The highly-acclaimed musical “Hamilton” is currently playing at the CIBC Theatre (previously known as the “Bank Of America Theatre” for about five minutes, and then as the “PrivateBank Theatre” as seen above, as recently as earlier this week) downtown in Chicago’s Loop district. I’ve walked past this venue for the past year or so while on my way to work, and also occasionally on weekends. At most any given time, there are at least a few people posed either in front of the entrance doors or under the marquee for a picture as a memento of either having seen the show or just being there.
I have not yet seen “Hamilton”. I have, however, yet to speak with someone who has seen the show and also has one negative thing to say about it, perhaps except for that the almost three-hour running time made for uncomfortable sitting toward the end (which seems minor, relative to all of its accolades). Even my young niece knows the words to many of its songs.
As for me, I tend to like things that aren’t hugely popular with a lot of people. Stated another way, I usually select adversely against things that seem to have saturated the popular consciousness. For another example, let me present the TV sitcom “Seinfeld”. This immensely popular “show about nothing” was one of which I wouldn’t have sat through an entire episode when it was in first-run. However, within maybe five years after the last, new show had aired in 1998, I had ended up watching almost every adventure probably at least three times, having been highly entertained by most of them. People’s love for this show had suddenly made a lot of sense to me, years after the fact.
When I spotted our featured truck in front of this theater in Monday afternoon rush hour traffic, I thought of certain similarities between this SSR and “Hamilton”. Granted, and based on reviews I’ve read and heard, this musical appears to be a show of a magnitude ten times greater than the SSR ever was as a useful truck (though I will concede that utility was probably not one of the SSR’s primary priorities). With that said, I remember reading of some of the positive hype the SSR had generated in the automotive press prior to its going on sale for the 2004 model year. This was during a wave of “retro revival”, with other cars of then-recent memory sporting vintage motifs. The Plymouth Prowler, Chrysler PT Cruiser, and Chevy’s own HHR all come to mind as examples of this trend.
I like vintage and retro-themed things, so any love from me for the SSR should have been obvious and immediate… except it wasn’t. Most readers who are familiar with my writing know my affinity for certain cars is largely unmarried to hardcore performance figures, dynamic brilliance or even conventional beauty. The AMC Pacer, for example, still makes me swoon, and I would absolutely, yes, 100%, love to own one, someday. All of this is to say that I have trouble warming to things that everybody else seems to love. (This may be a byproduct of “Middle Child Syndrome”, but it’s authentically the way I feel about many things.)
It has been over a decade since the last, new SSR rolled off the assembly line in Lansing, Michigan, and man, oh, man, has this vehicle’s long absence from Chevy’s new-car showrooms made this heart grow fonder. The SSR may have been mostly “show” with limited “go” (mid seven-second range to sixty with a four-speed automatic, initially, according to period tests from Motor Trend), and with compromised utility given it’s smallish cargo bed. However, in 2017, I find its styling dynamic, expressive, and just about right, to the same degree it just left me scratching my head back in the early Aughts when I had first seen pictures of it. It’s amazing what can happen when hype dies down. I may or may not end up seeing “Hamilton”, but one thing’s for sure: time will probably be at least as good to that musical in the future as it has been to the SSR. Appreciation comes better late than never.
Downtown, The Loop, Chicago, Illinois.
Monday, August 28, 2017.
Related reading:
- From Gerardo Solis: Future Curbside Classic: Chevrolet SSR – Dodge Did It, We Can Do It Better; and
- From Paul Niedermeyer: CC Outtake: Chevrolet SSR – Did They Really Make These?.
I wouldn’t say the SSR ever reached the level of public consciousness Hamilton did, or that it was ever considered a truly great car like Hamilton is considered a truly great musical. But I know one thing for sure: I’d love to see Hamilton, and I’d love to see more of the SSR. These beautiful pictures show just how right the lines are on these. Black seems to be the best colour, rather than the overhyped yellow (not the Seinfeld but more like the Friends of the SSR’s colour palette – overexposed and really not that great, dare I say).
Look, these were nonsense cars and a waste of GM’s development money and I don’t even think they really got any enduring critical acclaim. But that doesn’t make them any less cool.
Will, I don’t disagree with your opening sentence, but as far as public consciousness, I do remember the SSR getting quite a lot of press – much of it positive speculation – prior to its release.
I also like black as the color of this SSR – it seems to highlight its lines and curves in all the right places.
My cousin got me a subscription to “Road & Track”, which usually features a column by Bob Lutz at the back. I confess it’s been a while since I read that column, but I wonder if he’s addressed the SSR in retrospect.
