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"... I set about testing the hypothesis that the Holden Kingswood is a
product of a peculiarly Australian culture, and has in turn influenced the
culture from whence it sprang. It was an easy exercise, really. For, without
a doubt, the Kingswood has achieved an iconographic status only rarely found
in the suburban stretches of Australian 'metropoli'."
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Bit 1
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And so opens Richard Strauss's book Up for Rego. High claims indeed.
While I enjoyed the book, I must admit there were bits I skipped --
particularly in the "Of Death and Resurrection" chapter, with sections like
"Old Holdens Never Die: Maintaining, Restoring and Customising Tradition".
Really, how much could I convince myself to care about swapping engine bits
in big old cars? There might be extra room under the bonnet, an accessible,
simple engine and readily available spare parts to tempt me to invest in my
own tonne of Australian automotive culture, but to be honest, I don't need a
Sandman in New Farm. No, this is not a car for the inner city academic
feminist with almost no automotive skills. And I, at least, could tell the
Charger from the very similar 2-door Falcon. The Kingswood, it seems,
remains the steed of the outer suburbs -- a little something from my past, and
unlikely to be a serious part of my present.
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Bit 2
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While I may have sighed over Strauss's Charger discussion, chuckled along with
jokes about rising fuel costs paralleled by the ever-expanding Holden fuel
tank, and revisited my childhood in the boot of a Kingswood wagon, I was a
little uncertain about comments such as: "cars in general are the symbolic
extension of the private self into public life" (82). I am not sure I like
my "private self" defined in terms of what I choose to drive, or whether I
drive at all. I'd like to think I'm a little more complex a text than
Wheels may account for.
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Bit 3
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I do appreciate the unselfconscious adulation of a decidedly unhip, unsexy
(and hence un-cultural studies? bite your tongue, bitch!) and unlikely
cultural icon with just the right amount of irony, yet I cannot suppress a
persistent discomfort with the subject matter. Though Strauss's chapters do
include "A Driving Machismo", with its pleasantly unpatronising discussion
of women Holden enthusiasts, I am still left whining a little. Yes, I do
appreciate the class commentary here. I did recognise Strauss's academic
references (perhaps that would carry more weight if Australian Studies were
my area). And I really did enjoy the jokes. But I still doubt the necessity
of yet another dive into the male psyche, as expressed through his choices
in personal transportation. Enough with the phallus, please.
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Bit 4
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I suspect, fellow postgrads, that this is where we should be
imagining our theses' next incarnation, if we want to finance our next
higher degree, or a pre-career pause: consumable popular press,
semi-academic references and a clever joke. There's money to be squeezed
from even your most private passions, if you have the contacts.
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Bit 5
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But I mustn't end on a such a critical note: Up for Rego is a good,
quick read -- particularly if you are familiar with the Kingswood, and I
rushed my way through this one, taking time out only to read bits to People
Who Understand. There are top pictures, original ads and anecdotes from
'star' Holden drivers, and in the end, it is difficult to resist the charm
of Strauss's unashamedly indulgent exploration of his love affair with the
Kingswood.
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Bit 6
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Details
Up for Rego: A Social History of the Holden Kingswood, by Richard Strauss.
Annandale, NSW: Pluto, 1998. ISBN 1-86403-054-2; RRP $A 24.95.
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Bit 7
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Citation reference for this article
MLA style:
Sam Carroll. "A Driving Machismo: Richard Strauss's 'Up for Rego'." M/C Reviews 16 Oct. 1999.
[your date of access] <http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/reviews/words/rego.html>.
Chicago style:
Sam Carroll, "A Driving Machismo: Richard Strauss's 'Up for Rego'," M/C Reviews 16 Oct. 1999,
<http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/reviews/words/rego.html> ([your date of access]).
APA style:
Sam Carroll. (1999) A driving machismo: Richard Strauss's 'Up for rego'. M/C Reviews 16 Oct. 1999.
<http://www.uq.edu.au/mc/reviews/words/rego.html> ([your date of access]).
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![[image]](http://media.socialchange.net.au/pluto/gifs/156_rego.gif)