White Boy Rick: The Truth Behind the Hype

Son, the lion don't leave the Serengeti.
UPDATE 12/27/2018: 'White Boy Rick' Wershe's Florida prison release date has been moved forward to Nov. 25, 2020.

Nearly everyone who grew up within the gravitational orbit of Detroit in the 1980s has at least passing knowledge of the legend of White Boy Rick. But before you plunk down your hard-earned cash for a ticket to the recently-released Hollywood dramatization of his story, do yourself a favor and surf over to The Atavist Magazine and read The Trials of White Boy Rick by Evan Hughes. It's the single most comprehensive and exhaustively researched piece yet written on the life of Rick Wershe and his involvement with the FBI, Detroit Police department, Mayor Coleman Young, and the notorious Curry and Chambers brothers drug gangs.--AW

Fun Fact: Matthew McConaughey, who plays Richard Wershe Sr., and Rory Cochrane, who plays FBI agent Byrd, both appeared in Dazed and Confused more than 25 years ago.
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Richie Merrit, Bruce Dern, Piper Laurie, and Bel Powley also star.

Rob Zombie’s GMC Motorhome from the Movie "31" Is for Sale.

You know what they say, kemosabe; in Hell, everybody loves popcorn.

Produced by General Motors for the 1973 to 1978 model years, the GMC motor home was at the time the only fully-finished motorhome to be produced by an American automobile manufacturer. Featuring sleek modern styling, rear air suspension, a low ride-height, front-wheel drive (courtesy GM's Unified Powerplant Package as found in the Oldsmobile Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado), and an aluminum and fiberglass body, it was everything the competition wasn't.

Long a Hollywood favorite, the GMC Motorhome has appeared in numerous features including Stripes where it appeared in slightly reconfigured form as the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle. Additional screen appearances include Minority Report, Anchorman 2, Snake and Mongoose, and many more, not to mention dozens of television appearances.

 

Yet for all the big camper's screen time, Rob Zombie's 31 is the first time the GMC motorhome was cast in such a sinister light. Once the ne plus ultra of the motorcoach world, in 31 the 1976 model appears tired and barely functional, simply a tool to transport a bunch of carnies from town to town. 

Previously available on the used market for a fraction of their original value, remaining examples in good condition are now trading for stupid money thanks to sudden interest of otherwise well-intending folks, who, due to either pangs of nostalgia or simply just having too much time and money, pretty much ruined the vintage camper market for the rest of us. And that's where this one comes in-what better way to hit the campground than in this road-weary and graphically adorned sin-bin? Mix in a few crates of pyrotechnics and PBR en route and you're guaranteed to draw the attention of the campground hoi polloi. If this sounds like your idea of a good time, head on over to GWS Auctions to see more pictures and bid.

Amelia Airharts, Five Horse Johnson, Matt Truman Ego Trip. Toledo, August 10

Punk outing, people shouting.

201 Morris St, Toledo, Ohio. aka, behind Maumee Bay Brewing Co.

Jeep Cowboy: The AMC-Based Jeep Pickup Prototype that Never Was

"Hey, that's a pretty sharp looking Gremlin-Camino ya' got dere."

Originating around 1970, the Jeep Cowboy Prototype was conceived as an answer to the heavy influx of import trucks coming from Japan. Datsun, Toyota, and Mazda, the latter also sold by Ford as the Courier, not to mention the Chevy Luv, itself a rebranded Isuzu, were all picking up steam in the mini-truck marketplace, and AMC figured the easiest way to get in on the action was to cook up an  El Camnio-zed version of it's successful Hornet model with a Gremlin fascia and bed in back.

Reportedly only three prototypes were built, all bearing "JEEP" logos despite its AMC lineage. While accounts vary, the Cowboy was never produced for two reasons: Production capacity for the popular Hornet was maxed out, and at the time AMC/Jeep had no 4x4 system available that would work with the Cowboy's unibody origins. Sad, as just a decade later AMC would introduce the 4x4 Eagle, essentially a Hornet with a slightly lifted suspension and a true four-wheel drive drivetrain. Available in Wagon, Sedan, and Kammback body styles, a light-duty pickup would have been a natural extension of the Eagle lineup.

