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an explanation of my insanity
2002-01-16-8:58 a.m.
Let me explain to you how I know I'm screwed up. Or, to put it more appropriately, why I know I'm different than most people, why I know I am truly, for lack of a better word, a "car-nut." I dream about cars. I think about cars more than girls, more than food, more than anything. And I don't like the 2002 Corvette, I would never drive a new Ford Mustang, wouldn't look twice at a stock Model T. I only like modified cars, and in particular cars that have been modified in an original way. Cars that are at the forefront of technology. New cars employ technology that didn't exist, maybe no one had thought of 5 years, or sometimes 2 years before. And street rods, thats another thing altogether. To take something and completely redo it, pouring hours of labor and creativity and patience and money into something, purely for it's own sake. I've always loved and appreciated art, but few projects from an artist encompass the scope and the complexity of street rods. Whenever I go to a car show, for me, and some of the other guys (and women) there, it's like stepping into an art gallery. There are predominant styles, influences, schools of thought. There is classic, modern, amateur and professional. There are rip-offs and forgery, things everyone likes, and things only a few appreciate. Some tastes are aquired, and some things aren't remarkable to the untrained eye. And with cars, like art, practice and patience help, but there is no substitute for natural ability and passion. Some cars are built just for looks, and never really meant to be driven, like the runway fashion we see in Paris. Then we have the purpose built models of the car world, the minivan, the delivery truck, the school bus. Much like a pair of coveralls, an apron, or workboots, form follows function almost completely. Somewhere in between though, like comfortable blue jeans that look good, like a warm black leather jacket, or a flashy pair of basketball shoes, is where my favorite kind of car lies. Fast and flashy, yet useful and driveable. A great car should look better than most cars, drive faster, stop quicker, turn sharper, sound better, and last longer than most cars on the road. And it has to do it all while looking and being unique, even next to the same exact model. This is the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. This is the sorta thing I enjoy, and I dare say it's my purpose. Whew, glad I got that off my chest.
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