Me Toad & Paul Le Matt (Milner)
Well it was finally here the Ameri-car show, which was to beheld over the weekend 10th - 12th of September. I was asked to show my Green and Flamed Rod and exhibitors had to be there by Thursday as set up time was by Friday at 11am and going around the north circular very early in the rush hour is not a good idea even for a stunt driver. So we decided to set of on the Thursday as it would be easier all round. Off we go round the north circular on to the A40 then the M40 not a Rod insight, then as we would normally turn left for Avon Park we go right we see Mr. Lucas in his stunning 32 roadster with teardrop caravan. So we cruised up to Americar together, on arriving at the show we are pointed in the right direction and stop right outside the hall which we are going to be in and see Eric just coming out "have you got your camera with you toad" yes why? "cos the graffiti cars are over there and there open"...GREAT! grabbing the camera and Shirley and the kids, "go on Shirley get in the Thunderbird so I can take some photo's" I said she said "take another " . I then get photos of Nicole in the Thunderbird and Ryan in the 55... I thought right now me, in the 32 coupe....SHIT! its locked dammit.
So I decided to go find Barry Timms to see what he wants us to do, we tell him we gotta get some food and have to use the Rod as we wont have transport first then we can put the Rod in the show. Barry Pipes up "Toad we'll get you to the tattooist if Milner signs your arm for you" I say "great cheers Barry see you when we get back" ya see that was my idea get Paul Lematt to autograph me arm and I would get it tattooed for me to wear with pride forever, so I was looking forward to that.
Neil Tadman's cool 34 and Paul Kennedy's 33 Willys ex 60's drag car.
£100 of shopping later, we have to set up tent put the shopping away, then back to the hall to set up.. I am told to park next to the Graffiti Cars" So there's me parked next to the Graffiti coupe and the 55 and the Thunderbird telling people yes that rod (mine) was cut from the film (if only that was true). So I'm just about to start polishing the Rod, when Gus Patel comes over and says" try this" "I've already help polish some other rods and all the other guys use the same stuff" so he helps me polish me rod (hotrod that is before you all start sniggering) and its done in half an hour, gotta get me some of that stuff I said.. errr so I did.
Ray Cadds ( Billy Gabb built 34) and Johnny Best two of the most beautiful 34
in the Uk
All the top rods was there, Frank Carrols stunning red 34, John Martinez's yellow 37 , Dave Browns A40 van the list goes on and our rod was amongst them WOW ! All done and off to get changed for the night, "right where should we go Shirley?" I said "I don't know? lets go back to the hall and see what's going on" was the reply. So off we go again to the hall, the kids had a go or two on the pinball machines that where free, we saw everyone was going to the hotel bar, "we'll go there then" I said. Inside we order a drink and are asked "are you resident in the hotel" "no we are in the show but camped over there" "well you can drink here but will have to leave at 11pm" "WHAT! your joking".....nope he wasn't Joking.
Me and the Mrs or is it? That sure looks like Harrison Ford and the Blonde in
the T-Bird.
We sit with Danny Stevens and Geordie Paul's lot and Eileen and Pete (sorry forgot your last name) and what a laugh that was. I going out side for some fresh air and a fag and Ryan comes with me (my son). I'm outside smoking and there's Milner (paul Lematt), Though he made the film over 30yrs ago, I still could see Milner from the film, with his arm out of the chopped coupes winda cruising... He went back in and up to his room shortly after me seeing him. I finish me fag and go back inside, Shirley saying "I've just seen Milner" "yes I know I was standing next to him". We keep on having a drink or two and a good laugh and its time for another fag, so I go back outside cos Ryan wants some fresh air and I want some nicotine air :>) and Milner's there again, but this time with Rick Figari who owns both the 32 and the 55. I ask Paul if tomorrow he would sign my arm "you want to get it tattooed" (how did he know) "yes m8" I reply all eager "no sorry I cant do that" grrrrrrrrr! I was so pissed off that he said he wouldn't but I thought I'll try again tomorrow. Me and Rick (yep we are now on first name terms heh heh) have a bit of a chat while Paul goes inside, soon we join them all back inside, I thought what happened to us having to leave at 11pm it was now 12.20am and I was wobbling a bit so we decided to go to our tent, as it will be a long day tomorrow.
FRIDAY, after some breakfast, we were ready for the days show also we heard there was gonna be a bit of a party later so that sounded good. We go to one hall and had a look around, then into the main hall where the graffiti cars were. DAMN! they've moved the graffiti cars, on to a stand they had set up, mine was pushed about 10ft forward as out of all the rods there, mine was the only one that had a steering lock, he he he! lets try Milner again "nope" he aint gonna do it, but I do have me graffiti t-shirt and me DVD to hand which he gladly signs.
No sooner had he signed my stuff and there's more people wanting him to sign things, lots of 32 models (shit I left mine at home) Paul LeMatt wanted to do the signings the next day not today but there was getting a bit of a Q. Then some guy starts shouting at him "we're here for your benefit if it wasn't for us you wouldn't be here" I thought the guy was bang out of order. Danny gets a chair and table when Paul agrees to do a few (but I felt sorry for Paul as you could see he was tired and jet lagged) and the show didn't start until tomorrow we were all just exhibitors.....anyway where this party I've been hearing about for the exhibiters?
