Kustom Kulture

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The Beatnik Bandit, built by Ed Roth, one of the most famous Kustom car builders 1961 Roth's Beatnik Bandit.jpg
The Beatnik Bandit, built by Ed Roth, one of the most famous Kustom car builders
Rockabillydude.jpg

Kustom Kulture is the artworks, vehicles, hairstyles, and fashions of those who have driven and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today. It was born out of the hot rod culture of Southern California of the 1960s. [1]

Contents

In the early days of hot rodding, many fashions and styles developed. Over time, each of these distinct styles of customizing have blended together and reshaped American culture. Artists such as Von Dutch (Kenny Howard), Robert Williams, and custom car builder Ed "Big Daddy" Roth; along with Lyle Fisk, Dean Jeffries; hot rod and lowrider customizers such as the Barris Brothers (Sam and George Barris);[ citation needed ] along with numerous tattoo artists, automobile painters, and movies and television shows such as American Graffiti and The Munsters (The Munster Koach, DRAG-U-LA) have all helped to form what is known as Kustom Kulture.

Kustom Kulture is usually identified with the greasers of the 1950s, the drag racers of the 1960s, and the lowriders of the 1970s. Other subcultures that have had an influence on Kustom Kulture are the Skinheads, mods and rockers of the 1960s, the punk rockers of the 1970s, the metal and rockabilly music, along with the scooterboys of the 1980s, and psychobilly of the 1990s. Each separate culture has added their own customizations to the cars, their own fashions, influenced the music, and added their own ideas of what is cool, what is acceptable, and what is not. Everything from wild pinstriped paintjobs, to choptop Mercurys, to custom Harley-Davidson and Triumph motorcycles, to metal-flake and black primer paint jobs, along with music, cartoons, and monster movies have influenced what defines anyone and anything who is part of this automobile subculture.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Kustom Kulture had taken on a rebirth of American subcultures from the 1950s and 1960s with DIY activities. Each style is distinct, and has its roots in American automobile history. Many styles that would not have tolerated each other in the past now come together in large car shows.

Kustom Graphics

The rebirth of Kustom Kulture has seen the use of the term “Kustom Graphics” to describe the style of artwork associated with the subculture when applied to posters, flyers, T-shirts and logos. [2]

Sweden, Norway and Finland

Swedish "raggare" with a 1960s American car at Power Big Meet 60's car with lots of raggare on the roof at Power Big Meet.jpg
Swedish "raggare" with a 1960s American car at Power Big Meet

Locals in these countries, influenced by American culture, have created a local hot rod culture which is vibrant in Sweden, Norway and Finland where enthusiasts gather at meetings such as Power Big Meet and clubs like Wheels and Wings in Varberg, Sweden have established themselves in Hot Rod culture. Since there is very little "vintage tin" the hot rods in Sweden are generally made with a home made chassis (usually a Model T or A replica), with a Jaguar (or Volvo 240) rear axle, a small block V8, and fiberglass tub, but some have been built using for instance a Volvo Duett chassis. Because the Swedish regulations required a crash test even for custom-built passenger cars between 1969 and 1982, the Duett option was preferred, since it was considered a rebodied Duett rather than a new vehicle. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Some 1950s and 1960s cars are also hot rodded, like Morris Minor, Ford Anglia, Volvo Amazon, Ford Cortina, '57 Chevy, to name but a few. These are known as custom cars (sometimes spelled Kustom).

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot rod</span> American car with a large engine modified for linear speed

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raggare</span> Car-centered subculture beginning in the 1950s in Sweden and Northern Europe

Raggare is a subculture found mostly in Sweden and parts of Norway and Finland, and to a lesser extent in Denmark, Germany, and Austria. Raggare are related to the American greaser and rockabilly subcultures and are known for their love of hot rod cars and 1950s American pop culture. Loosely translated into English, the term is roughly equivalent to the American "greaser", English "rocker", and Australian "Bodgie" and "Widgie" culture; all share a common passion for mid-20th-century American cars, rockabilly-based music and related fashion.

Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine is a magazine created in 1994 by a group of artists and art collectors including Robert Williams, Fausto Vitello, C.R. Stecyk III, Greg Escalante, and Eric Swenson to both help define and celebrate urban alternative and underground contemporary art. Juxtapoz is published by High Speed Productions, the same company that publishes Thrasher skateboard magazine in San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Barris (auto customizer)</span> American automobile customizer (1925–2015)

George Barris was an American designer and builder of Hollywood custom cars. Barris designed and built the Hirohata Merc. Barris's company, Barris Kustom Industries, designed and built the Munster Koach and DRAG-U-LA for The Munsters; and the 1966 Batmobile for the Batman TV series and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Roth</span> American artist, cartoonist and custom car painter

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Howard</span> American artist and mechanic (1929–1992)

Kenneth Robert Howard, also known as Dutch, Von Dutch, or J. L. Bachs, was an American motorcycle mechanic, artist, pin striper, metal fabricator, knifemaker and gunsmith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinstriping</span> Decorative painting technique

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chopping and channeling</span>

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Rat Fink is one of several hot rod characters created by artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, one of the originators of Kustom Kulture of automobile enthusiasts. Roth conceived Rat Fink as an anti-hero to Mickey Mouse. Rat Fink is usually portrayed as either green or gray, comically grotesque and depraved-looking with bulging, bloodshot eyes, an oversized mouth with sharp, narrow teeth, and wearing red overalls with the initials "R.F." on them. He is often seen driving cars or motorcycles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kustom (cars)</span>

Kustoms are modified cars from the 1930s to the early 1960s, done in the customizing styles of that time period. The usage of a "K" for "Kustom" rather than a "C", is believed to have originated with George Barris.

<i>Ol Skool Rodz</i> American custom car culture magazine

Ol' Skool Rodz was a bimonthly magazine that was published from 2003 to 2023, first by Geno DiPol and Koolhouse Publications, and then by Murphos Publishing in Buda, Texas since 2019. The magazine features topics such as Kustom Kulture lifestyles, pin-ups, rat rods, custom cars, and artwork. Its articles are often written in a humorous and irreverent style, and it has documented the work of leading custom car builders such as Bo Huff. The publication is known for setting fashion and hairstyle trends in the Kustom Kulture scene. The magazine is based in New Jersey. It has a widespread cult following in the Kustom Kulture scene and is considered an authoritative view of this subculture's lifestyle.

Dick Dean, born Richard Dean Sawitskas [Sa-WITS-kas], was an American automobile designer and builder of custom cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Almera</span> Southern California artist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hirohata Merc</span> Motor vehicle

The Hirohata Merc is a 1950s lead sled custom car, often called "the most famous custom of the classic era". Setting a style and an attitude, it had a "momentous effect" on custom car builders, appeared in several magazines at the time and has reappeared numerous times since, earning an honorable mention on Rod & Custom's "Twenty Best of All Time" list in 1991. The impact may be measured by the fact that, after more than fifty years and numerous owners, it is still known as "the Hirohata Merc".

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Von Franco is a self-taught American artist associated with the Lowbrow art movement and Kustom Kulture. He became involved at an early age in the burgeoning hot rod and Kustom Kulture scene of Southern California. His skill at drawing hot rod and monster art, popular in Kustom Kulture, caught the attention of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, for whom Von Franco later worked. Von Franco became a builder of custom automobiles, gaining notoriety for building clones of Norm Grabowski's Kookie, Kookie II and Lightning Bug t-buckets, as well as a clone/expansion of the Golden Rod. Von Franco is also known for his distinctive pinstriping and hand-lettering techniques. He was also the guitarist in the surf band The Bomboras and played the vibraphone in The Hyperions.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bo Huff</span> American custom car fabricator and designer

Gerald Douglas "Bo" Huff was an American custom car designer and an influential figure in the American Kustom Kulture and hot rod movement. He was known as the "Rockabilly King" in the American custom car scene for his promotion of Kustom Kulture lifestyle, rat rods, and custom cars, and was identified as one of the top 20th and early 21st century American custom car designers.

References

  1. Von Dutch; Ron Turner; Ed Roth; Robert Williams (1 November 1993). Custom Culture: Von Dutch, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Robert (Bob) Bond, Robert Williams and Others. Last Gasp. pp. 7–. ISBN   978-0-86719-405-0 . Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  2. Kustom Graphics. Korero Books. 2008. p. 7. ISBN   9780955339868.
  3. "California kid - duettrodden". 28 February 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-02-28. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  4. "California kid - galleriet - duettrods". 29 January 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-01-29. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  5. "amazon.forum.bilia.se :: Läser ämne - Duettrod". 30 September 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  6. "Volvo duett (1968)". Garaget. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  7. "Volvo duett "Hotrod" (1966)". Garaget. Retrieved 2 May 2019.

Further reading

Renegade Magazine's Custom Culture Circus - Renegade Magazine

Gnarly Magazine - Gnarly Magazine