I just came across this brilliant short film inspired by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s iconic hot-rod character, Rat Fink. Conceived as an anti-hero to Disney’s rather dashing Mickey Mouse, Rat Fink is all green fur, bulging bloodshot eyes and yellow fangs, wearing a grubby red t-shirt with ‘RF’ on it. First appearing in a July 1963 issue of Car Craft, Rat Fink was advertised as “the rage in Calfornia” at the peak of Kustom Kulture and has been a cult figure since, enjoying a bit of a revival in the ’80s and ’90s (he even appeared on The Birthday Party’s Junkyard album cover). I’m not entirely sure of the origins of this film, but it features a weird coming of age tale, cigarettes, a grenade and some very dubious acting – as well as an excellent surf guitar soundtrack. “Big Daddy” Roth gets a cameo as the military superior too.
