The Knights of the Auto Order Proudly Present: The Auto Body Estimate: Vol. II,
#72, May 2007
Our boy Erik already has a favorite movie: “Bob”. You and I know it as “The Incredibles” but that’s tough to say for a guy who’s not yet two, so he refers to it with the first name of Mr. Incredible’s alter ego. Together Erik and I have watched this movie (actually short snippets of the movie) millions of times. Clearly such repeated close viewings have revealed a deeper level of understanding, right? So far my greatest discovery is that the “S” on super villain Syndrome’s costume looks suspiciously like the Xcel Energy logo. Coincidence? I think not!
The stylish vehicles in the Incredibles remind me of my first love: the Batmobile from the campy 1960s TV series. Of course I dug the secret Bat Cave and all the other cool Bat-things, but the George Barris designed car was the best. Once I even sent away for plans to convert an early 70s Ford Thunderbird into a Batmobile replica. My dream was to equip my dilapidated garage with a car lift, and then surreptitiously excavate the area beneath it to create a vast underground lair. I fantasized about cruising the completed car dressed in full Batman regalia, pulling up next to a cop car at an intersection, and addressing the officer with a powerful: “Greetings, Fellow Crime Fighter!” * In a pinch I could always race back to the garage, and quickly take the elevator down to hide all trace of my existence - kind of like having a cave beneath my workspace cube. I sense a reoccurring theme.
Given a choice between super powers and this specific car, I'd probably selfishly take the car, but I also admit that I have long wanted to be a superhero. I even applied at the Super Hero Accreditation Board. My alter-ego? Lethargy Man. My modus operandi was to infiltrate the lairs of evil-doers, and freely share brews, weed and Doritos. "Hey, I'm down with that fiendish scheme, my man, but first let's check out this laser disc of Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii!" Clearly no villainy would occur in my presence!
Sadly the Super Hero Accreditation Board turned me down. So did the Super Villain Accreditation Board (which is known to have much lower standards). I had hoped for a while to increase my crime fighting skill set by studying at the Super Hero Institute of Technology, but they unexpectedly closed (something about acronym problems).
Failing to find a career in superhero work, I resorted to my more practical fallback plan of rock star. Come share the glory on Friday, June 8 when we triumphantly return to the Eagles Club. As mentioned previously, it’s a friendly place with no cover charge, free above-ground parking, and – believe it or not – dancing. But no capes. See it for yourself at 2507 E 25th Street in South Minneapolis or call them at (612) 729-4469. We’ll start shortly after 9:00 PM and play two sets created just for this night – including some new songs and some oldies we haven’t played in years; we’d love to see you there.
Love, Scott Yoho, Grand Pooh Bah, Knights of the Auto Order
PS: Have I mentioned my wife IS a super hero? I can’t go into much detail about that, but I can say that her mild-mannered alter-ego secretly wishes to be the female Ira Glass (he’s a public radio personality). Fortunately there’s an American Idol-type contest where you can win your own public radio show and Becca needs your vote to get to the next round. If the computer in your invisible jet is working today, please check out Becca’s entry and (if you’re inclined) vote for her at: http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/1861 (Note too that you can click on Becca’s name on the site to learn more…)
* With acknowledgments to the late Scott Chinery’s “friend” mentioned at http://www.javelinamx.com/Batmobile/batcar5.htm#visit1
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