Party Hearth, Rat Fink fans Issue #002 1998

By Ed Roth (This column was written by Ed before his passing.)

A Few years ago the old gang got together for a Christmas party, and someone decided to call it The Rat Fink Reunion. Everyone had such a good time we did it again the following year. Soon they were such popular events that we started having them all around the country.

These Rat Fink parties are usually held at car shows or museums. There are no particular dates or places for most of them. Show promoters just call and want to show up with some of the RF stuff.The museum shows that are traveling around the country are set up several months in advance, but again that isn't enough time to send out press releases for the events. I usually have two or three fellows that work with me on these shows, dudes like Bob Larivee of Promotions, Inc. and John Oldham from Waco, Texas.

John first came to one of the California parties. He was working as a school teacher in Waco and wanted to come out and see how all of the west coast artists worked. He was an amateur sign painter when he wasn't teaching auto shop. He figured that so many of his students were interested in panting on cars that he might pass any of his newly gained knowledge on to them.

v He came and watched in amazement as we decorated the garbage cans with glossy caots of multi- colored enamels, and then drew figures of Rat Fink and wrote slogans about cruisin and other popular sports. He watched the big guns of pinstriping such as Von Dutch, Dennis Jones from Whittier, Zeller from Anderson, Slimbo, Master Blaster, Slow Butcher, and many more. Then he picked up a brush and added to the cans, and the Lincoln car was brought in by fellow Texan, Alton Gillespie. Finally, he went back to Texas and shared his experiences with his students. Today he hosts the Waco RF party.

Bob Larivee is big time. Thirty years ago he was buying my cars for featured attractions at his car show. Now he produces ISCA shows around the world. He liked the idea of auctioning the cars off after they were completed, and donating the money to charity. He called me and asked if I could bring some RF artwork to the Houston show over Thanksgiving weekend and, along with other donated items, have a small auction just before thophy time on Sunday afternoon. He is tryiny to do the same thing at the Autorama in Detroit's Cobo Hall during the '91 winter show.

I also have several shows at museums. One was at the New Langton Museum in San Francisco. It ended in October and moved back east. Another is at the National Automobile Museum. (That's what is left of Bill Harrah's collection where a lot of my cars ended up a few years ago.) Both of these shows are also available for your local museums. Just write to me if you are interested (Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, Manti, UT 84642-RF Party video, $29.00; catalog $3.50.)

I would like to thank my wife Bev- who is represented in the comic strips as "Cupcake"- for coming up with the ideas for the comics. Along with Craig Ellis and my son Dennis "D.R." Roth, these are my idea people. I have been victim to one piece of bad thinking. I have not sold any of the original artwork for the hundreds of T-shirt designs that I make. I just figured that I would hold on to it, I have a whole big pile of it stored in a big vault in the mountains. I recently repented a little and framed some of the more popular ones and sent them on this Rat Fink art tour.

One reason that I never liked to show or sell these is that I did not draw them. The only one that I drew was the original Rat Fink standing there looking like he swallowed a canary. The rest are all drawn with the help of such artista as Ric Slone, Jeff Gaither, Ed Newton, Dave Christensen, and Bondo Bob" Williams. So in the truest sense of the world they are productions, and not really the work of one mind. I come up with the original sketch and they help me ink it and make it better. So every time that you guys out there buy a shirt, it is like buying part of a limited edition piece of artwork. It's the art world of the '90s, gang. Keep your eyeballs peeled for these RF shows. They are quite an experienceThere is usually an old painting by Rembrandt, or Ainsborough or Van Gogh or Remington hanging alongside Rat Fink. Voting blanks are also nearby and if you will do me a favor and vote for your favorite (classic or Rat Fink) I would really appreciate the feedback. You see, if you guys want more serious stuff, I'll have to get out my ballpoint pen and dash off some of that, too. (Yecchh)!