Monday, September 15, 2008

Drawings from 69


Two drawings I did in 69. They are among the oldest I have. Greg Parigian kept them all these years and sent copies along with the chopped Sting-Rays photo. It's really strange to see something you did after 35 years. The moment rushes back like it was yesterday. He says he has 2 more and I'd love to see them. Though they are not as polished as later work, they exhibit a freedom, passion, and raw energy that's hard to capture as an adult. The bike in the top drawing was influenced by Ed Newton's California Choppers for Ed Roth.

About the Swastika on the sissy bar. In the 60's you saw them on bikers, their bikes and in biker movies. Back then a lot of us kids thought German stuff was cool. To us the Germans were the bad guys in movies like Darth Vader was to a generation later. We didn't think of all the implications. It was just a anti-authority (establishment), symbol to us, and we thought it was wicked. The gas tank has the all seeing eye from the Then Came Bronson Sportster. The pilot/movie was shown that year.

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