Bugs - A Legend in the Making
Lowriders mean many different things to different people. For most part, there are negative stereotypes associated with the word - Gangsters, Hoodlums, & the Ghetto. For others - Lowriders are a passion, a way of life, an art, a culture. For these individuals, Lowriders are something to be admired & something to take pride in - and at this moment, take pride is what I will choose to do.
When I was in 8th grade, I had the strange desire to pick up a copy of Lowrider Magazine. For the next 10 years, I would remain a loyal reader and subscriber until for some strange reason, Lowrider Magazine Inc. decided to omit the protective mail packaging and started sending the bare magazines in the mail. It was a shame to see the magazines that I had taken such care of all of a sudden start to show up mangled, torn, and bent. At the same time, I also felt that it was time to grow up and move on because as much as I loved the Lowrider art and culture, there was such a negative connotation associated with the culture and I found myself torn between being judged for something I wasn’t, and not being afraid of what people might think. In the end, I left the culture and the unique cars behind.
In the Spring of 2005, I undertook a small computer project after seeing all the modified computer cases that people were putting out there. I wanted to do something different that would stand out, and I started doing some research into automotive airbrush and pinstriping. During my research, I came across a familiar name - Efrain “Bugs” Gonzalez. Bugs had made his name back in the day pinstriping cars for various Arizona and California Lowrider car clubs, and as of late he was freelancing and collaborating with Chopper shops like Airea5150. After a few phone calls, I was finally able to meet up with Bugs to discuss the ideas I had for my computer case. I was excited because 1) I was actually going to meet someone who had become notorious for great pinstriping work and 2) it was an opportunity of bringing two vastly different worlds together - computers and Lowriding. In my eyes, I had a chance to show that the Lowrider art and culture which had become so negative in the eyes of the public could actually transcend the stereotypes and negativity to accomplish something new and exciting.
The Year of the Dragon Theme…
Since I was born in 76 - the Year of the Dragon, I wanted to build a PC case around that theme. I gave Bugs a rough idea of what I was going for, and he completely ran with it. Two weeks later, I had my computer case back and I was just blown away with what he accomplished. He utilized some Old School pinstriping and gold leaf work, and then airbrushed his own rendition of the Mortal Kombat logo on the inside of the PC frame.
Even more exciting was the fact that I got the chance to just chat with Bugs about the Lowrider scene and all that has gone on in the past few years. He talked about some of the Lowrider artists who have now made a name for themselves in the mainstream media. Individuals like Mister Cartoon who has tattooed some of the biggest names in the Rap and Hip Hop industry, and individuals like OG Abel who is still putting out some of the most amazing airbrush art and has even diversified to flash and graphic design.
Bugs’s professional career has stayed humble and true to his roots. He’s not flashy - he doesn’t own a car shop, instead he works out of his home and also travels around town for some of his projects. If you were to meet him, you would never think that this guy has pinstriped some of the most amazing cars out there. The day that I had gone to pick up my PC case, he had just received the June 2005 issue of Lowrider Magazine with his prize winning car “Rug Burns” on the cover. You could see the pride in his face, yet he never used an “I” when talking about his work on the car. Instead, he focused on the art - you could hear the passion in his speech as he talked about all the details on the paint job. Right then and there I could tell that he was first and foremost an artist and pinstriper, all the glamour and notoriety of a show winner was nowhere to be found. He even talked about how Mister Cartoon had asked if he wanted to come to LA to work with him, but he turned the offer down not wanting to leave the city that put him on the map.
I’m hoping to interview him one day - we’ve played phone tag for the past few weeks since his busy schedule never seems to let up. In the meantime, you can see some of the work he’s done on his website at www.bugsautoart.com.
