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.
Instead of answering the question, Bob growled about those thieving sonsabitches hacking his Instagram account and were digitally squatting on his property.
He can’t DM, he can’t post directly, and he can’t get it back through Instagram. And the thieves want 250 hostage money!
I said, “250K?”
No, $250 and I won’t pay it. If I find them, they won’t do it again! After he got that off his chest, we discussed his new store. 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? 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!”
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Apparently, he use 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 Atomic Bob wisdom!
Atomic has since put the whiskey down and picked up the pipe. Since Ohio is now a cannabis state, he likes to kick back, relax and paint high.
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.
Bob then took me through a couple of his works in his Atomic Bob Store.
The first piece of art originated in 2014, was completed in Atomic Bob’s grandma and grandpa’s basement. His girlfriend Kelly had kicked him out for the last time and got him locked up as well.
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“I was feeling down as I paged through a magazine and saw this T-Bird,” explained Atomic. “I had this building down by the railroad tracks. I decided I was going to call it Atomic Dice Custom Paint. 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 who gets this can honestly light it on fire and dance naked in the dark,” said 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.
This framed piece 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.
“When you’re an alcoholic for so long as I was, there’s a lot of moments I missed. I actually stare at things in order for shit to start to come back to me,” explained Atomic.
And that’s where the story gets 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 2000s with my music. Feeling the good vibes. Smoking pot and taking care of myself,” Bob said. “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.”
BIG FRIG – https://bigfrig.com/
FLYING PISTON BENEFIT – https://flyingpistonbenefit.com/
ATOMIC BOB SHOP – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1324617964909190
