In the late eighties comics evolved from pen and ink drawing to full blown painted illustration blowing the mind of impressionable readers. One of the greats at this effort was British artist Simon Bisley who transformed: the ABC Warriors; Slaine with his Hornéd God series; Dredd & Batman graphic novel; Lobo; and this one from 1992’s Dredd Megazine. a combination of fantasy artist Frank Frazetta; secessionists Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele; and Marvel Comic artist Bill Sienkiewicz.
The Great Pretender | “Let’s talk with Pete Farndon. When he’s not playing his electric bass, you can probably find him on his bike.”
Bassist from the original line up of the English American rock group The Pretenders Pete lived life in the fast lane on his Trident.
Old Sketch | probably doodled in the early eighties. I dug our this dirt bike drawing from a pile of papers I brought back from the UK on our last trip. I think I copied out of the Radio Times for the programme listing of Kick Start which I used to love watching.
Luftballon | not ninety nine… just the one. The bobber ‘cycle rider is adrift with the escapism one experiences when cruising along. Fun artwork from Douglas Thompson who captures the gravity defying nature of motorcycling.
Adventure Percussionist | Rush drummer Neil Peart recently passed away. His contribution to music is legendary. He was also an avid long distance motorcyclist covering countless miles between concerts and later journeys of introspective exploration. His autobiography Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road a haunting memoir of self rediscovery.
Neil Peart (1952-2020)
Seventh | in the late eighties we were up to regeneration number eight for The Doctor. Sylvester McCoy was the Time Lord and his sidekick Mel by the 70’s child star Bonnie Langford. When the Tardis is parked up they can tear around aboard a beautiful Vincent combination.
The Future Was Here | The imaginative illustrations of Syd Mead spoke of a streamlined and slick world of cool architecture and knife-sharp cars. This Honda 3000 has hints of Kaneda’s bike from ’89 Manga animation Akira. Mead developed the feel of dystopian Blade Runner and the computer integration of Tron. Syd passed away yesterday at the age of 86.
Would I lie to you? While I was cruising some 80’s music videos this evening I happened upon this snippet in the opening sequence of a Eurythmics hit from 1985. Her unruly boyfriend has a Kawasaki GPZ 900. Best color scheme too! That’s a great bike!
F Stop | The Original celebrity photographer Terry O’Neill passed away yesterday. His portraits of the spotlight denizens from the sixties through to the eighties are considered iconic. Clockwise from upper left: Robert Redford, Julie Andrews, Steve McQueen and Mickey Rourke.
Herding Cat | Today is playwright Sam Shepard’s birthday. Born in 1943 he acted in, wrote, directed and won numerous awards for dozens of plays. I remember him for his role in The Right Stuff as iconic supersonic pilot Chuck Yeager. Shepard died in 2017 aged 73
Bicycle Balance | We can all remember the moment equilibrium was achieved on two wheels. Calvin on the other hand…
“You must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy.” John Calvin
Brothers in Arms | 80’s supergroup Dire Straits was fronted by guitarist maestro Mark Knopfler. As well as a love of the creation of music he has also had a lifelong keen interest in motorcycles. This black Honda VFR is a smart looking steed.
39 Years Ago | Recently my family acquired a stack of old Classic Bike magazines from the Eighties. A few made it back to the States from our recent trip to Scotland. Here’s a typical classified back page where information on parts, repair, sales were a key part of vintage motorcycle restoration and maintenance. Remember this is a generation before the all seeing and doing InterWeb. The monthly magazines were essential reading for the enthusiast.
Gate Ajar | The Meriden factory gates closed permanently in August 1983 after final bankruptcy was called. I wonder what happened to these main driveway gates after demolition a year later… probably sold for scrap. However the Phoenix arose!
Pentagon | an errand in the City allowed me to drop my new panniers off to Johnny Scheff’s Motoworks to have their looks keyed to my ignition key. The new Triumphs looked splendid in the August sunshine. The current line-up are all cracking looking bikes.
