David Winick of Ada sits in the doorway of the '58 Airstream he customized for singer Anthony Kiedis.
Singer and Grand Rapids native Anthony Kiedis won’t be inside his customized ’58 Airstream trailer when he rolls into Cleveland with his Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates for Saturday’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, but you can bet he’ll be taking the glistening beauty on the road a bunch this summer.
The stunning and classic, aluminum-clad Airstream Flying Cloud restored and refurbished by Ada artist and designer David Winick hit the road on the back of a flatbed earlier this week, en route to Kiedis’ California home after about a year’s worth of work.
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Winick has become the Airstream customizer to the stars over the past several years, gutting then remodeling the old trailers which feature snazzy cabinetry, nostalgia-inducing-but-new kitchens, dining and sleeping quarters, and state-of-the-art stereo equipment.
Metallica lead singer James Hetfield owns one of Winick’s customized Wee Wind trailers and the customizer currently is at work on a large 1950-circa Airstream for the inventor of the Energizer bunny inside his Winick Design Studio workshop.
(I wrote about Winick last year for The Grand Rapids Press and MLive.com, and you can read that story here. You can also see more examples of Winick’s Airstream craftwork at his vintagetrailering.com website here.)
Kiedis, who’ll be inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight with his bandmates and who has been touring extensively behind the Chili Peppers’ “I’m With You” album, commissioned Winick to create a customized trailer more than a year ago and joked recently that he’s glad it was completed “before he retired,” Winick told me with a grin.
The gorgeous trailer features vintage counters and a dining table inlaid with the initials of Kiedis’ son, custom cabinetry, a spiffy bathroom and sleeping quarters, and artsy lighting.
You can view a video of the trailer’s transformation below, including early footage after Winick had it gutted and installed the floor last year, as well as a look at the final, impressive results.
I had asked Winick to let me know when his work was completed, so it was a real treat getting a chance to finally ogle and step inside the finished product earlier this week.
Kiedis, who’ll enjoy a homecoming when he returns to West Michigan on May 26 for a Chili Peppers concert at Van Andel Arena, will certainly be thrilled to start “Road Trippin” in grand style with his customized Airstream.
Oh, and I can pretty much guarantee that he won’t “Give It Away.”
Email: jsinkevics@gmail.com
Awesome! Someday…