Big John Mazmanian photo courtesy mikesteinberg-aagas.com

If you love the Gasser drag racing years of the Sixties (and on), you probably have an affinity for Pirelli tires. They were the choice of many old warriors for skinny, low-drag front tires for a long, long time. And if you’re like me, a pair of Pirelli frontrunners are the only way to go when building a car that, in any way, celebrates that glorious era.

Maybe the one thing that Pirelli enjoys a grand tradition of, beyond those tires for us, is the legendary Pirelli calendar. I’ve never personally seen one, but I’m sure I’m a member of a pretty big club in that sense. You can’t buy one in any normal calendar-buying way and it seems like guys in “the know” or who have some very influential friends, might be able to secure one.

While you’re looking for that unicorn, take a look at the calendar photoshoot behind-the-scenes video Pirelli has so graciously put forth (here). Shot by one of my favorite artists, Peter Beard, the 2009 calendar must have been the mother of all productions.

And fair warning here, folks: if you have any sort of problem with exposure to beautiful, nude women, don’t watch this video. I don’t want to be responsible for ruining what I’m sure would be an otherwise perfect day for you.

Good friend and cultural anthropologist, Roddy Moore, is also a hotrodder. But, that means Roddy comes at his car builds with a certain sense of historical correctness and pretty much full-blown bitchen-ness. His latest, a ‘49 Shoebox, is a perfect example: sure, scallops and five-spokes are nothing new, but it amazes me how many folks screw the pooch on this classic combination and Roddy did it oh-so right.

You want an example of solid, mid/slightly late-Sixties custom? Just take a look at what Roddy combined to get it: the scallops are simple and follow the body contours and run long enough to make good impact. The skinny whites and spokes are period-perfect. The dual chrome tips fit the chosen time period, too. No frenched headlights or skirts or visor or other typical “Back To The Fifties” accoutrements allow the car’s stance to remain true to its nimble street-racer approach. The interior actually complements the exterior.

You might think I’m going a little crazy with this, but these are the things I look at when I size up a build. I think the car should make its statement on its own, without the owner telling me all about it. Try this out the next time you see one of many, many Shoeboxes at a show. I mean, to each his own, right? But, there are some simple truths in the world and you either get it or you don’t…

Got a cryptic message on the cellphone last week from an anonymous caller: “Hey, man…Ben Davis…dead…thought you might wanna know…OK…smell ya later…”

One of the most loved and oldest workwear brands lost its founder and namesake: Ben Davis – the man himself – dies at 95 years. If you don’t have one of the unique pullovers or a pair of the pants, you might not have a special tender place in your heart for the hulking, grinning monkey, but trust us when we say that some of your friends, including your buddy Kid Rock, do.

Ben Davis came from a line of hard-scrabble tailors that built a brand alongside the likes of Levi Strauss in San Francisco’s Gold Rush years and, like Levi’s, built a cult following in doing it. You can read the obit (here) and more about the man behind the monkey (here).

The venerable book publisher, Taschen, has been releasing some great collections as of late and we ’specially dig the new one dedicated to surf culture. Vintage Surf (here) really focuses on all the great, old campy stuff that really hit when the Southern California surfing scene took off in the Fifties and Sixties, and we’re gonna pick up a copy to keep in the bookcase. On the other end of the same shelf we keep our copy of the Bunker Spreckels book on…

Remember your first endo on a bike? Here’s RL Osborn pulling off a curb endo in, like, ‘86 or something. There’s a great thread on nothing but endos over at Old School BMX (here). Close the door to the office and enjoy…