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From the desk of Contributing Editor, Eli M. Getson–

Life has now taken me to the great city of Austin, Texas.  You can usually find me walking next to Lady Bird Lake early Saturday morning,completely stuck in my own head, and with my son in tow.  He’s a bit of a freak for guitars, and on one of our walks he asked me, “Who is that statue of the man with the guitar?” As we walked closer a smile crossed my face…

It has been twenty years since we lost Stevie Ray Vaughan in a helicopter crash– arguably one of the greatest blues guitarists ever, and one of the greatest musicians to come out of the Austin music scene. He was only 35 when he passed away, and was on a high from being clean and sober for four years. Stevie was making some of the best music of his life and then– gone in an instant.

Stevie Ray Vaughan played in my hometown of Chicago quite a bit while I was growing up.  Any serious blues player will tell you that all roads lead to the Windy City– and Stevie was no different.  He had a reverence for the blues and its history.  Stevie was heavily influenced by Chicago legend Buddy Guy (who along with Albert King, Otis Rush, Lonnie Mack, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, and Jimi Hendrix really sculpted his style) and would show up at Buddy’s club Legends to jam after hours when he was in town.  I was lucky enough to see him play there several times.   You could tell that Dallas-born Stevie had cut his teeth playing the small clubs around Austin– he really liked that environment and usually played some great stuff.  You had to be willing to stay well into the morning hours to catch Stevie jam with Buddy and any number of Chicago’s finest players, but it was well worth it.  Well before the days of cell phone cameras and YouTube, most of these sessions will only live in the memory of those of us that were there to witness two of the greatest guitar legends take turns on classics– like Born Under a Bad Sign, Red House, Not Fade Away, and Mannish Boy.

I often pass Stevie’s statue on my Saturday walks, and wonder if others still stop and reflect on his greatness.  Do they know how truly special this guy was?  Sadly, time has a way of dulling our memory, and we can forget.  Man, I hope not.  I feel blessed to have seen Stevie play guitar back then.  His incredible sound was pure Blues and pure Texas.

Eli M. Getson

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The legendary Texas Bluesman and guitar great, Stevie Ray Vaughan, going behind the back.

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1983, New York– Stevie Ray Vaughan Performing in Concert –Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis

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(Lt.) young SRV (Rt.) 1983, Berkeley, CA– Stevie Ray Vaughan –Image by © © Clayton Call / Retna Ltd./Retna Ltd./Corbis

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It’s said that Stevie Ray Vaughan’s hands were so strong, that playing once, he cracked the neck of his Guild acoustic guitar, seen in the ’90 MTV unplugged special.  1983, NY– Stevie Ray Vaughn Near The World Trade Center –Image by © Deborah Feingold/Corbis

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1980s, Los Angeles, California– guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan –Image by © Aaron Rapoport/Corbis

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1989, Los Angeles, California– Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck –Image by © Aaron Rapoport/Corbis

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1980s, Los Angeles, California– guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan –Image by © Aaron Rapoport/Corbis

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October 1984, New York– Stevie Ray Vaughn Playing Guitar –Image by © Jacques M. Chenet/Corbis

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(Lt.) ca. 1990– Legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan Playing Guitar –Image by © Steve Jennings/Corbis (Rt.) 1984, New York– Stevie Ray Vaughan Playing Guitar –Image by © Jacques M. Chenet/Corbis

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1984, Dallas, TX– Stevie Ray, and big brother, Jimmie Vaughan,  –Photograph by © Tracy Anne Hart

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Stevie Ray Vaughan

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1983, Houston, TX– Young SRV relaxes backstage at Fitzgerald’s in Houston prior to sound check.   –Photograph by © Tracy Anne Hart.  All rights reserved.

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(Lt.) 1986–SRV signs his own bootlegs (“asking me why!” notes Tracy) outside Sam Houston Coliseum.

(Rt.) 1987– Stevie Ray Vaughan goes Indian –Photographs by © Tracy Anne Hart.  All rights reserved.

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1989– The legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan –Photographs by © Tracy Anne Hart.  All rights reserved. Stevie Ray Vaughan’s hands of legendary strength were key to the sustain and string bending that makes his sound so unique and incredible.  Stevie needed strong hands because he used heavy gauge strings that would tear most peoples hands apart if they played like SRV.  Also, story has it that he replaced the stock frets on his no. 1 Strat above with chunkier bass frets for added tone and sustain. He played an original wah wah pedal owned by Hendrix, and was known to play through a rig setup with two wah wahs, using both at once– crazy.  –JP

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1983– A young, slim Stevie Ray Vaughan –Photographs by © Tracy Anne Hart.  All rights reserved.

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1984, Houston, Texas– Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joe Ely backstage at Fitzgeralds.

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Stevie Ray Vaughan

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1983– Tracy Anne Hart’s 1st Meeting With Stevie Ray Vaughan.  –Photograph by © Tracy Anne Hart. “I’d been sent with two writers in tow by a local free new wave paper to photograph the guitar phenom who was about to become David Bowie’s right hand man and leave Oak Cliff behind for good. This small, unassuming Texan stood up there with his battered Strat and his beautiful, huge hands and let loose a flurry of chords that flew around us and enveloped us in… disbelief? Shock? It was the second coming of Hendrix, Muddy Waters, and something so unique and alive there was nothing to compare it to. And this was a sound check? He was playing for us, for his bandmates, Whipper and Tommy, and his man Cutter, he was playing for himself, he was playing for a ride on the train to glory, he was playing because he just couldn’t hold back from the sheer need to wring and wrench those sounds out of his hands, his heart, and his soul. I was in heaven: I’d dreamt of capturing Hendrix on film but I was several years shy of that goal. Here was a man who made me forget I couldn’t be Jim Marshall, that my Leicas had been denied their shot at immortality. This music man would fill that classic 35mm frame with a talent enormous enough to match any headcutter who ever filled a club with his riffs and his voice—he and his instruments’ voices—and sear that sound onto the film and into our brains with an unmatchable intensity. The desire to raise my photography and my (as Ansel Adams would call it) fluency with my instrument near his level was almost unbearable. It was truly the turning point in my work—that special moment when everything becomes clear and sharp and intuitive—and it was because of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Something about him, his playing, the way he gave, made that possible for me. Through some wonderful gift and the size of his spirit, I hear him still. And this, this first witnessing of the sound that shot right through us—this was just a sound check?”  –Tracy Anne Hart. via

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Full disclosure — I was the kid with the crappy bike.  No Haro, no Redline, no Mongoose.  Not even a brand new POS Team Murray.  Mom bought me a brand new bike from Pep Boys the summer before 5th grade.  I picked it out.  I didn’t know diddley yet–  I was a kid from Rochester who listened to Van Halen. I just knew it had red rims and looked like the bikes the cool kids were ridin’.  It had that tiny sprocket that couldn’t keep up.  Tiny sprockets suck. No worries, it was stolen.

I didn’t get schooled in bikes until we moved to Anaheim in 1980, and it was all about BMX… and Blondie.  Thought I’d finally made it when I bought my friend’s used Rampar with heavy duty rims. Damn bike was stolen three days later while I played Tron in the local Fry’s.

No, I never was that fly freestyle guy with the rad bike.  But I can still dream.

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Kettering, 1986. via

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Old School BMX/Freestyle –All rights reserved by vincent frames

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“The Condor” Mat Hoffman, mid-flight, Oklahoma City. –All rights reserved by TenEyck Media. via Snapshot from the old Hoffman Bikes HQ in Oklahoma City. Hoffman’s contests were an annual pilgrimage for serious freestylers back in the day.  Between competitions, Hoffman would get towed via motorcycle up to speed, hit the giant quarterpipe and soar. Everyone in attendance held their collective breath until he landed.

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Big Air, Hartsdown Park, mid ’80s. –All rights reserved by DJ Bass via

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Rick Moliterno, Hutch demo, 1986.  –All rights reserved by hutchphoto via

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Mat Hoffman attempts a backflip at the 1990 2-HIP King of vert at N’Orbit in Indianapolis. He crashed, but this was back before anyone pulled flips in contests. via

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Dave Voelker, demo in Indianapolis, 1988. –All rights reserved by hutchphoto via

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Jason Lunn –All rights reserved by Oldskool BMX & Skate by Fuller via

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Rick Moliterno, Hutch demo @ Schwinn shop on South Madison, Indianapolis. 1986.  –All rights reserved by hutchphoto via

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Demonstration put on around 1988 by Freestylin’ Inc.  –All rights reserved by Hot_Rod_Gal via

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Harrow Skatepark, 1983. All rights reserved by Oldskool BMX & Skate by Fuller via

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Jay Miron “The Canadian Beast” Oklahoma City, 1993.  –All rights reserved by TenEyck Media. via Taken at the old Hoffman Bikes Warehouse ramp in Oklahoma City. Each Labor Day for several years Hoffman held a huge competition at his place in OKC. Riders from around the country came out the see the legends battle it out on Vert.

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“The Condor” Mat Hoffman, mid-flight, Oklahoma City. –All rights reserved by TenEyck Media. via Snapshot from the old Hoffman Bikes HQ in Oklahoma City. Hoffman’s contests were an annual pilgrimage for serious freestylers back in the day.  Between competitions, Hoffman would get towed via motorcycle up to speed, hit the giant quarterpipe and soar. Everyone in attendance held their collective breath until he landed.

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Steve Swope, Hoffman Bikes HQ, 1993.  –All rights reserved by TenEyck Media. via

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More Air.  All rights reserved by Hot_Rod_Gal via

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1985– David blundell doing a “can can” at the Rathbone Rd. skate park.  via

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Big Country, Columbiana, Ohio, 1990. Photo by Bob Burbick via

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1990s Streetstyle via

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Rick Moliterno, 1986.  Don’t know what’s cooler about this pic– Rick, or Grandma and Sonny gawking in the background.  –All rights reserved by john4kc via

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Streetstyle bar ride  via

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Old School MMX/Freestyle “Aggressive Denim”  via

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Death Truck via

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Framestand on GT Performer, circa 1986. via

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“Your arse, if you’re going fast enough.”

–Barry’s famous retort when asked by BBC, “What goes through your mind during a crash?”

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In a brilliant racing career in which he amassed back-to-back World Championships (’76 & ’77), 23 Grand Prix victories, and 52 Podium finishes in all– the late, great Barry Sheene is one of the most loved and remembered motorcycle racing legends to this day.  The victories alone, as impressive as they were, would not be enough immortalize the man.  It was Sheene’s fearless spirit & iron will, a body that was repeatedly broken but not beaten, and his witty charm & handsome looks, that have eternally endeared him to racing fans around the world.  It’s that old cliche– every woman wanted him, and every man wanted to be him.

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Barry’s career was no doubt impacted by two major crashes that are forever a part of motorcycle racing history.  The 1st occurred in 1975– at the Daytona 200, a locked rear wheel at 170 mph jerked him violently and Barry lost control.  It’s a wonder he survived at all– amazingly, he didn’t even lose consciousness.  In fact, he later recounted the crash in detail as the unforgiving track pummeled his flailing body.  He suffered a shattered left leg, smashed thigh, broke six ribs, a wrist, and his collarbone.  When Barry awoke at the hospital, he didn’t miss a beat– asking the attending nurse for a fag (cigarette, for you Yanks out there).  The 2nd came in 1982–  the two-time World Champion crashed (again going 170 mph) at Silverstone during practice for the British Grand Prix.  Barry later recalled, “Wasn’t my fault; came over a hill and there was a wreck right in front of me.”  They feared he’d never walk again, let alone return to the racetrack. His legs were compared to “crushed eggs,” taking eight hours to piece back together– with the aid of two stainless steel posts, two steel plates and almost 30 steel screws.  After Barry was told he might be able to bend his knees in three months time, he did it in two and a half weeks– and returned to racing the following year.  Some took to calling him– Bionic Barry.  How you like them apples?

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October 4th, 1958, Southwark, London– Motorcyclist Frank Sheene here pictured with his young son (the future legend Barry Sheene) at Club Day —Image by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis.  Barry’s old man, Frank Sheene, was no slouch on a bike himself– and could even turn a wrench.  The young and fearless Barry was on a bike at the wee age of 5 yrs old–  a Ducati 50cc motorbike.  He entered his first competitive race at the age of 17 at Brands Hatch. He Crashed, (DNF). Wasting no time, Barry entered again the very next weekend and won the bloody thing. The Barry Sheene racing dye was cast.

