Why I love this one-off piece of automotive artwork

My office is my space, a room where I make music and write about cars.

The art on the walls is equally unique.

No weathered Gulf signs, no Steve McQueen giving the two-finger salute, no faded ’80s movie posters stuck in a cheap frame.

Each piece tells a story–like the one sitting above my left shoulder.

If you’re of a certain age, you might well remember Blondie’s “Rapture,” the 1981 release that quite likely introduced you to hip-hop. Singer Debbie Harry, guitarist Chris Stein and the rest of the band artfully blended hip-hop with new wave–their usual–while even adding a hint of disco.

It didn’t sound like anything else on the radio.

It also spent two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

And then you’re in the man from Mars

You go out at night, eatin’ cars

You eat Cadillacs, Lincolns, too

Mercurys and Subarus

And you don’t stop, you keep on eatin’ cars

Then, when there’s no more cars

You go out at night and eat up bars where the people meet

If you’re of a certain age, you might also know Fishbone, the Los Angeles ska, punk, soul, alternative band that blew up on the scene in the ’80s.

Angelo Moore–vocals, saxophone, theremin–gave the band an ideal frontman: energetic, unpredictable and always wearing the perfect thing, even if that meant nothing. And all these years later, Fishbone is still at it, releasing an EP last year.

Angelo Moore has a side hustle, too: producing fine art, specifically one-off mixed-media pieces that combine silkscreened images with hand-drawn elements.

In May 2022, I saw a mention of a gallery opening featuring his art. The invite said Angelo would be there.

Sign me up.

Soon after I passed through the door, he shoved a phone in my face for his live broadcast: What did I think about the exhibit?

I was still taking it all in but worked to come up with something beyond a boring string of adjectives.

The entire experience was exactly as I expected, a chaotic assault on the senses. I spent a few hours taking it all in. I had to.

Most of the pieces on display came from his “Avant Icons” series that features, among others, the likenesses of Mr. T, Grace Jones, Muhammad Ali, Madonna, Salvador Dali, Mel Brooks, Jimi Hendrix and Rick James.

One piece featured Debbie Harry’s piercing stare surrounded by the lyrics from “Rapture.” It perfectly brought together cars and music, two of my favorite food groups. It also involved Blondie and Fishbone, a pair of bands regularly in heavy rotation.

I had to have it.

It was sold.

A little later, Angelo and his manager approached me: They heard I was interested in the piece.

Angelo doesn’t produce the same artwork twice, I was told, but would I be interested in something along similar lines?

But “bettah,” Angelo stressed, his eyes seemingly growing with each syllable of the conversation. 

Sure, I’d roll the dice.

We chatted a few, I handed over my credit card number, and we shook on the commission.

And then, for months, nothing.

The gallery had moved, too.

Finally, I reached out to the staff: Hello, any news?

It just arrived at the gallery, I was told, as his touring schedule tied him up for a bit. Give them a day or two to stretch the canvas.

The artwork I received, as promised, was bettah.

It’s a one-of-a-kind piece that perfectly combines my love of cars and music. It’s hanging above several guitars and next to shelves crammed full of cars–right where it should be.

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