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1.) First and foremost thank you Jeff so much for taking the time to do this interview. It has been a true blessing to know you and have had the chance to talk with you personally on several occasions and to say I exclusively use your products. You and Fat Daddy Hagstrom have been like mentors to me, and it was a great moment in my life to have wowed you with the Grateful Dead panel I did over Instagram, on my birthday no less! Probably one of the greatest presents I would ever receive and it doesn’t have to collect dust in my garage lol.
Thank you so much - I'm truly humbled.
2.) Where were you born and raised?
The great state of Pennsylvania & home to the multi time World Champion: "Pittsburgh Steelers" N.F.L. Football team.
3.) How old were you when you fell in love with Hot Rods and how long after that did you buy your first one? What was your first hot rod and how long after that did pinstriping and the art hit your radar?
For as long as I can honestly remember, ever since I was a toddler, I loved "Cars" - Family photos & stories reflect that as well. I remember my Dad playing with me for hours with my cars! He used to race the famous "Hudson Hornet" stock cars back in the day. At 14, I bought a non-running bone stock, 1933 Willys Sedan. It was an old junker and I worked and worked and worked on that car for a couple years. I learned a hell of a lot about old cars the whole time. I eventually sold it via Hemmings Motor News to a guy in Denver. I only paid $200. for it & put a couple hundred in it, and yet I sold it for $1,500. My dad thought the guy was "NUTS" to come from Denver Colorado, all the way to California and buy this old car in "Primer" for $1,500. from a KID, LOL! Now I had my drivers license by then and I bought one of those tiny 1957 Nash Metropolitans from a neighbor down the street for a mere $10. That also didn't run, lol. So with a buddy, we simply pushed it home to my house. I figured out what was wrong, and for $15. I ordered a New Distributor Cap, Spark Plug wires & Coil ~ Slapped that stuff on and 'Ba 'Da 'Bing ~ that car got me 39 MPG!!!! And this was when gas was only .25 cents a gallon. It was faded Powder Blue & White, which was way too Girly for me, so my friend the famous 1960's Top Fuel Driver: John "the Zookeeper" Mulligan, who lived across the street, helped me & showed me how to paint it GREEN, lol. The same color as their famous "Beebe & Mulligan" Dragster.....(I used to hang out at their race shop, go to Lions Drag Strip with them Etc. But that's another story entirely...lol) I sold the Metro after a while, then bought a '62 Ford Falcon. First thing I did was paint it "Green" and did my 1st "Flame Job" on it (looking back at those photos, it was soo freaking hideous lol) I dumped A LOT of money into that car! - Dragged raced the hell out of it, and even though It had a 6 cylinder in it, it performed so well at Lions, Irwindale & Orange County Raceways, that I caught the attention of Jack Clifford who owned a company called: Clifford Research 6 = 8. They made specialized racing performance parts just for 6 cylinder motors and he started sponsoring me. Damn did that car ever run fast & sound soooo good. Before I ever opened the hood anywhere, people just assumed it had a V-8 motor in it lol. Sold the Falcon, then bought me a "GREEN" 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner which eventually became my famous May 1976 Hot Rod Magazine cover car called: "the Street Freak" I'm blown away by it's 4 decade long popularity. I'm constantly being "tagged" by people over it on Facebook and It's always being talked about on the 70's Muscle car pages and the several "clone" attempts and copy cat cars that's been attempted impress the hell outta me. That particular cover of Hot Rod magazine also made their special edition book of: "the Best of Hot Rod Magazine" and another special edition called: "the 1st 50 years of Hot Rod Magazine". My biggest thrill though is when a toy company even made a little 1/64 diecast car of it about 3 years ago! Needless to say, that's one car I truly wish I'd never have sold. I've always had the "paint bug" in me so to speak. When I was in Jr. high school I entered a Candy Apple Red model car in a contest & it won "Best Paint". All through high school is where I really started to take off with my body work & painting abilities. Then of course I continued to follow through with it in the body shop course at College.
