Living Organism

What Motivated This Post

I’m writing this post because what I experienced at this Orange County Choppers unveiling for the Monster Diesel custom built chopper truly surprised me. Paul Teutul Sr. bombed. And in my opinion, he bombed hard; voice cracking, stumbling, forgetting the product name he was endorsing, loosing his train of thought, and even forgetting to talk about the custom built chopper parked right in front of him (it had a diesel engine – there was something unique to talk about!).

This unveiling was filmed for TV and is going to be featured on American Chopper (Thursday Jan. 28th). It will be interesting to see how they edit the footage to make this look good.

This unvieling was filmed for TV and is going to be featured on American Chopper (Thursday Jan. 28th). It will be interesting to see how they edit the footage to make this look good.

Check out the video I grabbed. What I was able to capture was the second half of his presentation. I only started recording because he started bombing. His performance prior to this footage was even worse – if you can believe that.

Let’s Think About This For A Minute

Paul Sr. has been unveiling bikes for ten years now. He’s unveiled bikes in front of much larger crowds with much larger corporate sponsors. Why isn’t he at least semi-comfortable and some-what prepared? There were only about 200 people for the Monster Diesel unveiling and the company is still in start-up mode. I got the impression that Paul is now a hired gun – nothing more than a PR gimmick available for any corporation with a little cash in their marketing budget in need of reaping some exposure.

Paul Sr. has been unveiling bikes for ten years now. He’s unveiled bikes in front of much larger crowds with much larger corporate sponsors. Why isn’t he comfortable and prepared?

Why I Think Paul’s Bomb Is a Big Deal

I got the impression that the Monster Diesel bike was not so custom (aside from the diesel engine and paint). The bike was probably one of OCC’s production bikes with a few minor customizations. How could Paul not talk about the bike? Most likely because he wasn’t involved in any part of the build. The stammering, stuttering, and forgetting the product name? Trademark signs of a guy who didn’t prepare. He was “winging it.” My assumption is that he’s too busy to prepare or simply doesn’t care. The company he has built is a monster brand with monster facilities, global reach, and an operating budget to match. The CEO needs to keep the lights on. It’s not about the craft anymore and it hasn’t been for a very long time. It’s all about selling the next bike and keeping the production line moving. This is the atmosphere that (along with the constant fighting) drove Paul Jr. away (and if you ask me, Paul Sr. owes a lot to his son for establishing OCC).

It’s not about the craft anymore and it hasn’t been for a very long time. It all about selling the next bike and keeping the production line moving.

The Audience & Monster Diesel…Cheated.

I’m the type of guy that prides himself in doing his best work – especially when HIRED to do so. It was hard for me to watch this as I felt like the audience and the client (Monster Diesel) each got cheated. Had it been me or you up on that stage, we would have been boo’ed off…fast. We need to hold “celebrities” to the same standards. Some members of the audience were noticeably frustrated and confused. But many didn’t bat an eyelash. They were star struck and giddy by being able to see the man they see on TV.

Had it been me or you up on that stage, we would have been boo’ed off fast. We need to hold “celebrities” to the same standards.

This poor performance may foreshadow the upcoming fate of OCC. The show is in its last season. Paul has ramped up business to such a degree that OCC may not be able to sustain its infrastructure without the exposure and subsequent sales pipeline a TV show like American Choppers creates.

The Biggest Turn Off Of The Unveiling

In an attempt to explain his poor presentation, Paul jokes about how doing drugs in the 60’s has impaired his ability to speak (minute 1:06 in the video). Meanwhile his own son Mikey struggles with alcohol addiction.

What do you think? Bad PR or good PR for OCC and for Monster Diesel?