June evening surf

Fun evening surf a few weeks back
And safe to say Ipswich is a pretty place and I like living here.

Kustom Friday

Badassness in Beverly

Kustom kulture is alive and well in Massachusetts! See, it all ain't Volvos and Priuses.

Mateo, Brittany, and the Mellow Yellow

Footnote Friday
The year was 1999, the Seedling had not yet come out, all that was available was the oh so ripped off The Embryo of Fine Flow, Siestas and Olas, Adrift, and Bruce Brown's movies like Barefoot Adventure.

Longboards were back, of course, but these Cooperfishes and Matt/Brittany were unlike anything else out there at the time. What was refreshing was no one was trying to be cool, or cutie, or twee, or emo, or derivative. Freshness in the form of these two talented elves, and their designs. I'm sure there were other cool folks in the underground (Bob O', Tyler, Jim the genius, etc.)

The Mellow Yellow was Matt’s design (or was it Brittany’s?) and they were foiled out on the nose & tail and had a bubble-bulge amidships. They looked like kelp bubbles, they looked like they were of the ocean, rather than being on the water to announce “I’m here to shred the water brah”. Cooperfishes - and the Mellow Yellow seemed to encapsulate something very cool, and something which has not been replicated since (despite the efforts of a ton of posers).

The anti-heroes moved to Baja, and are doing their thing, as always. Shaping, surfing, and being ripped off.

Try watch:

The Embryo of FineFlow from Fine Flix Films on Vimeo.

Big Assyrian Wedding

My nephew Mark married a lovely girl named Tanya.  She's from Chicago, and the wedding was in an Assyrian Church and the reception was a bash with amazing food and music and great company.

I'm so happy for you both; all the best Tanya & Mark!

Rik Mayall: 1958-2014

Brilliant and creative comedian

The Young Ones and The Comic Strip Presnts... had me on the floor laughing back in the mid-late 80's.

Thanks for the laughs Rik!

summer prophecy

"I have a feeling this is gonna be a good summer"
- friend in the lineup. She knows her shit so this is good news.

Musclecar Monday: The Deora - handcrafted surfer's kustom & Hot Wheels fave

Did anyone have this Hot Wheel as a kid?

The Deora: a heavily customized 1965 Dodge A100 pickup truck that was by Mike and Larry Alexander in Detroit for the 1967 Detroit Autorama. After winning many awards, including the highly-prestigious Ridler in 1967, it became the prototype for a Hot Wheels car, and plastic model kit. Sold at auction in 2009 for $230,000.

Based on the compact Dodge A100 pickup, the back hatch of a 1960 Ford station wagon served as the windshield. It was chopped, sectioned, and channeled to create the fully functional, futuristic-looking pickup. The slant six engine and 3-speed manual transmission were moved rearward 15 inches, out of the cab and into the bed and covered by the hard tonnueau. Entrance into the gold painted custom is achieved by lifting up the windshield, swivelling the lower gate and entering through the front.

After a naming contest run by AMT model cars. it was called the Deora. The winning entry was from a 13-year-old boy, and is a technically incorrect version of the Spanish word for "golden".

Chrysler loved the resulting truck so much that they leased it for two years to display with their other factory concept cars.