Rat Fink has arrived!

Rat Fink! This big ol' bug-eyed, gnarly-toothed, green monster was created by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth because of his distaste for that wholesome, do-good rodent - Mickey Mouse. Rat Fink was the anti-Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney's worst nightmare - a character who embraced being different and personified weird.

Ed Roth was an artist, pinstriper & custom car builder who stood as one of the fathers of the Kustom Kulture movement which grew in popularity during the 1950s & 1960s. He set up booths at car shows, drag races, fairs, etc, and airbrushed hot rod drivin' monsters onto t-shirts which attracted lines of customers. It wasn't long until Rat Fink stood out as his most popular character, and, soon, kids and adults, alike, could find Rat Fink on emblazoned on anything and everything from t-shirts to model cars, from gumball machine toys to halloween costumes, from comic books to record albums (really. Look up "Mr. Gasser & the Weirdos)! We salute Ed Roth & his buddy, Rat Fink, for demonstrating that being weird isn't just okay, but it's cool!

Embrace your inner weird with some of our new Rat Fink items! 

Here are a few of my personal favorites:

Rat Fink Bandana	Rat Fink Lapel Pin
Pink Rat Fink Patch  (for the ladies who love the rat!)	Rat Fink Time Clock
Chocolate Rat Fink T-Shirt  (with a large R.F. across the back)	Rat Fink Hoodie

13 Facts You Didn't Know About The Man in Black

Did you know... ?

1. The Masons rejected Cash's membership application based "on moral grounds".
2. Cash learned how to hypnotize himself thanks to the help of fellow country star, Johnny Horton (hypnotizing himself helped him remember song lyrics).
3. Cash's signature all-black wardrobe was all about superstition. He considered the style good luck after he wore a black t-shirt & black jeans during his very first performance.
4. Cash became the only person ever successfully sued by the USA for starting a forest fire. After an oil leak in Cash's Dodge camper (named Jesse James) set fire to Los Padres National Wildlife Refuge, acres of trees were burned down & the majority of their endangered condor population (approx. 49) were killed off.
5. An ostrich attack left Cash with five broken ribs and internal bleeding (I think the ostrich heard about the condors).
6. His "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" introduction debuted at Folsom State Prison.
7. During a tour in the 1950s, Cash brought 500 baby chickens to a hotel and let 100 of them loose on each floor.
8. He also flushed cherry bombs down the toilet of a hotel and blew out the plumbing.
9. Johnny Cash knew how to count. I, on the other hand, do not (and therefore, originally missed #9!).

10. Oh yeah, and he stabbed a reproduction of the Mona Lisa in a hotel because it didn't "meet his standards". Johnny Cash = Art Aficionado.
11. In the Air Force, Cash wrote stories under the name Johnny Dollar.
12. The musical inspiration for Walk the Line came from accidentally listening to Bavarian guitar music backwards.
13. In 1984, when he felt that his record label was ignoring him, he recorded an album called Chicken in Black. The lead song off the album was about Cash's brain being transplanted onto the body of a chicken. Really. I highly recommend that you click on that "Chicken in Black" link, by the way.

Now you're all set for Johnny Cash quizzo night!

Need more Johnny Cash in your life? Here are a few of my favorite Johnny Cash items currently available at SourpussClothing.com. Click on the images to get the lowdown!

 

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The Cruise Down Memory Lane

This past weekend was the 21st annual Cruise Down Memory Lane in Vineland, NJ. This is the largest cruise in the tri-state region, and since this also happened to be the first year that they allowed rat rods & beaters into the mix, I made sure I was armed with my trusty camera!

Vineland, NJ is the largest city in NJ and it's filled with history. Going down the main drag, Landis Avenue, you'll notice that a lot of their buildings haven't changed since the 1950/60s. For instance, the stand alone Sears & Roebucks store is still a fully functioning department store (if only it was still filled with all of those old housewares & apparel that fills the 1950/60s Sears & Roebucks catalogs!), and the Art Deco-styled Landis Theater, that used to host Vaudeville acts in the 1930s, still functions as a movie theater today.

Take a peek at a few of my favorites that were out that day:

   
   
 

(Click on any of the images for a closer look)

Want more? Check out the Flickr gallery below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikscarlett/sets/72157630115548874/

If you're in the area next year, put on your walking shoes and check out this event! I'm personally already looking forward to seeing even more rat rods & project cars turn out in the mix next year.

