Where'd You Go?Whew! Show season is pretty much done, and I have to say-it was lame! Attendance seemed to have been down overall at shows across the country, while, perhaps most importantly to us, the number of vehicles ready to be shot for features had plummeted. This is not to say the shows or the trucks we saw at the shows were bad; it's just many of enthusiasts seem to be too distracted by getting their stuff done. But by what?
Higher fuel prices? The housing bubble? Either one diverts money away from the fun stuff, i.e. customizing trucks and driving or towing them to shows. As much as people like to commit themselves to their automotive projects or to keep up with buddies in their clubs, the customizer's creedo of "go big or go home" may be giving way to "go big and go hungry."
Maybe people prefer to surf the web in search of new ideas for their projects, rather than deal with the hassle of going to a show. However, I believe they lose out on a lot of fun that way. Trolling the Internet is a great way to view photos of newly built trucks, or to find answers for a nagging tech question, and can even help begin or maintain new friendships. But, it's the shows where those friendships are consummated. It's where the tales of epic roadtrips or drama is born, and is later revisited on an online forum with pictures and one-liners. It's where you can poke your head into a truck and perhaps discover secrets that a photographer didn't catch, or deflate the Internet boasting of a chest-thumping truck owner.
Am I right, or am I wrong? We expect next year to be a good one for the custom truck scene, and we'll visit the shows in search of the latest and greatest builds that you have to offer. Will we see you there?