“Super” used as an adjective has often made me chuckle to myself. It’s one of those descriptors that no one in my Generation X cohort would have used without tongue planted firmly in cheek. It just sounds so fifties. I once had a manager who would use “super!” as praise for something done well or a great idea, and he was maybe ten years older than me, at most. Using that word instantly made him seem at least a decade older than he was. I softened to “super” when the omnipresence of “awesome” had made it clear that the latter word had lost its power.
For a while, I tried using other words to express pleasure at things, including “super”, but no. It didn’t fit me, so I went back to using “cool”, “great”, and yes, “awesome”. “Super” as a subseries of 1956 Buick very much seems to fit both this car’s conservative target demographic and the time period in which it was manufactured.
Once upon a time, my hometown of Flint, Michigan was synonymous with Buick. This car was built two decades before I was born, at a time when the per-capita income level in Flint was among the best in the country, owing much to the presence of General Motors and many different factories throughout the city providing well-paid manufacturing jobs for much of the city’s population. The Buick make, by association, was then indirectly responsible for my car fandom which was nurtured in the birthplace city of GM. I have loved cars as far back as my earliest memories, even predating when the training wheels had come off of my blue Schwinn.
It’s that same love of cars that has played out into many facets of my life, including my passion for photographing, reading about, and immersing myself in learning about vehicles of all types and origins. That same love brought me to Curbside Classic just over ten years ago. It wasn’t the only car site I would read in my spare time, but it quickly became one of my favorites. Much like Aaron Severson’s Ate Up With Motor site, Curbside Classic became a place where I could read about not only my favorite makes and models, but also learn about cars I had never known had even existed. The breadth of the subject material spanned multiple continents, with perspectives shared by both the contributing authors and commenters that provided context around their experience of such vehicles.
Becoming a contributor here was almost a fluke. I had started sending some of my pictures to the Curbside Cohort on the Flickr photo sharing website, and I nearly jumped out of my seat the first time I had seen that one of my pictures was used in a Curbside Cohort feature. If I recall correctly, that car was a blue ’69 Olds Toronado with “big chrome lips” – words from Paul Niedermeyer that accompanied those pictures that still make me laugh. I’ll never be able to unsee that imagery.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which had first hit just over five years ago, many of us were then not only working from home, but doing pretty much everything else within the confines of our dwellings. This brought so many changes to my life, none the least of which was quitting alcohol within days of the mandatory quarantine, and also the discovery of so much extra time on my hands with nowhere to go. It was within that context that I had decided to carve out my own, dedicated day and time of the week for which to compose and schedule a lead essay. I chose Tuesday, with my thought process being that I didn’t want to spend the last hours of my weekend on Sunday evening doing any proofreading. Like my friend and one-time work colleague Nancy had once advised me, “Don’t Monday your Sunday”. (Wise words, Nancy.)
The world is a much different place in 2025, and many things and places have opened back up almost as if COVID had never happened or existed. Recently, I had received a mandate that along with the rest of my departmental co-workers, I was going to be returning to a mostly in-office work schedule. I was already working downtown for some days, but this major change has effectively taken hours of precious free time out of my week that I had gotten used to having to accomplish what I want, as it takes me roughly fifty minutes each way to get to and from the office from home. Having taken inventory of my life and priorities at this time, I’m here to report that this is my last regular Tuesday morning essay. For now, anyway.
I’m not quitting CC – far from it. I have loved not only putting my thoughts and writings together here, having been given nearly unlimited freedom to choose my subjects, but also interacting with so many of you, not only in response to comments left on my own “Curbside Musings”, but also in other articles from my talented co-contributors. The sense of community here was an enormous buoy at times when I had felt uncertain, both as I sorted out details of my personal life (which I have woven into many of my writings) and also processed my feelings about changes in the world, at large. I feel like I know many of you personally.