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Barry Sheene, in the paddock during the start of his epic racing career, with the Seeley Suzuki he would transform from relative unknown into a major force in motorcycle racing. Barry Sheene won the 1976 and 1977 500cc World Championship. –photograph by Frank Melling via. Barry Sheene palled around with Formula One legend James Hunt. In the two weeks leading up to Hunt’s famous battle with Niki Lauda for the 1976 Formula One championship, Hunt and Sheene went carousing.  Back then Hunt’s favorite hedonistic haunt was the Tokyo Hilton, where he and Barry Sheene, then world motorcycle champion, settled-in to party.  Like clockwork, every morning British Airways stewardesses were delivered to the hotel’s door for a 24-hour stopover.  Hunt would charm them as they checked in, and invited them up to his suite for a party — they always said yes.  Allegedly, James Hunt went on quite a run during this two week binge (33 BA stewardesses).  But, as Stirling Moss, who also used to carouse with Hunt in Monte Carlo before he was married, said– “If you looked like James Hunt, what would you have done?”  via

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1970, Barry Sheene

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1981– Barry Sheene at The AGV Nations Cup Races via

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Barry Sheene via

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Barry Sheene at Oliver’s Mount  –photograph via

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The motorcycling great Barry Sheene, good buddy and infamous carousing partner of James Hunt.

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Barry Sheene  –photograph via

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The Magnificient Seven — Barry Sheene

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Barry Sheene via

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Le Mans, France, 1979– Barry Sheene on his factory Heron Suzuki 500 at the French Grand Prix. via

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Barry Sheene pulls on his leathers, circa 1970.  –photograph by Allan Engel via

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Barry Sheene with his wife Stephanie on the back of his bike.

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The legend that was Barry Sheene in all his cheeky glory. via

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“Don’t wait for your ship to come in– swim out and meet the bloody thing”

–Barry Sheene when diagnosed with cancer that eventually took his life.

Barry Sheene  RIP 1950-2003

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Barry Sheene’s breaks over his racing career

Toes                                           3x Left / 4x Right

Left Ankle                               Once

Right Ankle                            4 Times

Left Tibia and Fibula       Once

Right Tibia and Fibula   Twice

Left Femur                            Once

Heelbone                                Once

Vertebrae                               Twelve

Ribs                                           4x Left / 5x Right

Split Kidney                          Once

Collarbone                             3x Left / 4x Right

Right Forearm                    Once

Wrist                                        4x Left / 1x Right

Metacarpals                         4x Left

Knuckles                                4x Left

Fingers                                    4x Left

Amputated Left Little Finger

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Legendary painter, customizer, racer, and stuntman Dean Jeffries is one of those guys whose soft-spoken nature has allowed other, more self-promoting figures (read: George Barris, the Don King of Kustom Kulture) to steal a lot of his thunder.  Barris has tried to hire on Jeffries as an employee many times over the years, and Jeffries always rebuffed– preferring either to rent his own space, or work freelance.  Their histories are forever entwined, and the tales of rivalry, and particularly Barris’ trickery, are the stuff of legend.  Many of Dean Jeffries’ most recognized works (like the Monkeemobile, for one)– George Barris came behind and unrightfully claimed credit for them. It’s dumbfounding and downright sleazy– we’ll get to that later.

Dean Jeffries grew up immersed in Los Angeles auto culture– his dad was a mechanic, and next door to his dad’s garage was a bodyshop.  The young Jeffries was drawn to the creative expression allowed in bodywork over turning a wrench (“too greasy!”) like his ol’ man– the bodyshop became his hangout of choice.  After returning from the Korean War, he became buddies with another future legend of Kustom Kulture– Kenny Howard (AKA Von Dutch), and started pinstriping.

“We’d do freelance pinstriping on our own, then get together and hang out. I also worked during the day at a machine shop doing grinding. But pinstriping really took off then–I was painting little pictures and medallions on cars. My first job was pinstriping a boat. I didn’t have no shop back then. You were lucky if you got $5 for a whole car. If you got $25 in your pocket in a day you were King Kong. I thought it was great.” –Dean Jeffries

More than anything else, I’ll always remember Dean Jeffries for painting the infamous “Little Bastard” badge on the Porsche owned by his racing buddy– James Dean.

“For years Barris claimed he painted it– now he just says he can’t remember and somebody in his shop painted it. Sure. I used to bum around with James Dean. I wasn’t trying to be his movie friend. We just had car stuff between us. We hung out, got along together real bitchin’. But one day Dean asked me to paint those words on his car, and I just did it.” –Dean Jeffries

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Love this pic.  There’s the obvious knockout pinup, Carol Lewis (Dean Jeffries’ high school sweetheart in front of his ’47 Merc), posing for his pinstriping pleasure, but also check out Dean Jeffries’ paint box.  ”The Modern Painter Has Arrived.” It’s an incredible piece of work in itself.

“The above shot comes from a publicity shoot done ironically, at Barris’ shop, with George behind the camera. Jeffries was just out of high school, and Barris tried to hire him, but Jeffries wanted to sub-contract to Barris, so Barris cleaned out a storage area in his shop, and Jeffries based himself out of there. Pretty slick on Barris’ part– he could grab Jeffries any time he wanted a striping job.” –Thanks to Irish Rich for the story on Carol Lewis.

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Carol Lewis’ custom 1956 Chevrolet– Dean Jeffries high school sweetheart.  –image via Kustomrama “It was Jeffries who was having dinner across the street from Barris’ shop when he spotted the smoke coming from the start of the disasterous Dec. ’57 Barris shop fire. He ran across the street and broke in, and managed to get Lewis’ 56 Chevy out of there before the flames got too out of control. Lewis’ Chevy was done in a similar style as Jeffries’ ’47 was.” –Irish Rich

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A young Dean Jeffries with his late ’30s Horch sedan. While serving in the Army during the Korean War, Jeffries was stationed in Germany– and on weekends he’d hop in the Horch and explore Western Europe.  While overseas, he’s said to have first learned to pinstripe from an old German furniture maker who took Jeffries under his wing.

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“Troy Ruttman (1952 Indy 500 winner) lived across the street, and I bummed around with him a bit, learning about race cars. I liked it, liked the people. Then I ended up tying up with Mobil. They would paint anybody’s race car for free at Indy. So I did A.J. Foyt’s car, and Parnelli’s, and Jim Rathmann’s…everybody wanted me ’cause I was doing things a little different than plain old paint jobs. One year in the early 1960s, I did 21 of the 33 cars in the race. I was doing pretty good!” –Dean Jeffries

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“This shop asked me to paint three Porsches for them. I really didn’t know how, but I did it anyway– and they turned out really nice. So I thought, ‘I’ll start painting cars, too.’ About this time I bought a real cheapie Porsche Carrera, but I couldn’t stand the look of it so I redid the whole front end in metal and welded it back together– there was no such thing as Bondo back then. And I painted it real bitchin’. That car got lots of recognition.” –Dean Jeffries
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Dean Jeffries was also innovative the the field of Kustom Kulture clothing.  He got into airbrushing, and is oft credited as being the first guy to airbrush custom tees and sweatshirts– check the handiwork he’s wearing in the pic above.  Back when he was hangin’ around with Von Dutch (who was fond of painting a third eyeball on his forhead), it’s said that Jeffries created the now iconinic “flying eyeball” that Von Dutch and Ed Roth were known and credited for.  Whatever the case may be, Jeffries doesn’t seem too worried about it.  Another first credited to Dean Jeffries– the metalflake paint job.

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James Dean with his “Little Bastard– great view of the tail stripes and Dean Jeffries’ handiwork. “James Dean had entered the Salinas Airport Races for the Oct. 1st weekend of 1955. Dean was a provisionary racer with the Calif SportsCar Club and Sports Car Club of America. He did not have a permanent race number. He selected 130 which was available. Dean Jeffries, who had a paint shop next to Barris did the work which consisted of– painting ‘130′ in black non-permanent paint on the front hood, doors and rear deck lid. He also painted “Little Bastard” in script across the rear cowling.”  –Lee Raskin, Porsche historian, and author of James Dean At Speed.

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“A famous customizer, Bill Cushenberry, had won the Oakland Roadster Show, and I said to myself, ‘If I want to be a customizer guy like him or Barris, I gotta learn and do that kinda stuff– make something quite unique and different, a winner.’ I was lucky, because my ex-father-in-law had two prewar Grand Prix Maseratis rotting away in his backyard, with weeds growing through ‘em and everything. I asked if I could have one, and he said, ‘Sure. Nobody wants ‘em.’ Can you imagine what they’d be worth today! Anyway, I tore it all down to the chassis, and I started forming a shape out of little quarter-inch rods– I didn’t know how to beat metal around wood back then.”  –Dean Jeffries

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To create his masterpiece, the Mantaray, Dean Jeffries took two old Maserati single seater chassis and welded them together– then hand-fabricated the Mantary’s sexy curves from no less than 86 sheets of metal. Aside from four Weber carburetors, the car is in Jeffries’ own words, “true-​​blue American, right down to the 15-​​inch magnesium-​​cast Halibrand wheels and the bred-​​for-​​Indianapolis Goodyear Blue Streak Speedway Special tires.”

“I curved every piece just by looking at it and referring to a drawing I’d made. Then I took the framework down to California Metal Shaping, and for $800– which wasn’t bad back then– they shaped the aluminum body pieces in about a week. Of course, when I brought all the pieces back to the shop I had to adjust ‘em and trim ‘em to make it all work. But there isn’t a shred of fiberglass on that car. I made the plastic bubble roof by myself.” –Dean Jeffries

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“I won the Oakland Roadster Show (with the Mantaray), which included a free trip to Europe. And I got on the cover of Hot Rod. That was the tops. And what happened to my business after that you can’t believe. I was a lucky guy.” –Dean Jeffries

“Steve Allen saw my car somewhere and had me bring it onto his show. So this movie producer sees me on TV, and he calls me up and says he wants my Mantaray for his new movie. That was ‘Bikini Beach.’ Well, first of all, Frankie Avalon couldn’t drive a stick-shift– he could barely drive an automatic. So I ended up driving the car on camera, doubling up for Frankie Avalon’s Potato Bug part. I didn’t get a lot of money off that movie, but it did get me into the business– I met a lot of directors, producers, stunt guys. So I started making cars, model airplanes, boats, trucks, whatever the movies needed. I enjoyed the heck out of it.” –Dean Jeffries
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First AC-Shelby-Cobra CSX0001, Road & Track September 1962. This is the first AC Shelby Cobra. It arrived at Dean Moon’s speed shop from England minus engine and transmission and in bare aluminum, no paint. Shelby and Moon dropped in a new Ford Hi-Po 260 V-8, and 4-speed transmission and polished the body with Brill-O Pads. via

“Carroll Shelby brought the first Cobra back from Europe.  It was crude– and it ran like hell. The body was a mess– all-aluminum, but it wasn’t quality. Because I’d been trying my hand at aluminum work, I redid that first Cobra for Shelby– painted it, too. Shelby couldn’t even afford to pay me– he hadn’t gone to Ford yet. So, we loaded that Cobra on a crappy old trailer and off he goes to Ford– says, “I’ll pay you when this thing clicks.” Well, he goes and he gets tied up with Ford– booms out, 90 miles an hour! But he only had one car! So he comes back, and now he’s gotta show everybody that he’s got all these cars. So I’m painting that damn car over and over…they show it one day, then at night I paint it again, and the next day he shows it somewhere else. It was like he had five cars, but there was actually only one!” –Dean Jeffries
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1967 Pontiac GTO Monkeemobile. Pontiac GTOs were featured in a number of TV shows in the 1960s, but perhaps the most famous was the 1967 Pontiac GTO Monkeemobile. Penned by famed Los Angeles car customizer Dean Jeffries (George Barris also falsely claimed to have had a hand its design as well), this wild creation transported The Monkees on their TV show and at live appearances around the country. Although the car was equipped with a standard 335 hp engine and automatic transmission, the body was radically lengthened, and featured a new nose, utilizing the stock grilles. A nonfunctional GMC 671 blower was bolted onto the 389 cid engine, and a spacious custom interior with four-bucket seats was created, with an extra seat in the open trunk. Two original Monkeemobiles were built, along with a replica years later.  –Image © Car Culture/Corbis

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Dick Dean, who assisted Dean Jeffries with the build of legendary Monkeemobile.

“That’s one of many bad spots in regards to that man (George Barris). He sure does take credit, but he had nothing to do with it. I made the car. Every bit of it. He also says he made the Green Hornet’s car, still does to this day. He puts his name on a lot of things he had nothing at all to do with. My contract stated that when filming was done, I had first right of refusal to buy the cars back. So after the shows were over, the producers offered me the Monkeemobile and the Green Hornet for $1000 each. I said, ‘Heck, I could build new ones cheaper’– this was back in the 1960s, remember. So I turned them down. And George ended up with both cars. Then the company that made a Monkeemobile model ended up saying that legally George now has the rights to the car. I said, ‘Yes, the rights to own the car. But not the right to say he built it.’ But they went ahead and put his name on it anyway. I don’t go any further on the why and how in this situation. But it’s not over, that’s for sure. That’s all I can say.” –Dean Jeffries

“I admire the hell out of what he’s done all these years. I knew his brother, Sam, a very talented man, a very good metal man. I used to hang around their shop. George is not a metal man– I’ve seldom seen him do anything with it. I’m not bad-mouthing him. He’s a good promoter. I just don’t care for somebody who puts their name on something they had no part of.” –Dean Jeffries
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Related TSY posts:

THE LEGENDARY STRIPER VON DUTCH | STILL ALIVE AND LIVING IN ARIZONA ’72

ED “BIG DADDY” ROTH | RAT FINK KING OF SOUTH CALI KUSTOM KAR KULTURE

“LITTLE BASTARD” | THE SILVER SPYDER PORSCHE/DEAN MYSTERY REVISITED

THE SNAKE & THE STALLION | HOW SHELBY KICKED FERRARI’S ASS

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Read more on Dean Jeffries here

Get “Dean Jeffries: 50 Fabulous Years in Hot Rods, Racing & Film” here

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Shel Silverstein– the late, great, cartoonist, poet, author, playwright, singer, songwriter, musician… photo by Alice Ochs

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“Sometimes he wears a beard, and shaves his head.  Sometimes he shaves his beard, and wears his head.

