There are car club dynasties out there; clubs that have been around since the mid-'60s and early '70s like Klique, Duke's, Imperials and Techniques. And then there are the future builders of show cars; the youngsters who bond with their dads in the garage or backyard, and begin building a project lowrider bike, completely themed-out from some comic book hero. These are the pioneers.
There are lowrider car designers who will dedicate five hard years of their life to build a prized possession that will be draped over a turntable display that eventually makes a special appearance at a local car show venue near you. And then there's someone rollin' deep in Espaola, New Mexico, who becomes "switch happy" in a four-door '53 Chevy bomb at a boulevard cruising scene while being towed from a mini-truck hooked up by chains. These are die-hards.
Some maniac hydraulic scientists like to go to gladiator-type arenas, and stand their cars up on the back bumper at attention! All for a highly contested hopping contest trophy. How about the guys who heat or melt their coils at the local wrought iron or muffler shop, or the ones who put cement parking blocks in their trunks, just for the love of that fender that covers the top part of the whitewall tire. These are trail-blazers.
And that traveling show that is Majestics, Rollerz Only and Uce Car Clubs. It continues to amaze me that from the Montebello Mall to the escalators at the Galleria in Houston, Texas, you will run into members of these respected clubs all of the time! They bring out the true meaning of flying colors! Back in the great days, traveling from E.L.A. to San Jose, Low Rider happenings were explorations in the making. They had "odd and even" gas days with a six-gallon limit per car. Guys would chance there everyday ride to work bald 5.20s, just for a chance to go out and represent their town or club, and to see if the style of cars were the same as their own.
There's no difference between the above mentioned individuals. We're all responsible for the devotion and commitment to this culture and sport. We're all the same ! Whether you comb your hair back or shave it; wear your colors of blue and gold, burgundy or even black and gold; or wear Pendletons or Lowrider Clothing gear, it doesn't matter. We are recognized! Once you lower your ride, get in it, look over that long hood, take it out of park and into drive, and slowly let go of the brake, you're in! You just joined one of us, a cool million at that.
Everyone needs to take a giant step back, take a deep breath and appreciate where we came from and not take things for granted. Our competition should not be with each other! There are other ways of life out there watching. Beside cultures, there's the hot-rod and muscle car worlds, the 4x4 and boat guys, plus co-workers and your boss... the whole world is watching!
Though the names on the back of our sweatshirts may tell you different, we're all from one club. We drive different makes and models of rides, but they're all lowriders. We all recognize who and what we are. Look in the mirror!
The respect that we give to another lowrider is the respect that you will get in return. Then and only then will we be recognized and respected by all others. Breathe that in when you take your step back, then turn around so we can dictate our future as lowriders. Pioneers, die-hards, trail-blazers, "travel agents," even the "wild child" lowrider bike builders... let's continue to take this lowrider world into the future. Bring it back!