I have also always tried to write from a place of authenticity. Others and I haven’t always agreed on whatever, but part of what I’ve learned while writing here is that this is perfectly okay, and also that part of my power lies in my choice of how I react (or don’t react) to words I don’t necessarily like or agree with, both here and out in the world. I thank each and every one of you, especially site founder Paul Niedermeyer, for allowing me the chance to write about vehicles I love, share my photography, and get a lot off my chest when the spirit had so moved me. You’ll still hear from me – just not on a regularly scheduled Tuesday morning basis.
As for this gorgeous ’56 Buick Super Riviera hardtop coupe, of which just over 29,000 were originally manufactured, I thought it a fitting metaphor for my time here, so far, at CC. Its 322 cubic inch Fireball V8 engine with 255 horsepower and 341 pound-feet of torque moved this car regally southbound on Broadway in Lakeview as it came into focus, much like Curbside Classic had come from nowhere to becoming, seemingly overnight, one of my favorite online places to read about cars. The ’56 Super’s 127-inch wheelbase, shared with the top-tier Roadmaster, was five inches longer than the wheelbase stretch shared by the Special and Century. Its extra length could symbolize my extended ten-year marathon as a contributor here.
As many times as I’ve written about Flint, I’m sure that many of you have a sense of how dear that place is to my heart. Even if I wasn’t around when Flint was an affluent city, I loved growing up there mostly in the ’80s, when everything seemed perfectly fine, with urban grit and realness having sanded off any pretense that might have existed there at any point. I appreciate the opportunity to have been able to indulge my nostalgic whims among other like-minded readers. You may expect me to reference Flint again (and again) in my future contributions which have yet to be written in my head. Thank you again for your engagement, and I’ll see you all sooner than later.
Lakeview, Chicago, Illinois.
Friday, August 26, 2016.
Oh Joe…I had a feeling that I knew what this article was going to say as I first started to read it.
I get it. As much as reading your pieces each and every Tuesday morning – even on those days where I am likely not to have time to read anything else on CC – has become a fixture for me; I get it. The fact that you have always had something to say and write each and every week is astounding to me. I know that I couldn’t do it.
The good thing of course is that we can all still expect to read your work, just perhaps not as often or on as regular a schedule as before. I’ll count on that (and therefore avoid having to exercise the “Say it isn’t so, Joe” phrase). And maybe the return to commuting will give rise to even more photos and a bounty of additional observations and associations that you will want to share with the community here.
I look forward to that.
Thank you, Jeff. And yes, you totally get it. I’m just returning to the level of CC engagement I had prior to the pandemic which has now been (what?! that long ago?) five years ago. I still have an abundance of subject cars to write about, even if I was to continue working from home.
I have enjoyed the challenge of coming up with a ~1,000-word essay on a weekly basis. Sometimes it was easier, sometimes it was more challenging, but I always loved the feeling of proofreading on Saturday morning what I had written on Friday night and saying to myself at the end, “That’s a good essay” almost instinctively. That was, and will continue to be, a great feeling.
Kewl ! Now we need to determine the last usage of super in the name of a car.
I’m afraid my use of “super” has been pretty much limited to superchargers and Superman… well, OK, more turbochargers than superchargers… never had a supercharger… but daily drove a Jetfire turbo in 1960s… and turbo button on computers…
Was at GMI in Flint mid 1960s and remember the Buick police cars in red, green, yellow… don’t recall a Buick police car anywhere else except for TV show Highway Patrol.
Also, “Blood Alley”/Saginaw Street… named for being paved in red bricks… it may be called that for other reasons now, but I don’t know… check with Flint’s own Michael Moore…
Side streets off Saginaw St. were only paved as far as the rear of buildings facing Saginaw St, then they turned to sand after that in those days… something common for Michigan but not here in Ohio…
Saw a local obituary the other day for a (super) cute nurse in uniform and had last name of Hurley, which reminded me of the Hurley School of Nursing in Flint… and also the source of girlfriends for most college aged boys there… LOL!