Sometimes he’s writing articles, and drawing cartoons for Playboy magazine.

He’s in Hollywood working on movies.  Sometimes, he’s lonesome.

But wherever he is, he’s the one and only Shel Silverstein–

and one of the most talented guys I’ve ever met.”

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–Johnny Cash quoting one of America’s most prolific and revered songwriters, Harlan Howard.

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Shel Silverstein– Songs and Stories

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My first introduction to Shel Silverstein was as a child– through his magical self-illustrated book of poetry, Where the Sidewalk Ends. It was the kind of book that made a kid hungry to read– you were mesmerized by the thought of what was awaiting your curiosity on the next page, and the next , and the next, and the next.

Around that same time, “Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show” was on heavy rotation at home, especially– Freakin’ at the Freakers Ball. It was just kinky enough to capture the ol’ man’s fancy. I have to admit that as a kid, the songs naughty bits did not go unnoticed– and when I learned that Uncle Shelby had penned them…well, shit if it didn’t blow my fragile eggshell mind. “Dr. Hook” had a couple other hits back then too, also written by Silverstein– The Cover of the Rolling Stone, and Sylvia’s Mother.

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The artist extraordinaire, Shel Silverstein (lt.) photo by Larry Moyer (rt.) photo by Lawson Little

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Shel Silverstein performed and recorded his own songs, but he’s best known as a songwriter extraordinaire. He wrote lots of songs for lots of folks, and been covered by some of the best in the business– Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Marianne Faithfull, Bobby Bare, Waylon Jennings, Mel Tillis, Jerry Reed, and the list goes on and on.

In 2010, Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein was released. Produced by Bobby Bare, Sr. (Silverstein’s friend and collaborator) with help from his son Bobby Bare, Jr., it features performances by John Prine, Andrew Bird, Kris Kristofferson, My Morning Jacket, Todd Snider, Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffith, Sarah Jarosz with Black Prairie, and the Bobby Bare, Sr. & Bobby Bare, Jr. It’s a great way to hear Silverstein’s music in a new light, and remember the incredibly unique and gifted artist who back in ’99 left us for the Freaker’s Ball up in the sky.

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ca. 1973, New York– Artist/author/songwriter Shel Silverstein — Image by © Jeff Albertson/Corbis

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Silverstein’s classic “Freakin’ at the Freakers Ball” album. Photo of Dustin Hoffman & Shel Silverstein.

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The Unstoppable Shel Silverstein–

In 1930 or ’32 (depending on who you believe), Silverstein was born in Chicago. He starts drawing at an early age, attends the Art Institute of Chicago–drops out after one year.  Enlists in the military, and his cartoons are featured in in Pacific Stars and Stripes during the mid 1950s. Back in the civilian world Silverstein returns to Chicago, and his cartoons start popping up in publications like– Look and Sports Illustrated. He joins-on with Playboy magazine in the late 1950s, travels the world “documenting” sexuality and becomes their leading cartoonist– working for them into the 1970s.  Oh yeah, then he started penning world-renowned children’s books and a slew of critically hailed pop songs– and played guitar, piano, saxophone and the trombone.  Unbelievable.

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“The phrase “Renaissance man” tends to get overused these days, but apply it to Shel Silverstein– and it practically begins to seem inadequate. Not only has he produced with seeming ease, Country music hits and popular songs, but he’s been equally successful at turning his hand to poetry, short stories, plays, and children’s books. Moreover, his whimsically hip fables, beloved by readers of all ages, have made him a stalwart of bestseller lists.” A Light in the Attic,” most remarkably, showed the kind of staying power on the New York Times chart — two years, to be precise — thought that most of the biggest names (John Grisham, Stephen King and Michael Crichton) have never equaled for their own blockbusters. His unmistakable illustrative style is another crucial element to his appeal. Just as no writer sounds like Shel, no other artist’s vision is as delightfully, sophisticatingly cockeyed.”

–Otto Penzler, proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City

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from top left: James Merrill, Evan Rhodes, Edward Hower, Alison Lurie, Shel Silverstein, Bill Manville, Joseph Lash, Arnold Sundgaard, John Williams, Richard Wilbur, Jim Boatwright.
from bottom left: Susan Nadler, Thomas McGuane, William Wright, John Ciardi, David Kaufelt, Philip Caputo, Philip Burton, John Malcolm Brinnin.

“How many words is a picture worth if its subjects have penned more than many thousands of bestselling words apiece, already read by tens of thousands of readers? If in their beach bags are five Pulitzer Prizes, a few National Book Awards, two Bollingen Prizes, and office stationery from the U.S. Poet Laureate?” –photo at Hidden Beach by Don Kincaid in 1984. via
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Bobby Bare with friend and collaborator Shel Silverstein. In 1973 Bare released a double album of Shel Silverstein songs, “Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies.”

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Three decades ago, 24 year old architecture student, Elspeth Beard, set out to ride her bike around the world– a trek that would take 3 years and over 48K miles. The young Englishwoman, who’d been riding since she was just 16 yrs old, had already taken a few solo journeys to Scotland and Ireland– and now was ready to take on more before she finished school and settled down into a career.

Beard’s bike was a used 1974 BMW R 60/6 flat-twin, already with 30K miles, that she bought from a friend of a friend. Her around-the-world bike trek began in New York– “It cost $340 to send the bike and $197 for my own air fare,” she recalls. From NYC she rode up through Canada, then headed south through Mexico and Los Angeles– racking up 5K miles. From LA Beard shipped the bike to Sydney, while she first headed to New Zealand for a visit while her motorcycle was en route.

That’s when her luck started to run out…

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Elspeth Beard and her ’74 BMW R 60/6 that she rode around the world over the course of three years. “I worked for months in a pub saving the money to buy my BMW 600. That gave me the bug for travel on a bike. It’s the best way to get around – cheap, efficient and I enjoy the freedom.”  –Elspeth Beard (photo of Elspeth shortly after returning home by Peter Orme) (via) She also made her BMW’s lockable top-box and panniers out of riveted aluminum sheets while living and working in Sydney during her around-the-world trek. It was a necessary stop when the funds she’d scraped together as working student ran out– she’d end up spending a total of seven months apprenticing with a firm in Sydney.

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In Australia, Elspeth Beard had her first big accident on a dirt road near Townsville, in Queensland. The BMW R 60/6 somersaulted and she suffered a bad concussion which put her in the hospital for two weeks– but thankfully, no broken bones. She still has the Bell “bone dome” helmet that she’s convinced saved her life– and which she wore for the rest of her trek. (via) In Singapore Beard’s luck ran out again, when all her valuables were stolen– including her passport with all the visas for the countries she’d yet to visit, and the registration and shipping documents for her bike. It would cost her six week’s time to replace all the lost documents. Beard then rode up the Thai-Malaysian peninsular to Bangkok and beyond to Chiang Mai and the Golden Triangle.

With the overland route to India (via Burma) out of bounds she headed back south to load the bike onto a boat from Penang to Madras. On the way she had her second and final big crash when a dog ran under her wheels from behind a truck, on the dangerous main road south. The bike hit a tree and Elspeth was once again battered and bruised but miraculously unbroken. She spent two weeks recuperating in the care of the impoverished Thai family into whose garden she had crashed! “They didn’t speak a word of English and I didn’t speak a word of Thai, but we communicated with sign language,” she said.  via

The Thais were fascinated by the rivet gun with which she repaired her battered panniers and Elspeth was surprised to find half the remains of the dog she’d hit in the family kitchen, having already unknowingly eaten the other half! “I understood why they were happy to look after me– I’d provided them with food for a fortnight!” Elspeth also repaired the R 60′s damaged engine herself– “I took the cylinder off, straightened the bent studs as best I could and packed the cylinder base with gaskets and goo to get enough compression back.”  via

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When Elspeth Beard left England for NY to begin her bike trek across the world, she was as strong and healthy a young woman as you’d find– weighing 143 lbs. Life on the road would take its toll. By the time she reached Turkey, she’d weigh a mere 90 lbs.

Upon returning home, Beard immediately went to work stripping and completely rebuilding the BMW’s engine herself, but tragically, she threw out the home-made aluminum panniers when she later left London. –photo of Elspeth Beard by Peter Orme  via

Today, Elspeth Beard is still an active and enthusiastic BMW rider– with her own award-winning architectural practice.

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Read the full account of Elspeth Beard’s journey here.

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The Selvedge Yard did a (very) little piece on three under-appreciated style icons of days gone by (Paul Simonon, John-Paul Belmondo, and Donald Sutherland) for DETAILS magazine’s online blog– The Daily Details here.

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HOW TO CLASH ART, MUSIC & STYLE | TSY STYLE HALL OF FAME ROCKER PAUL SIMONON

LEGENDARY CLASH STYLE | FROM PUNK ROCK ROUGH TO SARTORIAL SMOOTH

TSY STYLE HALL OF FAME | FRENCHMAN JEAN-PAUL BELMONDO

DONALD  SUTHERLAND | THE STYLISH ARTISTIC HOMICIDAL MANIAC

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In a move that would forever change the Pittsburgh Steelers, and create the cornerstone for their legendary “Steel Curtain,” a little-known defensive big man named Joe Greene from North Texas State was drafted in the first round. The silence was deafening.

Fans’ Reaction: “Who’s Joe Greene?” — headline from The Pittsburgh Press, January 28th, 1969.

The day before, 37 yr old Chuck Noll, was brought in as Head Coach to brutally retool what was considered to be the worst team in all of the NFL– Yep.  The Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Feb 1oth, 1982, Pittsburgh, PA — Steelers’ defensive tackle Joe Greene displays his number 75 jersey after announcing his retirement. Greene was the foundation (and many argue, the Steelers’ greatest and most valuable player) used by coach Chuck Noll to build four Super Bowl Championship teams. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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Defensive Captain at the time, Andy Russell (with the Steelers since ’63) recalls his first meeting with new Head Coach Chuck Noll–

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Back in the ’60s, the Steelers were– pretty bad. We just could not consistently win games. We would lose games by the most bizarre circumstances– we’d find a way to lose every time. So, it was quite a frustrating experience — and a remarkable change — when Chuck Noll came.

He called me in on the off-season. I’d made my first Pro Lowl in ’68, prior to him coming, and I thought, “Oh, he’s calling me in to congratulate me.” So I went in to see him. We shook hands, but he wasn’t overly friendly. He looks right at me and says–

“You know, Russell, I’ve been watching the game films since I’ve taken over the job here– and I don’t like how you play. You’re too aggressive… You’re too out of control… You’re trying to be the hero… You’re trying to make big plays. I’m going to change the way you play. I’ll make you a better player than you are right now– because you’re not disciplined enough.”

I was just stunned!

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1972 — Pittsburgh Steelers’ coach Chuck Noll beams after Franco Harris scored the winning touchdown against Oakland to win 13 to 7. On the play, Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw passed to Frenchie Faqua. Faqua and Oakland Raider Jack Tatum collided and the ball bounced to Franco Harris. Tatum denied he touched the ball but the official ruled he did.American Football Playoffs — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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When we got to our first training camp, Chuck Noll’s first speech to the team goes–

“Look, I’ve been watching the game films since I took the job.  And I can tell you guys that the reason you’ve been losing is not because of your attitude, or your psyche, or of that ‘STUFF.’  The problem is– you’re just not good enough.  You know, you can’t run fast enough, you can’t jump high enough, you’re not quick enough.  You’re techniques are just abysmal.  I’m probably going to have to get rid of most of you– and we’re going to move on.”

And you know– five of us made it from that room to our first Super Bowl following the ’74 season.

–The Steelers’ Andy Russell

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1975, Miami, FL — Members of the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers pose for pictures as the AFC pros opened training.  (L to R)  Franco Harris, Andy Russell, L.C. Greenwood, Jack Ham, Roy Gerela, and Joe Greene relaxing on the sod.  – Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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Joe Greene had been holding out on the Steelers for 2 to 3 weeks.  The day he signed the contract and joined the team, he was escorted down to the practice field for the Steelers’ “Oklahoma drills.” There he was met by the Steelers’ offensive linemen who were looking to break the greenhorn in.

“Immediately we did a one-on-one blocking drill. Ray Mansfield picked him to go first, because he wanted to show Joe Greene that he was better, and pull a– “we’ll show the young rookie.” Joe destroyed Ray Mansfield, our center for so many years, and we were like, ‘whoa– this guy can play!’” recalled Andy Russell.

