I got on the horn with Atomic Bob to ask him to donate some art for the upcoming Flying Piston Benefit online auction in Daytona on March 4, 2024.
If you haven’t seen Atomic Bob’s artistic style, then you are in for a treat. He seamlessly blends pinstriping, custom paint, and illustration, with a distinctive touch. Renowned for his imaginative creations, Atomic Bob’s art frequently features themes revolving around monsters and eyeballs, adding a unique and captivating flair to his work.
In our lively conversation, Atomic Bob spilled-the-beans on how he’s now offering his original masterpieces at the Atomic Bob Shop on Facebook. And here’s a kicker—he’s drawing inspiration from the vibrant 2000s era!
2000s? Well, during this time, Atomic Bob lived his best life with zero worries. Picture this: motorcycles, cars, cash—anything he fancied, he had it.
With a grin, the Atomic One shared, “Those were the days!”
Apparently, he used to embrace a perpetual cloud of smoke because, hey, who cared? “I was in my 20s, living the dream. But then I thought I should be a responsible adult and stick to legal stuff—like being an alcoholic,” he chuckled. Ah, the wisdom!
Bob took me through a couple of his works on his Atomic Bob Store.
Atomic Bob’s logo for a new business
The first piece of art originated in 2014 and completed in Atomic Bob’s grandma and grandpa’s basement. His girlfriend Kelly had kicked him out for the last time and she had got him locked up as well.
“I was feeling down as I was paging through a magazine and saw this T-Bird,” explained Atomic. “I had this building down by the railroad tracks. And I decided I was going to call it Atomic Dice Custom Paint. And this T-Bird was going to be my new logo. I remember I was mad because I had to start my life over yet again, get sober, and blah, blah, blah.”
The T-Bird was drawn in between fights and arguments and all kinds of chaos, including yelling and smoking cigarettes late into the night.
“The lucky boy or girl out there that gets this can honestly light it on fire and dance naked in the dark,” said Atomic Bob.
Another interesting piece is an original autobiographical art piece of Atomic Bob’s 51 DeSoto. His lead sled was slammed with exhaust coming out of the rear quarter panel.
Atomic Bob’s 51 DeSoto
What’s interesting about the piece is it fell on his head when the cops came to arrest him while slamming him against the wall. He reframed it, of course, but you can still see little slices in the parchment where the cops stepped on the art.
“That’s the other thing when you’re an alcoholic for so long as I was. There’s a lot of times I have missing parts. I have to actually really look at things in order for things start to come back to me,” explained Atomic.
And that’s where the story is cool. So when somebody buys this, it will be like oh man, the artists got arrested, the damn thing fell on him, and it was stomped by a cop. What’s not to like?
“So, I’m living in the 2,000s with my music,” explained the Atomic one. Feeling the good vibes. Smoking pot and taking care of myself. And I am grateful for what I have. I’m not abusing my body. The medical industry might be able to fix me but I can tell you right now, I’m not going to make it worse because I ultimately have to make money with my hands and my arms and everything.”
So, getting back to my question for Atomic Bob, he said he would be happy to help the Flying Piston Benefit. The sponsor BIG FRIG will send him out (2) 30oz tumblers. One for the event held in the pavilion at Teddy Morse’s Daytona Harley-Davidson and one for his own purposes.
Atomic Bob’s Custom Monster Tumbler for the Flying Piston Benefit
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About The Flying Piston: The Flying Piston Benefit is produced by Marilyn Stemp of Iron Trader News & Jeff Najar of Horsepower Marketing. Our work raises funds for non-profits and individuals in the motorcycle community, vets, and kindergartners. To help out and to join the team, click here.
