I thought I was really rebellious when I had gotten my left ear pierced as a college freshman. Nobody in my family, immediate or extended, did that sort of thing, at least that I knew of. “You’ll have that hole in your earlobe forever…“, I kept hearing my mom’s disapproving voice tell me in my mind’s ear. After deliberating the potentially life-altering consequences of getting my ear pierced, I rode the city bus from near my dormitory on campus at the University of Florida to the Oaks Mall. Winding my way through its corridors to the Piercing Pagoda kiosk just past the Orange Julius, I placed my order with Merav, the friendly and beautiful young lady behind the counter.
After sterilizing my earlobe, she marked it with a dot, handed me a mirror, and asked if the placement looked alright, which it did. (What was I going to say? “Oh, no… I’d like it three millimeters higher.) I didn’t know what to expect when the piercing gun went off, but I’ve had flu shots that hurt worse in the moment. As soon as it was over, I took the mirror again and looked at the gleaming, silver stud that now adorned my ear. Piece of cake. This moment marked the beginning of the end of my self-image as a preppy people pleaser. This moment was probably a little over-dramatic in my head while it was happening. I mean, it was an ear piercing, but it was a big step for me at the time.
It didn’t stop there. I’d be getting more holes in my face, albeit little ones, with additional, multiple piercings in both ears, including the upper cartilage in one, and then also in my left nostril in which I wore a small hoop. The preppy, clean-cut guy who had posed next to the red Pontiac Fiero for high school senior pictures only the year before before had bolted. This was all complemented by hair that was alternately shaved, bleached, or dyed the color of cherry Kool-Aid, and with an entire wardrobe that came almost exclusively from thrift and vintage stores. There wasn’t one pair of khakis or a polo shirt within a mile of my meager stacks of clothing.
This was all part of expressing myself. Many of us aware of popular culture of the ’90s have heard “Expression” by Salt-N-Pepa or Madonna’s “Express Yourself“. To express oneself was something of a catchphrase back then, though I’ve come to realize that people have been increasingly doing things counter to the mainstream since the liberated ’60s, and probably before.
What I was doing wasn’t all out of anger. I did like the new way I looked and also my newfound, reduced dependence on looking to my family of origin for their miscellaneous scraps of approval which often had strings attached. I was just a young adult who didn’t yet have the tools, words, knowledge, or (many) years of counseling to understand just what and who I was rebelling against, though I certainly understand much better now. I look at my face, decades later, and see the tiny holes in my ears and my left nostril and see… just how miniscule and insignificant they must look to the passing observer who even notices them. Before I had taken the plunge at Oaks Mall at Merav’s skilled hands, I was made to think I’d end up in a gutter simply for getting my ears pierced, as if each potential, future employer would see just one of those holes, shut down the interview immediately, and show me the door.
A tidal wave of piercings seemed to wash over my beloved Generation X, and then suddenly there were more drastic and permanent forms of bodily expression, like even larger piercings (gauges) and tattoos. I can’t remember when I started noticing more of my friends and cohorts getting inked, but not long after, it’s like I could see my mother’s typical, sanctimonious facial expression in my mind’s eye, as if giving me non-verbal communication of her disapproval of my chosen friends without sullying herself by being heard actually saying something judgmental. It’s a wonder I never ended up with any tattoos, though it’s probably safe to say that my days of acting out in reactionary ways have been over for some time, for which I literally thank God.
I stumbled across these photos of our featured car as I scrolled through pictures from a really challenging personal time four summers ago, when I was still months in the wake of a hard breakup and various forms of betrayal, abandonment, and/or indifference from people in whom I had misallocated my love, trust, and time. (Water under the bridge, important lessons learned.) It has been interesting to see and rediscover shots I had taken care to carefully compose and snap at a time when I was just trying to escape and numb my pain. To uncover these images now has been to discover a treasure trove of potential Curbside subjects, ones I had almost entirely forgotten about.
This heavily tattooed ’81 has been featured in a different post from 2020, but only in a quick blurb about all of the FIAT Spiders I had seen in and around my neighborhood over the years. A license plate search confirmed its model year, which was the first year that the 102-horsepower, Bosch fuel-injected version of the 2.0 liter four cylinder was made standard in the 2000 Spider, having been introduced the year before as an option. The fuel-injected models are also said to have increased reliability.
Nineteen eight-two, the year after this car was new, would be FIAT’s last in the United States until its return for 2011, even though Pininfarina would continue building, and Malcolm Bricklin would continue importing, these cars through ’85. I’ve included a bit more factual information about these cars in a different post that ran about four years ago, but from what I’ve read more recently about these FIATs, examples that have been well-maintained are a decent bet in a classic. I also think they have great style.
