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Our guest is Hot Rod historian Pat Ganahl. This show, Pat talks about his friend, hot rod, pop culture artist, and creator of the Rat Fink, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. Pat was friends with Big Daddy and has a unique perspective on this most colorful of all hot rod artists.
Hot Rodding is a uniquely American form of motoring. Part speed machine, part old car, part drag racer, and part custom car. The delightfully quirky nature of the hobby naturally attracts delightfully quirky people. Ed Roth, aka, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and the father of the infamous RAT FINK, was arguably one of hot rodding’s quirkiest characters.
Roth was a unique mix of rebel, car guy, car nut, visionary, sculptor, designer, and culture-creative artist. His cartoon character RAT FINK was his alter ego. Having grown up in the Los Angeles area, he was there for the explosion of Disneyland mania and had an immediate visceral hatred of Mickey Mouse.