RATTTT FINKKKKK!!!!

Tales of the Rat Fink- The Legend of the World's Greatest Custom Car Builder, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth (Shout Factory) DVD

Back when I was a kid, I loved building models (airplanes, ships, etc.). Then one day I discovered MONSTERS! First, on TV (the Boggie Men from Laurel & Hardy's March of the Wooden Soldiers still scares the crap out of me), than as models. Frankenstein, Dracula, and than I discovered, THE RAT FINK! Part monster, part rat, he became known as the anti-Micky Mouse, which I thought was very cool!

There were also monsters AND cars together. Souped-up hot rods with bug-eyed, with pierced flesh, and blood dripping Monsters driving them. It was so cool! I didn't know who was the artist that had created the models until years later.

Fast forward to 2005. Asbury Lanes had made their own flyers for upcoming shows, and the ones featuring the Rev. Horton Heat, and Dick Dale caught my eye. They had these wild-eyed surfers and gals holding guitars.- It was their tribute to Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, and it was great! (Besides The Lanes, I've also seen Big Daddy's (1932-2001) work on the logo for Vintage Vinyl, also another cool tribute!

This documentary features the voices of John Goodman, Ann-Margret, Jay Leno, Brian Wilson, and was produced and directed by Ron Mann ("Grass" & "Comic Book Confidential"), and the soundtrack (a cool blend of rock, surf, and spaghetti western), was recorded by The Sadies.

One thing I realized after seeing this DVD that dated back to the 60's was that, after seeing these cartoon monsters and custom cars, Ed had a coolly warped imagination, and as artist and inventor (he kept up with teen fads: surfing, skate boards, Sting Ray bikes- I loved my 3-speed Sting Ray!- were at the forefront of rebellion and independence. It was a needed resistance to the "Micky Mouseness" of everything that was in neat, little cookie cutter boxes.

Along with legendary artist Von Dutch (the DVD includes a "painting jam" with Big Daddy & Von), they created a whole slew of cool, oyt-of-this-world stuff. Besides the plastic models, and custom cars, there were also comic books (better known as "Modern Abstract Finkism"), T-shirts, and even a spaceship which, well, let's just say it never got off the ground. During the 60's and 70's lots of imitators popped up, so Ed changed his strategy somewhat, and got more into motorcycles, creating the 3-wheel "trike" that is still popular today.

During the 80's and 90's Ed continued to create ,and push boundries using computer electronics, animation, and fuel efficient custom vehicles. He never stopped until he died in 2001.

Some of the bonus features include: Big Daddy Lives, which is an interesting, fun interview with ED. Big Daddy's Garage, and an eye-opening interview with director Ron Mann.

There's also a music video featuring The Sadies, who did the soundtrack. They are made into cartoonish, instrument playing ghouls, that is humorous! Again, none of the creations on this DVD are anywhere near being "corporate." It all started with Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's imagination, passion and indie spirit, and just exploded from there!

-Nice to see clubs and stores like The Lanes & Vintage spreading the word in
sound and vision on Roth's "Finkism!"

- Phil Rainone