MAGAZINE

There are two legitimate new entries, one other legitimate effort that may or may not make it, and a handful of "I'm going to be this generations' Bob Petersen". It's going to be interesting. The best part is that some of the smallish tomes are Greaser/Traditional types that will please Hop Up Guys - we think the circles overlap considerably in taste and style and.....there it is again....COOL.

Bottom line? Do ya got the numbers? We know that 19 readers ain't enough. But did you ever consider the reality of trying to do a monthly (or even quarterly) magazine? IF you had the staff, and IF you had the money, and IF you had the mobility, could you get your dog ass far and wide enough to cover enough GOOD cars, and people, that OFTEN to avoid the inevitable boring cars (are you there, D.E.D.?)? Hell, frickin' NO.

We can pick on some big publication and say, "Gawd, did you see the dumb car they featured THIS time?!!!" If they aren't going to do some beaters and low-end cool rides, if the cars have to be painted, plated, trimmed and rimmed............they are gonna show us some doo-doo. There is not enough fresh talent to show eight or ten un-seen GOOD cars each month in three or four magazines. That'd be 500 GOOD cars a year and even though there are plenty more than that completed each year............

How ya gonna account for taste?

We don't envy the mag guys their job. But they are doing (some better than others) a good FISCAL job. How are you gonna to argue with success? If the formula of selling ads by promoting the products in How To's" and "Build Ups", and by that virtue, convincing the newbie, unwashed, impressionable ex-bowler that this is, in fact, a cool thing (life imitating ADS?)........... if that formula works, why would they change it? Those magazine empires today have auto titles for one reason: profitablity. The noble, honorable cause of carguyness has nothing to do with it.

On the other hand, did you notice how little advertising there is in RODDER'S JOURNAL? It's pricey, but so what? Tear out the meaningful pages from three months of the magazine you love to hate, compare cumulative cost, then content and quality to RJ and .....HELLO????

Value.

The mainstream magazines have dabbled in "Rat Rods" and had great responses. The advertisers hated it. They were tempted to include some base, traditional, truthful (e hopup verita) rod stuff, but the advertisers and ad men have squelched them. Wouldn't be right. They had better wonder - if their businesses are ones that are incorporated and business-structure-wise intended to perpetuate themselves - who the population may be 5, 10, 15 years from now. We know that business realists who look to the future (and know that street'rods may be playing out) are already moving into later model car after-market product lines. Did you ever wonder if the greaser thing could grow in satisfactory numbers to keep the flame lit? Will those cats get flush eventually and BUY more stuff?. It may be the last hope for the pre-'49 hot rod after-market. Shouldn't they (and we) be courted?

We reckon.

Watch for fun stuff. Watch for copy cats. Watch yer ass.

HOP UP HONOR - STAY HONOR