It was obvious to his teammates (and soon the entire NFL) that “Mean Joe” Greene was an unstoppable force– the likes of which had never been seen before. His skill, strength, intensity, and determination to win were unrivaled– and gave the Steelers franchise the badly needed backbone it had been lacking for some forty years.  Even with his excessive roughness on the field and multiple ejections, he deservedly won the  NFL honor of Rookie of the Year.

“Mean Joe” Greene’s teammates would feed off of his intensity, and raise their play to new levels– sending a message heard loud and clear, that the Steelers were here to win it, and would not back down to anyone. Greene was always looking for a demonstrative way to make this point.  The bigger the foe, the better. Not even the NFL’s reigning badass, Dick Butkus, was shown any respect.  Greene once spit in his face– in front of what must have felt like the entire world to Butkus. Dick did the only thing he could– tuck his tail and walk away.

Joe Greene would go on to play in 10 Pro Bowls, and lead the Steelers to 4 Super Bowl championships, in a career that defined him as Pittsburgh’s most valuable player of all time.

“Joe Greene would come into the huddle sometimes and say, ‘I’m taking the ball away this play.’ I’ve never in my entire career seen an athlete be able to do that. He was actually unblockable in those early years.” –teammate Andy Russell

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Oct. 5th, 1975 — Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive tackle Mean Joe Greene kicks Cleveland Browns’ guard Bob McKay in the groin as the Steelers stomped the Browns, 42-6.  AP photo via

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Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Terry Bradshaw is attended to by medical staff after being slammed to the turf by Cleveland Browns’ defensive lineman Joe “Turkey” Jones. – PD historical photo.  ”The teams didn’t like each other, and they played hard. There were a lot of vicious hits and dirty plays– on both sides. There was the 1976 game in Cleveland where Joe “Turkey” Jones grabbed Steelers’ quarterback Terry Bradshaw and plunged him helmet-first into the turf. Jones received a personal foul penalty and was fined $3,000. Bradshaw suffered a concussion. Browns fans still talk about that play.”  via

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1972 — Pittsburgh Steelers’ running back Franco Harris is mobed by fans at Three Rivers Stadium after scoring the winning touchdown, nicknamed the “Immaculate Reception,” during the American Football Conference (AFC) semi-final game against Oakland. Harris made the touchdown, one of the most famous single plays in the history of professional American football, on a tipped pass from quarterback Terry Bradshaw to Frenchy Fuqua to Harris for the score in the fourth quarter in Pittsburgh. — Image © Bettmann/Corbis

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Dec 23rd, 1972, Pittsburgh, PA — With 22 seconds left in the Steeler-Raider playoff game, Steelers’ quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a 4th down desperation pass intended for John “Frenchy” Fuqua. When the ball was deflected by Raider Jack Tatum it traveled 7 yards into the arms of Franco Harris who ran 42 yards for the winning TD. “I learned early at Penn State to always be around the ball, be around the action,” admitted Harris.  ”Maybe there will be a fumble.  Maybe I’ll throw a block.  Because of that attitude the play happened.” –Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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1972, Palm Springs, CA — Frank Sinatra was made a one star general in Franco Harris’ one-man army as he watched the Pittsburgh Steelers workout for their big game against the San Diego Chargers in San Diego. Franco, the Steelers’ one man army and leading ground gainer, is pleased at having Sinatra in his army. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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Terry Bradshaw, top draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers, poses with coach Chuck Noll at a news conference in Pittsburgh, Pa., Feb. 13, 1970.  The Louisiana Tech quarterback is in Pittsburgh to discuss salary terms with the club.  (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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The following is reprinted from “The Ones Who Hit the Hardest” by Chad Millman and Shawn Coyne–

It wasn’t just that Terry Bradshaw liked going to church while his teammates liked going to bars. It was the game. College football was Bradshaw’s domain; pro football was Chuck Noll’s. It was the difference between checkers and chess. Bradshaw had never studied film before. In high school and college, if his first receiver wasn’t open, he tucked the ball and ran. He didn’t know how to read defensive coverages at the line of scrimmage. He underestimated the speed of the game, the intensity, how hard opponents were going to hit and how high a standard his coaches were going to hold him to. He was, in every way, overmatched. And no one had any sympathy.

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Cleveland, Ohio, 1971 —  From the sidelines Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw and coach Chuck Noll watch the defensive unit against Cleveland. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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In his very first game, against the Oilers, Bradshaw completed just four of sixteen passes with an interception and was pulled from the game to a chorus of 75,000 boos. This is where a new Chuck Noll emerged. The calm teacher who preached technique, the master manipulator who looked the other way when Joe Greene attacked opponents with scissors, handled Bradshaw like he was an abusive father. He grabbed his quarterback’s facemask, his jersey and unloaded obscenities that would make the bluest of comics cringe. The anger shot from his knuckles through Bradshaw’s pads. “I couldn’t believe how cruel Chuck was,” Bradshaw once said. “You would think someone as smart as Chuck was would be a better psychologist, but he beat me down. I totally lost my confidence. I was the kind of guy who needed a pat on the back–shouting at me only made things worse.”

So did the fact that, on his first play from scrimmage in place of Bradshaw, local hero Terry Hanratty threw a touchdown. After the game, Bradshaw sat in his car in the Three Rivers parking lot and cried.

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Aug 1974, Latrobe, PA — Quarterback Terry Bradshaw said if striking Pittsburgh Steeler veterans can’t respect his decision to enter camp, “then maybe I can’t respect them.”  Bradshaw, 25, the Steelers’ regular quarterback this past three years, walked into the club’s St. Vincent College training camp and worked out. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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The Steelers lost their first three games that season, with Noll shuffling his quarterbacks practically every quarter. It got so bad for Bradshaw that his mom came to stay with him. One night he took her to a hockey game and fans in the stands started booing the both of them. Another time, before a game, he was standing outside the doorway of the locker room talking to Art Rooney Sr., within the eyesight of Noll. The owner was telling his young quarterback to keep his confidence, that everything would be all right, with Bradshaw’s blond locks bobbing up and down in agreement. When the conversation ended and Bradshaw walked into the locker room five minutes late, Noll, who had seen the conversation between rookie and owner taking place, fined him.

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April 1970, Washington, DC — President Nixon compares hands with All-American quarterback Terry Bradshaw, of Louisiana Tech, when the latter called at the White House with a group from the school. Bradshaw was the number one draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers. — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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It didn’t help with fans that he was burly for a quarterback. His blonde hair was thinning and unruly and his face lacked the kind of angles Madison Avenue likes in its football idols. He had a funny Louisiana accent that, to those in the North, made him sound simple. He preferred spending time on his farm with his parents to drinking at the Jamestown Inn in Pittsburgh’s South Hills with his teammates. He wore buckskin coats with fringe hanging from the sleeves. “I was an outsider who didn’t mingle well,” Bradshaw once told Sports Illustrated. “No one liked to fish or do the things I liked to do. The other players looked upon me as a bible-toting Li’l Abner.”

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1980 — Show business for Steeler quarterback Terry Bradshaw gets a big yawn as he does an interview with Jimmy ‘The Greek’ Snyder prior to the Eagles-Cowboys game. Bradshaw has been linked to a show business deal that may require that he quit the Steelers. — Image © Bettmann/Corbis

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1970 — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw. — Image © Bettmann/Corbis

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1970 — Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Mean Joe Greene. – Image © Bettmann/Corbis

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“Hi, it’s Deb.  You know, when I woke up this morning I had a realization about myself.  I was always Blondie.  People always called me Blondie, ever since I was a little kid. What I realized is that at some point I became Dirty Harry.  I couldn’t be Blondie anymore, so I became Dirty Harry.”

–Debbie Harry

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Debbie Harry of Blondie, Coney Island, NY, 1977 — Image © Bob Gruen

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“It was in the early ’70s and I was trying to get across town at two or three o’clock in the morning.  This little car kept coming around and offering me a ride.  I kept saying ‘No’ but finally I took the ride because I couldn’t get a cab.”  

“I got in the car and the windows were are rolled up, except for a tiny crack.  This driver had an incredibly bad smell to him. I looked down and there were no door handles.  The inside of the car was stripped. The hairs on the back of my neck just stood up.”  

“I wiggled my arm out of the window and pulled the door handle from the outside.  I don’t know how I did it, but I got out. He tried to stop me by spinning the car but it sort of helped me fling myself out.”

” Afterwards I saw him on the news–  Ted Bundy.”

–Debbie Harry

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Debbie Harry, NYC, 1976 –  Image © Bob Gruen

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1978 — Debbie Harry of Blondie — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis

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Debbie Harry, New Jersey, 1978 – Image © Bob Gruen  New Jersey’s own Debbie Harry is an icon and sex symbol (those dead eyes and daft lips…) of the 1970s Punk / New Wave / Art scene.  She originally hailed from Hawthorne and went on to graduate from Centenary College in Hackettstown — all just a long stones’ throw from my own stomping grounds.  Eesh.

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Debbie Harry & Iggy Pop, Toronto, Canada, 1977 – Images © Bob Gruen 

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1982 — Debbie Harry of Blondie — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis-

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New York, 1978 — Debbie Harry of Blondie — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis

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Los Angeles, California, 1977 — Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Chris Stein, Debbie Harry, Gary Valentine. — Image by © Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis

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Los Angeles, California, 1977 — Chris Stein, Jimmy Destri, Debbie Harry, Gary Valentine, Clem Burke. — Image by © Michael Ochs Archives/Corbis

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1977 — Debbie Harry of Blondie — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis

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A young Debbie Harry

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1978 — Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis

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1978 — Debbie Harry, lead singer of the Rock Group, Blondie — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis

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1978 — Debbie Harry, lead singer of the Rock Group, Blondie — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis

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1979 — Blondie — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis

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ca. 1980s — Debbie Harry of Blondie — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis

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Los Angeles, California, 1977 — New wave band Blondie, from left– Gary Valentine, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Jimmy Destri, and Clem Burke. — Image by © Henry Diltz/Corbis

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1978 — Debbie Harry with a Knife — Image by © Lynn Goldsmith/Corbis

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Debbie Harry, Basquiat, Fab Fred, NYC 1981 – Image by © Lynn Goldsmith

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Debbie Harry of Blondie models for one of Andy Warhol’s paintings — Image by © Chris Stein  via

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ca. 1970s — Rockers Vicki Blue, Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, David Johansen, Joey Ramone, and Mickey Leigh perform a fake wedding ceremony. — Image by © Corbis

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Debbie Harry of Blondie

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1978 — Joan Jett and Debbie Harry of Blondie backstage at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia, PA at a gig featuring The Runaways, The Ramones & The Jam — Image by © Scott Weiner/Retna Ltd./Corbis

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Debbie Harry and Nancy Spungen

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The Clash with Al Fields, David Johansen and Debbie Harry, NYC, 1979 — Image by © Bob Gruen

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ca. 1970s — Debbie Harry of Blondie booty-bumpin’ a beater.

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1978 — Debbie Harry and Chris Stein — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis

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1978, Philadelphia, PA — Chris Stein and Debbie Harry — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis-

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New York — An early publicity photo of new wave band Blondie. From left– Gary Valentine, Clem Burke, Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and Jimmy Destri — Image by © Bettmann/Corbis

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1978, London, England — Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie at the opening of Blondie in Camera exhibition at the Mirandy Gallery — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis

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1978, London, England — Debbie Harry of Blondie at the opening of Blondie in Camera exhibition at the Mirandy Gallery — Image by © Martyn Goddard/Corbis

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Debbie Harry, 1969

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“For me to survive, me have to find something for myself and it was like a spiritual vibration, so me said– me going to make spiritual music.  This spiritual music coming– they call it Reggae.”

–Lee “Scratch” Perry 

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Reggae and Dub master, Lee “Scratch” Perry is often overshadowed by the Reggae giants that followed in his footsteps– namely Bob Marley.  Not that Marley doesn’t deserve praise– Perry is just long overdue, and grossly under-acknowledged.  Growing up in rural Jamaica, he later moved to Kingston and worked his way up from music studio janitor to songwriter and producer. Perry’s debut single “People Funny Boy” was one of the first recordings to sample– the sound of a baby crying.  In fact, what “Scratch” Perry was able to lay down on old, broken-down, low-tech equipment is nothing short of genius.  Perry’s crazy garb and outlandish, eccentric behavior have oft played perfectly to his reputation for being crazy– but many believe (and by his own admission) it was more a ploy to shield himself from the brutality of Jamaica’s badasses.

Now, to coincide with Lee “Scratch” Perry’s 75th birthday, there’s the release of the new album Rise Again, and documentary film called The Upsetter (narrated by Academy Award Winner Benico Del Toro), which chronicle’s Perry’s epic songwriting and producing career– highlighting his pioneering recording techniques, and ground-breaking (and still influential) contributions to reggae and dub music.

