Lasers, Road Rage and Neil Blender

I didn't think we were gonna be able to make the trek all the way down to Carlsbad for Neil's art show with Swifto and Grant exhibiting photos at Hensley's Pub this past Saturday. I got the call right before I left work on Friday from Chad that the trip was a go.

The drive down was insane. As we're heading down The 5, just past Bakersfield, we got blocked in on purpose by a mini van for about 15 minutes that wouldn't let us pass. Chud gave them to hi-beams to get over. As soon as he does this, green laser beams come shining out of the mini van from what I guess was a laser pointer. We're trying our best not to get blinded and crash. Things were getting hairy. Chud drops it a gear or two and somehow manages to pass them when the car beside the mini van eases off. By this time we're going 115-120. We're in front and "Pac-Man-ing" the broken white line in the middle of the highway and weaving so they can't run us off the road. We're approaching some 18-wheelers and we drop back and let the van pass us. We later passed them near L.A. and they just stared at us as we passed. By the way, we were in Chud's Mini Cooper so it made all this high speed shenanigans biz even gnarlier.

It was totally worth the insane drive down there to see the show and meet Neil in person for the first time after sending e-mails for years. Same goes for Hago and Senator Cranston.

Big thanks to Mike for letting us crash at his house a mere 50 yards from Hensley's, Nelson for fixing Chud's car, Neil, Cranston, Hago and Jeremy for being rad.

Please take into consideration that these photos were taken with a camera in one hand and a Scotch and coke in the other. Here are all of the pieces Neil had up. If you didn't get there early, you were hating it because most of the paintings were sold and taken off the walls within the first hour.

This is the one I got. STOKED.
This was Hago's pick of the litter. Painted on an old cabinet door.

Volvo rally car. Hot.

One of my favorites of the show. It was sold so quickly I didn't really get a chance to check it out properly.
Caught heat from the missus for not getting the fat cat.

Lino prints of Heated Wheel standbys "Flower Guy" and "Elvis Machine"
Same here with "Go-Kart" and "The Third Profile"
"Elvis Machine" detail

Hottest "Go-Kart" print yet! EAT SHIT!
The dark horse of the entire show. Unlike any painting I've ever seen of Neil's. Awesome.


Van Gundy.





This one was the subject of Neil's Facebook contest to name it. My entry was "Joe Cocker Wrist Guard".

Detail of the huge "Tricycles Are Lame"

Detail of the huge "Tricycles Are Lame"
Detail of the huge "Tricycles Are Lame"

Detail of the huge "Tricycles Are Lame"
The entire "Tricycles Are Lame" piece. This was the largest of the show. Maybe 5 or 6 feet long.
Noah Nelson, Chad "Chud" Jackson and Josh Nelson
"Heavy crew..." -Cranston. G&S guys: Miller, Gray, Neil and Ruff. Claar was there too.
Neil and me.
Neil and Adrian Demain.
Adrian Demain killing it.
Insane pedal set-up.
Renaissance man, Hagop Najarian
Small Beating's own Matt Moffett. photo: Swifto
Josh Nelson contemplating Mini Cooper repair. The car was running rough before the I-5 laser jams and that episode couldn't have made things any better!
Laser road rage survivor.