BOYD CODDINGTON Exclusive Interviews
WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Never-before released interview with hot-rod legend Boyd Coddington. In multiple-parts, in tribute, now through SEMA Show 2009. By Joe Mavilia for The Weekend Drive.
Ever notice life is like a card game and like ‘em or not you have to play the hand you’re dealt or fold? I can hear Kenny Rogers singing, “You gotta know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em…” I think Boyd Coddington must have said, “I’ll play these.” And the farm boy was holding a pair of deuces.
Photographer, Peter Linney, known around the world for his work, which is featured on magazine covers in a dozen countries, sent me some photos of a custom rod Boyd had just finished and Peter had photographed. He wanted me to get the story behind the car. The name of the car is the Whatthehaye. What? Yes, said Peter in his thick Norwegian accent. No, what’s the name of the car? I retorted. What – the – haye! Ok, I thought, forget any explanation, I will have to ask Boyd about the story behind the name and perhaps I’d warm up to it as I did the photos of the car.
Ever notice life is like a card game and like ‘em or not you have to play the hand you’re dealt or fold? I can hear Kenny Rogers singing, “You gotta know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em…” I think Boyd Coddington must have said, “I’ll play these.” And the farm boy was holding a pair of deuces.In the game of life you’ll also notice there are big deals and little deals and everyone is looking for a ‘good’ deal. Well, I was excited about meeting Boyd because he’s a big deal in the auto industry. Just goes to show you what you can do with a pair of deuces if the rest of the world doesn’t pair up in the hand you’re playing.
When I was a young teenager my dream car was a custom ’32 Ford and I suspect every young guy had a similar favorite. There is a strange perception that our manhood depends on how cool we look in that perfect car that will surely put us on Route 66 to somewhere or even nowhere. It doesn’t matter. It’s the ride that counts. Well, this is a story of a guy who started out nowhere in the Midwest and ended up somewhere at the end of Route 66 … Huntington Beach, California, the land of sun, sand, surf and oodles of custom rods. It would be there Boyd would realize his dream and become King of the Road of custom rods.
Yes, Boyd grew up on a farm in Idaho, but from his early days he began cutting and shaping existing steel on old cars into what he thought they should look like. It was Thomas Edison who said, “Sometimes, all you need to invent something is a good imagination and a pile of junk.” Later, at the top of his game Boyd would be seen as an American Idol. You know, those people who ride out the inevitable storms of life because they are survivors. Generally, they are self-made. And we common people love to raise them up on our shoulders so we can live vicariously through their successes. At the end of the day, we’re more interested in guys like Boyd Coddington because we can relate to them. We, too, can win a hand and feel the exhilaration of being a winner and finding our own pot of gold.
When I was a young teenager my dream car was a custom ’32 Ford and I suspect every young guy had a similar favorite. There is a strange perception that our manhood depends on how cool we look in that perfect car that will surely put us on Route 66 to somewhere or even nowhere. It doesn’t matter. It’s the ride that counts. Well, this is a story of a guy who started out nowhere in the Midwest and ended up somewhere at the end of Route 66 … Huntington Beach, California, the land of sun, sand, surf and oodles of custom rods. It would be there Boyd would realize his dream and become King of the Road of custom rods.
Yes, Boyd grew up on a farm in Idaho, but from his early days he began cutting and shaping existing steel on old cars into what he thought they should look like. It was Thomas Edison who said, “Sometimes, all you need to invent something is a good imagination and a pile of junk.” Later, at the top of his game Boyd would be seen as an American Idol. You know, those people who ride out the inevitable storms of life because they are survivors. Generally, they are self-made. And we common people love to raise them up on our shoulders so we can live vicariously through their successes. At the end of the day, we’re more interested in guys like Boyd Coddington because we can relate to them. We, too, can win a hand and feel the exhilaration of being a winner and finding our own pot of gold.
Photographer, Peter Linney, known around the world for his work, which is featured on magazine covers in a dozen countries, sent me some photos of a custom rod Boyd had just finished and Peter had photographed. He wanted me to get the story behind the car. The name of the car is the Whatthehaye. What? Yes, said Peter in his thick Norwegian accent. No, what’s the name of the car? I retorted. What – the – haye! Ok, I thought, forget any explanation, I will have to ask Boyd about the story behind the name and perhaps I’d warm up to it as I did the photos of the car. Anyway Whatthehaye is a work of art and as easy to fall in love with, for me, as the beauty of the image of the Greek sculpture of Venus De Milo. For the ladies it might be like looking upon the statue of David who would become king and was sculpted from another piece of stone by Michelangelo. The Whatthehaye is also a sculptured work of art and does not only have beautiful flowing lines, it is functional as well. Whatthehaye is not a restoration. It is new from the ground up and you don’t have to be a car lover to appreciate such an accomplishment. Creative people can turn a hunk of meaningless stone or flat sheets of metal into classic forms.
So who is this man behind the art and the machine? A myth, a legend? – Perhaps. But unlike Michelangelo, Boyd is still alive so we can talk with him and about him to dispel the myths. I drove to his Garage in La Habra to learn more about the man. But as things turned out, I also learned as much about him from others who know him from TV, visiting his showroom or being a neighbor. I met those people a week following my meeting with Boyd. I was attending my nephews wedding aboard a boat in Newport Harbor… a big boat. The setting was private, elegant and peopled by movers and shakers. You always find people like that on a road less traveled. It was just the setting where you’d expect the name Boyd Coddington would be known.
So who is this man behind the art and the machine? A myth, a legend? – Perhaps. But unlike Michelangelo, Boyd is still alive so we can talk with him and about him to dispel the myths. I drove to his Garage in La Habra to learn more about the man. But as things turned out, I also learned as much about him from others who know him from TV, visiting his showroom or being a neighbor. I met those people a week following my meeting with Boyd. I was attending my nephews wedding aboard a boat in Newport Harbor… a big boat. The setting was private, elegant and peopled by movers and shakers. You always find people like that on a road less traveled. It was just the setting where you’d expect the name Boyd Coddington would be known. PART 2 OF INTERVIEW POSTING SOON
posted by Joe Mavilia at 9:18 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home