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Reggae / Dub master Lee “Scratch” Perry at his Black Ark studio in Jamaica

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Lee “Scratch” Perry

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Jamaica, 1976 — Lee “Scratch” Perry (and The Heptones) — Image by © Kate Simon  via

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Lee “Scratch” Perry

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Jamaica, 1976 — Lee “Scratch” Perry (and The Heptones) — Image by © Kate Simon

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Lee “Scratch” Perry

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Lee “Scratch” Perry (bottom left)

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Lee “Scratch” Perry at his Black Ark studio in Jamaica

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Lee “Scratch” Perry

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Lee “Scratch” Perry

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Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark Studio

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Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark Studio
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Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark Studio
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Reggae / Dub master Lee “Scratch” Perry at his Black Ark studio in Jamaica
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Reggae / Dub master Lee “Scratch” Perry at his Black Ark studio in Jamaica
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Reggae / Dub master Lee “Scratch” Perry at his Black Ark studio in Jamaica
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Reggae / Dub master Lee “Scratch” Perry at his Black Ark studio in Jamaica
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Reggae / Dub master Lee “Scratch” Perry at his Black Ark studio in Jamaica
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Lee “Scratch Perry with The Jackson Five

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Related TSY posts:

BOB MARLEY & THE SPORT OF SOCCER | NATURAL MYSTIC OF THE PITCH

THE WILD LIFE AND UNTIMELY DEATH OF THE REGGAE LEGEND PETER TOSH

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Bon Scott & Angus Young, Atlanta, GA 1978 — Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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Australian photographer Rennie Ellis (1940-2003), manifested his lust for life in the incredibly raw and titillating images of ’70s & ’8os that perfectly capture the heyday of Rock ‘n’ Roll rebellion, sexual experimentation, high fashion & tomfoolery. He eagerly exposed the gritty and honest underbelly of the times with an insider’s candor that is both magical and mesmerizing. A familiar fixture on the party scene, Rennie was widely accepted in social circles that placed him squarely in the middle of the action where he thrived on the energy– and always got the shots he wanted.

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Dino Ferrari, Toorak Road 1976 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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“The thing with Rennie was that he was always having fun and would never miss an opportunity to take a photo. I remember being at Rennie’s 38th birthday in Prahran when the police turned up for a noise compliant. We were all pretty smashed and our natural reaction was to stop and be quiet. Not Rennie though. We saw him take a girl outside and start taking pictures of her sitting on the police car. He just wanted to get that shot. And, from what I can recall, the police stuck around for a few drinks too. That’s how people reacted to Rennie—everyone just instinctively felt comfortable around him.”

–Rennie’s old friend Jenny Bannister 

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MC, Paradise Club, Kings Cross 1970-71 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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Mr. Australia, Inflation Melbourne 1980 –  Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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Lady Medina, The Ritz 1977 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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AC/DC, Atlanta, Georgia 1978 –  Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive
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Jude’s Tongue 1978 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive
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Jenny Bannister Shell Bikinis, Chai Parade 1978 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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Tattoos, New York 1976 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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Sheiks Disco, Melbourne 1981 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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Night People, Middle Park 1975 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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At the Pub, Brisbane 1982 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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Lindy Hobbs, Surfing World, Lorne c.1968 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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Union Jack, Lorne c.1968 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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Surfer boys & girls, Lorne, 1975 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive
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Fitzroy Extrovert, 1974 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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Cab Driver, Kings Cross 1970-71 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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No Standing Only Dancing 1974 – Image by © 2011 Rennie Ellis Photographic Archive

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Rennie Ellis Archive

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I love Texas. There are more Rock, Country, Folk and Blues music greats from the Lone Star State than you can shake a stick at– not to mention the colorful and storied scene they created that lives-on today. The loyal fans who were around back then dutifully keep it alive through a rich oral history.

My buddy Bruce is one of those guys. Ask him if he recalls when the Sex Pistols toured through Texas in ’78 and his eyes light up like a Christmas tree. Before you can catch your breath, out come tales of the filth, fury & raucousness of that time like it was yesterday– “You mean that Sid Vicious kid?  Yeah man, of course I remember it. It was a mess! He was runnin’ his mouth, spittin’, and swingin’ that bass around like a baseball bat on stage– mowin’ people down.  They wanted to kill him!” Ask him about Charlie Sexton, and out come tales of the early days of him and his lil’ brother Will playing in clubs before they were teens…then with the Vaughan brothers (Jimmie & Stevie Ray)…and Charlie’s much-loved band, Arc Angels, with Doyle Bramhall II, son of the legendary Doyle Bramhall…and how Doyle (Senior) and the Vaughan brothers own history together (among many others, Jimmie and Doyle both came out of the legendary band, The Chessman) was foundational in laying the groundwork for the Dallas / Austin music scene in the 1960s & 1970s that is so prolific, relevant, and vital to this day. Whew.

These three families– The Vaughans, the Bramhalls, & the Sextons, are forever entwined with one another in the history of Texas music. Everyone knows about Jimmie & Stevie Ray Vaughan, ’nuff said. Doyle Bramhall (Senior) is a legend who left his mark on this world that sadly lost him back in November. Doyle Bramhall II is known for his early days with Charlie Sexton in Arc Angels. Young Doyle went on to be a singer in his own right, and a much in-demand guitarist who has backed-up some of the greats like Roger Waters and Eric Clapton. Then we have the Sexton brothers…

Charlie Sexton was often railed as a Post-Wave pretty boy, which he definitely was during his mainstream popularity. (I remember a few of the hip girls in High School with Charlie Sexton posters on their walls, and tee-shirts emblazoned with his pouty lips & piled-high coif on their budding chests.) His rising star somehow failed to reach its promised heights back then, but over the years Charlie has silenced his critics by becoming a very well-respected musician (his guitar playing is simply incredible) and producer who has toured and recorded with some of the biggest names in the business– Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, to name just a few. And for you hipsters out there– he even played with Spoon on Austin City Limits back in 2010. Will Sexton is less known, but no less talented– and perhaps even the more sensitive, thoughtful musicians of the two. Definitely more folksy, in a good way. (In all fairness, the video clips I chose of the Sexton brothers are of when they were very young, back in the ’80s, in fact. I think it’s safe to say we all have some fashion / hair moments from those days that we’d all like to forget. Go on YouTube to see their current work, which is very solid.) Charlie and his little brother Will went off on different musical paths, but those paths will bring them together again, as both make their mark in the annals of Texas music history for us to savor, and the next generation to discover.

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July 4th, 1982 — A very young Charlie Sexton,13-yrs-old, playing with the Joe Ely Band (which toured as the opener for The Clash back in the day– you heard me right, this kid opened for The Clash.) at Gilley’s, Pasadena, TX. That Rockabilly look would carry through to Charlie’s next band, the Eager Beaver Boys– in fact, the hair would get higher and higher. –image Tracy Hart

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1979 — Great shot of Joe Strummer of The Clash, and Texas music legend Joe Ely at the Tribal Stomp II concert. –Image by © Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis

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Another old, undated pic of the very young Sexton brothers, Charlie & Will, playing together in Texas. Both Charlie and Will were taught to play guitar by Texas legend and “Godfather of Austin Blues”– W.C. Clark (who along with the Vaughan brothers, Doyle Bramhall and others, was critical in laying the early  foundation for the Austin Blues scene). In 1988, the brothers formed the band “Will & the Kill” and released a 38 minute self-titled album produced by Joe Ely that featured Jimmie Vaughan on a few tracks. The album was recorded at the Fire Station Studio and released on MCA Records.

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On many occasions, the extraordinary, young Sexton brothers– twelve-year-old Charlie and ten-year-old Will opened for Stevie Ray Vaughan and joined him on stage. –via Cheatham Street, San Marcos, Texas. Whate were you doing when you were 10? Good God.

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Charlie Sexton’s big hit single “Beat’s So lonely” broke into the Top Twenty charts back in 1985. Yep, it’s Teen Beat fodder, but the kid was a no slouch– check out the pick harmonics during his guitar solo in the video below. 

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Classic freakin’ clip of  young Will Sexton being interviewed during the “Will & the Kill” days, so ’80s! If you were around back then, this will slay you.

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The band Arc Angels was formed sometime around 1991 featuring Charlie Sexton and Doyle Bramhall II, backed by the legendary Tommy Shannon & Chris “Whipper” Layton of “Double Trouble” (Stevie Ray Vaughan’s backing band) fame. “Arc Angels” released a self-titled album on Geffen Records in 1992, produced by Steven Van Zandt. Personally the band couldn’t hold it together– communication issues, drugs, etc, began to break them down. It would be the band’s only official release, and “Arc Angels” would break-up within 3 years. In the video below, check how Doyle’s left-handed guitar is strung, high strings on top– its the opposite of how Jimi Hendrix (the most famous lefty guitarist) strung his. 

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Another shot of “Arc Angels”, featuring Charlie Sexton and Doyle Bramhall II, backed by the legendary Tommy Shannon & Chris “Whipper” Layton of Double Trouble (Stevie Ray Vaughan’s backing band) fame. In 1995, Charlie formed “The Charlie Sexton Sextet” and released “Under The Wishing Tree” that while being somewhat of a commercial flop, was critically well received.

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Charlie Sexton, Stiv Bators, Adam Bomb, Johnny Thunders and that’s the Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones just out of frame. Limelight VIP room in NYC. This shot was published in Melody Maker. —-image via Adam Bomb

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February 1991– Doyle Bramhall II & Charlie Sexton of the Texas band Arc Angels –image Tracy Hart

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March, 1991– Doyle Bramhall II & Charlie Sexton, the Arc Angels performing at Austin Music Awards –image Tracy Hart

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Feb, 1991– Charlie Sexton and Chris Layton at Bon Ton Room in Houston, Texas –image Tracy Hart

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You can’t mention Doyle Bramhall without paying tribute– one of the forefathers of the Dallas / Austin music scene. Bramhall (on drums) partnered with Jimmie Vaughan in Dallas (on guitar, of course) to form a blues band– The Chessmen during the 1960s. Later the two, along with Jimmie’s younger brother, and soon-to-be- Blues God, Stevie Ray Vaughan (he played in Bramhall’s band The Nightcrawlers in the 1970s, and it’s widely recognized that Bramhall was a major influence on Stevie’s vocal style), headed south to Austin to help create the the rich & vital music scene there that is still a hotbed of talent today. Many take solace in the thought that Doyle and Stevie are now together again making music in heaven.

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RELATED TSY POSTS:

ROKY ERICKSON | THE GREAT, LOST TEXAS PIONEER OF ROCK AND ROLL

THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS, ca. 1980 | PHOTOGRAPHY OF ART MERIPOL

BLUESMAN STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN | TRIBUTE TO AUSTIN’S FAVORITE SON

WINTER WHITES | JOHNNY & EDGAR LEGENDARY WINTER BROTHERS

TOWNES | YOU’VE GOTTA MOVE– OR JUST YOU’RE WAITIN’ AROUND TO DIE

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I loved the early days of the Stray Cats back when they were young, raw and fresh from Long Island. Seeing lil’ Brian Setzer in these grainy old pics (if you can help out with any photo credits, I’d appreciate it!), some even from his pre-tattoo days built like a matchstick with a pile of hair that entered the room a full minute before he did…well, they are a sight to see. Their style was pretty tough back in the hungry years before the big payday when they rocked on a steady diet of engineer boots, creepers, skinny jeans, polka dot thrift shop tops with cut-off sleeves, bandanas and a sneer. Soon the look was gobbled up by the mainstream made-for-MTV crowd and regurgitated into a uniform with elements of new wave / new romantics fluffy hairdos, argyles, leopard print, gold lamé, Zodiac boots, and over-sized sportcoats.

Give the Stray Cats their due. Not only were they heavily responsible for a resurgence of interest in American roots Rock, Rockabilly, Swing, and Greaser culture– Brian Setzer was honored with being the first artist since Chet Atkins to be granted a Gretsch artist model guitar built and named for him. A true reflection of how strongly he was identified with Gretsch, and how he helped cement them with a new generation as the true player’s guitar for anyone serious about Rockabilly and the like. After the Stray Cats, guys like the Reverend Horton Heat, Mike Ness (Setzer played on Cheating at Solitaire) and others like them have carved-out their own sound and legacy on a Gretsch– and they owe a nod to Brian Setzer for paving the way.

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A young and well-coiffed Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats back in the early 1980s

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1982, Paris– A couple of lean, mean rockers Thierry Le Coz & Brian Setzer. Brian and the Stray Cats hit the road for the UK and Europe early on, as the Teddy Boy movement and the strong  love abroad for the Sun Records & rockabilly music legends (Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Duane Eddy, and many more) called them there to make their mark. Thierry (yep, he’s French) is a great guitarist and started out in the Rockabilly band Teen Kats back in the early 1980s, and met Brian and the boys while they were there touring Europe.  Le Coz moved to Austin, Texas in ’84, played with Will Sexton in Will and the Kill among others, and is still doing his thing. I love that pic of them, great style.