My recollection of the press at the time was that it was being judged against nothing, because there was virtually nothing else in this weird niche besides the Prowler. It’s hard to critique anything negatively when there is no bar to judge it against(and if it was the Prowler, it was a low bar anyway).
Press =/= public consciousness. Nobody looking through the rags for results on whether the Accord got as good scored as well as the Camry in the competition test thought too long about the SSR on the cover.
FYI, if you want to see 150 SSR’s in one place, come to Denison Tx from Oct 5 thru 7,2017 for our International Rally. We will be at the Hilton Garden Inn.
BSTPAPA
Yes, the SSR lives. It lives in the heart of a whole group of SSR Fanatics, of which are of the age to enjoy all the features of such a great little truck. We meet all over the world and take care of this icon of days past.
And soon, Oct. 4 – 7 we will meet in Denison, Texas for another great rally. SSR Fanatics from the US and Canada with a common cause will be reuniting.
Over 150 SSR’s will shine in the Texas sun.
This looks awesome, guys. It’s so great that there’s an organized event like this for fans of the SSR. Your enthusiasm is contagious! As I wrote in this piece, it took a while, but I may now, officially, be counted as a fan. 🙂
I wonder if the SSR would have been more successful had Chevy offered a cheaper version with a fixed roof and open bed. As for the AMC Pacer, I used to drive Dad’s in the late ’70s – it was not good.
Indeed, a fixed roof, open bed SSR at, say, 2/3s the price of the folder might have done okay.
Tonyola, your comment about driving your dad’s Pacer (and it being “not good” – which made me laugh) triggered my memory, that I had seen an early one (1975 – ’77) on the Dan Ryan Expressway last August (2016) while driving from Chicago to Michigan. I was disappointed I couldn’t get a clear shot of it, but the driver looked happy as a clam. I suppose it’s a completely different story driving a classic AMC in 2017 versus when they were new cars. Still, I love them. 🙂
I’ve never really cared for the SSR. I’ve seen one in the metal before, and I just think the design doesn’t really work. I think, another problem with it, is that it came at a time when Retro was starting to get overplayed and the designs based around the theme weren’t that great. This, the HHR, the PT Cruiser, the S-type, the Thunderbird, all came around in roughly the same span, and even though these were all well received designs for the most part when they came out, I think it was clear that Retro burnout was taking effect and years later, I think they’ve all aged terribly. The SSR is the only one where I can still see why people would like it, but it’s not something I care for.
As for the Hamilton thing. I was actually raised on musicals, my mother loved Broadway shows and me and my sister would always listen to the soundtracks in the car on the way to school, and I’ve also seen a couple in my life (not on Broadway obviously) So, I do like musicals, but I listened to snippets of the Hamilton soundtrack when my sister was playing it during certain activities, and in my opinion, it’s complete ear poison. The constant praise around it only makes it worse, as I have to wonder what the praise is all about, since the songs to me are just unbearable. I think the only musical soundtrack that’s more unlistenable to me is Rent.
As someone else who has grown up with musicals (my twenties were spent doing a lot of local summer stock, and my crowd at the time was almost entirely theater people); I tend to see a musical only long after the initial publicity rush.
And I find that a lot of the shows that get the greatest publicity rush are the ones that are absolute poison to me: The Fantastiks (who came up with that plot?), Cats (to me the most overrated bit of stagecraft that ever existed) . . . . . . . . and based on what I’ve seen, heard (especially from little sister and brother-in-law who got tickets to see the original cast before it started to change) Hamilton is another one of those that I’m staying away from. Something about it just sets me off wrong, and yes I agree with the “complete ear poison” opinion.
So, do I like anything at all? Yes, I have worshipped “A Chorus Line” for decades.
Syke, while I never was involved in theater to your extent, I did participate in programs with the Flint Youth Theater program – which I greatly enjoyed. I learned fairly early on, though, that my need for control (of me) kept me from losing myself in a role and acting worth a darn. LOL
The big musical everyone seemed to love when I was in college in the 90’s was “Rent”, which thoroughly turned me off to it, at the time. What I have learned since then (or tried) is that just because something is popular, it shouldn’t beneath me to like it, as well. It’s a battle I’ll probably fight for the rest of my life.
Joseph, you bring up an interesting point about market saturation for the retro look by the time of the SSR’s introduction. I omitted some key examples in my short list, especially the VW New Beetle (referencing Rick’s comment below), and the Jaguar S-Type.
There is (was?) a facelifted S-Type in my neighborhood, and while I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad looking car, it’s retro-ness hasn’t worn the best with time. I think I actually prefer the looks of the Lincoln LS with which it shared its platform.
