Feel like a Mack truck is driving through the middle of my head this morning. Old man indeed so thanks to everybody that made it out.

Japanese American Japanese Style

I have made it some kind of personal goal to get to the Yokohama show some time in this life. I would prefer to have them pay for my bike to be shipped over but most likely I will be paying my way. So killer the bikes these guys are turning out. But on the flip side I only am showing the bikes I like. There were quite a few that are terrible and nothing but show fodder. I think the parking lot is where all the good shit is . Staring at  these pictures I started into a tirade about the Japanese buying up all our bikes and then building cooler shit then most. What is going to happen when we have to start buying Ironhead parts back from the island. Fuck I hope I don't live that long. Prices are already getting retarded. Old men have found ebay and if not there shitty kids have. In my life time there will be no more barn finds, NOS chopper parts, AEE sissy bar stashes, etc etc. Sucks

You Will Not Hear This Song Tonight.

Metamucil Rock and Roll. Bring your Depends

Watch This and You Will Get It.

Tonight Tonight At Daveys Uptown Ramblers Club

So The Big Iron is playing tonight at Daveys. If you are around or in KC show starts about 10. The Almighty Bloodshot Bill is playing as well. Bloodshot Bill is the best Rockabilly in the world for the last 50 years. I am VERY picky about rockabilly. I do not like any fake ass pretty boy fluff weak ass shit. I don't like Pyscho billy either.  I truly believe Bill is the best and he does it all by himself. Plays drums and plays geetar at the same time as howling, growling, yelling and wailing songs about girls, booze and chicken fried steak. To see it live is to witness the last true rock and roll troubadour. As for the Big Iron I will just use the quote from Rolling Stone. 
" The Big Iron are the last true Punk Rock band on earth. They don't care if you like them, love them, hate them and that is where they want to stay. All the members have direct descendents to Mexican revolutionaries, Vikings, Cavemen, and a clan from Ireland that led every revolt for the last century. How does a band like this prosper in Kc". Well the answer is we never play out and the rare occasion means you should take full advantage and come witness a full on religious revival and a massacre all at the same time. We are old, mean , and don't give a flying two fisted fuck and that is why we prosper. Show starts at 10 ish. Don't forget to dress to impress you Rockabilly glamour pusses.

Top 5 Saturday

So I was thinking about the influence that Roth had on the world this morning after looking at old Water Decals on Ebay. Stupid expensive by the way. So in the real world that I love there is only BR and AR. That is Before Roth and After Roth. How one man could influence the entire world with a scuzzy Rat Fink is beyond me but lets count the top 5 reasons Roth is king.

Number 1. Any kid that grew up in the 60's-70's had a Rat Fink on there bike, skateboard, hot rod , etc etc. Just like a giving whatever new item I got received a new sticker. Just for that one image there was a entire revolution. As the story goes the new Disneyland was opened in Anaheim and Roth was sitting eating across the street.and just doodled the first Rat Fink on a napkin. Saying he hated Mickey Mouse and the rat fink is the polar opposite. Genius stuff flowed through his brain. Just like that over some pancakes he already fucked the world.

Number 2. Choppers Magazine. Anyone in the now knows Roth had the first real Choppers magazine. They are holy Grail type items to everybody. The pics are crude the writing is even cruder but the overall impact on the biker world was instant. Most of the bikes were local club members bikes and after a bunch of problems with said club members wanting to get paid for Roth to show there bikes Roth decided it wasn't worth it. there is a story of a club trying to get money out of Roth which Roth paid. Then another and another came a knocking. Roth ended up posted on the roof of his shop with some high powered rifles and decided to squash that shit right there and then. Roth was a giant man and there was rarely a documented occasion that he lost a fight.

Number 3. Roth himself was way ahead of his time and like most visionaries that worked against him. Fiberglass was just a reality and Roth used it to build all of those space aged insane show rods. I think for a solid 10+ years every show in the US had a Roth car on display and Roth could make a living by just showing cars and selling model kits. there were times that he shot himself in the foot or people tried to use him but overall he was his worst enemy. 

Number 4. Truly Punk Rock in his soul. Roth was a true biker at heart. A true craftsman and a true spirit that was more like a sledge hammer then a artist with a brush. At the request of Revell they asked Roth to clean up his dirty biker Beatnik image at shows to help try and sell models. So everybody has seen the pictures of Roth in a full tuxedo. That was his big FUCK YOU to the man. They think I look scuzzy. Well how about now with a full on tux with tails. Love that shit. Love that he did what he wanted and  the man always wanted him to be something he wasn't. It screwed him later but for the time he was king.

