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Book & Film Reviews
Wild Wheels Film Review They say driving is a privilege, not a right. If you haven't seen this film, driving is neither privilege nor right. Driving is a bore! In "Wild Wheels," Harrod Blank takes the "auto" matic out of automobile for an hour of pure family fun! In this, his second film, filmmaker Blank explores a nation of eccentrics who, like himself, woke up one day driven toward making something new, colorful and personal out of their straight factory cars. At first glance, Blank's 1992 documentary film has a "don't do this at home, kids" kind of feel with Blank getting pulled over by the police for daring to be different behind the wheel. But in no time, Blank has made us forget traffic court and driven us far out across a land of rebel creative souls with cars the likes of which you have never imagined. From the Hippo Car and the Cow-asaki bovine motorcycle to the Wrought Iron VW Bug and the Grass Car, the 46 cars featured in "Wild Wheels" turn the classic icon on its head and make the freeway fun again. I loved this film! It's the kind of movie you can pop in and watch again and again over the years and it never gets old. Now translated into over 36 languages and seen by 45 million people worldwide, "Wild Wheels" is literally changing the way humanity views the automobile. Far from the sometimes frightening proposition of "driving while being different," more and more people are making art cars every year. For many, "Wild Wheels" is where it all began.
Wild Wheels Book Review Talk about the power of books! Six years ago, some roadside preacher in a bus covered windshield-to-tail lights in bible verses handed me a book called "Wild Wheels." He thought I would enjoy it, seeing as how I was driving a Ford Granada covered in graffiti, and therefore somewhat of a kindred spirit. Well, he was right. Years later, I'm still driving that Granada and mostly thanks to writer/photographer Harrod Blank's campaign to make the American highway a safer place for art. In the stories and bright colorful photos of "Wild Wheels," I found the inspiration to turn my graffitied junker into a driving dream, a 2-door art museum on wheels. And though "Wild Wheels" won't likely have so dramatic an effect on every reader, its universal theme of self-realization through expression will touch every reader's heart. Featuring over 100 color photos and fascinating anecdotal peeks into the lives of the artists who made the cars, "Wild Wheels" continues to introduce the world to the pioneers of the now popular car art movement. The characters and cars in "Wild Wheels" are so genuine and so funky and so genuinely funky as captured by Blank that they'll have you wondering "Is it real? Did somebody make all this up? Am I really bolting antlers to my hood?" For answers to these and other wild questions, buy this book!! I loved it, and everyone I show it to wants a copy.
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