Shows Blog: 2007 September

Dolly Parton has always been one of my favorite artists and anytime I can talk to her, I jump at the chance! We recently went to Dollywood for her Barbeque and Bluegrass festival. She was decked out as usual and was just hilarious. I took my brother, Jason, along for the ride and he got to meet her and have his picture taken with her. What fun that was!

He is 6'5" and Dolly is probably not much over 5' tall. It made for a cute picture. He also got to ride all the roller coasters. He said that the Mystery Mine was the best by far. In case you're wondering, I didn't ride any. I am way too scared to go on a roller coaster! Dollywood is so fun. If you've never been, you should make time to visit.

I mentioned that we have some great CMT Insider Special Editions coming soon. In addition to Faith Hill September 29, we have a show with Sara Evans October 6. Sara has a Greatest Hits album coming out. We had a great talk about all the past hits and the new songs on the album. Following a stressful year, she seems as focused as ever on her music. She looks great and was in great spirits. As I said, that special is coming up in October, so check it out.

We've been so busy lately! It's that time of year for lots of new releases. I think I have done a few of my favorite interviews ever just in the last few weeks. I had a nice long sit-down with Rascal Flatts. Those boys are too funny. I swear they should have their own television show. I know how excited fans are about their new CD, and the music is very Eagles sounding. This CD will be a huge seller!

Kenny Chesney has a great new CD, too. I had a nice sit-down with him in New York recently and he seemed to be in a great place. He looks so healthy and seems very relaxed and happy. He has made an amazing CD and it too will be a huge seller.

We have some great CMT Insider Special Editions coming out soon. Hopefully by now you have had a chance to catch our Reba special about her new Duets album. She is always so fun to talk to and what a great lineup of artists she has on this album! She is truly an inspiration.

We also talked to Faith Hill recently. She was so open about everything that has been happening in her life in the last few years. We talked about her passion for music and the ups and downs she has had at radio. One thing is very clear: she really appreciates the fans that have stood by her through all of this. We discussed the awful CMA incident, when her joke was turned into something much more serious and how disappointed she felt by people's reaction. Although she admits that when she saw the footage back, she undertands how people could misunderstand her actions. She is a lovely person and I hope people will give her a break in the future. Look for that special to air very soon.

The design of Sawtooth was a real challenge. Anytime someone hands you a B-model Mack from the 60s, you have to make sure you pay homage to the old school. Mike Justice had a real family history with that truck and the logging business, so we wanted to pay homage to that by restoring it back to what it once was with a few modern twists.

The train set took it up a notch for me, because I have never made a train set to that scale before. I had to do a little research and look at pictures so I could get an idea of what an old sawmill looked like. I had to think of how the mountains looked, trees, grass, the waterfall...everything had to look as real as possible. It was time consuming, but fun, and when I was done it was my favorite part of Sawtooth. Guess I've always had a thing for trains!

I think everything revolves around the train. It was different and unique because I feel like I've added a personal touch to this truck.

Mike was almost in disbelief that this was his truck, and I knew right then that the whole family would enjoy keeping their family heritage intact. I think it gave Mike a sense of pride, knowing that he'll be able to keep close to his roots as he works. It's a great truck, one of our best, and I'm proud that I was able to work on it.

What can you say about Spaced Out? Taking a truck in that condition and painting into a spaceship was pretty kewl!! I made up most of the detail on the fly, which is what I love to do!!! The theme just evolved into what you're gonna see on TV, which turned out awesome!!!

Painting Mad Max's truck was just insane. The fusion of a school bus and fire rescue vehicle was crazy enough....trying to paint it as one, seamless truck was a whole other battle!! The lines of the 2 didn't really match up, so I had to improvise!!! Once I got past that...the paint just flowed!!!

The coolest part of the paint job is a mural of a space scene on the inside of the doors in the back, which you won't see until the end of the show, but that brought the whole theme together for the inside!! The whole mural was done in 2 hrs, on the fly and it came out awesome!!!

The whole paint job and in the amount of time I painted in.....7 days, plus 2 extra hours for the doors!! LOL!

Mad Max seemed to really like his truck and it fit his personality well........Spaced Out!!! LOL! The build on this truck should help his business out and make him more efficient when he's out there helping truckers.....I just made him look kewl!!!LOL

Truck drivers are something else!! I was never involved in the trucking industry until I got involved with this show, so I had no idea what they go through. Being able to help out these drivers and shed a better light on the trucking world makes me proud to be a part this show!!

Thank you everyone for all of the support while I have the chance....without you, there'd be no TMT on CMT!!!

Fowl Play. Our first pickup. People may be surprised that we'd trick out a dually, but we don't really care what it is. We cater to the working trucker. Just so happens that Joe Henry was a working trucker driving a dually on a poultry farm. Made no difference to us.

The best part of Fowl Play's design was the 22.5 wheels and tires. Joe's constantly driving through the mud, and the larger tires and lift will make it that much easier for him. You don't see tires that big on a dually very often, and it really made the truck come out bad ass!

I was most proud of the banks power driver, because it's going to really increase the performance of his truck. I know Joe loved it knowing that he'll be able to haul with more power and suspension.