Just remembered GMI had its first female student at that time… and, of course, Mary Barra started at GMI 13 years after me…
Don’t think anybody expects anyone to write researched articles here weekly… especially on a certain day… or monthly… but we appreciate anything that shows up… bringing recollections of our miss spent youth…
Michael Moore was born in Flint, but he grew up in Davison.
Back in the day when a car made a statement about the owner.
Happy motoring!! =;-)
This car is definitely one of substance!
Joe, this news is understandable but still lets the wind out of one’s sails. There are just some constants in life one enjoys, and your Tuesday articles were one of those. That said, the likely strain of keeping on such a schedule is understandable. Long ago I aimed for a weekly contribution here (just not at a regular time) and that was a challenge.
As for “super” and “awesome”, I do tend toward the latter. If I say “super” it’s likely loaded with sarcasm or snark, especially if used with awesome (“I’m super awesome”).
Over the last few years I have found myself using a different approach, especially when asked how I am doing at the beginning of a conversation. It’s become a fill-in-the-blank of “if I were doing any better, I’d be (you, twins, needing medication, living in Chicago, an insurance underwriter, etc.)” response.
What is it with our generation and the sarcasm (and periodic irreverence) we sometimes display?
Thank you, Jason – and yes, our age cohort definitely seems addicted to sarcasm and irreverence. It’s almost like people are afraid of putting their best foot forward for fear of it being criticized or invalidated, so it’s just easier to fall back on sarcasm and pretending like nothing actually matters. It’s a cycle I’m trying to break, even within myself.
And “super awesome” is so extra – I feel like I need to use this at least once at work today!
I certainly understand. There have been times when I kept up a weekly publication schedule here, and it’s not easy over a long stretch. I salute you for your extended run. And I always looked forward to your unique perspective.
My father used to say “Super!” all the time. When I was a teen, I considered it the kind of 70s affectation he could be prone to, but maybe it was embedded more deeply from an earlier time.
I always considered the Super an odd Buick model name, but I have learned to relax about it and go with the (Dyna)flow.
Thank you, JP. And I think that “Super” as a model name could have come from only a certain time period. One that also gave us an Oldsmobile “Dynamic” and other model names like this.
LOL from a Boomer who always has hated BEEMERS! Great post, BUT back in the day, SUPER was often a shorter version of SUPERIOR, as Buick like most American automobiles, clearly was. Of course the few imports were a minor irritation to the Too Much is NEVER enough era. We all believed that SUPERMAN had SUPER powers and could fly higher than Exners fabulous Finns. Even reach the top of the Chrysler Building with a single leap. Post WW2 AMERICA was reaching for the stars. In those halcyon days, America was Booming. Mary Poppins proclaimed It’s SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS! And SNL Church Lady asked Well, Isn’t that SPECIAL? Òf course we all have our own frames of reference. Thankfully, in America 🇺🇸 we can STILL have our own. Not sure how much longer 😕. But, as Archie and Edith sang 🎵 Those 🎶WERE 🎵the DAYS! 🎶 Keep Calm and Carry On! And enjoy every minute. Drive back when you can! 👍
Ah Rick, you get 10 extra points for remembering and spelling that Mary Poppins super word… before that the longest word we had (which is a real word), was antidisestablishmentarianism…
That’s interesting about “super” as a shorter version of “superior”. I would have never made that connection, as in my mind, super just means great. Superior implies a comparison.
I’ll certainly be back with more to share.
Joe, as I have often said, your ability to weave your personal experience together with a particular vehicle is a special talent and has always resulted in wonderful essays. I’d like to mention your consistency, too – I can’t recall any of the many articles that was not entertaining and informative.
Having a full time job makes your ability to turn out weekly CC work even more impressive.
I’d like to say a big “thank you” and look forward to your future contributions…
Huey, thank you so much. You know, when I had more days to work from home, could shut down my laptop immediately after the workday, and go for walks or whatever else I chose to do, sitting down to write on Friday evenings was something I looked forward to. I’d edit my photos first, thinking about or solidifying the angle from which I was going to write about my subject. I’d eat dinner while watching TV, and then return to my desk to bang out my first draft mostly interrupted. This, all before hopping on a bi-weekly video call with my friends. 🙂
I’ve still got it in me. There are just some other things I’d like to focus on right now since I have so much less free time.