4.) Your first big shop was “Jeff’s Place” that opened in 1969, It was so successful that not only did you have day and night shift workers, but in 1982 a jealous competitor burned it down. To this day do you know or have any idea who it was or might be? And if yes are you allowed to speak it? What was the feeling you had after that happened? Did you struggle for awhile or was it pretty quick to get back on your feet?
My biggest competitor in Anaheim California at the time was Vinnie Bergman who owned a shop called: "Kolor Me Kustom" THAT'S who burned my shop down. He was eventually caught, prosecuted, and was sent to prison for awhile. It was an extremely weird feeling after that happened and took me quite awhile to get over it emotionally. About the same time, a very little known local Disneyland machinist and hobbyist home Hot Rod builder named Boyd Cottington hit me up to be his painter, at what was about to eventually became the Hot Rod Industry icon of: "Hot Rods by Boyd". But I turned him down! (I was kinda Burned Out, lol, No pun intended) Because I wanted to take some time off from painting, and since I was old time car club buddies with Tom McMullen, he gave me the opportunity to become a Magazine Editor & Photographer for McMullen Publishing. They made the magazines: Street Rodder, Trucking, Custom Chopper and a few more. I also freelanced my work with Peterson Publishing, who made: Hot Rod Magazine, Car Craft, Motor Trend, Off Road 4wheel drive, Etc, Etc. I enjoyed the hell out of doing the magazine gigs, buttttt after a few years of doing it, I got a 'Lil bored & the custom bug just kept nipping at me, along with so so many people constantly wanting me to paint something, Etc, Etc... So I opened my my own custom shop once again. & never looked back.
5.) You have done work for Motley Crue, Sylvester Stallone and Elizabeth Taylor. In the 60 amazing years of service to the community (which we all thank you for) has there been anybody you wish you could have worked with, or have done work for?
I kinda do have 2 regrets of some business decisions I made. Looking back, I've always wondered if I made the wrong decision when I turned down George Barris, when he hit me up to paint Farrah Fawcett's Corvette for her (via him) because he said I couldn't lay claim to painting it, since she came to him & he wanted to sub-contract it out to me! So I told him "fuck off". Looking back, I would have photo proof to back my claims of saying it today lol. And when I turned down the Yankee Major League baseball player Reggie Jackson, when he hit me up to paint all of his Hot Rods "FOR FREE" just because he was "Reggie Jackson"....so you can imagine what I told him....lol But, looking back. Hmm. Was that a mistake??? Ohhhh welllll.......lol
6.) In 1993 a good friend of yours Dave Whittle respectfully dubbed you “Von Dago”. One of the questions I’ve always wanted to ask is one that seems rather odd but it does hold some wonder especially in the climate we’re living in these days. Has there been anybody, Italian or otherwise who has been offended by the “Von Dago” name?
OH HELL YEAH... (Laughing My Ass Off!!!)
7.) You have stated during the 70’s Van Craze in America that you were invited to be on the Johnny Carson program. This little factoid has always fascinated me. Just the sheer brilliance of his comedic talent, to this day cannot be denied. What year was your Johnny Carson appearance? How were you contacted to do his show and what went through your mind after being invited? What was the experience like before the show and when you were live? Did you get to meet Johnny before the show and if yes what was he like?
