January 19, 2011
I normally begin with a discussion of the bikes but since the show virtually ignored them this week I will too, except to say that OCC had more trouble than you might expect with some standard front end parts. In fact, the only interesting thing about the bike build was at the end, when they unveiled it at an OCC road show. What do they do at an OCC road show? They build a bike on stage. I fail to see the appeal, unless they decide to accurately recreate the bike building experience- Senior yelling at random audience members, the OCC crew throwing things into the crowd, and lots of intermissions.
Spring is in the air, though this aired in winter, and it is wedding time. Last time it was Paulie, this time it is shaved orangutan Jason Pohl. Who would marry him? I am not sure since the guilty party has not appeared on camera, but I have my suspicions.
Anyone remember Escape From the Planet of the Apes? Remember the outraged Bishop when Zira referred to Cornelius as her husband?
Senior, for some reason, feels like Jason is a son to him and frankly, they deserve each other. How much does Senior love Jason- bought a new suit for wedding, WITH SLEEVES! It was his first new suit in forty years. He even got married in a sleeveless tux, so this is something special.
Speaking of “special,” no one on the show is more “special” than Mikey. When he heard that Sr. was going to Jason’s wedding (which, BTW, Paulie did not) he took it as a personal affront that Sr. would go to Jason’s and not Paulie’s- nor his, for that matter. Yes, I must have missed this, but at some point Mikey was about to be married and then it all fell apart. I don’t know who was at fault, but I figure that his bride must have sobered up and realized she was about to marry Mikey Teutul and go the hell out of Dodge.
But that wasn’t all from Mikey this week. Following his moving out of his art studio he moved back in with mommy and daddy- I mean Paulie and Vinnie. Not only did he set up a little art space in the shop, but he also planned to run sprints up and down the shop.
The busy shop.
The busy shop filled with expensive equipment.
The busy shop filled with expensive equipment which he broke.
Couldn’t you see that coming?
Paulie this week got a new customer, Faro Technologies, who was one of Sr.’s vendors. I don’t get why they went to Paulie (Senior suspects they poached him, and I think maybe he’s right.) because, let’s be frank, Paulie has nothing to offer, but they did and sent him a prototype mechanical arm. What does it do? I don’t know but it looked pretty cool until Mikey broke it. Paulie’s reaction? He screamed at Mikey, called him an idiot, and told him to get away from everything and never touch anything again.
At this point it may be helpful to remind you that I am talking about Paul JUNIOR, not Senior. Hmm, I wonder where all that anger came from? And judging by some of the other things Paulie had to say about Mikey, I wonder if Senior isn’t right about Paulie just using him against his Senior.
And by the way, Paulie, great mechanic that he is, told Mikey (of all people, Mikey!) to “glue it back together.” This is an expensive prototype on loan to them. I hope that Crazy Glue works!
Regardless, things were moving right along at PJD. Vinnie and Odie-Who-Is-Not-Cody started on the Faro bike and got as far as two minutes in when they realized that Paulie had not drawn up any plans. Paulie explained that he had them in his head, which is the worst place to keep them for a variety of reasons. Brendan, who seems to be the only guy who can fabricate in the entire country, flew all the way in from California to work on the bike. How hard up is he for work? How bad is the fabrication market in California that he would leave his pregnant wife at home while he flew to New York to make a fuel tank? Is there no one east of the Mississippi who can hammer some sheet metal?
Odie-Who-Is-Not-Cody had an idea about the bike’s design, to which Vinnie replied “nothing you say will be used.” GOOD FOR YOU VINNIE! He said he was only kidding, but you know what Shakespeare said: “Jesters do oft prove prophets.” That was in King Lear, another guy who didn’t quite get along with his kids. Let’s see how this tragedy ends.
In the end, there is no winner here. Unless you count Iron Horse magazine, which interviewed both Senior and Junior and got a lot of free plugs on the show this week.
Mr. Blog's Tepid Ride 
Sure, you laugh, but Mikey just saved us from Skynet.
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I wonder if the Planet of the Apes movies started us on the slippery slope of entertainment that has led to Choppers. Just saying.
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First of all thanks for this blog in the UK we get all the American Chopper a few weeks later. Anyway don’t get me started on Jason Pohl, i cant stand him, constantly brown nosing senior and then has the nerve to bad mouth junior all the time and act like he was what made OCC today. Need to get a grip to be frank.
And Mikey at the start of Senior Vs. Junior i felt a little sorry for caught up in his brothers and fathers argument’s and tantrums but now hes just begining to annoy me. His father only has problems with junior, he trying to reach you and reconsile and you are being the biggest bitch in the world about it and not bothering, i think its so sad Mikey hasen’t the balls to just meet his father. If junior really cares about Mikey then he would not care one bit if this happened.
And you also say Paulie has nothing to offer, i disagree. I think of course OCC has better equipment and resources but, to me and you might disagree, the bikes that have been coming out OCC recently Havent really had the WOW factor that they had when junior was there. Junior despite being very, very, very lazy and obsessed with his own ego, has a wealth of talent and the bikes that he has built (the few) have looked impressive, and also i was impressed with the quad, and kudos on giving someone younger the chance to have a go at his passion, and well done on getting a sponsor, even if he did act like a complete baby when one piece went missing which Mikey should really go up, its a business not a playhouse.
And just one more thing on this extremly long rant. I have a huge amount of respect for Vinnie, who when Odie stepped outta line put him right back in his place, and made him apologize to the entire filming crew. Vinnie who i think, aside from rick, is probaly the most hard working employee on the whole show. And Senior really annoyed me the other week agreeing on camera that rick could go to juniors shop then as soon as the camera were off threating him with jail if he did. Senior needs to grow up, despite their talent (excluding Mikey whos paintings look awful) the most immature father and son in America! Thanks BMJ2k!
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Great comment Jake, and keep them coming1
“And Mikey at the start of Senior Vs. Junior i felt a little sorry for caught up in his brothers and fathers argument’s and tantrums but now hes just begining to annoy me. ”
Me too. Mikey has put condition after condition on Sr, and after Sr meets all the conditions (talk only through email, meet at a neutral place, go to therapy) Mikey makes up another condition or a reason to be unsatisified. I think he only wants to get back with his Dad if Sr comes begging on hands and knees.
“And you also say Paulie has nothing to offer, i disagree.”
Everything you said is true, especially about the recent OCC bikes. What I meant was, to an established company, PJD can’t offer the name recognition, the ability to publicize and market, or the service OCC can. I don’t see Paulie, talented as his designs are, being attractive (yet) to a big name company.
“kudos on giving someone younger the chance to have a go at his passion,”
Yes, but not a chance to run the company. He should have given him trhe chance to designe the bike, but he clearly needed supervision. Especially in a young start u p, how do you let Odie have final say and do it all, from contacting vendors to paperwork?
“its a business not a playhouse.”
I think Paulie is seeing things a bit differently now that he’s running everything, You can tell in his attitude toward Mikey that he’s changed a little and at times he’s coming off more like Sr. I also am starting to think that Sr may be right baout how Paulie manipulates Mikey against him.
In the old days, it seemed like Vinnie did almost everything at OCC but got no credit and all the blame. Sr would go for a massage, Jr would be on an extended lunch, Vinnie would still be wiring bikes until late at night. At PJD he is easily the most organized and professional. He is the MYP of choppers. Any more info on Odie’s apology?
Sr needs to grow up in the worst way, but I think maturity is in shoert supply all around.
Thanks Jake!
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I notice when anybody gets rich and famous many people tend to resent that for some reason. Jealousy doen’t help fill your bank account.
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