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Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth: His Life, Times,
Cars and Art
by Pat Ganahl
Foreword by artist Robert Williams
Who was Ed Roth? The answer depends on who you ask, and when they knew him. To
some, he was a counter-culture, greasy-fingernailed, renaissance man of the mid
20th Century. To others, he's the creator of Rat Fink and builder of some of the
most creative custom cars ever to get a coat of candy paint -- cars like the
Beatnik Bandit, the Mysterion, and the Outlaw. Some knew him as a devout Mormon,
and others recall a Harley-riding hellion with a devilish glint in his eye. He
was a force of nature and a creative genius whose work had a profound influence
on popular culture and helped spawn numerous subcultures.
Ed's rise to fame began in the '50s, and peaked with the custom car boom of the
early '60s -- every kid in America knew who Rat Fink was, and many built models
of his custom cars and wore his "monster" T-shirts. As custom cars went out of
style, Ed turned to other pursuits, but a growing interest in hot rod history in
the '90s brought him back to the fore, and he was more popular than ever.
To say his life was interesting is an understatement -- and this book covers it
all, from art to custom cars, monster shirts to VW-powered trikes, and the wild
life that brought it all together. |
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