A Brief Appreciation of Gig Posters

Howdy again from Nik's greasy & creepy corner of the Sourpuss blog. If there's 2 things that all of us at Sourpuss can appreciate the significance of (aside from a killer taste in fashion, naturally) - it's music & art. And what better encompasses both music & art than... gig posters? So, I'd like to take a second out of your busy schedule & share a handful of my favorite examples of gig poster design for some real decent* bands out there. (*Decent being by my standards, that is - which is questionable).

Reverend Horton Heat // Jim Mazza 

The Misfits // Talkseek 

Hank III // Dirk Fowler 

Unknown Hinson // Ryan Fleming 

Danzig // Micah Smith

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...and here's a few more thrown in for good measure:

And just just like that(!), your tour through this design nerd's cluttered mind is over. For now. Got your own favorites? Do you design gig posters/show fliers?  

Share 'em in our comments!

Kustom Kreeps Pomade Reviews

(Click For Larger View)

Light Weight - not just for Light Weights!

This is my hair using the Kustom Kreeps’ “True Fright” (light) pomade - which is definitely my new go-to light pomade (and i’m not just saying that). This shit melts in your hand - like buttah! It’s extremely pliable, easily combed through, there is some hold (not a lot, so don’t expect much height) and it provides a ton of shine without being overly greasy (compared to say, High Life’s light pomade which was my previous go-to). Definitely a good fit for thinner hair & slicker styles.

This pomade is worth it just for the scent. It doesn’t just smell like root beer - it smells like root beer snow cones. Mark my words.

On to the Medium Weight!

The Kustom Kreeps “Monster Attack” pomade has a medium hold. It’s easy to scoop out of the tin with a thicker texture that’s slightly more buttery than waxy, and it has a fairly mild mint scent. There’s a bit of shine in this pomade (not nearly as much as the light weight has though), and despite having a little bit of weight to it, the hold is fairly strong when applied to dry or dry-ish? hair. Yes, height can be achieved with this one. I had an easy go of it spreading evenly in my hair; combing it through was no big deal.

Bonus: I ran my comb back through my hair later in the day, and I had no issues with flaking - which is awesome. Because pomades that flake are.the.worst.

Heavyweight Time!

Here’s the Kustom Kreeps “Death Grip” pomade (heavy hold) with a mild wood scent (think: sandalwood). First of all - yeah, it’s heavy. In the tin, as well as, in it’s hold. Ya gotta put a little elbow grease into it to get it out of the tin, but it gets easier the more you use it. Once it’s in your hands, it’s smooth & easily workable. You can even comb through it (as with the other Kustom Kreeps pomades, without flaking!).

As you would expect, the hold on it is excellent. Style your hair and it’s not going to budge for the rest of the day. In fact, those photos? Taken after coming in from a windy day. And when i woke up the next morning? Minimal movement. It's great for flat tops, for sure, along with gravity-defying pompadours - or really, like in my experience - just to have it around for a windy day.

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Hopefully these were somewhat(?!) helpful to someone out there since the stuff just hit the shelves and there’s not much other info out there yet. If i've missed any important details & you've still got questions, let us know by leavin' a comment!

Keep it Kreepy with New Kustom Kreeps!

Just when you thought your wardrobe was safe... Kustom Kreeps new spring line of designs are ready to invade your closet! Our new t-shirts feature some bold, bad-ass artwork including "Memento Mori", "Live Fast, Die Last", "Support Your Local Kreep", "Hellbound", and "Graveyard Shifters".

Check out my personal favorite, Support Your Local Kreep. This Franken-inspired design features a gnarly 3-eyed monster with a psychobilly flat top and a sick protruding eyeball. Eyeball guts, ya'll.

But that's not all! We're also introducing a selection of air fresheners to freshen up that rank old smell lingering in your rust bucket. This selection includes Memento Mori that smells like "Fresh Grave (new car leather)", Man's Ruin that smells like "Psycho Sinamon (that's cinnamon if you couldn't figure it out), Graveyard Shifters that smells like sweet "Rotting Roses", Hellbound that smells like "Adrenaline Junkie (aka coffee)", and Support Your Local Kreep that smells like "Creepy Coconut". Does creepy coconut smell different than just plain ol' coconut? Find out for yourself!

Thanks for readin' my garble, and I hope ya'll dig the new designs as much as I do. Until next time, Keep on Kreepin'!