It turned out to be a few sandwiches and a cuppa BLOODY HELL ;>) after that we all got kicked out, so they can lock the halls up. What could a guy do but go to the bar (no marquee), while at the bar we are with Kev (who bought Kev Rooney's Kapri) and I start chatting with Rick (owner of the 32 and 55) and Bob Paul Le Matt's manager what a bloody good laugh we had they was telling me and Kev and Nicole about bob who is the manager of mini-me and Val Kilmer. They told us about the time Rick went to the bar in the states with mini-me and got him a pint of beer now mini-me is only about 18 or 23 inches high, so he's sat on the stool and bob shouting at Rick what did you get him a beer for he's smaller than a child? then mini-me falls pissed as a fart of the stool. Ha Ha Me and Kev were probably one drink away from falling off our stools ourselves so man was it funny.... It was even funnier the way they told it and all the other stories they was telling us was hilarious, we had a real good laugh with them. We had left Shirley and the others for a long time so we went back and sat with them, though not for long as we left early as we was all knackered.
Mini working V8 and the queue for Milner's (Paul Le Matt) autograph.
SATURDAY, up and start the breakfast a nice fry-up lovely, then off to have a look around again, as it was spectators day and everything should be busy, the fair wasn't open yet. It was open on Friday with all the bloody rain, but not yet and it was a better day no rain. We go we see Danny Stevens and hear that he got so pissed he left the bar at 4am and spent 45minutes looking for his room, they now had the marquee up, so we check that out, a band called "king pleasure and the biscuit boy" was playing 1940`s style Kansas city jazz and blues and they was really good (now there's a band for a show next year). When they finished, we go and look around again, as we had no transport we had to stay on site and there was nothing to do for us, but keep looking at the same stuff all the time and with the kids they get bored real easy nothing was laid on for any of us Rodders and being some 5 miles away from the nearest town we was fooked! So we look round again and get a tea at one off the food trailers, my boy wants a hotdog and at £1.20 for a tea and £2.60 for a hotdog that was the last time we went to a trailer for a cuppa, there were lots of spectators but not as many as I hoped there would be, but it was now raining again maybe that had some bearing on it, also the Sheffield Run was on. We saw Paul Le Matt was very busy signing all sorts off things, so I lined up to get a signed photo for Shirley (the wife) but Rick gives me 2 posters of Milner and the coupe on paradise road for free and gets Milner to sign them for free. He sees its me and he says "I'll sign it to toad ok " "yes cheers!" though I hope he dont think I am Toad from the film. I get one done for me and the other poster signed for me m8 tony (cabby off uk-hotrods) then I hide them in me rod, safest place me thinks. The show finished at 5pm and the hall locked up not much later. We decide to go back to the tent for some food and get changed for the night back at the bar, but first we are gonna go to the marquee, well we wasn't in there for long as the marquee didn't have any sides on and it was bloody cold with the wind going right through at about 50mph, that was it off to the warmth of the bar.
Now this is a little hotel bar that sits maybe 30 people max but it was packed this night with maybe 60 people as everyone was leaving the next day for home well I had a real good chat and laugh with Dave Brown, Frank "the fox" Carroll, John Martinez , Martin Kelly (I think that's his name) they stopped serving you if you wasn't a guest in the hotel, so Gus was telling everyone to say room 202 (as that was his room) blimey they must of thought there was an orgy going on in his room, as there must of been some 20 or so getting a drink and saying room 202 ha ha ha! The bar was drunk dry.
SUNDAY up for some much needed breakfast, Kev then he gives me a hand to take down the tent (cheers m8) before it rains that is. Plus we wanted to be away as soon as possible as we was bloody knackered. Tents all away and over to the hall, it was busier than Saturday for sure, the line for Milner signings was huge, we had a good look around and Ryan and Nicole were having a go in the play station tent for a little while, we go to the marquee and Ryan gives me a sweet, one of those "toxic" thingies that taste like about a 1000 lemons in your mouth. Ha Ha he thinks as this makes me want to throw up, I'm on the grass on all fours spitting and heaving and all I can see is Keith Harman running around me taking photo's (my day will come Keith :) ) After my ordeal, we go back to the show hall and a few Rodders started they're engines up for the spectators, which prompted a few cheers whose idea was that I wonder ;>)
It was then prize giving, sorry guys but I cant remember who won what, I know that Ian Burton was well shocked, by the look on his face to win a trophy, then Barry Timms won a special award and rightly so for all his hard work, John *Blobby* Martinez was also in the winners circle though voted best in show went to Dan Boone and his real Cool 32.. It was said that Milner was racing Rick at the BHRA model drag strip so we had to go and watch that didn't we, the guys had made a replica 32 and 55 from graffiti for them to race, but what they didn't see was the little ramp that the 55 would hit at about 3/4s of the way down the strip in ture Graffiti style. Well the tree lights went green away they flew and the 55 rolled just like in the film and Milner and Rick burst out laughing along with everyone else and Milner saying was that for pink slips :>)
Well that was the end of the show and we was off, we cruised along with Gus Patel and caught up with Neil Tadman (slow coach) and I think the other guys name is Ray Cadd (Blown 34 Coupe) now we are all ready for the drags a week later.................TOAD...........
Spied in the Car park was Jeff Becks, Brizio built steel 32, now how cool is
that!