It was in the 70's at the height of my popularity & business fame. I had a Public Relations firm on retainer that arranged that gig. It was perfect timing because of the extreme popularity of the Van movement. Exactly when, I honestly don't recall, as with soo many other little details of what we did, who we did it for and when, Etc. Etc. We contacted his organization a few years ago & they graciously tried to locate & pinpoint the actual air date / show, video, etc. based on all the information I could give them, but ultimately they couldn't because back then shows were on "Tape". Unfortunately, as we were told, somehow & nobody knows why, but the tapes of every show of every year was not even saved originally and some got lost during office moves, some naturally deteriorated, destroyed, Etc. That's a real bummer, trust me! First we had to have a few meetings with the staff & finally his producer Fred DeCordova to discuss the exact nature of what we were going to do, in showing Johnny HOW to Airbrush a van mural, Etc. I think it was about 3 Months before the actual tapping of the show. The show was taped way earlier in the early evening with his guests than when it was broadcasted, and because of the special nature of what we were going to do with Johnny, we (and the Van) had to be there very early in the morning because of all the preshow set up - rehearsals, etc. It was fun, exciting, fascinating & yet crazy! The first & foremost thing they were concerned about was Johnny's safety of course. We did several goofy rehearsals with a staff member, because like I said, there is soo much to it. All the boring stuff of: Placement of me, a little work table & the Van during the commercial break, Timing, Lighting, Sound, Camera locations, shots, etc... It was all so much of a blur because of all of that stuff. It took all dang day!!!! Although Johnny knew ahead of time what was going to happen on his show, when it finally happened, it was totally, totally fresh & new to Johnny. We never met before (or after) the show. This way, his reactions & comic remarks were 100% off the cuff & that way much more real when we did it together, and of course very funny!!!!
8.) Within the past few years you have been able to use social media to your advantage, and it seems like your popularity only continues to grow. For a long time you operated solely off Facebook, and I remember that you were always commenting on people’s posts. Frequently messaging others and myself about new products or even just to say Hi, give positive criticism or let people know about their order status. You are one hell of a business man. But it’s this business mindset that makes us feel like we’re more than customers, it makes us feel like we’re your friends and that keeps us coming back and loyal. You haven’t got a mean bone in your body, towards your loyal customers or even your critics. Has this always been the mindset you have had towards fans, customers, and rivals?
ABSOLUTELY!!!!! First off, I am - who & what I am...and I'm only being ME. There's No special magic to it. No special education to do this. I'm merely doing what I do best. I'm now running my Brush Business like I did my famous custom paint shop Jeff's Place in the 70's. and my Custom Sign shop in the 80's and my Hand Pinstriping business in the 90's ''n 2000's. I simply treat people as I want to be treated....to me, the key word here is "people". We are all from the human race. We are all Americans. Yes, I own the business & Yes, you are the customer ~ but guess what? Bottom line is: We are each "people", who have jobs, homes, family's, kids, pets, bills, etc. etc. But, without "people", which equates to Happy Customers, then you'll have NO BUSINESS. I didn't always have a job. I did the marriage gig (in my case 3 times...lol) I had the 3 kids, sent them to college, had homes, cars, pets, bills, Etc. So I know what's it's like! I wasn't always well known or considered famous. I've been there!!!! Thus, I can relate because I have never forgotten "my roots" I am a Pinstriper FOR Pinstripers - Period.
9.) While we're on the subject of divorce, I have always noticed a trend in our culture of guys going through the same thing. Ed Roth was divorced multiple times, the same with Dutch, even me on a personal level has struggled with marital strife because of my art (luckily not divorced but boy there were some bad days...) Is divorce so common in our culture because of the long hours we put in to be better at what we do, is it the fact that we become a little hardened by the crowd we choose to run with, is it the stress of finding success, or is it simply that wives cannot stand when we spend so much money on shit they "think" we don't need? HAHA! But, from your own experiences, is there anything you can say to us younger artists that could maybe steer us on a better path in our marriages?
I believe the women just flat out can't handle the constant stress & struggles of the economy based "ups 'n downs" we face being in a "Luxury" trade. Meaning what we do is a public WANT - not a need..... People WANT custom painting. They don't need it. Thus, we are like & based with the stock market. When the economy is good, we make GREAT money. When the economy takes a dive, so does our income. Because nobody WANTS what we do when they are unemployed, nor can they afford it. So it gets pretty damn tough sometimes, let me tell 'yas! But that's where saving for a rainy day comes in lol. It's hard to do sometimes, but it absolutely has to be done & you must be diligent about it. That, and being able to "sell" any Antique Gas Pumps and Signage you've accumulated over the years - or even your beloved '40 Ford two door sedan if you have to! lol. Because when it comes to eating regularly, you gotta do - what you gotta do! And by the looks of me, you can tell that this boy LIKES TO EAT ! 😁
10.) California seems to be a glorious place for the hot rod community, the sun and the beach and all that jazz. But there is a dark side to it, my wife originally being a born native has told me allot about the competitive nature of the state. In 1992 you left and “never looked back at California again!” Is it fair to say that this competitive nature was a factor in your leaving? And since your departure do you feel your best work has been achieved?