Let’s talk about the fun paint and decal embellishments on this example. I’m getting “rally racer” vibes from this car’s markings, though I’m not sure where that came from as I don’t know a thing about rally racing. I suppose I’m just used to seeing racing cars with war-paint not unlike what we see here. Do you think all of these designs went onto this car in one fell swoop? I think it’s more likely that the numbers on the doors went on first, and then other images joined in increments. More than a few of my tattooed friends have talked about how it becomes a rush with each new inking. Bare skin is fresh canvas. I suppose this isn’t so far removed from when I go thrifting and end up with yet another thing to put in my already well-furnished and decorated home.
Back in those early college days, I had the front fenders of my ’88 Mustang “pierced” by a local body shop in Gainesville and had the tri-color galloping pony emblems for a ’68 installed, which I had mail-ordered from a catalogue. (Remember doing that?) This was before the ’94s were introduced with pony-everything all over the place. I had also stuck fake bullet-hole stickers on the ’94 Ford Probe I owned later, maybe in a bid to butch it up a little bit. (Didn’t work.)
In present day and with summer finally here in Chicago, there’s a lot more skin to be seen, with many forms of self-expression on display. I like the general idea of tattoos as indicators of different facets of one’s life’s story. There’s that whole selection process that makes it all so deliberate (hopefully, anyway). The owner of this 2000 Spider similarly decided that the Tasmanian Devil belonged on the rear quarter panel of his convertible. Regardless of whether one likes this treatment or not, this car is unmistakable for any other classic FIAT Spider in Chicago. I wonder if the last four years have brought any new “ink” to its sheetmetal. Piercings, tats, or none, always be authentically you, and for yourself alone.
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
July 2019.
Print ad was as sourced from the internet.
Ha, I did the same earlobe piercing also while in my freshman year in college, mine was at Claire’s though, I’m pretty sure my “lobe technician” was a high-school girl and probably named Stacy or Tracy, I’m impressed you remember the name of yours… You can’t be too rebellious getting a piercing at Claire’s while ten year old girls are running around the store arguing which scrunchies look best…I should have just done it with a needle in my dorm room like some others but I was probably afraid I’d screw something up and the ear would Van Gogh a week later…
I was watching old videos recently and was struck by Len’s “Steal my Sunshine” from 1999….every single person in that video would be tatted and pierced all over if that was present day, but then? None to be seen. How quickly society changes (not that there’s anything wrong with piercing and tattoos, let people self-express if they want…)
The Fiat is just celebrating its win over 99.9% of its contemporaries in that it’s still driving around on the regular in Illinois. There are barely any cars from 1982 at all driving around anymore, let alone Fiats that aren’t pampered garage queens or on blocks waiting for that “some day”. It looks like a fun car.
I didn’t know that the whole male ear-piercing thing originated with pirates in that it was a way to finance a proper funeral when they die.
As to Fiats, I vividly recall an editorial in Car and Driver that observed that the original car most likely to be seen puking its guts on the side of the road, the Chevy Vega, had, at some point, been replaced by the Fiat X1/9.
A shame Fiat had gotten such a poor rep in the US, culiminating with their technical exit (at least as Fiat) in the early eighties, because I’m not certain they were truly all that bad, and the Fiat Sport Spider is an example, particularly when compared with the sports cars from Great Britain of the same period.
FWIW, the car that finally sealed Fiat’s fate in the US was neither the X1/9 or Spider, but the rather goofy looking Strada (aka Ritmo).
I had my ear pierced when I was about 20, but in typical Niedermeyer fashion, it was a DIY job; well, my GF actually. She numbed it with an ice cube, then put a sliced potato behind the ear to catch the needle, and that was it! Wore a little gold ring until I got to LA and went to work for the tv station owned by the TM organization. Long hair and piercings were a strict no-no in the borderline cult.
I have actually made a purchase at Claire’s before! IIRC, it was for a mood ring or something to go with a retro party ensemble. And “Steal My Sunshine” was, and still is, one of my millennium jams. The Andrea True Connection sample was genius.
Great song, I have it in various playlists and actually really great soundtrack overall from “Go!” which was quite an entertaining movie as well…
IIRC, when Fiat exited the US market in the early eighties, the X1/9 and Spider were picked up by none other than that great auto huckster/con-man Malcolm Bricklin and renamed the Bertone and Pininfarina. As usual with that guy, the venture was short-lived and was quite possibly the last known auto business with which he was primarily involved.
Unless, of course, someone wants to count his attempts with Chinese auto manufacturer Chery (“Visionary Vehicles”), which ended up in typical lawsuits rather than any vehicles ever being actually imported to the US.
AFAIK, Chery has since given up on getting into the US and, instead, is focused on India with some kind of parternship with Tata Motors.
“quite possibly the last known auto business with which he was primarily involved ”
Yugo.
