The Hot Rod World of Robt. Williams | 
 enlarge | Authors: Robt. Williams, Mike Lavella
Creator: Pete Chapouris
Publisher: Motorbooks
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
Buy New: $26.41
You Save: $13.59 (34%)
New (16) from $26.41
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 203630
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 176
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 10 x 0.7
ISBN: 0760326606
Dewey Decimal Number: 629.2286092
EAN: 9780760326602
ASIN: 0760326606
Publication Date: December 15, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Absolutely Brand New & In Stock. 100% 30-Day Money Back. Direct from our warehouse. Ships by USPS. 1+ million customers served-In business since 1986. Happy Customers is Our #1 Goal. Toll Free Support
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Robert Williams' life and work have proven difficult to describe. Who better then, to put Williams into words and pictures than the man himself-as he does in this illustrated autobiography of his life in hot rods. Here, for the first time, Robert Williams presents his extraordinary body of work in the context of his hot rod background, in the process 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 eventually gravitated to Southern California and the Chouinard Art Institute, but not before immersing himself in the country’s 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, honing a life and a style that had little to do with the world of square day jobs he entered after leaving Chouinard in 1963, when, through sheer happenstance, an unemployment agency 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—which resulted in his famous Roth ads for Hot Rod magazine, not to mention several infamous run-ins with the Hell’s 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. Illustrated throughout with photographs from Williams’ personal collection as well as paintings and illustrations, this is a life portrait as only Robert Williams could do it.
Book Description
Robert Williams, one of the seminal figures in lowbrow and hot rod culture, presents his life story as only Robert Williams can: as an illustrated autobiography, putting his extraordinary body of work in the context of his hot rod background, and in the process relating his impossibly wild formative years and his gradual establishment as one of America’s most influential underground artists. Williams describes a boyhood immersed in the country’s nascent youth culture of hot rods, rock ’n’ roll, and bowling alley rumbles. He tells of the unlikely steps that led him to Roth studios, and of the fame and infamy that followed, along the way having his characteristically outrageous say about the ’50s, today’s retro rodders, his current work habits, and his hot rods. Illustrated throughout with photographs from Williams’ personal collection as well as his paintings and illustrations, this is a life portrait as only Robert Williams could have done it.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Robert Williams 'Hot Rod World of...' April 8, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Robert Williams younger years are examined here and the influence of the car culture
and motorcycle culture on his art of the period and later. I liked the book,
as it exposes more of the man than his rather outre` work reveals.
I wish that more of his hot rod themed paintings had been included, as it is
mostly photos of Robert and his cars.
A helpful book if you're trying for a more rounded understanding of this
painter in relationship to his era.
His work from the period was more furious, than the ironic and fantastic
paintings of later years.
Reboundspring
The Hot Rod World of Robert Williams February 19, 2007
Excellent book. Great photos. I bought his posters way back in the early 80's. Good to see some ink on Pete Eastwood. My copy has already been well lloked at.
great book about a pathbreaking artist January 12, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I'm married 28 years to a hot rod guy. He always told me Robert Williams was "da man." Now, having read thru this excellent art-infused history-biography, I know why. Williams imagines, then creates. Nothing holds him back. In that way he's true to the spirit of hot rodding. His stories are highly entertaining, the art is spellbinding, and the overall organization of the book is first rate. Can't ask for much more than that! Totally and highly recommended.
a fun ride December 20, 2006
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
The Hot Rod World of Robert Williams is quite a book. For Williams fans and car buffs alike, this title delivers a pile of steaming hot information, art and vintage photographs in an entertaining format. But like the man himself, there is nothing typical about this book.
What we have here is an illustrated family album with dialog that sounds like it was recorded sitting around the kitchen table. Robert and Suzanne Williams are two very knowledgeable, articulate and funny people, with the inside skinny on the outlaw car and art worlds. These folks grew up after WWII when the teen car scene was in its infancy; they built their own cars, partied, fought and raised hell with the rough kids, and placed their own marks on the car (and art) culture. In this book, Robert and Suzanne explain what real hot rodders were doing as they show the evolution of the cars they built.
But understand, this is not a sanitized version, a tale of rich man collectors, or the Golden Book of Car Show Winners. Even within their circle of friends, Robert and Suzanne's cars and ideas were not typical. For those familiar with Robert's contribution as a trouble maker, innovator and leader in the art world, it is interesting to note that even within a group of car and biker outlaws, this guy was different, a radical who pursued his own ideas, often in the face of derision. And Suzanne is clearly his partner in crime.
While others were chopping and welding together steel street rats, fabricating racecars, or designing from scratch exotic show cars, the Williams carefully planned, cut and built cars that were true hot rods yet preserved the integrity of the original vehicle. Then when their cars were assembled, upholstered and beautifully finished, the couple eschewed the usual high gloss paint jobs and mag wheels, driving and displaying their cars instead in glorious dull primer! Years later, when flat primered hot rods became a SoCal fad, Robert restored his car's original rumble seat and had it painted in an outrageous early race car style with an obnoxious color scheme of purple and chartreuse (!), once again offending most of the car boy purists. Why?
Buy the book and see....
It's a great read, a fun ride, and, along the way, all will be explained.
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