Yes, yes, yes & yes! lol. But there wasn't any business competition. In fact, quite the opposite. Bobbo Dunn was right down the street from me. Him and I worked together on a lot of projects. In fact, he eventually had ME pinstripe all of HIS customers cars for him lol. I even signed "his name" on them lol. It was a win-win. He dealt with the customers. All's I did was pinstripe the car & got paid. Bobbo never missed a beat painting the high volume of sign jobs he had, 'Ba 'Da 'Bing. I had so much work, I also subbed out quite a bit to both Bobbo & Dave Whittle. And there were some other guys who subbed out some specialized work to "me", that either they couldn't do, or didn't have the time to do. I didn't care one bit. Why? Because we are Professionals!!! Heck, there was plenty of work / customers to go around, so that wasn't a factor at all. It was the high crime, high cost of living, the disgusting Graffiti everywhere, the freaking brown skies everyday from "Smog", and finally the straw that broke my back was the L.A. Riots after the Rodney King crappolla. As far as my performing my best work since leaving California? ~ That's a yes & no answer. I had some GREAT years in Southern California, and some GREAT years in North Idaho. I can honestly say I have no regrets & no complaints about my decision to make the move.
11.) Your skin canvas was pretty empty in your younger photos, when did you decide to go full on with your tattoos, how many do you have, and what are they? Did it suck for you or did you handle it well?
I got my 1st tattoo at 17. Then started getting a few here 'n there in the 70's. Long story short of the late 80's early 90's, I kinda took a wrong turn in my career by getting sucked in with some Hell's Angles & other clubs that I was painting for, and started going "nuts" over getting Inked. Plus, during that same time period, I did all the signs for the World Famous Tattoo shop in Los Angeles called "Sunset Strip Tattoo" on Sunset Blvd. Thus, we worked out some trades lol. That's where I met the guys in the rock group "Motely Crue", "Guns 'n Roses", "Brian Setzer", Etc. I currently have full sleeves from my wrists up to my shoulders & onto a Dragon on my chest. Getting a Tattoo simply feels like a bad sun burn. It's no biggie. (other than when they stick that needle directly over a "bone" - then it's Yeeee Haaaaa time!)
12.) American Graffiti is one of my favorite movies! (Both 1 and 2, I’m such a fan of Milner’s I have and wear every night to bed my “Milner’s Racing Team” shirt haha!) Your resume includes work on cars from that movie, as a fan of that movie and of yours I would love to know which ones you did.
I only did the Maroon Merc. The one they only used for the "close up" with actor shots. They had about 2 or 3 others that were used for the stunts & driving scenes. Same with the other main two cars as well. The yellow Coup & black '55 Chevy. They also had stunt doubles lol. The owner of that Original Merc then had us paint it Candy Purple with Lime Green Candy Flames & was called: "The Green Flame"(within a one inch stripe on the car in the Purple, we saved a portion of the original maroon color) That car got a little more fame when the esteemed automotive kulture artist (and former Big Daddy Roth T-Shirt painter back in the day) - Robert Williams, put the car on his famous poster of: Von Dutch, Ed Roth, George Barris, etc. building some famous custom cars & hot rods, welding, painting flames, etc. That poster is now one hell of a collectors item.
(Bo Hopkins as Joe "The Pharaoh" from American Graffiti. This may or may not be the car Jeff Painted, but it gives you an idea of what he did.)
13.) As stated before I use your products exclusively. I am a big fan of the Mini Sabers because I like a stiffer synthetic brush for pinstriping as opposed to the softer squirrel hair brushes. These brushes also work best with acrylic paint, and when my lung health got bad I didn’t want to quit pinstriping so I looked for an alternative and your brushes were what I got. When did Mack first approach you to do a signature series and how long after did you start the Von Dago Pro Series website?