Chery came after Yugo.
I am aware of that and responding to your postulation that the Italian siblings were “possibly” his last go; Yugo was his next move following that and was, by leaps and bounds, his most successful venture in automotive dealings.
Bricklin didn’t sell his large share of Subaru of NA stock to Fuji Industries (Subaru) until 1990, when that company was valued at $271 million. He started it in 1968. It made him very rich.
I don’t know the details, but I doubt he did remotely as well with Yugo.
Subaru was his one and only genuine hit. He kept using that to impress investors and companies from then on.
Interesting, I was unaware of that aspect regarding Subaru. From a financial standpoint that would make sense. I was qualifying success in this context with sales figures; Yugo moved well over 100k in its short existence, almost certainly far more than Subaru achieved over a longer period of time, even after Malcom was long gone in day to day (*edit; apparently total sales from introduction over the same timespan Yugo existed netted almost identical total sales figures at Subaru). According to Bricklin himself, divesting of Yugo made him $20 million on top of the profits from when Yugo was solvent, so for him it certainly wasn’t the blunder everyone portrays it to be from his perspective, if you take his word for it…
Yugo moved well over 100k in its short existence, certainly far more than Subaru achieved over a longer period of time,
Subaru was selling 200k per year in the US in the mid-80s. A whole different league from Yugo. Yugo was a very marginal player; Subaru was a major Japanese brand by the late 70s already.
I like art cars, not enough to disfigure my own but I like that some have a message they want to share .
Here in Southern California piercings and tattoos are still going strong, for some reason in 1976 it felt really important to get my ink, now it’s just slightly better looking than my various scars .
BTW : chicks don’t really dig scars .
-Nate
That’s funny. I always considered it axiomatic that chicks dig scars. I don’t have any to speak of, so therefore chicks don’t really dig me.
Jon ;
You may be surprised .
Not everyone is a cocksman ~ one of my best buds from the 1960’s never really grasped that he was attractive, his wife, the lead singer in a band basically had to chase him down and drag im to the church to get married, nearly 50 years later they’re still together and happy .
-Nate
I’m with your sentiment, Nate. I like the artistry, even if it’s not necessarily art work I’d want on my own (hypothetical) car or body.
@ Joseph: “It’s not what you look like, when you’re doing what you’re doing, It’s what you’re doing when you’re doing what you look like you’re doing!” Charles Wright & the 103rd Street Rhythm Band https://youtu.be/jW4VZ5J0fNQ
For some reason, this was a minor hit and has been resurrected for a current ad campaign, although I can’t remember what for, LOL!! I think it applies to this car and to your “Liberation”! 🙂
That song is still one of my jams. Liked it also when NWA sampled / remade it.
I attended a small town public, and high school. And worked for several years, before attending college. Body piercings and tattoos, were still extremely rare, where I lived. I remember being shocked and quite impressed, how Jane Child made a simple nostril piercing, such a cool part of her look. Remembered today, as a one hit wonder at the start of the ’90s. But what a hit! From Toronto, she made watching MuchMusic (Canada’s MTV), worthwhile again. lol
I recall the departure of the 2000 Spider. I felt the design had overstayed its welcome. As sports car buyers were looking for a fresh look for the ’80s. Not a leftover ’60s icon. I was in high school, and admittedly, didn’t miss its eventual passing.
Having studied graphic design, graphics like this, need to be bolder to work. The decals here are too small, and timid, to really to be effective.
From a very far distance, the body graphics, looking like body bruises. lol
I loved Jane Child! That was a song I remember well from high school. We were all shocked by her nose ring / chain combo, and would hypothesize in Mr. Foos’s chemistry class about what would happen if that chain got caught on a passing car or bicycle. Her hip-hop version of this same song was also excellent, back when two different versions of the same song were services to different formats. I always thought she should have been bigger.
Being someone who has never worn jewelry, rings, or even a watch, much less piercings and, gawd forbid, tattoos, I never felt a need to adorn myself or be a rebel, I kinda like flying under the radar. First impressions and all that. And by one’s 70s, those disfigurations begin to look rather ridiculous in one way or another anyway, so bullet avoided. However TEHO and the comparison to this arty Fiat is incredibly apt, and a fun read!
Thank you! It’s always in the back of my mind that aging is inevitable, though that’s not necessarily a reason for age being incompatible with tattoos. With me, I just sort of feel like I’d want to remain fluid to change with my passing years as I evolve as a person, and I feel like it might be harder for me to do that as successfully with a permanent stamp.
The good thing is Joseph ;
Aging is inevitable but nowhere is it written that one has to grow up .
-Nate
A youthful, curious spirit is something I hope I never lose. Hasn’t happened yet.
That Fiat is certainly well-tattoo’d. I am also impressed you remember the name of your first piercer.