The facelifted S-Type and the R variant cleaned up the styling a little (the same can be said for the facelifted Rover 75) but I’m in full agreement with you: the Lincoln LS looked better. Especially ITS facelifted version. A 2005-06 LS V8 Sport, for example, looks mean and well-proportioned. The interior isn’t as nice as the S-Type though.
I think the new beetle was first on the retro revival. I thot it looked right for that sort of thing. I never fell for the SSR or any other revival car. My dislike for revival cars is great. The fiat spyder, which looks worse than the miata, even tho it is a miata – with a fiat 500 cappuccino engine us a prime example for me. The prowler on the other hand I have to give Chrysler credit. That was a truly daring car to build.
My 18 year old daughter and I saw Hamilton at this very venue, Joseph. 2 hours in rush hour traffic on a Thursday in July (should have taken the Metra from Kenosha), but it was well worth it. My daughter, the consummate Theater Girl, had a fabulous time- and she got a shirt,too.
The SSR? I don’t get its existence at all. Fantastic photography though, as always.
We have selfies from about the same angle in front of the theater!
1964bler, despite the traffic situation, I’m glad you were both able to make it down for the show. My niece was genuinely pleased to get a selfie in front of the theater when she visited this summer. 🙂
(And thanks RE: my pictures.)
Gee, Joe, you’ve got me feeling like a real grump after reading this. I detest musicals, I’ve never seen an episode of Seinfeld, and if something is hyped I usually find myself growing suspicious of its actual merit.
It sounds like your Middle Child Syndrome has some symptoms that overlap my First Born Tendencies!
As for the SSR, this is a good catch. I never quite understood the purpose of their existence (it’s likely that FBT thing), but they are an enjoyable novelty and period piece.
Jason, you’ve given me a great idea. From here on out, I may abbreviate Middle Child Syndrome as “MCS”.
An example of usage:
“Joe, what was that all about?”
“My bad… must be my MCS working.”
Although not as big of a grump as Jason (I love Seinfeld) I am not a fan of modern musicals (which I define as any that come much after 1965). My family got me to watch Les Miserables on DVD and it was the longest evening of my life.
The SSR? I didn’t respect it at the time and still have the kind of lingering disdain I have for every car that lists extra hype as standard equipment. I lump these in with 76 Eldorado convertibles and 80 Corvette Indy pace cars. It seems like nobody bought these to drive, only to collect. But I will admit that enough time has passed that I can appreciate a sighting in the wild.
haha! Exactly the same on musicals, (and Seinfeld) and I too was made to watch Les Miserables and it was true to name.
Same views also on the Chev. BTW, it looks remarkably like a production FJ Holden Ute from about 1952. If I knew how to post pictures, I would.
Could have been the next El Camino and have some use. Instead, it’s a pinky ring.
I tend to see things a bit different than most. The SSR to me is more of a spiritual successor to the Lincoln Zephyr 3 window coupe of the 30’s than any pickup truck. It’s a car with a long ass squared up trunk.
For me the SSR’s roofline is just wrong. I understand what they were trying for, but it simply doesn’t work. It’s too small; out of scale. Having said that I find the side profile undistinguished too.
For that matter, I never liked the revival Thunderbird either.
I think both the HHR and the T-bird suffered from the success of the Audi TT (which I like), while not technically retro occupied somewhat the same designer-car marketing niche.
customer was not satisfied with his retro-bird after getting it. He wanted it “different”. After using front and rear parts from a ’55 Ford sedan in a wrecking yard he was satisfied, it looked like a customized original Thunderbird, and by that time cost more than buying a restored original.
Can’t stand musicals (well, there are 2 movie musicals I like, “Hair” and “The Blues Brothers 🙂 ) and stand SSR’s. What fugly, pointless excuse for a vehicle. Can’t use it for a truck (a bed with a permanent tonneau?), not a hot rod (390hp but weighing in at FOURTY-SEVEN HUNDRED FREAKIN’ POUNDS???), so I ask, what was the point? Just because one can doesn’t mean one should, GM.
The tonneau cover can be removed by two people within 8 minutes.
The SSR is on a shortened SUV (TRAILBLAZER EXT) chassis, thus making it a truck by all standards.
As for retro saturation in the market at the time, the SSR was forth in the production line of domestic retro vehicles. The Prowler, PT Cruiser, then the T-bird, and next the SSR. The SSR was never built to be a decade long production. It was presented as a Halo vehicle from the beginning, with limited units produced. The HHR was late to the party and was supposed to compete with PT Cruiser.
The SSR was stand alone, and still is.
