The illustrated autobiography of his life in hot rods presents Robert Williams’ extraordinary body of work in the context of his hot rod background, relating his impossibly wild formative years and his gradual establishment as one of America’s most influential underground artists. Born in 1943 and raised in Alabama and Albuquerque, Williams gravitated to SoCal and the Chouinard Art Institute, but not before immersing himself in the nascent youth culture of hot rods, rock n roll, and bowling alley rumbles. He recounts a boyhood spent in drive-in theaters and dirt tracks, and the sheer happenstance that handed him a job as art director at the studio of his hero, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. Along with tales from his time at Roth studios—including several infamous run-ins with the Hells Angels—Williams demythologizes the 1950s, recalls his association with Zap Comix and R. Crumb, and reflects on today’s retro rodders and his own hot rods. Loaded with photos from Williams’s personal collection, plus paintings and illustrations. Hardcover, color.
by Robert Williams, Mike LaVella
176 pages
ISBN-10: 0760326606
ISBN-13: 9780760326602
Publisher: Motor Books