Customer Reviews

Monté: King of Atom-Age Monster Decals

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I gobbled up Bill Selby's terrific book on Don Monteverde and dug the hell out of it. It is a delicious slice of mid 20th century pop culture that succinctly captures the life and times of the artistic free spirit whose unique decals hooked a generation of male boomer kids similarly entranced with Famous Monsters of Filmland magazines and watching movies like RODAN at the local drive-in. Superbly constructed and written, MONTE is a great read that brings back halycon memories of post World War II creativity amid the revving of tooling hot-rods and doodling kids in a fun-loving Southern California of the 50's and 60's that has all but vanished.

Back when I was a kid these decals were plastered all over everything, bicycles, lunch boxes, toys, you name it. So it was a great surprise when I stumbled on this cool little book devoted to them. And when I received it I was very impressed with the whole package. The size, the layout & the beautiful color photos all enhance the enjoyment of the subject. Unfortunately the text veers off into the tired subject of the origin of Rat Fink & while doing so sheds a bad light on Ed Roth. This also serves to put a downer on an otherwise fun book. The statement is made:..."Roth never specialized in creating bizarre monsters prior to 1963"...Just not true, as early as 1958/59 he was placing ads in Car Craft for `Weirdo' shirts & the cover of the April 1961 Sports Illustrated shows two guys wearing Roth Monster sweatshirts. If this statement is untrue how can you believe the rest of the story, it's all conjecture really. Of course the usual people pile on for their say in the matter. Art is like music, riffs are taken from others by an artist, put into their song & made their own. It's only after the song becomes a hit that people start claiming it as theirs. Ed Roth was like Disney, he had a genius for gathering round about him talented people to help him with his vision. Who knew that the Rat Fink character would become the icon of hot rod & lowbrow art, Ed sure didn't. I write this because there are people out there who might take all this as true when it should be taken as a grain of salt. Read about the man yourself & make up your own mind. I gave the book four stars because of this & the segment on Monte's stained glass period which was worth mentioning but overly long. I do highly recommend this book for the subject matter & the nicely reproduced art. I am glad that this book was written & gives Monte' the credit he deserves for his art & people can finally find out who was behind these iconic creations that were so much a part of the monster craze of that era.

This book is a visual party, an inspiring and eye-opening celebration of an artist about whom I knew little -- but whose work I instantly recognized, as will nearly all kids of a certain age. The reminiscences of his family bring a real warmth to the party. Super-rare samples of his pencil preliminaries and his largely unknown stained glass work round out the picture of a multiply talented artist, who seems to have had a genuine talent for living.

Although I don't want the tail to wag the dog here, it has to be admitted that one of the most intriguing aspects of the book is the controversy it exposes -- of which I had been unaware -- as to the pedigree of that durable icon of the '60s, Rat Fink. I don't want to spoil any of the books surprises, so maybe I'd better leave it at that. But as one of author Selby's interviewees says in so many words, there's enough solid innovation and creativity undebatably credited to Monté that we shouldn't sweat the Rat Fink credit. I agree. While any question of the paternity of Rat Fink is earth-shaking stuff for some of us to ponder, it really isn't the main point of the book, and I find it deeply saddening to think of a great artist like Monté having lost sleep over what Rat Fink did for Roth.

The inclusion of an ultra-cool set of Monté water slide decals tucked into the back of the book (reproductions) takes this book to the next level. (See my photo.)

A beautifully-done, essential book.

Full Disclosure - Bill Selby is my uncle. So how I came upon this book was more based on nepotism than a deep love for this particular cultural phenomena. But I can honestly say that this book had me thinking beyond the specific subject to the connection of 50s decals to other generation's counter culture collecting habits because of the painstakingly loving detail given to this book. The photos of Monte are just amazing, as they show a man and his passions. And the complete retrospective of the actual art took me back to my personal days of keeping up with the latest artwork on skateboards and graffiti stickers in the 80s and 90s. That generational connection would never have been noticed by me without someone like Selby taking his own passion for this sub cultural moment and shining a well deserved light on it.

I have waited 50 years for this book. Wonderful it is to finally read about the mysterious hepcat that created the coolest, hippest monster decals ever.

Being the same age as the author, Bill Selby, I know the impact these decals had on boys our age. Gloriously repulsive they may have been but that is exactly what hooked us. I still clearly remember the cardboard display of Monte decals right next to the cash register at the hobby shop and trying to decide which decal to get of all those fantastic choices.

Those wild designs captivated this kid and have forever stuck in my mind.

It is so great to see all this art again and to read about the artist.

If you love the 50's, pop culture, old decals, monsters or the history of lowbrow art you owe it to yourself to buy this book.

dont be a sissy just buy the dang thing already millions of copys sold should say something for the sheer awesomeness of this book actually i have no idea how many copies were sold but i think you should buy it anyway