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1983– Dave Edmunds and Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats rock New York City’s Roseland Ballroom with an encore of Eddie Cochran’s “C’mon Everybody”

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My friend Matt over at Smoke & Throttle is on a very cool quest to retrace the tracks left behind by his late father, 1987 AHRMA Champ, Robert “Snuffy” Smith. Matt was knee deep in his father’s racing circle as a kid. It was a way of life, plain and simple. But now that Matt has a love of motorcycles all his own, and a new taste for racing– he’s grown a whole new respect and appreciation for his beloved dad’s passion and accomplishments on the track. Armed with a new perspective, it’s pretty meaningful to reflect back on and understand just how special those days were. I’m excited to see this story unfold as Matt shares it with us over the weeks and months to come. Read on.

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1996– Robert “Snuffy” Smith on his ’76 Triumph T140 (25) and Jesse Morris (295) at Daytona.

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“I grew up going to the races with my father, the late Robert ‘Snuffy’ Smith. I always loved the hustle and bustle of the pit area. Rushing to get the jetting corrected before the next heat race, or trouble shooting timing issues with minutes left before the green flag drops. Multiple people tearing into a bike like doctors working on an accident victim after being wheeled into the E.R.. It excited me then – and as I’ve gotten back into going to races – it excites me even more now. I knew after last weekends trip to Roebling Road that wrenching on my own bike and competing was just something I HAD to experience.”

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Engine pulled, the rebuild has begun– 1976 Triumph T140 racing bike that had belonged to his dad is now home again in Matt’s garage.

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“I was aware of a motorcycle that my cousin John McIlvaine built for my dad to race back in the ’90s. It was sitting in John’s shop gathering dust. A few years ago, John offered it to me for next to nothing but I just wasn’t ready. Last weekend, I realized that whether I was ready or not, it was time. I got home at 3:30 am Monday morning and shortly after lunch that same day, I was hauling the 1976 Triumph T140 back to my garage. The rebuild had begun.

Will I be a good racer? I have no idea. All I know is I haven’t been this enthused about anything in a VERY long time. No matter what the outcome may be, I know I’m in for quite an adventure…”

–Matt Smith

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See more pics here at Smoke and Throttle…

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“Ricky’s Beach”, circa 197? from “Living The Life” –Image by © Doug Barber

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Having featured the photography of Doug Barber (AKA Q-Ball) in “Living The Life”, it’s now time to honor the epic biker poetry of Eddi Pliska (AKA Sorez the Scribe). Like I said, his scribes throttle, brake, and pull no punches and together with Doug they have created a 1%er’s masterpiece that is truly one of a kind. Sorez’s work has graced the pages of Outlaw Biker Magazine, Easyriders, and he’s a member of the Highway Poets Motor Cycle Club– “America’s Only Bike Club Of Published Journalists.” 

Sorez’s love of the biker lifestyle started at the tender age of ten yrs old when he picked up his first copy of Easyriders, and at thirteen he got his first bike– a Harley-Davidson 350cc Sprint that he walked ten miles to his home and repaired himself. Sorez never finished high school– instead learning life on the streets, and finding family and friends in the clubhouse– some still brothers some 30 years later. He’ll always remember on caring teacher telling him on his way out– “Don’t ever give up writing. One day your works shall be read.”

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You can buy the book ”Living the Life” here

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Kirk West is probably best known as the long-time tour manager, archivist, and photographer for the Allman Brothers Band– but before that he spent many years shooting many other musical legends while living in Chicago. Many of those images laid dormant for decades, and now with time on his hands since his 2010 retirement from ABB, the amazing images have now come to light– and many of them are stunning in their honest, fly-on-the-wall, honest energy. Being a lover of the Blues, I was instantly strike by many of his images of legends in a bygone time that I’d love to step back into.

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1978 — Blues guitar great, Johnny Winter at Chicago’s Park West theatre –Image by © Kirk West There’s a famous story about a time in 1962 when Johnny and his brother went to see B.B. King at a Beaumont club called the Raven. The only whites in the crowd, they no doubt stood out. But Johnny already had his chops down and wanted to play with the revered B.B.”I was about 17,” Johnny remembers, “and B.B. didn’t want to let me on stage at first. He asked me for a union card, and I had one. Also, I kept sending people over to ask him to let me play. Finally, he decided that there enough people who wanted to hear me that, no matter if I was good or not, it would be worth it to let me on stage. He gave me his guitar and let me play. I got a standing ovation, and he took his guitar back!” via

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1985 — Late guitar great, Stevie Ray Vaughan at the Chicago Blues Fest –Image by © Kirk West     From Guitar World Magazine ’85 — “Vaughan remembered something that came from Johnny Winter, the first white Texas blues guitar hero, who’d preceded him down the long path. ‘He said something to me when the first record was doing so well,’ Stevie Ray recalled. ‘It made me feel a lot of respect for what we did, for the music. He said that he wanted me to know that people like Muddy Waters and the cats who started it all really had respect for what we’re doing, because it made people respect them. We’re not taking credit for the music. We’re trying to give it back.’” I dig that attitude– doing what you love, and doing it well– to give back to those who cam before you– and the music as a whole. You don’t hear  enough talk like that these days. That’s real heart and soul right there.

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1978– Johnny Winter, Bob Margolin, & Muddy Waters at Harry Hope’s, Cary IL where they recorded Muddy “Mississippi” Waters – Live  –Image by © Kirk West. During early live performances, Johnny Winter would often recount about how, as a child, it was dream of his to one day play with the great blues guitarist Muddy Waters. In 1977 Winter’s his manager creating Blue Sky Records to be distributed through Columbia,  Winter now had the opportunity to bring Waters into the studio for Hard Again. The album became a best-seller, with Winter producing and playing back-up guitar on the set that included Waters, and  the legendary James Cotton on harmonica. Winter produced two more studio albums for Muddy Waters – I’m Ready (this time featuring Walter Horton on harmonica) and King Bee. The partnership produced Grammy Awards, a best-selling live album (Muddy “Mississippi” Waters Live), and Winter’s own Nothin’ But the Blues, on which he was backed by members of Muddy Waters’ band.

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1978– Blues great Muddy Waters at Harry Hope’s, Cary, IL where Muddy “Mississippi” Waters – Live was recorded –Image by © Kirk West. Muddy Waters — Born McKinley Morganfield in Rolling Fork, Mississippi back in 1915. His Mama died when he was just 3 yrs old, and so he was raised by Grandmother in Clarksdale. Muddy started playing the harmonica at the age of 13, and a few years later picked-up the guitar. Muddy was very big on legendary Delta bottle-neck guitar masters — Son House and Robert Johnson. Soon, Muddy was a master himself — being one of the best guitarists and vocalists in the region  – and now recognized as one of the best ever. In 1941, Alan Lomax and a team of Library of Congress field collectors visited and recorded Muddy Waters for the Library’s folksong archives (they were originally looking for Robert Johnson at the time, but had no idea that he had died three years earlier). Muddy finely-honed his blues chops in the tough, back country juke joints until 1943 —  when he left for Chicago. Waters worked hard to make a name for himself, and by the 1950s, he had a string of recordings that solidified his reputation as one of the best. Numerous members of his bands through the years have gone on to become legends themselves– guitarists Jimmy Rogers, Sammy Lawhorn and Luther Johnson, harmonica players Little Walter, Junior Wells and James Cotton, pianists Otis Spann and Pinetop Perkins — adding to Muddy Waters’ enormous Blues legacy.

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1980– Bluesman John Hammond at ChicagoFest –Image by © Kirk West. John P. Hammond, Jr. is an American Blues & Roots music legend with crazy vocal, guitar and harmonica skills. John Paul Hammond hasn’t had huge commercial success, but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming one of the most respected musicians among his peers. Legend has it that Hammond had both Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix side-by-side in his band for five days in the 1960s when Hammond played The Gaslight Cafe in New York City. He’s the son of famed record producer John H. Hammond, and interestingly enough– great-grandson of William Henry Vanderbilt. You would never know he’s a Vanderbilt by listening to him. In fact, you’d swear he was raised on the Mississippi Delta. Hands-down on of my favorite artists of an genre or era. I missed-out seeing him at the New Hope, PA Winery a few months back– and have still not gotten over it.

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1979– A young George Thorogood tunes his resonator guitar backstage before a show at Harry Hope’s in Cary, IL –Image by © Kirk West. In the 1970s, Thorogood played semi-professional baseball in the Roberto Clemente League. A skilled second baseman, he was even awarded rookie of the year. His baseball dreams would take a backseat to music after seeing a young John Hammond onstage. From then on, George knew he was meant to play the Blues. “The people who helped me out were all the guys in Muddy Waters’ band, all the guys in Howlin’ Wolf’s band. They were wonderful to me, and they wanted to help me. They saw what I was trying to do. It (Blues) was a lifestyle as well as an art form, as far as music goes. They were singing about what their life was like on a daily basis. Sonny Boy Williamson and Wolf and Muddy Waters – they didn’t think they were the baddest cats in the world, they knew they were the baddest cats in the world. They had to be, or they wouldn’t have survived. There’s nothing glamorous in it – that’s just the facts. They had to fight their way through on a daily basis just to keep their heads above water. That’s very clear in a lot of their songs.” –George Thorogood. Back in the day, Thorogood and John Hammond (not to mention Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown) would take the stage at John & Peter’s in New Hope, PA — a legendary, original music venue still going strong after 40 yrs. What it lacks in size, it definitely makes up for in spirit! 

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Clarence ‘Gatemouth” Brown, Biddy Milligan’s –Image by © Kirk West. A Bluesman, he was. But this Texan legend is hard to put in a neat little box– spread his love across multiple musical genres– Country, Bluegrass, Calypso, Jazz… you name it, Gate played it. The “Gatemouth” nickname came from a high school teacher who said he had  a “voice like a gate,” and it stuck. His big break came in 1947 concert when he filled-in for T-Bone Walker onstage at Don Robey’s Bronze Peacock Houston nightclub. Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown took up his guitar and played “Gatemouth Boogie” and his career was off and runnin’. In the 1960s, Gate called Nashville home and became a fixture there– appearing on a syndicated Country music TV show, and laying down some Country tracks. Roy Clark had become a good buddy– the two recored an album together, and Gate even show-up on the (very white) TV show ‘Hee Haw’. In the late ’60s, Gate tired of the music scene and headed to the desert of New Mexico and turned in his guitar for a badge– becoming a Deputy Sheriff. Gate’s fans soon came calling like never before. In the ’70s American Roots music swept Europe–  Gates was in demand, and he toured Europe extensively. His guitar style is legendary, and cited for influencing the likes of Albert Collins, Guitar Slim, J. J. Cale, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, and Frank Zappa– who declared Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown s his all-time favorite guitarist. via

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1981– Lefty Dizz, Chicago Blues legend, at the Checkerboard Lounge –Image by © Kirk West. Lefty was a fiery guitarist, and balls-out showman who still doesn’t get nearly enough press for his legend, his skill, and his bravado. A self-taught “lefty” he was 19 yrs old when he picked up a guitar for the first time. Like many lefties back then, he played on a right-handed guitar–  and  did not reverse the strings, as some do. Legend has it that another ‘lefty’ guitar great, a young and then unknown Jimi Hendrix, caught-up with Lefty Dizz at a Seattle gig– and that Lefty’s aggressive playing had an influence on Hendrix. And Jimi wasn’t his only Rock ‘n’ Roll fan– The Rolling Stones, Foghat, and others would often catch Lefty’s Chicago gigs.       

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5/3/1983– “To Muddy”, Blues greats James Cotton and Buddy Guy at the Checkerboard Lounge for Muddy Waters’ funeral wake –Image by © Kirk West. Muddy was the man, and upon his passing in 1983, anyone who was anyone in Blues came to pay tribute to one of the most important musical icons of the last century. Period. End of story.

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Dorothy Stratten – Playboy Playmate of the Month for August, 1979 & Playmate of the Year for 1980.

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Anyone who lived during the time of the brutal killing and tragic loss of Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, probably will never forget how utterly shocking and saddening it truly was. It spawned 2 movies (including the gripping classic, Star 80), books (including ‘The Killing of the Unicorn’ by Peter Bogdanovich, her boyfriend at the time), and many songs written in her memory. Fellow Canadian Bryan Adams actually co-wrote 2 songs about her. The crime is no less shocking today, and we are left with her story of a young girl who seemingly had acheived the American dream of fortune and fame, only to have it violently stolen from her, along with her young fragile life, by an insecure, low-life punk, whose name is not even worth mentioning. RIP Dorothy Stratten. You live on. Many of the photos are via dorothystratten.com the authoritative site on Dorothy Stratten.

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“The Medieval Knight stands bold in its shining armour as Miss World of Wheels, Dorothy Hoogstraten (AKA Dorothy Stratten) dubs Ron Bergsma, who is one of the ‘Macho Man’ contestants from Universal Olympic Gym at the World of Wheels Custom Car Show, August 16th, 1978.” –Photo by Paul Snider.

