“On the Road” With Kristin Bedford

“On the Road” is a podcast produced by JC Whitney. Every other Thursday we bring you interviews with a cavalcade of figures from across the world all united by one thing: their undying love of all things automotive. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In this interview, Angel Sala-Belen chats with Kristin Bedford about her book Cruise Night, a deep dive into the Mexican American low-rider community in Los Angeles. Kristin captures the soul and significance of low-riding, highlighting its cultural and social impact through her close-knit involvement with the community. She also shares a fun story about a road trip in her Tesla Model 3 and talks about her unique approach to getting the book into the hands of the very community it celebrates. You can snag a copy through LACMA’s website or go straight to Kristin for a signed and inscribed edition!

Angel Sala-Belen: Hello and welcome! I am your host, Angel Sala-Belen, and today we are joined by Kristin Bedford. Thank you, Kristin, for coming. Kristin has a book, Cruise Night. This book has been a top seller in 2021. Her book explores the Mexican American low rider community in Los Angeles. Kristin has been to hundreds of car shows, and her book sold out. Now we have the second print of her book. Kristin, what are you currently doing in the automotive world that you’d like to share with us today?

Kristin Bedford: In 2014, I started this project about the Mexican American low rider community. I have been on this journey since then. The pictures in the book are from 2014 to 2019, so I took them over five years. I was not a drive-by photographer; I didn’t just go for the weekend. You know, a Friday night cruise night, a Saturday cruise night, Saturday night on Whittier, and then Elysian Park on Sunday afternoon. That is like the weekend, yeah, the full spread. While I did this over so many years, I saw people from all over the world and all over the country come and do the long weekend. So, I really went deep into understanding the meaning of the cars in the community.

To get to your question about what I’m doing now, I’m still really active with the low rider community. We’ve been celebrating the book a lot. All the people in the book have seen it, and I know them well. We’ve been in a party phase right now because the book came out, and a lot of people never saw it because it sold out so fast. Part of the reason I printed it again is to get it into the hands of the community and also to keep it off Amazon for the time being and get it into alternative models, like record stores and tattoo parlors—places where people in the community would naturally go. A lot of people don’t do online shopping; a lot of people aren’t going to big box bookstores. So, I’m really thinking about how to integrate the book where people are in the community.

In Los Angeles, for the Mexican-American community, low riding has a distinct significance. The art and act of customization is about having a voice—politically, culturally, socially, creatively, and communally. There are many different layers in a society that often marginalizes Mexican Americans. You think of the low rider, low and slow going down the boulevard. It’s a mobile canvas, and it’s here I am, and here is my vision. Each one is about having a voice, and that is what interests me about customization. In the case of the Mexican-American community, it has a social justice component to it.

Angel Sala-Belen: So, Kristin, I want to segue here. There had to have been a time in your life where you had an experience in a car, whether you’re leaving the hospital or having a joy ride on your first date. Can you single out a moment that’s a defining moment in your relationship with automobiles?

Kristin Bedford: Specifically, one memory that comes to mind is from a few years ago. I decided to drive from Los Angeles to New York in my 2018 Tesla Model 3. That year, it was a premium car with a range of about 308 miles, which enabled me to do that because in some states there are very long periods of time between superchargers. I would often get off and sleep in agricultural areas or behind garden centers—places where no one was likely to come into work until the next day. One time, I went to sleep behind one of these agricultural buildings. I woke up in a haze, and there were all these white and light gray horses looking in from all the windows. It was a magical moment. Instead of immediately documenting it with my phone, I stayed still and just experienced it. The horses eventually wandered off, and everything was illuminated by the moon through the car’s glass panel roof. The next morning, I found tracks around my car, confirming it wasn’t a dream. That was probably the most magical experience I’ve ever had in a car. It was pure magic.

Angel Sala-Belen: Now, Kristin, some of our guests are probably wondering, where can they get this book? Where can they see your new work? How can they reach you? Can you share some of that with us?

Kristin Bedford: Yeah, there are two easy ways to get the book. One is to order it from LACMA (the Los Angeles County Museum of Art) on their website. They are one of the major distributors of the book. The second place is directly from me. On my website and my Instagram, there’s a link.

Angel Sala-Belen: What’s your Instagram handle?

Kristin Bedford: It’s just my name, actually: kristin_bedford. There are links everywhere—on my website, Instagram, and Facebook, which is also just my name. When you order it from me, I do sign it, and I can inscribe it with a message of your choice, whether to you or your car. The second printing I did myself at probably the best color printing press in Italy, so the colors are absolutely stunning. For a book on low riding, you want the colors to pop; that’s not where you cut back.

Angel Sala-Belen: Right, the color in the low rider world is huge. They do a lot of candy apple colors and all those vibrant hues.

Kristin Bedford: Yes, the most famous low rider in the world, Gypsy Rose from Imperials car club, is featured. It’s important for me to be there during the printing because I’m the only person who knows what Gypsy Rose looks like in real life. I don’t want people in the community to see the book and say, “That’s not what my car looks like.” The colors in the reprint are very accurate to the actual cars. This is Sandra waiting to go into the Torres Empire car show at the LA Convention Center. Her car, Pinky, is one I’ve ridden in many times. I know Sandra, and we’re friends. I had to ensure the colors were right. This reprint is beautiful; the colors sing at a whole other level.

Angel Sala-Belen: So, the hues and all of this are very accurate to the actual cars?

Kristin Bedford: Yes, very accurate. For example, my friend Raul’s car, Modern Love (like the David Bowie song), is featured. The experience of the paint jobs is always changing depending on the light and time of day. I thought about every detail, even the color of the LA sky when choosing the Pantone for the paper.

Angel Sala-Belen: So, you told me that these books can be bought at LACMA?

Kristin Bedford: Yes, at the LACMA website or my website, kristinbedford.com. My Instagram is kristin_bedford. I’m very responsive to everyone, whether on Instagram or email. I always write back and engage with people.

Angel Sala-Belen: So, there you go, everyone! If you have any questions or want Kristin’s book, she is very responsive. LACMA and Kristin’s website are where you can get the book and even have it signed.

Kristin Bedford: And I’ll ask you if you want it inscribed!

Angel Sala-Belen: Please reach out to her. She is one of the most talented auto photographers we have in the area.