Cherry Red

The first care I ever drove with any kind of regularity was a Ford Thunderbird. That big, blue piece of crap is the source of my hate of Fords since. However, I can admit when something is pretty.

I keep seeing this care in the underground parking by the grocery store.

 It probably belongs to someone working there. The other day the garage was empty enough that I could take pictures without other cars blocking my view.

 Shiny!

 Ford was probably trying to conjure the image of genteel landowners from the old country. I dunno. I'd have to ask my royalist friends if this is something they could imagine their gentry back in the fifties.

 More shiny.

Now, that's what I call a tail light. And check out that wood paneling.

And here is the whole thing.

Square America: The Automobile

This photo - the landscape, and the car - reminds me of Barry Newman. He starred in a tv show, Petrocelli, in the 70's. He played a lawyer in Arizona who is building a house in the desert. Barry Newman had a few starring roles in movies in the 70's, most of them forgettable. However there was one that became a cult classic, especially in Europe. Vanishing Point is about alienation in the shape of a man driving a 1970 Dodge Challenger across the country.


It is the breathtaking vastness of space of the American West is what cramped Europeans find so irresistibly romantic. The idea that you can rev up the engine and drive on an endless road, be alone in the middle of nowhere, get lost for better or worse, it makes you giddy with vertigo.


After the 70's Barry Newman sort of faded from view, though he is still around working. He appeared in various tv shows, like Law and Order, also character roles in various movies, like a less the scrupulous lawyer in The Limey.

The low rider is a little higher

It was a beautiful day today so I decided to go out and maybe photograph something. I was just driving around without any set idea. I drove west on San Fernando Road for a while, then started zigzagging around. I was cruising past a park when I was blinded by chrome. There were a bunch of beautiful restored old cars in the small parking lot. I had to pull over and take a closer look.
I grabbed my camera and strolled up to check out the cars and the gathering. There was even a DJ playing groovy tunes of the likes of WAR. I was told he was Steven Chavez from EastLARevue.com. The crowd itself was interesting too, there was a few white people, but mostly Latinos. There were some great faces and facial hair, including a few stunning handlebar mustaches. And hats, hats were big, as were bandanas. There was even one gentleman in a full zoot suit.
I found out that the event was organized by a couple of auto clubs, and the some MTV shoot was supposed to happen later on. A walked around, took some pictures and realized that the cars were not only classic, beautifully restored, but also they were all low riders! I happen to think that low riders are the silliest car fashion, but these babies were hot.

"All my friends know the low rider
The low rider is a little higher

The low rider drives a little slower
Low rider, is a real goer

Hey

Low rider knows every street, yeah
Low rider, is the one to meet, yeah

Low rider don't use no gas now
The low rider don't drive too fast

Take a little trip, take a little trip
Take a little trip and see
Take a little trip, take a little trip
Take a little trip with me"
(WAR)