I believe it was about 2013 when they approached me. And 2014 when the 1'st line of brushes was released. The vondago.com website was started in 2015
(The official logo for Von Dago's Pro Series)
14.) You have the best customer service bar none. Each package is stuffed full of goodies besides what you purchase as well as personally written messages. The majority of your items are free shipping but when certain items are charged for shipping you have a guarantee that you will refund us for it. This happened to me once. You sent me two whole dollars. I was shocked! I didn’t expect straight up cash to be in my order let alone to have you personally send it. Along the way, did you see people not getting their moneys worth from other people’s products which made you in turn want to be better as a salesman?
That's exactly why! You nailed it buddy. As I previously said: I am a person too. I'm also a consumer. That's not so much about being a salesman, but more with just plain being HONEST with people AND giving them their moneys worth. Thus, once again: "I am a Pinstriper FOR Pinstripers"
15.) Did you ever get the chance to meet Von Dutch or Ed Roth? If yes what were they like, and how did they individually impact your life?
Ohhh absolutely. I've met them & lucky enough to party with them on two occasions. Dutch was a hoot. Ornery as all get out lol. Ed was just plain "cool". They influenced me like so many others just because of who they are & what they did.
16.) In your career you have also done some work for Hot Rod Magazine, Street Rodder, and Car Craft doing photography. Were there any notable works of yours that can still be found from this time?
Yeah, but I guess you'd have to buy the magazines now on places like eBay or see them in a guys garage if they have a decent collection (like some of my friends do)
17.) Besides your passion, what do you do in your spare time. How does Von Dago live when he puts the brushes down and walks through the front door when the day is done?
Well after having a hell of a fantastic 51 year career, I have finally finally RE-tired from any kind of painting, lettering or pinstriping!!!! BUT I really don't have any "spare time" now, because I am on the road traveling this beautiful Country of ours in my Motorhome pulling a Cargo Trailer, and running the Brush Business out of it as well. After all, every city has a Post Office lol. So maybe you can say in my spare time, I travel the Countryside.
18.) When did you decide that you were finally ready to retire? What was the factor that made you look at everything you've done and say "Yupp, I think I'm ready to walk away"?
I was kinda semi retired 2 yrs ago & only made the official "retired for good" public announcement last year, but the last 5 yrs leading up to that, I found myself taking longer and longer to pinstripe a vehicle or other projects such as Coke Machines, etc. I was realizing that personally, I just wasn't getting "Jazzed" over working anymore. Don't forget, I've been doing this EVERY DAY, 5 - 6 and sometimes 7 days a week for over 50 years!!! It was weird, because I did indeed feel a sense of burn out. As I was pushing 70 years old, not only was my body physically wearing down, but I was also mentally wearing down. I actually worked WAY longer than I should have, but I felt so appreciative & dedicated to my long term 30 year loyal customers, car dealerships, body shops, etc. But yet, as you keep getting older, things start to change. Both physically & mentally. Plus, at the same time, I was excited to be having my own line of brushes & it was (and is) fun to work on them.
19.) Before Von Dago has to put down his brush for the last time and God calls you home, What would you like to tell the next generation of pinstripers, Kustom builders and painters?
All I ask of & suggest to this next generation is to have a decent set of Morals. Be honest with their customers AND most importantly "yourself". Put in the long hard hours of sacrifice & especially "Practice" in order to learn to be the very very best you can be, Respect & honor the Old Timers in this craft. And brush your teeth before going to bed every night.
20.) Jeff, the process of doing this interview has been a real emotional moment for me but overall a real pleasure. Now that it’s over, all I can say is god bless you for everything you have done and continue to do. As a loyal supporter your impact on me will last my lifetime, and I will be proudly carrying on your name til' kingdom come. Thank you!
Aww shucks, I am truly Humbled my friend. And dog gone it - you've made me do my famous "Blush"
Please be sure to check out Von Dago's official website: VonDago.com to help support him while he's living it up on the highways and backroads of this great nation.
