They say the camera doesn't lie. Unless, of course, that camera is focused on the star of a reality television series.
In an instant, a popular hot rod builder with a legendary reputation for creating beautiful and innovative cars is suddenly labeled an arrogant slave driver with little else on his mind but the mighty dollar.
Such was the life of Boyd Coddington. In the beginning he was the man that every street rodder envied. He built cars that were featured in magazines and rock videos. He took a backyard business and turned it into a thriving corporation. Then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he was the man that many folks in the car hobby loved to hate.
As the cameras followed him through a "typical" week in his life on the popular cable TV reality show American Hot Rod, sometimes Boyd did the unthinkable. He acted like the man in charge. The nerve of this man, to manage his company with an iron fist for all the world to see.
Sometimes, when the director thought things were sliding too far left, he would cozy up to Boyd at some sort of charity benefit, or would film him interacting playfully with his employees. More often than not though, Boyd was portrayed in a less than favourable light.
The reality, however, was much different. Ask anyone who ever actually met Boyd Coddington, (present company included), and they will tell you he was a gracious and polite man, who came across as both gentle and genuine. Others tell tales of times they showed up unannounced at his California hot rod shop, and Boyd treated them like long-lost family.
So how the heck did Boyd Coddington become this character that viewers loved to hate?
Perhaps reality TV isn't so real afterall. Maybe the producers and directors of these voyeuristic programs that give us an "inside" look into celebrity's lives have actually figured out what sells.
Imagine a Bond flick without a villain. Now, do you really believe that the actor who portrayed Goldfinger actually cut people in half with a laser in his home garage. If you ask me, Boyd Coddington was among the first of the reality TV villains.
Paul Teutul Sr. of American Chopper fame also ranks near the top of the list. Does he scream at the top of his lungs 24 hours a day? Of course he doesn't, but for three minutes every week he likely gets agitated enough to yell at one of his lazy sons when he shows up for work three hours late, that's the part they use in the show. The times when he's a nice guy, petting his dog or giving a homeless guy a couple of bucks to get something to eat, the cameras always seem to be off when that stuff happens.
This brings us to another loss in the hot rod world. Just four days after his longtime friend Boyd Coddington died, Lil' John Buttera, a man who left his mark on the dragster, funny car, street rod and motorcycle world, died at the age of 63, the same age as Boyd. Buttera was renowned for his exceptional craftsmanship and credited with bringing the high-tech, billet era to street rodding. He was also among the first to manufacture his own wheels and independent suspensions from machined aluminum.
Odds are good that on a bad day Lil' John Buttera got a bit agitated too, the only difference was the cameras weren't rolling. Whether you liked Boyd Coddington or not is certainly your choice, but the reality is he was an icon who did a lot of positive things for our hobby. Let's all hope that somewhere up there Boyd and Lil' John Buttera are enjoying a cool drink while a young Canadian guitar legend named Jeff Healey sings the blues. It always happens in threes, and last week we lost some special ones.
--Paul Williamson
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