We here at RobPRocks Industries are mourning the loss of a very valuable and longtime member of our team, namely my roadmobile, The ‘Vic.
After 16 years, 338,391 miles, the Honda Civic VX that I drove off of the lot in March of 1995 finally succumbed to the ravages of age. Together The ‘Vic and I toured much of the country, and from Montana to Texas, from Maine to the Carolinas the little car that could got me to hundreds of shows at colleges, clubs and theaters.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing
In April of 1995, with the new car smell still fresh in the air, we found ourselves driving through a blizzard in South Dakota on our way to a gig at Black Hills State University. The conditions deteriorated rapidly and I knew I had to get us off the road, but sitting on the shoulder of Interstate 90 while semis were still barreling through the blizzard would be dangerous. Creeping along at 30 miles per hour we finally got to the next off-ramp and were able to set up camp under the overpass.
14 hours later when the plows finally came we trudged back to the small roadside stop a few miles east where I anxiously waited to see when the interstate would be open again. I missed the show that night but wouldn’t miss another due to bad weather until February 2010 when a foot and a half of snow forced me to postpone a show at Lehigh University.
Top Speed–93 MPH (legally)
There was a brief window from 1995-1999 when Montana’s legal daytime speed limit was “Reasonable and Prudent,” so one day on my way from a gig at Dickinson State in North Dakota, I decided to take a detour out to Wibaux, Montana to investigate these non-limits. The interstate was deserted, the sun was out and you could see for miles, so I put the pedal to the metal and learned that 93 miles per hour was as fast as the 1.5-liter engine would take me.
I probably could have gotten up to 95 if I had left my guitars behind, but you never leave the guitars behind.
Featured on “Life as a Comic”
A few years back I got together with my comedian friends Jesse Joyce and Ray Devito to discuss comedian roadmobiles, and you can see all of the wonderful features of The ‘Vic and what made it such an important part of my life and career. Soon after taping, Jesse upgraded to a much nicer vehicle, and a little while later Ray moved on from his Cavalier. I hung on to The ‘Vic as long as I could but it was finally time to let it go.
So the next time you open a jug of radiator fluid, pour a little on the garage floor for the roadmobiles that ain’t here no more.