Though we're sad the Cowboy never got an opportunity to put the spurs to the competition, we're absolutely thrilled the concept rode off into the sunset before surfacing with the fascia mock up seen in the photo below, which resembles something Anthony Hopkins might have worn in his portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. Yech.

When Buster Keaton Shilled for Jeep.

"What goes up, doesn't always come down." Apparently that includes mortgage payments.

Necrophilia Not Funny, Alice.

Say what you will Ms. Landers, but Alice's sense of humor was not lost on a few kids from Maumee, Ohio.

Punk Rock in Detroit (1976-1986) Presented by Third Man Records and Cranbrook Art Museum

C'mon down and hang for a bit and bat the fat–it could be wacky. It's free.

Where:  Third Man Records
              441 W Canfield St, Detroit, MI 48201
       
When:   Saturday, August 4, 2 p.m.

"Your body is not a temple; It's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride." -Anthony Bourdian 1956-2018

Words to live by.

Bourdain visited Detroit in 2013 to shoot an episode of Parts Unknown and came away with a better appreciation and understanding of the Motor City than most:

Kick Out The Jams  

Anthony Bourdain, CNN

This is it. The last episode of our second season of "Parts Unknown."

And I'm glad it's set in Detroit. Because Detroit, for many Americans, is an abstraction -- truly, if incredibly, a part unknown. 

One only need look at some of our representatives, who, a while back, were actually suggesting it might be OK to let the beleaguered auto industry fend for itself, to leave Detroit to its fate to see how blithely willing much of America would be to point the gun straight at their own heads and pull the trigger. 

Detroit isn't just a national treasure. It IS America. And wherever you may live, you wouldn't be there -- and wouldn't be who you are in the same way -- without Detroit.

 Continued on CNN.com

John Deere W330 PTC Combine Posts Blistering 5-hour, 36-minute and 11-Second Nürburgring Lap Record!

Happy 50th Birthday, Hot Wheels

Matchbox cars may be neat, but Hot Wheels are cool.

From the original sweet sixteen to Sizzlers, and from the welt-inducing orange track to the iconic logo, we love you Hot Wheels. In celebration of your 50th anniversary, we've collected some of our favorite vintage Mattel Hot Wheels TV adverts for your viewing pleasure:

Fun Fact: The 1st Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Convention was held in Toledo, Ohio, in 1987 and returned at least four additional times in the ensuing decade. The 5th Annual Collectors convention was held in nearby Maumee, Ohio.

Jeep Wagoneer for 1966: Vigilante V-8 or High-Torque Six?

"Only the new Jeep Wagoneer offers all of today's Turnpike features plus the gripping power and safety of 4-Wheel Drive." Jeep really plays up the whole storming the beaches of Normandy association in this clip. We get that. But why is it autonomous? And is it true that the little kid in the video is a young Jon Stainbrook?

Jamie Farr, Toledo's Favorite Son

Not content to simply sit back and enjoy the spoils of his success, Toledo native and solid gold superstar Jamie Farr, aka Jameel Farah, is leveraging his legacy with Klinger Kreations, a can't miss entry in the highly competitive celebrity condiment arena. Try some today!


*Art and concept courtesy of comedic genius and talented illustrator Cris Shapan.

Toledo – The Fireworks Center of America

The "good old days," when a young man could stuff a sawback into an envelope and receive a haphazardly packaged box of potentially lethal pyrotechnics via the U.S. Mail Service no questions asked.

Oh Boy! THINK OF IT! World's Loudest.

FUN FACT: John Miller, of Toledo's Miller Fireworks Company, is largely credited with popularizing the M-80 as a civilian firework.