Peanut butter & jelly, chips & salsa, Elvis & Cadillacs…some things just go together. Before I started doing the Johnny Rockit Show, cars were my thing. The last time I tried to make a list (too much time on my hands that day) around 53 cars had passed through my life. Right before I started performing, I had a black 1989 Lamborghini Countach. It was the best and worst car I’ve ever owned…
The best because there are few cars that rate higher on the “cool-looking” meter than the Countach. Face it, most of us adolescent boys had a Countach poster in our room growing up. It looks like something Darth Vader would drive if Imperial TIE Fighters hadn’t been invented yet.
The worst because I’ve never owned another car that broke down, spent as much time in the shop and had things fall off of it as much. And, believe me, I had some clunkers along the way. At least it never totally stranded me or caught fire.
My daily driver at the time was a Cadillac Eldorado, a decent-looking dependable driver. But, after doing the show for a while, I decided to get something with a bigger trunk. With a PA sytem plus some stage lighting and the occasional follow spotlight, the Eldorado’s trunk was getting a little space-challenged.
One day, I made the mistake of reading a forum about older Cadillacs and got the idea that an old Caddy would be a perfect addition to the show. What’s better than pulling up to an Elvis gig than in a 20′ long Cadillac? Of course, the problem with old cars, and worse, old luxury cars is that there are more things to break on them. So, as much as I have loved to get a pink Cadillac from the ’50s, I went for something a little more dependable.
I found this 1990 Cadillac Brougham on Autotrader.com, the only problem was, it was in Alamogordo, New Mexico. I just happened to be going to Las Vegas that week, so I figured out a return flight plan and eventually found myself in Alamogordo and was soon back on the road headed to Texas.
If you haven’t driven one of these mid to late 90′s full-sized Cadillacs, just sit on your living room sofa…it’s pretty much the same sensation. Very isolated and cushy…with a velour interior. I do like having a dark blue interior, why do all the new cars give you an interior color choice of black or some shade of tan? I remember growing up we had cars with just about every interior color you can imagine (some of which were mercifully discontinued). Unbelievably, I averaged 23 mpg coming back home, which was an added bonus.
Although I intended to use the Cadillac only for Elvis gigs, I find myself behind the wheel of the Brougham almost every day. It’s comfortable and I don’t have to fret about getting parking lot door dings so much. If you’re driving around Dallas and see “Moby Dick” on the road, give a honk and a wave!
Howdy – The Yellow one is a 1978 Eldorado!
Johnny