David Perry’s Blog

from the DVD Hot Rod Pin-ups

Nadar (1820-1910)

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Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879)

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Eugène Atget (1857 -1927)

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E J Bellocq (1873-1949)

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August Sander (1876-1964)

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Alfred Cheney Johnston (1885-1971)

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Edward Weston (1886-1958)

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Brassaï (1899-1984)

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Weegee Arthur Fellig (1899-1964)

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Walker Evans (1903-1975)

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George Hurrell (1904-1992)

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Irving Klaw (1911-1970)

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Helmut Newton (1920-2004)

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Richard Avedon (1923-2004)

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Garry Winogrand (1928-1984)

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Robert Frank

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Danny Lyon

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Bruce Davidson

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Joel-Peter Witkin

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Nick Knight

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Javier Vallhonrat

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Toni Meneguzzo

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Matthew Rolston

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David Hockney

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Hipgnosis

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23 Envelope

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Barriemore Barlow - Jethro Tull

Bill Ward - Black Sabbath

Clem Burke - Blondie

Gene Krupa

John Bonham - Led Zeppelin

Keith Moon - the Who

Ringo Starr - the Beatles

Warren Cann - Ultravox

Stuart Copeland - the Police

Simon Phillips - Judas Priest

Read more

The guitar is one of our great inventions. A plank of wood with 6 strings, but dare to pick it up!

As a young, impressionable boy, nothing got me more that a dude on a stage with his band, (and it usually was his band) stepping out from the shadows into the spotlight and tearing the room down with his axe.

In 1972, at my first junior high dance at Foothills Jr. High school in Arcadia, California, I saw my first live band up close. Four dudes, not much older than me, wielding that power and coolness over me with loud, hard rock music.

I worship the guitar gods, sitting at their feet and staring up in wonder, stealing chords and riffs, maybe a move- trying to learn their skills and powers.

Guitar god requirements.

TONE. The ability to be recognized in one note.

Tasty licks and lots of ‘em in the right places. A guitar solo is like a great conversation between the god and his audience.

If you can sing well, BONUS. Playing and singing has got to be difficult. (Billy, Brian, Pete, Chris, Willie, Robert, Fred, Buck, Paul, Peter, Midge)

Great look, moves, hair and guitar face.

You play music I can still listen to.

He’s a bully, and he’s gonna grab you by the balls and not let go. He may stab at you 1000 times, or drop the hammer of the gods upon you.

“3000 guitars they seem to cry, my ears will melt, and then my eyes.”*

Rock is dead they say - Long Live Rock!

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Angus Young - AC/DC

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Martin Barre- Jethro Tull

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Billy F Gibbons - ZZ Top

Billy is my MAN. He’s got it all. Probably more hits, money, glamour and recognition than any other guitar god. He’s a hot rod freak and a personal friend of mine. The rev is # 1.

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Blind Willie Johnson

His music makes me cry. Probably the most soulful man i’ve ever heard. Played slide with a pocket knife.

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Brian Setzer - Stray Cats

Brian and the Stray Cats turned me on to rockabilly in 1980. Awesome technique, great songs, looks cool as fuck, digs hot rods. Never saw stray cats, but caught early Brian Setzer Orchestra at the Roxy. Suave.

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Django Rienhardt

Belgian gypsy god who played with 2 fingers.

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Eddie Van Halen

I didn’t follow them after they signed with WB and Doobie Bros. producer Ted Templeton, BUT, in 1973, when I was a sophmore at Arcadia High School, Van Halen played at our homecoming dance, and they blew my mind. They were DARK. I followed them at van happenings, bowling alley’s and finally the Whiskey a Go-Go. At that dance, after their set, I went up to Eddie and said something like, “Hi. Your as good as Richie Blackmore” …he paused, and said “thanks.”

He wore a blue velvet suit and played a gold top Les Paul.

I stole this shot of VH for my own band, Asylum, and ripped it for our flyer. I tried to one up them with the flash pots. Eddie’s god status shows even in a cruddy little picture on a xeroxed band flyer.

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Toni Iommi - Black Sabbath

First concert I ever saw was Black Sabbath, Gentle Giant (boring prog rock), and Captain Beyond (Ruled!). Black Sabbath only played 20 minutes, because Toni was puking backstage and couldn’t finish the show.

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Jimmy Page - Led Zeppelin

Ok, it took me years to appreciate Jimmy and Zep. My high school girlfriend, Kim Brannon, LOVED Robert “Percy” Plant, and I guess I was a bit jealous of his bulge, and besides, in 1976, EVERYONE loved Zep. Too obvious for me. It took years later, when hearing the Black Crows with Jimmy Page on the radio, did by interest perk up. I bought the CD, and then proceeded to listen to every Zep LP, read Hammer of the Gods (Great book!) and become a convert.

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Pete Townsend - The Who

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John Entwhistle - The Who

MONSTER player.

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Mick Ronson - David Bowie and The Spiders From Mars

Great guitar face.

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Richie Blackmore - Deep Purple

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Robert Johnson

Sold his soul to the devil, and I believe it. Zep ripped him big.

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Zal Cleminson - The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Their used to be a show called IN CONCERT, simulcast on KLOS FM is stereo in Friday nights in the mid 70’s. My brother and I would put mom’s speakers by the TV and watch live concerts. Wow, I caught the Sensational Alex Harvey band on this show and was blown away. Later my bass player Paul Oesterle and I bonded over SAHB music, and shock rock has always been one of my favs.

