Last night I was offered the keys to either our Kia minivan or the Chevy Silverado pickup. Since there were actual reports of snow in Los Angeles (yes, it's true), I chose the Silverado. I had driven it before and found it to be very well-controlled, if freakin' HUGE. And I'm just not too hip to minivans...
Freddie Hubbard and Coleman Hawkins were going to have to sit out this round. St. Germain? Uh, no. Jurassic 5? I don't think so. Tom Petty? Mmm, "It's Good to be King" would be nice. But I only have "The Last DJ" on CD, so that's out. I do have one Tim McGraw CD, but it's a single.
A ha! Stevie Ray Vaughan. Texas boy, nice growly blues, Perfect truck music. I headed over the Sepulveda pass to the Valley to see my girl, and never were music and car so perfectly matched. Even the song titles were hitting. I barreled right through a patch of flooded road that folks in Benzes gingerly tiptoed around, all the while cranking "Couldn't Stand the Weather." And when we really got going, over the Sepulveda Pass, it was Stevie's epic take on "Voodoo Chile."
Despite this, I'm still not a truck guy. But the Silverado drives great for what it is. It's as big as a building, but I vastly prefer it to our bouncy and also cavernous Tahoe, and its torquey engine doesn't roar quite as aggressively as that of the FJ Cruiser. Could only park it at meters in my neighborhood, and you can practically watch the gas gauge go down, but it's a strong, sturdy truck. And this morning I intentionally drove down a street that was recently carved up in preparation for repaving. Fast. Sublime. Smooth as silk. I'd love to take this puppy on a dirt road some time.
And now, the obligatory picture of my musical gear for today's rehearsal. I left the keyboard itself in the bed, but it would have fit perfectly in the back of the crew cab due to its flat floor and easy-fold seats.
Great truck. Not for me, but does exactly what it sets out to do, with skill and ease. Oh, and Ben Harper cranking out "Ground on Down" with his slightly out-of-tune-sounding guitar at top volume? Another fine choice.
Doug Lloyd, Copy Editor, @ 5,777 miles
desmolicious says:
05:57 PM, 01/18/07
The advantage of the Tahoe in carrying your music gear is 1/ it stays out of the weather
b/ harder to steal in the Tahoe if you stop somewhere on your way to your gig.
By the by, the FJKruzer (Krusty the Klown's fave ride) only makes that racket because of the optional $500 TRD noise maker attached to the pipe...
funkymunky says:
06:00 PM, 01/18/07
True. But as I have pointed out in the past, I can easily carry my gear in the tiny Honda Fit. And in the Silverado, I could have easily put my keyboard and its stand in the crew cab were it raining. Rides way better than the Tahoe, IMHO.
priuscrusher says:
07:36 PM, 01/18/07
Toby Keith's "Big ol Truck" might do it.
autoboy16 says:
07:47 PM, 01/18/07
And he piled it in the Versa. Next the compass? Wow, all that gear in the fit still suprises me!! Was its performance still peppy with the extra weight?
-Cj
funkymunky says:
11:38 AM, 01/19/07
Autoboy: yes, the Fit's performance is quite zippy. It's not like I'm carrying cinder blocks, although all told, my gear's probably an extra small person's weight. I was coming back from a gig in Long Beach and going quite quickly, smoothly. Faster than it felt. The Fit's a helluva car. Not something I can get passionate about, but very capable. But this entry's about the Silverado.
autoboy16 says:
07:18 PM, 01/19/07
True. So will the silverado be testerd with cinderblocks, bricks, and dumbells? j/k!
Personally i don't see much need for the avalanche in chevy's lineup. It does a few tricks the silverado can't handle but thats about it. Its hard when silverados have always done everything so well. GM should have kept the SSR!
-Cj
jerrywimer says:
07:09 AM, 01/22/07
To each his own. The Avalanche does what both a Silverado crew cab (5'5" box) and a Silverado standard cab long box (8' box) do, in one vehicle. And it does it while being shorter than either (easier to maneuver in tight spots, fits in parking lots better, etc.). There are advantages the trucks have over the Avalanche, but it takes three trucks to get all the goodies that you get with one Avalanche. ;-)