For Lifeline, we went a complete 180 degree change from what the truck started out as. We changed from a very common, factory paint job to a one-off design that really fit the style of the truck, and the theme really hit home with the Jackson family.

Overall, the truck wasn't too challenging. With us and the show, it always comes down to time, and Lifeline was one of the biggest trucks we've ever done. The challenge is building these trucks in a shorter amount of time than normal. But, no truck is too tough for the Mafia!

My favorite part of this truck was the Hood Xpress remote hood opener. Even though it seems like a small feature, it saves your back and it'll make it easier for Eugene to perform routine maintenance.

Eugene's reaction to his truck was great. He was so awestruck he didn't know what to say. His sons, Robert and Red, were the same way. I have seen them a few times since we handed it over, and they're all still very proud and grateful. Eugene is well respected in his community and the whole town is proud of him. No one ever wants to be broke down or in need of a wrecker, but if it happens in North Little Rock, Arkansas, the Lifeline will be there!

It's great to help these drivers out. When they walk in that building to see their truck for the first time, the looks on their faces and how they react is priceless. I travel all over talking to fans and other drivers, and the response I get is overwhelming. These fans are just as grateful as the drivers on the show! I've been building trucks for seventeen years and I love what I do. I can't begin to describe the feeling you get from doing this kind of work for people. It's awesome.

The design of For the Cure was by far our most unique, simply because of the subject matter. I really liked the message on the exterior of the rig, but my favorite part of the design was the interior. The baseball locker room was a lot of fun to work with. I am a baseball fan from way back, so it was interesting and fun for me. Also, the baseball game scene we filmed was a lotta fun. None of us obviously are good ball players, but it was nice to get the guys out of the shop for a few hours and loosen up for a while.

The most challenging aspect of this truck was taking a breast cancer awareness theme, in conjunction with the pink ribbon theme and still keep the overall appearance a little cool and edgy, which is what folks expect from the Chrome Shop Mafia. It ended up coming together quite nicely!

The message For the Cure says it all. It wasn't your typical Mafia build, but we have had dozens of folks approach us in tears, saying it was their favorite episode and then they explain how it touched their hearts. Many families can relate to the heartache and illness that has affected folks that are near and dear to them due to friends or family members battling breast cancer or cancer in general. I have not had a single negative comment about this episode, which is very rewarding for myself and all the guys.

Dale Hayden was deeply touched, as you saw on TV. He broke down almost immediately and had to take a moment to pull it together. He's a great guy and a super family man. We couldn't have picked a better design for him. He believes in the search for the cure and this truck will make his statement even louder and bolder everywhere he goes. Really, that's what it's all about for us. Helping out these truck owners and truck drivers that are deserving or down on their luck for one reason or another. Seeing them react to their new truck for the first time makes all of those long hours and all those difficult projects worthwhile. We're glad we can put a positive spin on trucking and show the general public some of the difficulties these drivers deal with each day while they are out there on the road.

Good luck Dale and keep on Truckin' for the Cure Buddy!

USS LaGrange is one of my all time favorites because the whole truck is a mural...even over the roof of the cab and sleeper!!! Taking a flat surface and making it look 3-D, like the sub was coming out towards you was a challenge, but that's what I like. So this truck got to show off some of my skills!!!The hardest thing about all these trucks is getting them done on time. This would've taken in the real world about 2 to 3 weeks and I got it done in a little over 7 days!!!

The submarine theme worked great, because it really tied the driver's life to the truck and we could tell he really liked it!!! He was doing the jiggy dance the whole time in the reveal....very entertaining!!!! LOL! I never realize how we impact a driver's life till the whole thing comes together at the end!!! It all makes sense after all the hard work is done and we see the reactions from the drivers. Just makes my job that much kewler!!!

Check back later for more blogs!!

I like the design on Brain Freeze, because it was based around ice cream inside and out. I like ice cream so it made me feel like a kid again working on it. Very fun and exciting.

The cherry on top was the biggest challenge for me on this truck, because it was something I’d never done before. I actually popped the first rubber ball I used because the fiberglass was too hot. It made the ball melt, so I had to get another ball, and try again. The second time, I made sure not to mix the chemicals too hot and then I made sure I sprinkled in a little bit of fun!

The best part of Brain Freeze is that the whole thing looked like a rolling sundae with a cherry on top. I mean it made me scream for ice cream!

I'm definitely proud of the inside because everything from the candy dispensers, the diamond plate floor, the door knobs, computer, Neapolitan fiberglass box, and the upholstery just fell into place, making this truck a real good time.

Joe walked through the door with a priceless expression and that was only after seeing the outside. As soon as he saw the inside, well, I knew we knocked this one out of the park. I knew all the hard work paid off for Joe, because now he has the crowd pleaser of ice cream trucks which will attract more customers and make the kids happy.

It makes me feel proud to help truckers make a living, knowing that these trucks are what make our economy work. Anything you can think of gets hauled in a truck: clothes, food, electronics…pretty much everything. Without trucks, I know it would be much harder for me to make a living!