You know you're cool when someone brings
you a prosthetic leg to pinstripe.
Street rod and car culture devotees have
known of the stellar talents of Von Dutch for years. Kenneth
Howard - the artist known as Von Dutch - was the beatnik cult
artist to pinstripe your custom car, motorcycle or prosthesis.
Born in 1929 in Los Angeles, Von Dutch created
some of the most original and off-the-wall designs ever. When
he tired of painting and pinstriping in the late '60s, he
built a steam-powered TV set, restored motorcycles and hand-made
guns and knives with exquisite brass etchings.
Like so many artists, he loathed the fame
and developed a reputation as an eccentric by turning away
lucrative projects and becoming extremely selective in his
projects and clients.
Now the hippest celebrities (and Dennis Rodman)
are making his name famous again, even if they don't know
who he was or what he did.
These days, the man who considered himself
a mechanic above everything else has hats, T-shirts, jackets,
belt buckles and everything else you can think of adorned
with his name.
Now that you know a little about the man,
you can feel smug donning that shirt you've been wearing without
knowing why.
What would Von Dutch think if he saw Britney
wearing one of his flying eyeball designs?
Who cares? Remember: It's better to be dead
and cool than alive and uncool.
