Product Details
Kustom Graphics: Hot Rods, Burlesque and Rock 'n' Roll

Kustom Graphics: Hot Rods, Burlesque and Rock 'n' Roll
By Julian Balme

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Product Description

Many Kustom Kulture artists are now crossing over scenes, creating graphics for hot rods one day, burlesque events the next, and dreaming up flyers for a new crop of indie rock bands—all part of an explosive international graphics movement. This overview of the best artists in this subculture includes work from California, the Midwest, the East Coast, Mexico, Japan, the UK, Germany, Scandinavia, France, and Germany. This roundup of Ed Roth and Von Dutch-influenced artists presents a mass of work impossible to beat for sheer visual inventiveness, vibe, and color. Author Julian Balme is a writer and art director for numerous Kustom Kulture magazines, creator of the famous London Calling cover for The Clash, a passionate racer of hot rods, and one of the foremost commentators on Kustom Kulture and Kustom Graphics.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #127913 in Books
  • Published on: 2008-04-28
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 256 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The sheer energy of the publication is staggering . . . an inspirational, visual feast."  —Total Tatoo (UK)

Customer Reviews

Mandatory Reading!5
I can whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who's into Kustom Kulture Art; Without a doubt the best book in this genre yet. Here's a complete list of all the artists who have contributed; Should be pretty convincing...

Johnny Ace and Kali Verra; Jorge "Dr." Alderete; Paul Barrow; John Bell; Tom "Big Toe" Laura; Michel Casarramona; Keith "Keiffer" Ciaramello; Johnny Crap; "Dirty Donny" Gillies; Etienne "Empire32"; Marcus "Dang! Industries" Evans; Daisuke "Fudemae" Maeda; Minoru "Mr. G." Goto; Grimb; Peter "PG" Gustafsson; Hiro "Wildman" Ishii; Jim "Too Bad Jim" Johnstone; Ken The Flattop; "KRNPX" Kurono; Felix La Flamme; Michael Leonhard; Makoto Kobayashi; Alex "So-Cal" Maldonado; Tyson Mcadoo; Jan Meininghaus; Mitch O'Connell; Sergio "Palami" Palamidessi; Ger "Dutch Courage" Peters; The Pizz; Vince Ray; Rockin' Jellybean; Rob Schwager; Chaz Royal; Sol Rac; Theo Terror; Märt "Ultra Bazar" Infanger; David Vicente; Mark Wasyl; Keith Weesner; Derek Yaniger.

This is really a must-have book!

Super-Concentrated Dosages of Life's Coolest Themes5
Where do I start? This book is a certified treasure!

Okay, as a two-decade-long book collector, let me tell you up front the quality of manufacture here is first-rate. The paper and printing is as good as there is. The cover is a CLOTH-COVERED HARDBACK!!! (Yes, it has paper sleeve cover also.) Most hardbacks today have compromised shiny-paper outer layers which drive me nuts because they don't hold up well over time. (Read my other reviews, cheap covers are a big issue for me.) This book, by contrast, is built to last for decades. It is as solid as a brick. My hearty thanks to everyone who collaborated to build this amazing edifice.

The art inside the book: Do you like any of the following subject matter?:

>Beautiful, shapely, scantily-clad ladies;

>Hot rods and muscle cars emitting ample volumes of smoke and flame;

>Motorcycles emitting smoke, sparks and flame and often being ridden by grinning skeletons or skulls;

>Tiki figures dancing and generally being mishcievous;

>Pistons, gears, engine cyclinder covers and other engine components being embraced by the aforementioned ladies, skulls and skeletons;

>Guitars, typically electric with an accompanying amplifier stack;

>Wild animated creatures who are partying or playing poker (and probably cheating);

>Exotic Freemason-type symbols and other arcane and irreverant nonsense;

>Crazy monsters driving recklessly and DUI (probably with priors);

>More lingerie tributes than a Victoria's Secret catalogue;

>Samurai swords, handguns, LP's, water bongs, and more guitars, all being brandished by tattooed Bettie Page look-alikes and lovely girls in genie or belly-dancer outfits.

The previous listings were part of a question. Do you like any of those things? If so, you will love this book as there are numerous crazed representations of all of these things, most of which are life's greatest delights, in my opinion. The images are playfully sinister and sinisterously happy. This is a book that both both children and ex-cons can appreciate!

Buy this book now, as once it goes out of print is is certain to become a collector's item and the price will go stratospheric. This is simply a wonderful selection of top-drawer stuff, arranged by artist, most of which I had never seen before. This is definitely not just for the tattoo lovers, but they obviously will be first in line here.

The only downside is that I'm going to be spending a good deal of time online this beautiful Saturday, trying to find out where I can buy some of these astonishing prints!!!

Hot Graphics for Mature Eyes Only!4
An amazing collection of Kustom Graphic artists from all around the globe! Some you will recognise, and some a little more obscure.
Hot rods, hot chicks, lots of gore and over the top testosterone fill the pages in this book.
The quality of the artwork in all its mediums; air brush to screen prints, pen and ink to computers, is all high quality no matter what the subject matter.
Definitely nor for the feint hearted or feminist minded readers, but that was not what this era was about. Kustom Graphics makes a great talking piece in the book case or brave coffee tables.
Definitely a must for all those people reliving the retro years!