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Frank Zappa

My guitar nemesis in high school was Brian Zibas, a way better technical guitar player than I. He loved Zappa and turned me on to his great and funny music.

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Uli Roth - Scorpions

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Rhino - Captain Beyond

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Robin Trower

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Chris Spedding - Robert Gordon & Bryan Ferry

Probably my ALL TIME FAVORITE GUITAR GOD. Cool as fuck.

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Scotty Moore - Elvis Presley

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Ry Cooder

Paris, Texas.

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Michael Schenker - UFO

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Les Paul

This dude perfected the electric guitar AND invented multi track recording.

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Johnny Marr - The Smiths

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Cliff Gallup - Gene Vincent & the Blue Caps

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Rick Nielson - Cheap Trick

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Buck Dharma - Blue Oyster Cult

Cities on Fire

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Matthew Ashman (1960-1995) - Bow Wow Wow & Adam and the Ants (Dirk Wears White Sox)

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KK Downing & Glenn Tipton - Judas Priest

I caught them at the Whiskey a Go Go, when Sad Wings Of Destiny was released. Best of the dark metal bands.

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Paul Weller - The Jam & the Style Council

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Midge Ure- Ultravox

One of the only 80’s bands with a guitar player I liked.

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Bill Nelson - Be Bop Deluxe

Fair Exchange.

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Brian May - Queen

Queen II. Built his own guitar, Saw Queen at the Forum, LA, 1976.

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Slash - Guns ‘N Roses

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Elliot Easton - the Cars

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Mississippi Fred McDowell

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Prince

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Peter Frampton

Humble Pie, plus caught him right before the live album hit.

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John Fahey (1939-2001)

The Red Pony

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check out Air Guitar Nation

I’m off this weekend to Morris, IL, for the Hunnert Car Pile-up, to do a book signing. Look for me with the Wizz on Saturday. I’ll bring my cameras just in case something catches my eye.

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I’ve posted a “Be a David Perry Pin-up” page on my web site, for those gals interested in commissioning a Hot Rod Pin-up for yourself or as a gift.

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AutoMoto Wines in Napa, California feature my Hot Rod book cover ‘40 Coupe at Takeoff as the label for 4 choice wines- a Cab, Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay.

They make a 3 liter. Dig!

I’m working on getting a $1500.00 1983 alfa romeo spider veloce back on the road. This’ll satisfy my need for an open air - go cart like driving experience. Something to run to the taco truck in, or blast down lake Herman Road at sunrise, full throttle. The future will be economical with the 4 banger, too.

I’ve painted the dash black. Forget the tan. Next the floors.

Meanwhile, while my mechanic works on my 1986 GTV-6 (current problem, an electrical fire!), he generously loaned me his ‘74 GTV. I suppose to give me hope that an alfa can be reliable.

The deal with owning an alfa is this: they’re heartbreaking, finicky and sometimes haunted with insolvable electrical mysteries, but when they run, it’s a thing of beauty. And a very stylie accessory.

And, for you hot rod snobs, alfas have an aluminum block, hemi heads, DOHC and a racing legacy.

Current web site modculture

Current music boogaloo radio

I decided if i’m gonna do a blog, I need to have fresh photos to go with it- so, I bought a FujiFilm FINEPIXZ20fd, for under $200. It’s a slim line type, so I should carry it everywhere. it also shoots 2 minutes of video, so I can capture a newsworthy disaster and sell it to Fox.

I’ve decided it’s “good effect for business” to have a blog-  to keep people updated on the whatsup with dp. This coincides with my quitting smoking.

I spend my weekend in Davenport, Iowa as the guest of THE WIZZ, a Santa Klaus quasi-biker  look-a-like and former beatnik (who got his name from “big daddy” himself) , and his Flying Eyeball Reunion- a gathering of pin stripers, rat rodders and local goofs.

The Wizz claims his father, a WW1 veteran and ace pilot, and his squadron of farmboys, were the first to use the flying eyeball imagery on their warplanes and jackets. He says it was inspired from Egyptology, a recent discovery circa 1910. I’m sure he’d gladly tell you the whole story.

My friday night was spent signing books at the Putman gallery.

Saturday, the car show,  was spent signing books at the fairgrounds. I was to judge a pinup show and tattoo contest, (both of which never transpired.)

Some rodeo or county fair was at the expo the week before.
I felt like Rat Fink, surrounded by flies during my signing.
Saturday night we went to a bar THE RUSTY NAIL and caught a killer act the WIZZ had booked- “Cadillac Kolstad and the Flats”. Imagine a a young Jerry Lee Lewis, drunk on wine, with a slightly out-of-tune upright piano, playing familiar yet fresh, and slightly tweeked versions of tired rock standards. Great hair, too. These guys were wasted on the Rusty Nail crowd. One lady told me she didn’t know what kind of music this was…I told her barrelhouse, which didn’t compute. The I said “Boogie Woogie” which didn’t help much either. She said “it’s not car guy music”. OK…

Sunday was spent at Cordova Dragstrip, the “grand daddy of them all.” The escape route for runaway dragsters was a corn field. The Wizz introduced me to Tazz, a gravely voiced man who ran the strip, Tazz mixed a perfect rockabilly mix for drag day, probably the best i’ve heard played at an actual dragstrip. The Wizz and Tazz have a encyclopedic minds for obscure 60 rock music.

As for Iowa, lousy on beer (Bud, Bud lite, Miller, Miller Lite), good on decrepit neighborhoods, good on beef, lousy on vegetables.

Met some funny guys, esp. John Myers, a pinhead from Tulsa, kept us laughing.