Number 5. Lowbrow art at its best. I say Lowbrow because before Roth there was no such thing. Before Roth nothing, After Roth everything was ok. I truly believe there would be no Williams, Ryden, Kozik, Coop, etc etc without Roth. I am sure they all would swear they would but the truth is that as a youth they were all mind fucked by Roth. Even in the early days Roth employed young artist to help in the studio.Robert Williams is one of the finest artist ever. My opinion of course but I dare you to disagree. So the influence that Roth has giving us as some sort of retarded extended family is choppers, real custom cars, monster shirts, stickers, show rods, model kits, and so much more. At the end of his life like in the late 90's I got to meet him at one of the Moon Eyes shows and I was very impressed in the fact he embraced all the attention and was grateful people still loved his art. A true mans man and he is up on a higher level then most. RIP

So Alone By Ty Segall

Holy Grail Shit!

This is the one that all my thoughts and wishes are going for. Unfortunately they are rare as shit and way out of my price range. The XLCR is tha only Cafe Race inspired Harley ever. Straight up factory styled bad ass street racing machine. It is so rare that I have to follow this old guy around just to take pictures of his bike so I can drool. I guess I should just be super happy I get that right. Someday someway or only in dreams this will be mine. I guess I could just build a poor mans version like all the other smucks. Cafe Racer is the new bobber didn't you hear?

San Diegos Finest, Listen Up.

Rambling Man

So was thinking about the road trips for next year already. The weather has been terrible here in KC and now I can focus on the Ironhead redo and the shovel completion then on to the 51 f1. I am a very motivated person and do not waste anytime with bullshit. Ie: no movies, video games, tv, talking, you get the picture. I listen to music and build shit that is about it. I take care of my family and they come first then the shop stuff. Friends are in the mix some what, but I like working in my shop best. The walls are covered like a 15 year old would do. There are punk rock fliers, naked girls, stupid shit written on walls, etc etc. It is a place where dreams are hatched, dreams are lived out, and sometimes dreams are crushed.
 So on to next years trips. Decided I am gonna fly out to the BF show in June. July is gonna be a ride down to South Texas I think all the way to the Gulf and back. Then the last week of July leave for Sturgis. I know I know Sturgis is gay as a 2 dollar bill but I have never been and  I want to at least go once. More important I will leave Sturgis and go out to Bonneville for the first couple days of speed week. Then boogie back across the map and back home. Granted this is all if the cards fall into place but how I do it is start saving now and by next riding season I have a nice little nest egg. Bikes will be in order by spring and I will have a few months to shake down the Shovelhead so if all else fails I will just ride the Ironhead. I may just for go the Sturgis part and ride somewhere I have never been in August. I have never rode east of St. Louis and might go off into the east a ways. Either way I am already making plans and getting my dollars together. Trips are fucking expensive. Even camping and eating shit food. Still expensive. Gas, oil, food, and drink add up on the road real quick.That is if you don't run into fried batteries and broke shit all over the road. Most brutal wonderful time you will ever spend. Just trying to get to the next gas stop and then blast off till the next one. So much fun. Still think about the Cali trip almost daily. Shea, Michael, Des and I had a true man's trip. It was inspiring to wake up and pack your bike up and blast off. Thought so much that there were times my mind actually went blank and all I saw were beautiful landscapes and miles of moonlit hills laid out in front of my wheel. I think of the last day when Des and I just ripped home across Kansas and Shea and Michael took it easy. I wanted to get home so bad and they wanted it to last a little longer. In hind sight I should have taking another day and just enjoyed the last 500 miles. Oh well I will have next year to try and exercise some road patience.

Sunday Fun Day, So Save Me

Surf Beat. Beat Your Brains Out.

Horley and the Blow Up!

Saturday at the shop. Jesse came down and beat the shit out of a Honda tank to get it to fit on the Ironhead. He has a good idea of what the outcome will be I am just guiding him on how to do it. I will be real happy when this bike is out of my life though. Three people have owned it as it has sat in my shop. Horse trading indeed.While helping out Jesse I got the new oil tank mocked up and then blew the bike apart. gonna go ahead and just totally redo the whole bike. It's just time and not to much money right? I know the answer I am just in denial right now. Model A fender, 3 quart oil tank, better lo cal for the oil filter. Polish the motor up and change out all the leaky gasket surfaces. This bike isn't really bad on leaks but I have noticed some goo spots on the rocker boxes, and the primary. Lots of cleaning is gonna take place and I a really leaning towards a mellow grey paint scheme. No Metal flake, and just keep it all mono tone. Then run some line of orange and white over the grey. Sounds Good

Top 5 Saturday

Once again I am sitting here pondering what to jabber about. So I have been on a big Surf music kick lately. I go through phases weekly and since I get to listen to music all day I have to bounce around a little or I get burnt out. So Top 5 reasons to listen to Surf Music.

