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by Pat Jacobs

The car was another importance aspect of California life, not just for the surfers, but for everybody. Not only was it an economic necessity to
navigate the state's sprawling roads and freeways, but the car also became a social factor. You had to have wheels, and not just any clunker; you had to have something cool, something really "bitchin", which meant a great looking, great running car.

Cruising (prominently featured in the film American Graffiti), was a very popular and mostly male social ritual.

The purpose?

1. To show off a recently acquired or new car. 2. To pick up chicks! (girls) 3. To see and be seen 4. Nothing else to do

"Those were exactly the reasons" said Micky Foster. Mr. Foster further recalled one particular incident: "My buddy Jay Brooks and I had a bet, which was to see which one of us could pick up the most chicks (girls).

Brooks had his sister's car, a brand new Honda Accord, for the evening event, which started at 7 pm. Our destination was a local popular night spot "Bottom Shelf". We arrived and entered the club.

Jay was immediately impressed by a young lady, who was immediately impressed by the car, and the two of them left the club for a private cruise along the local shore, accompanied by Coney dogs and snow cones.

When Jay returned, I was ready to go with my date. When I returned, Jay was ready with his second date. The date-a-thon lasted until 6 am. the next day.

Jay ended up with a total of 7 dates; I ended up with 12, but we both were totally Coney-dogged and snow-coned out. "It was a blast!"

Young males, in particular, coveted hot rods and "dragsters" such as Cudas (Plymouth Barracudas) propelled by huge engines.

The importance of the car led to an automobile subculture that like the surfers, also had its own unique dress, language, and music.

The standard look for the hot rodders were greased, slick-backed hair (Dixie Peach was a popular hair pomade for this) and tight black pants (Think John Travolta in "Grease").

Hot Rod Magazine started (in 1947), by two young enthusiasts of the sport, would go on to be standard reading for the speed-loving crowd.

Some hot rod slang were: skins=tires snowballs =white walls spooking or bombing =pleasure driving jack, stormer, screamer, and draggin' wagon =other names used for hot rods deuce =usually a 1932 Ford that's used for converting to a bomber stock =conventional car from the factory, customizing, shaving, or stripping =removing the chrome, etc. from
the stock car tails =coon or fox tails used decoratively, gutting =removing upholstery, etc. from the interior, spaghetti =excess chrome, full house
=engines souped up to the extreme drag or dragging =race between two or more cars from a standing start, thingy, rail job, or slingshot =a hot rod designed solely for dragging.

Movies included Hot Rod Gang (1958), Teenage Thunder (1959), Dragstrip Girl (1957), the biker flick The Wild Angels (1966), starring Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra! (She was also featured in at least a couple of beach party movies.), and probably THE biker film of all time, The Wild One (1953 or 1954; accounts vary.) starring Marlon Brando, with Lee Marvin as the bad guy ( I think the movie was based on a true story.)

DJ Roger Christian helped the Beach Boys and other surfer bands write car songs. (Surfers considered the hot rodders as rivals, and vice versa. So those beach party movies were right!)

The combination of Christian and Brian Wilson yielded "Shut Down", then "Little Deuce Coupe" ( a Top 20 hit, no.15, in 1963; the flip side of "Surfer Girl"), "Car Crazy Cutie", and "Don't Worry Baby"(1964).

Christian also composed songs for Jan and Dean. "Drag City", written by Christian and Wilson, was a Top 10 hit (no.10!) in December 1963. Christian also wrote "Dead Man's Curve", a no.8 smash in 1964.

Other car/hot rod "love" songs were:

The Beach Boys-"409" The Rip Chords-"Hey Little Cobra"(1964, no.4), and "Three Window Coupe" (1964, no.28). Members of this studio band included Bruce Johnston, who often toured and played with the Beach
Boys, and Glen Campbell, who would go on to other things! Ronny and The Daytonas- "G.T.O." (also no. 4 in 1964) Ronny was actually Bucky Wilkin! And the group was from Nashville. The Hot Rodders-"Big Hot Rod"
"Little Honda"-The Hondells (from 1964, no. 9 ) "Hot Rod Lincoln"-Johnny Bond(1960, no. 26) and also by Charlie Ryan and The Timberline Riders (also in 1960, no. 33) and an honorable mention to these three: "Leader Of The Pack"- The Shangri-Las (a no. 1 smash in 1964) "Leader Of The Laundromat" - The Detergents (Dec. 1964, no.19) "Born To Be Wild"- Steppenwolf (a no.2 smash in 1968)

Related albums were:

"Hot Rod Alley"-Jerry Kole and The Stokers "The New Mustang (And Other Hot Rod Hits)"-The Roadrunners "Rods and Ratfinks" - Mr. Gasser and The Weirdos (This was actually car customizer Ed Roth and a studio
band.)

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