Please add me to the list of people who will miss your weekly essays. As for SUPER, as an old man, I grew up with the name Buick Super on autos and thought nothing of it except that it was one level below a Roadmaster. Yes, I have heard many a man exclaim SUPER when expressing approval. As with Flint, I treasure Saginaw where no one who dwells there will steer you wrong. Sorry – I could not resist.
Thomas, thank you so much – and I love a GM factory reference, if I’m reading the Saginaw connection correctly!
😉 Like WOW, Dude! You’re so totally Awesome, man! 👍 You be da MAN! Seriously, thanks for the Memories. Yall come back now! Take your shoes off! Sit a spell!
Joe, Tuesdays won’t be the same without reading your regular musings, though obviously I completely understand your rationale. You write like no one else, and I enjoy reading your posts even when I don’t particularly like the car you’re writing about.
The increase in workplace flexibility was one of the few upsides of the Covid era, and it’s unfortunate that some employers are now taking that flexibility away. I had hoped that a newfound focus on flexibility and work/life balance would extend beyond office workers who could work remotely. In general, US employers’ benefits (everything from flexibility to paid time off to retirement) is wretched, and I had desperately hoped that would improve. But now, the pendulum seems to be swinging back the other way. A neighbor of mine, who works for a big tech company, deals with a workplace environment that seems like a caricature of 1980s yuppie-cubicle culture. Others I know have employers constantly declaring “emergencies” to squeeze more hours out of employees.
Anyway, over the past few years, I’ve been quite impressed that you’ve been able to crank out a thought-provoking essay every week. These days, I struggle for publishing an article once a month!
Regarding “super” – I’ve noticed that in recent years, Super has made a resurgence in the form of a compound adjective. Similar to what Jason mentioned above like “super-awesome.” I’m not sure what demographic or region that trend started with, but it’s spread quickly. And I noticed that even relatively recent English speakers now use terms like “super fun” or “super cute.” By contrast, “super” on its own still seems relatively rare.
Finally, while I’ll miss your Tuesday posts, I hope we don’t have to wait a super long time for next Musings!
Eric, thank you so much. To be honest, sometimes my subject vehicles weren’t necessarily cars I had always intuitively liked, but had grown on me – and that was sometimes the focus of what I had to say in connection with some other ideas or life experience.
Like you’ve stated, I honestly thought the flexible work arrangement thing was here to stay. I was gobsmacked when I first learned about the workplace changes. Ultimately, I had to choose to count my many blessings at my current employer instead of dwelling on my initial saltiness about the whole thing. Twenty-five plus years into my insurance career and already having been through one layoff (years and years ago), I realize how great I have it.
I just want to add my voice to the chorus of folks that will miss your contributions. I’ve always enjoyed your essays and your photography. You have been willing to be vulnerable enough to give your readers an insight into your life, that takes courage. Your ten year run has been quite impressive, and I’d bet we’ll be seeing “Joseph Dennis weeks” of re-runs of your greatest hits.
Jose, thank you so much. I hope this doesn’t sound like the mutual appreciation society (so what if it does?), but you are among the other writers whose autobiographical works here I have really enjoyed reading. I feel like writing from a place of authenticity here was one more leg in my journey of self-actualization and internalizing that my story is fine and good and of no less or greater value than anyone else’s. This may sound like an obvious statement, but it’s been a journey for me, and writing here has been part of the work I’ve been doing.
Thank you for your superlative pieces Joe, I enjoy them. I found CC looking for photos of cars but keep coming back because the photos are accompanied by special writing like yours.
Super and awesome aren’t in my old person’s English English vocabulary. As a child I was puzzled by Vauxhall Victor Super being the middle trim, under deluxe whereas Ford Cortina Super was top of the range with deluxe in the middle.
