BIG DADDY ED ROTH THE OUTLAW OF ART BY CHRIS MORTON!

I saw a photo of the original "Rat Fink" the other day and posted it on Facebook..people went wild..  As a kid in school, I drew Rat Fink on everything I could get my hands on.  I never knew what my attraction to Roth's art style was about until Chris Morton sent in this story. Thanks, Chris for letting me know.

Any fan of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and Rat Fink should watch this terrific Tales of Rat Fink video (with lots of voiceovers from famous folks)

One story has it that Stanley "Mouse" Miller, who eventually finished his training at Detroit's Center For Creative Studies (formerly Society For Arts & Crafts), was painting monsters on hot rods at fairgrounds around Michigan.

 

 Mouse Hot Rod Painting

Along came Ed Roth and, spotting a good idea when he saw it, took it to the next level. Mouse, of course, is better known for his rock poster work with Anton Kelley, most notably for the Grateful Dead.

The whole CA hot rod scene that eventually produced the Batmobile, the Munster Koach, and the Monkees' custom GTO was chronicled in Tom Wolfe's (Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test) book, The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby.

Of course, the entire line of Carroll Shelby cars would never have existed without the initial express approval of Ford HQ in Dearborn, and—later—Chairman Lee Iacocca when he left Ford to head up Chrysler.

Those were heady times for any car-crazed model builder like me. And having both a stepfather and brother ensconced at Ford's "Glass House," I was privy to a lot of ephemera that most kids my age didn't have access to.

It even happened that we had some sort of tie to the Gallogly family, Wes Gallogly having founded AMT (the model car company that eventually had operations in Troy). They consistently issued the coolest kits until IMC came along. Of course, Big Daddy had signed with Revell, so that company-issued his line of monsters driving hot rods.

It was also the heyday of Peterson Publishing's Hot Rod magazine, featuring color photos of cars driven by the likes of Don Garlits, Connie Kalitta, and "TV" Tommy Ivo and the cars having names like "Hemi Under Glass" and "Little Red Wagon." Slot car racing parlors like Tiny Tim's on Woodward in Royal Oak also fueled (no pun intended) the dreams of young boys like me. Chris Morton

FLINTSTOCK ROCK ART EXHIBIT WITH CARL LUNDGREN STANLEY T MADHATTER AND ? MYSTERIANS

A second exhibition Graphic Beauty: Contemporary Rock and Roll Posters, organized by the FIA and guest curator John Shipman, (here is John pointing out the most memorable displays to Kimmer) explores the resurgence of the silk-screened rock-poster by contemporary national and international artists. These works represent a kaleidoscope of styles by artists who are reviving the eye-popping art of the “gig Poster.

Opening on the same day were two new exhibitions. Flashback: Posters from the Golden Age of Rock and Roll organized by the Flint Institute of Arts from the collections of Wolfgang’s Vault and Jack Bodnar. Strong design, psychedelic colors and powerful imagery combine to create a work of art representative of both the graphic artist and the musician. These posters designed from 1966-1973, represent a unique marriage of what graphic artists were exploring and what direction the musicians were taking. Original concert posters for The MC5, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, The Grateful Dead and many others will be on display.

Art, Love and Rock & Roll! Flintstock featured 7 live bands throughout the day along with a massive display of Art and Posters from back in the day and new poster artists from today. We enjoyed the many talented artists and crafters inside the gallery as well as the Starbucks booth! We did visit the museum shop and purchased authentic Rock and Roll memorabilia.

We particularly loved Burkey the wood crafter that had the most gorgeous wooden book covers, sculptures, jewelry and shoulder straps. We loved his wide variety of earrings (no brainer) go see more on Burkey HERE

Both exhibitions will run from September 26 through November 8. Classic films that capture the mood and spirit of the era will also be shown in the FIA theaters during the day long festival.

The Flint Institute of Arts is located just two blocks off the exchange of I-475 and 69 in the Cultural Center Park between UM-Flint and Mott Community College. For information call (810)234-1695 or Flintarts.org

Here is an awesome Gary Grimshaw poster with the Headliner being the MC5! then Chuck Berry, Sun Ra The Rationals, Dr. John and a ton of fantastic rock legends.

I got to chat briefly with Luvern and ? as he sat down at a table by his
van to sign autographs. I wanted one really bad but the two teenagers
with me had enough and wanted to fly back to Ann Arbor. I loved watching
Question Mark sing and the original line up was fantastic as well.

Here is my Flintstock day kinda sorta....