Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Dwight Yoakam – and learning. I already knew he was the guy a lot of people love to hate in the 1996 movie “Sling Blade” (and that some people call it a kaiser blade) and the unusual voice behind songs such as “Guitars, Cadillacs,” “Little Ways,” and the remake of “Suspicious Minds.”
Eventually, I came across the following video, “Saw You Comin’,” which documents the making of Yoakam’s 2012 album, “3 Pears.” That’s when I learned that he liked the sixth-generation Corvette for more than just its styling and engine. The Kentucky-born singer would get in his black C6 convertible and listen to rough tracks and mixes of his songs – at skull-cracking volumes. In fact, he played them so loud for his band mates, engineers, and fellow musicians that album collaborator Beck wasn’t even able to hear himself think.
Yoakam certainly could, though. He used the ‘Vette as a lab in which he determined which sonic elements his songs needed more or less of. To Yoakam, the interior of his C6 was “the final resting place for voting, … the precinct that casts the deciding ballot.”
In many of his interviews, Yoakam seems to be a down-to-earth sort of guy and the documentary below reinforces that image. He not only trusts the sound system of America’s sports car, but he also judges the quality of his own sound where a lot of his fans have for the past 30 years: in the driver’s seat.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