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Dorothy Stratten in a bikini with the 1979 Firebird Trans Am custom-built by legendary George Barris and that starred in the Steve Martin film “The Jerk”. 

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OK, I couldn’t resist… here’s a photo of John Travolta with “Firebird Fever” signed by George Barris. “The most famous Pontiac Firebird ever to hit the streets was designed by famed car customizer George Barris who is also responsible for the ‘Batmobile’, the ‘Munster Koach’, the ‘General Lee’ and the ‘Monkee Mobile’. Hollywood promoters wanted to create a special car that would fit Travolta’s superstar image and tied into ‘Saturday Night Fever’. ‘Travolta Fever’ was built to promote John Travolta and his rising career. In 1980, when Travolta inspired a nationwide country music craze with ‘Urban Cowboy’, George Barris transformed the interior of ‘Travolta Fever’ with an ‘Urban Cowboy’ theme complete with appointed cowhide seats and an authentic saddle for the center console. ‘Travolta Fever’ is also equipped with NASCAR-inspired, sculptured fender flares and a large rear whale tail. Revell, the famous plastic model maker, produced and sold scale model kits of the Barris customized Firebird. In fact, John Travolta’s ‘Firebird Fever’ was one of the first celebrity car model kits ever offered by the company. After a short time of being shown on the West Coast, ‘Travolta Fever’ made its way to the Midwest, where it was leased from Barris by American car and custom hot rod designer Darryl Starbird and featured in several of his shows.” via

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Dorothy Stratten posing with the 1979 Firebird Trans Am wide-body custom-built by none other than the legendary George Barris, and that starred in the Steve Martin film “The Jerk”. Barris built it, and the “John Travolta Firebird Fever” Trans Am, side-by-side at his shop. “FF” sported a high-performance Pontiac 455 engine, custom interior with Recaora seats, custom flared fenders, Racemark steering wheel, T-roof with tinted panels, opening “Shaker” hood, rear “Whale tail” spoiler, Hooker side pipes, real rubber Firestone S/S radial tires, colorful “Fever” decals, custom instrument panel. “Firebird Fever” was released in conjunction with Revell’s matching 1/25 scale plastic model kit to capitalize on Travolta’s mass popularity at the time. Photo by William LaChasse, via Autoculture

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Dorothy Stratten – Photo by William LaChasse, via Autoculture

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Dorothy Stratten with a Harley Panhead chopper – Photo by William LaChasse, via Autoculture

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Dorothy Stratten signing autographs at a car show  – Photo by William LaChasse, via Autoculture

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Dorothy Stratten and the man she left Paul Snider for — film director Peter Bogdanovich. He was so grief stricken at her loss, that he stopped film-making to write a book about her — The Killing of the Unicorn – and then years later, after cultivating her from the age of 12 yrs old, he married Dorothy’s younger sister, Louise.

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The Passions of Peter Bogdanovich | People Magazine, 1989–

She was, director Peter Bogdanovich would admit, an obsession. Blond, delicately featured, a Playboy Playmate of the Year, Dorothy Stratten was so beautiful she seemed luminescent, as if lit from within. A year after he first met her in 1978, when she was 18, Bogdanovich cast her in a movie and, though she was married, they soon became lovers. “I could hardly believe that she really existed, that she wasn’t a dream,” he later said of their affair. “There was something miraculous about Dorothy Stratten.”

In just five months, however, the director’s dream became a nightmare: Dorothy’s estranged husband, crazed by her decision to leave him and marry Bogdanovich, raped her, killed her with a point-blank shotgun blast to the head, and then killed himself. Her murder left Bogdanovich desolate, devastated. “I haven’t been dating,” he said, 16 months after Dorothy’s murder. “I’m a widower. I don’t know if I can ever love as totally and completely as I loved Dorothy.” He gave up making movies to write a book about her death, and he became devoted to Dorothy’s mother, Nelly, and her 12-year-old kid sister, Louise.

Too devoted, some said. He sent Louise, an insecure, pudgy girl with none of her sister’s delicate features, to a private school and to modeling classes. He bought her a baby grand piano and took her along on trips to Paris and Hawaii. He gave her a gold-and-diamond necklace and, when she graduated from high school, a Pontiac Trans Am. In 1986, he gave her a movie role.

Two weeks ago, Bogdanovich married Louise, now 20, in a small ceremony in Vancouver, renewing speculation about just when his interest in the girl became more than that of a close family friend—and about just what it had become. Skeptics suggested that Louise’s motivation had a practical side; her marriage to Bogdanovich would solve a chronic problem she’d had coming from her native Canada to work in the States. Those who know the couple discounted that—and saw in the relationship an eerie reprise of the director’s intense love for Louise’s sister, Dorothy.

When allegations of a romantic attachment between Bogdanovich and Louise first surfaced in 1984, when she was 16, they were silenced by a slander suit filed by Louise and her mother. (The suit was later dropped.) Some of those who know Bogdanovich best expressed little surprise at the marriage. Polly Platt, Bogdanovich’s first wife and mother of his two daughters—who were friendly with Louise during her frequent sojourns in L.A.—says the pair “had been together for a long time.”

But Louise’s mother, hearing of the marriage at her home in Vancouver, was distraught. “I feel he wants her because of a guilt trip,” she said. “This happened to my other daughter, who got her head shot off, and it’s gonna happen to this one. He didn’t do it, but he was involved. If he is in love with one daughter, how can he be in love with the other daughter?”

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1979 — Dorothy Stratten working at the Century City Playboy Club. RIP

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) remains one of my favorite teen / high school films of all time. It brilliantly captures the cultural touchstones of a generation, and the glory days of youth long gone by– before we were slaves to technology and all this social media bullshit.

A young Cameron Crowe, then a freelance writer for Rolling Stone magazine, went undercover as a student at Clairemont High School in San Diego, CA to write a book (of the same name), which he also adapted for the film. In Fast Times we get to witness a bevy of young Hollywood stars already in the making– Sean Penn (who totally stole the film, and birthed an army of Spicoli wannabes in high schools across the country), Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates and Jennifer Jason Leigh. There are also early appearances by relative unknowns at the time who would go on to major stardom– Nicolas Cage, (then Nicolas Coppola), Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, and Anthony (Goose) Edwards. Fast Times’ soundtrack was also groundbreaking, featuring a quintessential blend ’70s & ’80s rock & roll artists, that to me, will forever be connected with the film. I mean, who can hear “Moving in Stereo” by The Cars without instantly thinking of that hot, hormone-raging pool scene? Epic.

Haters gonna hate, but eat this– In 2005, Fast Times at Ridgemont High was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. If you’re of this era it’s definitely a film that still resonates and makes you want to roll a fat one, throw on your Vans, hit the arcade, grab some tasty waves, and meet some babes.

First-time director Amy Heckerling said that for ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ she was seeking to make a comedy that was less structured than conventional ones, and more like ‘American Graffiti’ so that “if you woke up and found yourself living in the movie, you’d be happy. I wanted that kind of feel.” IMDB

Fast Times at Ridgemont High’s mall scenes were filmed at the Sherman Oaks Galleria, after it closed at 9:30pm. The two kids who Damone scalps the tickets to were under 18, and due to labor laws couldn’t film past certain hours, so they only had a 10-minute window to shoot those scenes. The original mall was later damaged by an earthquake in 1994, and in 1998 it was renovated and extensively re-designed by the architectural firm of Gensler for developer Douglas Emmett. Other than the parking structure, nothing recognizable from the 1980s era mall remains, the building having been converted from an enclosed, multi-story space to an open, mostly single-story mall. IMDB

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“What do you mean, better in bed? Either you do it or you don’t.” Stacy works at Perry’s Pizza. Jennifer Jason Leigh actually worked at Perry’s Pizza for a month after she got the role of Stacy Hamilton before filming began. Jodie Foster was considered to play Stacy, but was not interested  due to her commitment at Yale. Also, Brooke Shields, Diane Lane, and Ellen Barkin reportedly also turned down offers to play the role of Stacy. IMDB

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“Brad: ‘Hey, you guys had shirts on when you came in here.’ Spicoli: ‘Well, something must have happened to them.’ Brad: ‘You see that sign Spicoli?’ Spicoli and buds: ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Dice!’ Brad: Right. Learn it. Know it. Live it.’ Spicoli: ‘He’s the full hot orator.’” Eric Stoltz, Sean Penn, and Anthony Edwards in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’. During shooting, Sean Penn got so into character that he extinguished a cigarette in the palm of his hand in order to better understand Jeff Spicoli, which was all he answered to. In fact, the door on his dressing room was even labeled ‘Spicoli’ instead of Sean Penn. IMDB

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“Stacy: ‘When a guy has an orgasm, how much comes out?’ Linda: ‘A quart or so.’” Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Linda (Phoebe Cates) in their famous cafeteria carrot scene for ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ filmed largely at Van Nuys High School in Van Nuys, California. The mascot of Ridgemont High is the Wolf, which is the same mascot as the real VNHS. Total filming lasted just five weeks. IMDB

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“Since when do you go bowling?” Nicolas Cage was originally considered for the role of Brad Hamilton, but after his audition the studio thought his performance was too dark and the role went instead to Judge Reinhold. Sean Penn was also originally asked to read for the part of Brad Hamilton, as well as Jeff Spicoli. In the scene where Brad is washing the Cruising Vessel, you can see he has a ‘Springsteen’ bumper sticker. Pamela Springsteen (Bruce’s sister), plays Dina (Brad’s girlfriend) in the film. Also in the Mi-T-Mart scene, Brad is wearing a Bruce Springsteen T-shirt. IMDB

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“‘Hello everybody! I’m Stu Nahan, and I’d like you to meet this young man. His name, Jeff Spicoli. And Jeff, congratulations to you. Things looked kind of rough out there today’. Spicoli: ‘Well, I’ll tell you Stu, I did battle some humongous waves! But you know, just like I told the guy on ABC, Danger is my business!’ Stu Nahan: ‘You know, a lot of people expected maybe Mark “Cutback” Davis or Bob “Jungle Death” Gerrard would take the honors this year’. Spicoli: ‘Those guys are fags!’” Sean Penn asked out Pamela Springsteen (yep, Bruce’s sister), who played Dina Brad’s girlfriend), on the set of ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ and she accepted. Sean Penn improvised constantly during his takes and tried to find ways to aggravate actor Ray Walston, who played Mr. Hand, even off camera. He also did everything in his power to get genuinely shocked reactions from the extras who played  classmates in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’. Eric Stoltz also auditioned for the role of surfer dude, Jeff Spicoli. IMDB

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Andy Rathbone was the student in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ that Cameron Crowe based the character Mark “Rat” Ratner on. He became famous in his own right for writing many of the “…for Dummies” help books series. IMDB

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“Damone: Hey, Charles, how you doin’, buddy? Car looks great. I mean really terrific. You’re really keeping it up wonderfully.’ Jefferson: “Don’t fuck with it.’” I would KILL for a ‘KILL LINCOLN’ t-shirt from ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’. Forrest Whitaker made his feature film debut in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’, alongside Nicolas Cage and Sean Penn.

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Justine Bateman was originally offered the role of Linda in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ and turned it down. Instead, she chose to star in a TV pilot for the TV series ‘Family Ties’ which ran for 7 years. Lucky for Phoebe Cates. IMDB

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“Hi Brad, you know how cute I always thought you were.” Thanks to ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’, there is an entire generation of men who can’t hear ‘Moving In Stereo’ by the Cars without thinking about Phoebe Cates’ tits. via

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“Jeez. Doesn’t anyone fucking knock any more?” For the famous ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ bathroom scene, Judge Reinhold brought a large dildo to work with, unbeknown to the rest of the cast. Phoebe Cates look of horror and disgust is very real. IMDB

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Nancy Wilson, guitarist for the rock band ‘Heart’ and  future wife of writer Cameron Crowe, has a cameo appearance as the hot woman in the car beside Brad’s, laughing at his pirate costume. IMDB

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There are numerous references to rock & roll bands throughout ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ (shirts worn by characters, posters on walls, Damone is a ticket scalper, etc.). Screenwriter Cameron Crowe was a writer for Rolling Stone magazine, and that is in his blood, and how he came to fame. IMDB

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“That was my skull! I’m so wasted!” In the tradition of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Reese’s Pieces, ‘Fast Times’ product-placed an obscure brand that went on to become famous: The checkerboard canvas decks Spicoli hammered himself with, Vans, became a popular national brand soon after ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’ was released.

