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   from the issue of November 9, 2006

     
 
'Tales of the Rat Fink' plays the Ross

The life of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth - presented in Kandy color and recorded with real 426 hemi engines - opens Nov. 10 at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center.


BIG DADDY - Ed
 
BIG DADDY - Ed "Big Daddy" Roth shows a car and model he designed. A documentary on the customized car legend, "Tales of the Rat Fink," opens Nov. 10 at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center.

 
In the primarily animated feature "Tales of the Rat Fink," director Ron Mann captures the story of Roth, a Renaissance man who engineered a shift in mid-20th century culture through his customized cars, "monster" T-shirts and America's alternative rodent "Rat Fink."

Roth was the subject of Tom Wolfe's essay "The Kandy Kolored Tangerine Flake Streamline Baby." He helped fuel the hot rod movement of the 1960s in southern California. At that time, hot rodding grew from crude backyard engineering where performance was the bottom line to a refined art form where aesthetics were equally important.

Mann's documentary features the voice talents of John Goodman, Ann Margret, Jay Leno, Brian Wilson, Tom Wolfe, Matt Groening, Robert Williams, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Paul LeMat, Billy F. Gibbons and the Smothers Brothers.

"Tales of the Rat Fink" is showing at the Ross through Nov. 22. Additional information, including show times, is available online at www.theross.org or call 472-5353.



Also showing @ The Ross

"Shortbus" - A sexually-charged film about a sex therapists search for answers on relationships.


GO TO: ISSUE OF NOVEMBER 9

ARTS HEADLINES FOR NOVEMBER 9

Just playing along
American Life in Poetry
Dominic Gaudious to perform at East Union
Flower powered rug exhibition at Hillestad
Lied Center hosts Good Humor Men Nov. 15
Sheldon completes conservation work on six outdoor sculptures
'Tales of the Rat Fink' plays the Ross

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