Number 1. You Can't Hate It. I truly have never met a single person ever that did not like Miserilou from Dick Dale. They might not of known it was him but when Pulp Fiction came out ever asshole in the world went and bought that soundtrack. It really is happy music and along with visions of beach bunnies dancing in the sand it makes me think of Cali. 

Number 2. The Sound. I like analog music. Guitar, Bass, Drums, and I'm pretty happy. My ears really like the sound of reverb and twang. I like fast music and up till this point in music history music was very mid tempo. I like to imagine some 14 year old kid in 1960 hearing that sound coming through there 5 dollar turntable. Just like explosions of reverb and jungle beats splattering there brain on the floor. 

Number 3. The Beach Boys. I won't go into a lengthy explanation about the how great they are or how when I was a kid I would dream about being in the Beach Boys. Sure only Dennis surfed but some how they captured all the So Cal mystic in there music. Hot Rodding, chasing girls, falling in love, falling out of love, beach parties, riding motorcycles. Man it is all there. There Pet sounds record transcends all genres as we know it and they surpassed the surf band label.

Number 4. With out Surf There Would Be No Garage Bands. As most bands of the time latched onto the instrumental/surf genre. The first throws of garage music emerged. Add a fuzz pedal and some caveman style vocals and you have some PUNK ROCK fucking music. That is how things progress. The Beatles landed and the old style make out music had to change. Kids grew there hair out, Started a band in there parents garage and the makings for all things punk grew out of the mold from basements across the country. All the main punk rock icons like Iggy, MC5, The Sonics,all got there start playing surf music then transforming that into High Energy Rock and Roll.

Number 5. Matching Outfits. I have always liked when a band looks like a band. Fancy outfits, matching equipment, synchronized moves. Love all the stuff. Yeah it's cheesy but for a kid that grew up watching only punk bands that idea of looking like brothers is the shit. That is why the Ramones always fascinated me. They had the uniform down and never changed the look. EVER. Rocket From The Crypt did it for a little while and I loved it, They had a class and swagger that was unmatched at the time in the 90's hell of music. When you went to see them you might have paid 15 dollars to get in but they played there ass of for that money. The Music Machine had the best look ever with full black outfits with black gloves like they were ready to kill somebody or play some punk rock.

Brain Is On Repeat

Along with this song there is nothing but chewing gum, marbles, oil stains, a dull clinking sound and dreams of long rides in my head. Listen

Sketchy Stuff..........

Well tried the 5th set of bars in two days. You see the problem is you have to cut the bars in half and then even narrow them up to work in the risers. So these buckhorns, Z bars and drag bars are all now in the scrap bin. Whatever makes me happy right? Gonna try and find some 6-8 rise buckhorns tomorrow. These are 10 inch rise and are a little to tall. Decided to redo the struts on the fender. Cut up the sissy bar and took the license plate/tailight off and HOLY SHIT there were a lot of holes underneath them. I think that is 3 sissy bar moves and two different P pads worth of wholes plus the new Ppad. Ridiculous shit for sure. So redoing the struts and am gonna shorting the fender to get rid of the swiss cheese. 65 out today so I went for a little ride to try out the bars. Pretty awesome just a tad to tall. Ok kids new bars tomorrow.

Well Hells, Ok

So got a copy of Hunters S. Thompsons Hells Angels book. I have tried to read it before but this time I am doing the every word type of read. Honestly I am loving it and the fact that it is brutal and kinda poetic at the same time proves to me that the man could write. Loved the line in this paragraph about the women. Classy broads abound I'm sure. Tried to get this 2 piece clamp on the ironhead to work with some Z bars. Kind of a pain in the ass for sure. So today I swapped them out to drag bars and maybe a new tank. I do love the way the clamp looks which goes with the fashion over function ideology again. We'll see what sticks later.

Ton Up Chopper Style

So got out and rode today. Just crazy warm out for Dec. Kinda on the edge of comfortable and shitty but was still a great day to get out. Rode on service roads, river roads, janky freeway, and through some neighborhoods I'd have never been through. Got the old Ironhead up to the ton and it was good times. Sat and looked at the river and thought some good thoughts. Kansas City is a ugly shitty town but once in awhile there is a little glimpse of the diamond still out there. Hope if the weather was good where ever you live you got to ride. Had a little talk about Steve today so this was fitting.

Sunday Morning Slow Jam.

Love History