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I love the old lobby cards that the studios used to make from movie stills, here are a bunch from Fast Times, and a few bonus images:

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High on IMDB

Related TSY posts:

AMERICAN GRAFFITI | THE EPIC FILM THAT REIGNITED HOT ROD CULTURE

TWO-LANE BLACKTOP | UNDER THE HOOD OF THE EPIC 1971 ROAD FLICK

REQUIRED VIEWING “BULLITT” | THE GRANDDADDY OF CAR CHASE SCENES

ULTIMATE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ON WHEELS | THE 1970′S VAN CUSTOMIZATION CRAZE

Whenever I hear ‘Crazy Train’ I’m immediately transported back to 8th grade Guitar class. One dude will forever be etched in my mind. Dave was 1/2 Japanese, all of about 5 ft tall, and probably weighed 80 lbs soaking wet, if that. His hair, alone worthy of open adoration, making up the bulk of his weight and height. This ‘Metal Mane’ was streaked, sprayed, and stood a good 6 inches above his head, cascading down to the middle of his back in perfectly teased strands. My 13 yr old brain could not fathom the ridiculous routine and expense this must have required. But damn if he didn’t more the rockstar part than 90% of the bands on the cover Cream and Hit Parader magazine. His bare arms were like sinewy, wire pipe cleaners. And I’d never seen jeans that tight in my life. Not even on a girl. No sir. I don’t know where the hell he found them, or how he breathed. The entire situation was delicately perched upon tiny black (or white) Capezio, soft-as-hell-leather lace-up dance shoes. Boom. Mind blown. Only a handful of dudes had the nuts to wear these. Dave’s look was definitely balls-out for West Phoenix. But nobody questioned him, because Dave was the reigning guitar badass. While the rest of us fumbled through the opening of ‘Stairway to Heaven’, Dave was staring at the ceiling tiles, biting his lip, soloing like the Segovia of Heavy Metal.

Dave even brought his own guitar to class. Lugged it around in a case thicker than him, covered in cool stickers. Rather that than play the nylon-strung acoustic beaters they had in class. I don’t remember what kind of acoustic it was, but the strings (always Dean Markley) were so light that you could hardly see them, let alone feel them. You had to lean in to hear a damn thing, but it was worth it. And the action was set so low that you could run scales faster than a hot knife through butter. But if you strummed it would buzz like crazy. No worries. No one was strumming shit. Everyone was shredding– with varying degrees of success. Dave was a Rock God in the making, and everyone at Maryvale High School seemed to sense it. Dave was into the hot, new Japanese Metal bands that no one else even heard of. And he spoke of Yngvie, Eddie, and Randy in hushed whispers like they were comrades. Knew all their solos and tricks, and could perform them on cue. Eruption, Spanish Fly, Dee, and of course, Crazy Train were all in his finely honed repertoire. We moved from Phoenix to Tempe that year, and I changed schools, so I don’t really know whatever became of Dave. But my fascination with the marvel and mystery of Randy Rhoads was firmly cemented. No head-banging hooligan. A sensitive, immensely talented man taken too soon.

Ozzy Osbourne & Randy Rhoads playing that epic polka dot Flying V! – photo by © Paul Natkin

“I never really got into Black Sabbath when I was in England. Right? And then Ozzy came out with this great first album, you know, it really was good. And we got to see them play after that, like almost every night. And so, Randy Rhoads, although being a wonderful guitar player, could not play Asteroids for shit. I beat him right across this country. From East coast, to West and back.

Randy Rhoads was like just, brilliant. You know, I mean of course he got better after he died. You know, because everybody does. Right? But uh, I loved Randy, yeah. He took risks. He wasn’t scared, you know. I mean, he knew his instrument, you know? So he’d just go for it. That’s what I used to like about him. And you could…like, Ozzy used to just throw him around, throw him up on his shoulders while he was playing. And he never missed a note.”

–Lemmy from Motorhead

Randy Rhoads pre-concert soundcheck –photo by John Livzey

“The very first time Randy Rhoads saw Van Halen, he took his girlfriend Jan with him. Jan told us that Randy was ‘devastated’ after the show. Here he was, the king of Burbank. Everyone was always telling him how great he was. Then he saw Eddie and it opened his eyes and he got a major reality check. It was healthy for him. He was inspired. He thought Eddie was great. He wanted to be great also. I know they met at least four times.

Quiet Riot and Van Halen played on the same bill at Glendale College in April 1977. Quiet Riot opened, Van Halen was the headliner. Randy once approached Eddie and asked him how he was able to keep his guitar in tune without a locking nut for his tremolo. Eddie refused to tell him and said it was his own secret. Randy couldn’t comprehend because he was a teacher at his core. He loved to help others and he was always willing to share anything he knew. He would teach anyone anything they wanted to learn. So, he was quite disappointed in Eddie’s treatment of him.”

–Randy Rhoads’ biographer, Andrew Klein

“Randy and his good friend Lori Hollen were in the parking lot behind the Whisky loading his gear into this car. Eddie and Dave (DLR) pulled up alongside of them in a white Mercedes diesel and began harassing him. Lori quickly put a stop to it and actually slapped Dave across his face. Quiet Riot’s drummer, Drew Forsyth, has said that the Eddie/Randy rivalry has been made up to be so much more than it was. He also said that Eddie used to come watch Randy play way more than Randy used to go see Eddie play. They were both great, and I’m sure there was an immense amount of mutual respect. Randy told journalist John Stix that he does a lot of Eddie’s licks live, and it kills him that he does that. But he added that it’s just flash, and that’s what the kids want to see. That’s what impresses them. He also said that it kills him because he believes in the importance of finding your own voice and style. He thought the worst thing a guitar player could do was copy someone else.

Finally, when Randy was home on break from the Ozzy tour, he decided to drive to his local music store to buy some classical albums. Randy said that when he walked into the record store, Eddie Van Halen was standing on line at the register purchasing the Diary of a Madman album. Imagine that scene. Can you imagine walking into a record store on any given day and seeing both Eddie and Randy in there at the same time?”

–Randy Rhoads’ biographer, Andrew Klein

“Randy was one in a billion. He didn’t try to be different. He was born different. I don’t think he dressed that way because his goal was to be different. He wore what he wanted to wear. He used to take his first girlfriend, Jan, with him when he shopped for shoes. He preferred the girl’s shoes, and he would have her try them on for him. Clearly, he was embarrassed to buy them for himself, and he knew he would get grief for wearing them. It didn’t matter to him. He was very committed to doing what he wanted to do. Sometimes it did get him into a lot of trouble, especially at school. He constantly had jocks wanting to beat him up. They called him names. It didn’t affect him. Randy may have been frail, but he was emotionally strong. It took more than names to rattle him. He just laughed at them.”

–Randy Rhoads’ biographer, Andrew Klein

“One of the things Ozzy loved about Randy Rhoads was that he was a teacher at his core. He used to sit with Ozzy and help him. Randy would find the right key for songs so that Ozzy would feel more comfortable and within his singing range. They worked out melodies together. Ozzy would hum ideas to Randy, and he would, in turn, convert those melodies into songs. ‘Goodbye to Romance’ was created this way. When Randy would noodle or test sounds, Ozzy would say, ‘What was that?’ And Randy would say, ‘What?’ Ozzy would say, ‘Play that again’ – and sure enough, songs were born that way as well. ‘Suicide Solution’ and ‘Diary of a Madman’ were born that way.”

–Randy Rhoads’ biographer, Andrew Klein

“I know Randy was a salvation for Ozzy. Ozzy was really down on his luck. He had just been thrown out of Sabbath. He was broke, constantly drunk, and basically living in squalor. Then, Randy Rhoads walked into his life. I am not so sure Ozzy was a salvation for Randy. I think Randy could take it or leave it. His arm had to be twisted to go to the audition, and when he was given the job, he didn’t want it. He didn’t want to hurt Quiet Riot and his friend Kevin DuBrow. Although they were frustrated and going nowhere, he was prepared to stick it out. He was not one to seek auditions, and I don’t think he would have quit had he never met Ozzy. So, I would have to conclude that Ozzy needed Randy way more than Randy needed Ozzy. This is evident at the end of Randy’s life. He informed the Osbournes he was quitting the band. Ozzy went crazy over this and begged Randy to stay. Randy had made up his mind and nothing was going to change it. Ozzy knew what he had. When they first got together in 1979, Ozzy would introduce Randy to people by saying, ‘This is Randy, my secret weapon.’ When they met producer Max Norman for the first time, Ozzy said to him, ‘Keep everything Randy records – don’t erase anything!’ Ozzy Osbourne is no dummy. He knew what he had.”

–Randy Rhoads’ biographer, Andrew Klein

“The band had a great relationship with Ozzy. From the beginning, they were managed by Sharon’s brother, David Arden. He managed the band well. He was very attentive to their needs. It was ultimately David’s decision to bring Randy to England. David tried to convince Ozzy to find a guitarist in London who was local in order to make things easier. Ozzy begged and pleaded and said Randy was the only one he wanted. David acquiesced and sent Randy a ticket. When the band began working, they were all very close. Ozzy used to say to them, ‘Here’s my hand, here’s my heart, this band will never part.’ They recorded the ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ album, and then they began a U.K. tour.”

–Randy Rhoads’ biographer, Andrew Klein

Randy Rhoads receiving the “Best New Talent” award from Guitar Player magazine with Ozzy and Sharon Arden (now Osbourne) proudly looking on, 1981.

“It was at this time that David had to resign because his daughter had been born prematurely and he was needed at home. This is when Sharon stepped in to replace him. She immediately got cozy with Ozzy and everything changed. When they revisited Ridge Farm to record the Diary of a Madman album, she became notorious for emptying everyone’s suitcases and throwing their personal belongings into the pond outside. Everyone who was there said the vibe changed when she arrived. Ozzy began divorce proceedings with his wife, Thelma, and succumbed to severe depression. He stopped attending writing and rehearsal sessions and drowned his sorrows in drugs and alcohol. The Diary album was nearly complete before the real problems began. It was during these recording sessions that the decision was made to fire Bob [Daisley] and Lee [Kerslake] in favor of younger, greener musicians who wouldn’t challenge authority. When Rudy [Sarzo] and Tommy [Aldridge] were brought in, the band was no longer called the ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ – it had now become an Ozzy Osbourne solo project, which is not what Randy signed up for. Randy expressed his displeasure with anyone who was willing to listen. Randy was no longer happy as a sideman. Add to that, Sharon placed Randy in a very uncomfortable position between herself and Ozzy, which she chronicles in her own book. This was about all he could take. He really just wanted to leave the band and that situation and move on with his life.”

–Randy Rhoads’ biographer, Andrew Klein

Rudy Sarzo, Kevin DuBrow & Randy Rhoads in the Quiet Riot glory days. “We had one of the best guitar players EVER in our band and we couldn’t get arrested!” –Quiet Riot singer, Kevin DuBrow

“Randy Rhoads and Kevin DuBrow were the best of friends. Very close. Like brothers. Both became stars separately from each other. But the dream was they were going to do it together. They remained good friends even while Randy was with Ozzy. Kevin attended all the local Ozzy concerts and was invite to after-parties at the Osbournes’ house.”

–Randy Rhoads’ biographer, Andrew Klein

“Kevin was domineering and Randy hated that. Randy tolerated it because he knew that that component of Kevin’s personalithy was the reason why they were so successful, locally. Those who knew Randy said that if not for Kevin, no one outside of Randy’s garage would have ever heard him play. Kevin was the driving force. Randy was not a go-getter. He just wanted to play and leave the details to others. He was also non-confrontational, which is why he put up with Kevin. It was easier for Randy to say nothing than to argue. Toward the end of 1979, Randy saw the writing on the wall. Music was changing. Disco, Punk, and New Wave had taken over. Randy and Kevin never really saw eye to eye musically. When he finally got settled in with Ozzy, he was happier because he felt he had more musical freedom. Ozzy was constantly telling him to, ‘go out there and be the best Randy Rhoads you can be.’ Ozzy wanted Randy to be a guitar hero. He wanted that explosive playing all over his records. Kevin stifled Randy and preferred poppy, catchy songs because he thought that’s what would ultimately get them a record deal.”

–Randy Rhoads’ biographer, Andrew Klein

“One of the biggest myths around Jackson/Charvel guitars is that many think Grover Jackson or Wayne Charvel made the Randy Rhoads polka dot Flying V. Grover Jackson and Tim Wilson made the white Jackson V. Grover Jackson, Tim Wilson and Mike Shannon made the black Jackson V. And it was Karl Sandoval that actually made the famous Randy Rhoads Polka Dot Flying V. However Karl did work with Grover Jackson and Wayne Charvel for about a year or so. The guitar was ordered on 7/3/79 and completed on 9/22/79. It appeared to be a solid body neck-thru or set-neck construction, but was actually a Danelectro neck that had been glued to a Flying V body! The bow-tie fret inlays were simply routed on either side of the existing dot inlays. The pick-ups were DiMarzio PAF’s, Schaller tuners were installed, and white Gibson Les Paul control knobs were used.

Soon after Randy Rhoads brought the Flying V home the headstock was broken accidently when the strap was not secured to the guitar. Kevin DuBrow was there when it fell and Randy was devastated. He had worked very hard to save the money to buy the V. Karl Sandoval re-painted the neck after the repairs were done for free. Rumors have circulated that Randy had a lot of tuning problems  because the Danelectro neck didn’t have a truss rod, but there sure are a lot of pictures that have been published with Randy playing this guitar. Randy did change the bridge, nut, knobs, and pick-up rings from chrome to black.” –via jacksoncharvelworld.net