Looking forward to your future contributions.
Hummel, I really appreciate your words. And now I am thinking about how other English-speaking countries (including the original one – yours) feel about U.S. vernacular English and our use of words like “awesome”.
I’ve wondered if and when this day would come, and sadly, it has. But I totally understand and can’t express fully how much your regular Tuesday post has enriched all of us here at CC. Thank you for your diligent commitment to grace us each week with a new JD essay. It’s been a super-dooper treat!
Paul, again, thank you so much for both allowing and initially encouraging my participation here at this fine site. I still remember where I was when I got your first email asking if I’d have any interest in writing some words to accompany my Curbside Cohort pictures I was submitting at the time. My participation here (which will continue) has been more than just a way to write and share pictures, but also to be a part of a community of common interest. As I’ve continued to develop as a person over the past decade of my participation, CC was a constant positive, even through many life changes. I’ll have to make sure my next entry really delivers. I’m sure it will. 🙂
I am certainly going to miss your weekly articles, as you are one of my 2 favorite contributors here. Over the past 8 years l have printed hundreds of CC articles of my favorite cars and keep them in several 3 ring binders. I read them all over and over, and they give me many hours of enjoyment. Yours are the best, in my opinion. My favorite was the one on an 83 Olds 98 parked at some social club. Good luck, and l hope we will hear from you from time to time.
This is high praise, Mitchel. Thank you. I have also had the thought to do the same – put some of my favorite articles in a binder, because sometimes, we want to read something on paper and not on a screen.
I know the Oldsmobile article you’re talking about about. I’m pretty sure that was from 2016. The historic and prestigious Standard Club has since closed.
Good enough car for the US embassy to bring one to NZ, it was sold locally when it was replaced and was allowed to keep its LHD permit with appropriate warning sign on the back window, unfortunately totaled in a nose to tail shunt the owner took the payout and bought another Jag.
Wow. I wonder if I’ve seen any right-hand drive vehicles on the streets here, and also what it takes to get one registered once it hits the time period after which one such vehicle could be brought over. Something else for me to look up in my leisure time.
Thanks Joseph, for all the memorable Tuesday posts and lovely photos that came with your essays. I became a CC reader in late 2015, and if I’m not mistaken, you were already part of the CC weekly menu by then. It’s going to take some time to get used to the idea of your features not being on a steady schedule.
Regardless, good luck with all your new life changes and I look forward to your future posts, whenever they come.
Rich, thank you so much – and also for all of your hard work in maintaining the high standards here at CC. I appreciate your well wishes and as you’ve said, I’ll be back with new content – probably sooner than later. I felt like I needed to write this post to explain instead of simply dropping off mysteriously because a.) I’ve been doing this Tuesday morning thing steadily for so long; and b.) I didn’t want people to worry or think anything was wrong. Nothing’s wrong except that there sometimes seem to be too few hours in the day. 🙂
Thanks, Joe, for all your contributions to CC. I have enjoyed your musings every Tuesday since I became a frequent reader and commenter in 2016. I have enjoyed the photography, the way you showcase Chicago in your essays, and many of the pop culture references and tie-ins with music, and sometimes all three in the same post. As others noted, some of the glimpses into your thoughts have been revealing and that takes considerable courage. Overall, the mere fact that you’ve sustained this pace for so long should be a source of pride and evidence of a resilience that can be extended to other parts of your life.
Sorry to see your regular Tuesday posts will become more irregular, but I completely understand the reasons why you are stepping back, at least for now.
Thanks so much, William. You hit on so many things I have enjoyed (so far) about being a writer here: the show-and-tell, the personal growth and diminished fear of just being real, and the sense of accomplishment every time I had hit the “schedule” button at the end of the work week and beginning of the weekend. Not to build it up or anything, but my next subject cars and topic will have to be a great one!
Another vote of thanks, Joseph; I have always enjoyed you pieces with their blend of life, musings and connections pulled together with your photos. I look forward to your future contributions. In the meantime enjoy your new freedom.