Nascar Vice

A couple years back I did some on set vfx supervision for a Sprint Nascar commercial. Miami Vice creator Micheal Mann was directing. It was an odd experience for several reasons. We pulled 3 all nighters on the shoot at the race track in Vegas and by 8 pm or so the temp was in the teens. Generally on these kind of huge shoots with a big director you are lucky if you get a second to get the things you need, but Mr. Mann was very hands on and involved us every chance he had. So, cool points were awarded. I got to know a few of the old timer Nascar pit guys and the stories they told were classic. Even cooler that the bodies of the Nascar cars are all hand made, gearhead geekout Sweet!
The odd part of it for me was the loose association with Micheal Mann. Back in the early days of Miami Vice I happened to be an extra in a shoot on south beach, circa 1985 or 86. It was a total goof cause we were all just hanging on the beach in the early morning when they started to set up. We were asked to do back ground stuff. Basically, act like you are playing volley ball and don't say a word. Well, the asshole that I am, I made sure to blurt something out on the first few takes. I was promptly asked to be quiet or leave. I told them it was a public beach and they weren't paying me. The guy looked at me with this sad look and said please, so I kept my yap shut. Now, to this day I am not 100% positive, but I do recall a dude that looked very similar to Micheal Mann sitting in a chair on the side of camera pointing at me and at the same time telling this producer something. I'm sure he was saying " get that fucker off the set ". Here I was some 20 odd years later standing next to this dude talking about some visual effects shot. "That is some freaky shit hesse".
Now add some double oddness to the equation. A week before we did a tech scout on location, meeting with Mann and his DP Dante Spinotti. The following day I am back in LA riding my bike up off Molholland. I stop at a local watering hole to grab a beer and old Dante rolls up on a new Harley and is eyeballing my bike. "Life's a trip hesse". I didn't give em a hard time for riding a fresh new Harley, he is an old dude and shit, he was riding. He just planted his feet on earth in my book. I've seen him a half dozen times on the road since then, and the beauty is, we talk bikes, not movies. Amen.

Keys

T's in the mail!

All those that ordered T's they went out this morning. Thanks for the support!!

cro

More narrowed goodness..

Got this note this morning with this picture.

hi

japan first


Its a VL and technically speaking it is a lot easier to narrow than a big twin and for that reason I've seen LOTS of these over the years and I've seen them here in the states. That is a killer knuck though.

Narrowed Big Twin Springers, Here we go!

Until June of last year, I may have only seen 2 or 3 bikes with narrowed big twin springers, and most of those were in some rag a million years ago. It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but the project didn't present itself till the sporttracker. Since we narrowed this one back in June of 09 I've quickly heard of others following suit after our images hit the net. I've done two since then and I am going to run one on my Pan with a 23" wheel.
Now, I am not saying that anyone is copying me, after all I am not the first to do this, but it is very interesting the timing of it all. Maybe it's in the air and its like that funny happen stance of ideas sometimes. Either way it's cool. I just wont be the only one on the road with a narrowed big twin now. Rumor has it I may be doing a tech article in a popular rag, so look out for that.

Our version in June of 09

LA Speed Shops version at the GNRS. I like this, super skinny, although doesn't look like there is much of a turning radius.

Kutty's scoot with Freddy Hernandez job. I am sure this is solid given the monster Freddy is, looks very traditional.

You betta leave....

I balled my eyes out the day he passed.. I'll never forget it. Saw him live with Jeff Beck just months earlier. I was driving down Tamiami Trail and I heard it on the radio and had to pull over.
As real as they get!

Frankday;Excentrifugal Forz

The clouds are really cheap
The way I seen 'em through the forts
Of which there is a half-a-dozen
On the face of my resorts
You wouldn't think I'd have too many
Since I never cared for sports
But I'm never really lonely
In my Excentrifugal Forz

There's always Korla Plankton
Him and me can play the blues
And then I'll watch him buff that
Tiny ruby that he use
He'll straighten up his turban
And inject a little ooze
Along a one-celled Hammond organsim
Underneath my shoes

And then I'll call pup tentacle
I'll ask him how's his chin
I'll find out how the future is
Because that's where he's been
His little feet got long and flexible
And suckers fell right in
The time he crossed the line
From later on, to way back when

Ass, Grass, or Brass

Brass is soft, my fangs can handle it.




Pimpn the sporty for Alex O

Biltwell Bromance

The boys from Biltwell and ChopCult stopped by last week. Among other things that these boys "get", they understand that the white man must come bearing gifts in order to be fully accepted in to the sacred garage. And just like the white men before them, they come with shinny, sparkly garments and FIREWATER! I wore my sacred flannel to insure I didn't get small pox.

Time machine hats, put them on and you see Barry Manilow. Sweet!

White man with firewater!

JD's XS Featured on Chop Cult

check it