People tattoos are so ubiquitous these days, it’s almost more of a rebellious statement for a young person NOT to get one. At this point in my life I wouldn’t be philosophically opposed to getting a tasteful tattoo, but I can’t get over the mental hurdle. I think it is the blank canvas idea. Given the permanence, what is worthy of putting on my precious blank canvas? What is so profound, so beautiful, so relevant, so lasting? It better be damned good, since there are no do overs. It’s this indecision that paralyses me from ever actually doing it. I fear I’ll get home after the tattoo and think of something better, “Darn it! I should have done THAT instead. Wish I’d waited.” So, I wait.
Jon, the tattoo / no-tattoo thing reminds me a little bit of one of my favorite books by Dr. Seuss, “The Sneetches”, which pitted those with stars on their bellies against those who didn’t. I’m belly-star free. :). My thing is that I don’t necessarily want to be read in any obvious way. A little mystery never hurt anyone, though I realize that through my writings here, there are only a few “mysteries” or so about myself that I haven’t written about as tied into some car. LOL
I agree. If I ever did get a tattoo, it would be under the shirt or shorts line so it wouldn’t show with regular clothes on. Never understood neck or even face tattoos. Why would you label yourself so conspicuously so you could never cover it, even with formal wear? That would be one major lifestyle choice right there. All in!
My brother, friend of his and me cut track practice (in high school) to test drive the 124 convertible. The three of us were in the car with me being where a back seat should be. Interesting drive. The only problem was that the wipers would not shut off. Other than that, the rest of the test drive went well. Years later, I bought an ’86 Bertone X 1/9 tu-tone blue (only offered in ’86) which was like a Ferrari on the cheap. Didn’t really have anything mechanically go wrong with the car while I owned it.
I still love the Bertone styling of the X1/9. I remember when my one brother lived in the SF Bay area years ago how those cars seemed to be plentiful, for whatever reason.
I attend a gym which caters to seniors to a significant degree, a few even older and more decrepit than myself. At the swimming pool, tattoos are readily seen and to be painfully honest, they really don’t suit older bodies, however hot they may look on the young. In some cases the ink gets blurry with time and spoils the art anyway.
I’m left being relieved that I was always a coward and never braved the anticipated discomfort of having any. I did do the Claire’s ear piercing though …,
Claire’s seems to have been the spot for many up to a certain age for ear piercings. I’m sure if the Piercing Pagoda wasn’t the first place I spotted, I might also have ended up at Claire’s.
Piercings were not how I rebelled. I did that by buying a 59 Plymouth. In recent years I have rebelled by not getting piercings or tats. Or growing a goatee.
This Fiat looks like a lot of fun.
I am guilty of having done the goatee, but I maintain that I think it was a look that suited me at the time.
Sounds like the 90s
Grunge
JNCO Jeans
Rollerblades
And the JNCOs have to be cut and frayed at just the correct spot on the hem. Never did rollerblade, though, as my balance has always been a little bit shaky…
”..and also my newfound, reduced dependence on looking to my family of origin for their miscellaneous scraps of approval which often had strings attached” So beautifully put, so well observed. This was my relationship with my family in my early adult years right there!
My reaction was to withdraw from the family dynamic. If they ever noticed they didn’t say so, mmm.
This Fiat is a great favorite of mine, they look equally good in a tatty or pristine condition. Roof down is best! Im not crazy about the artwork but support the owner to express himself, so it’s a win from me! Lovely loose photographic style.
Families with a component of narcissism / Narcissistic Personality Disorder often don’t know what to do once the family scapegoat ducks out of the system. Another family member often then becomes the recipient / target of the narcissist. I had to save myself, and that was the beginning of my return to me.
Panning shots have been something I’ve worked on perfecting ever since I bought my first SLR camera back in 2010. The motion has got to be steady and smooth, like the Cabbage Patch…
I recently saw a new Lincoln Aviator adorned with eagle and flag stickers plastered all over it, while I was on vacation in Oregon. I was surprised to see that on such an expensive vehicle. I’m patriotic also, but I would find a more subtle way of displaying it. To each their own, i suppose.
I was a total motorcycle rider in my youth, and a real Harley guy, which lasted until I hit my mid 50’s. I got my only tattoo, a pair of Harley wings on my right forearm, in my Junior year of college. I was in my early 20’s when I got it, and had some interesting reactions over the following years. Over 40 years later, I’m still satisfied with it, and it still looks pretty good.
Jose, that’s the best story, that you stand by your original decision. That’s what I would hope for most who have at least one tattoo. I also never quite understood even bumper stickers on a nice vehicle, especially when all vehicles had expensive body-colored bumper covers on them. I’m sure there are products to help remove the residue, but I still would rather find another way of expressing an idea on my vehicle.