Love it or hate it, (there seems to be no middle), the SSR is a truck, and can be used as one.
Mr. Dennis, thank you for taking the time to notice and write about this classic truck.
The SSR is wildly popular among the trailer park crowd in my neck of the woods. It is the perfect replacement for their dying Blackwoods.
I love the look. Would never buy one probably. But it sure has more personality than a new sedan. They all look the same and have too many lines, angles, curves, etc. Too much “design”? IDK. Design is so subjective. But what will we be talking about in 20 years? I’ll proably be dead by then. But what will our kids remember about cool cars? I don’t see anything modern that will be cool when it ages? How many aggressive angles and points do we need? I’m pretty ornery today, so just give me a new old LICENSED HotWheels and leave me in the corner…I’m going to go play with my new OLDS 442 Johnny Lightning.
This one of the Auto Show beauty queens that had all car media and enthusiasts going “build it!” And as usual this is what happens > “Would never buy one probably.”
This seems to have happened far too often in the early Aughts. It seems a shame, as designers and manufacturers had really started (again) to take risks. The appearance of this wave of vintage-inspired cars was pretty impressive to a young adult who as a kid had spent most of his elementary school years during the 80’s – mostly dismal, uninspired years for car design, where pretty much everything was badge-engineered.
Hey! That was the Sam Schubert Theater when I saw Evita there in 1981!
The SSR was priced too high for anyone who actually wanted one, yet did not have the cachet or mojo needed to spark sales for those who could. Why buy this thing when the rich folks it was aimed at were being offered the Lincoln-truck-thing (Blackwood?), and the Cadillac Escalade EXT? Oh, wait, they didn’t buy these either.
Ah, yes! And let us not forget the Lincoln Mark LT.
I actually like these niche vehicles for spicing up the automotive landscape a bit. They seem to make more sense to me as well-maintained, depreciated, used-vehicle purchases than they did as new cars. I realize I’m in the minority (judging by the comments in this thread), but I still love the look of the SSR.
Musicals? – Some homes in my neighborhood have wheels under them. I’ve never seen neighbors at a theater.
HHR? – A cool – but overpriced – answer to a question few were asking. I’ve never seen an HHR in a neighbor’s driveway.
Musicals and HHRs both have fans. Aficionados of either seem like unicorns in the heartland though.
Perhaps that was GM’s problem. Wrong price range to appeal to the natural base for this vehicle.
Rob, I think you nailed it with your last sentence: “Wrong price range to appeal to the natural base for this vehicle.” Well and succinctly said!
Looking at the Hagerty website, it looks like SSR resale values have remained fairly consistent over the past several years.
Rob, HHR’s are plentiful. A daily driver/commuter,
The SSR is the main object here. As was mentioned before, The SSR Fanatics have rallies across the globe. Look for one near you and come look at these trucks in the personalized varieties the owners have made them. There are many different custom touches and some real hot rod power upgrades done to these trucks, to make them their own. You will not see that in a gaggle of Corvettes or Mustangs.
You may not like them, but the imagination is impressive.
I never really knew what to make of these, even as a middle-school aged kid when they came out. Unlike other “retro” designed cars then in vogue, such as the Thunderbird and PT Cruiser, the SSR failed to warrant a second glance from me, even in curiosity. It’s not a bad looking truck, but just not something that ever appealed to me, and a vehicle that was the answer to a question nobody ever asked.
My lasting memory of it is the name, “SSR”. During a time when Chevy’s ad campaign was an “American Revolution”, why did they decide to use the same acronym for “Soviet Socialist Republic”?
William Stepford mentioned it, but Friends is more the apt analogy for me. I was very young but I watched and enjoyed Seinfeld when new episodes were still being aired, probably the last three seasons, the the reruns introduced me to the earlier seasons, but it was concurrent since it was in syndication after Simpsons episodes I’d watch on Fox after school. Friends was a show I NEVER watched, I thought it was predictable like most network sitcoms.
Hamilton reminds me a lot of it in that sense, everybody who has seen it raves about it, and I personally know a lot of people who have seen it. For me, growing up in the 90s I vividly remember all the corny PSAs and school assemblies where a dorky group would uncomfortably rap an educational song song to us, or worse yet rap an anti-drug song for the D.A.R.E. program. The music in Hamilton completely takes me back to those days, even if it’s quality is way higher.
The SSR remains the same to me today as when it was new – it turns my head when I see it, but no I don’t want it. – I think it was a waste of GM resources that could have been better spent on improving other flailing models in the lineup, or at the very least creating a 5th generation Camaro that didn’t have the terrible quality and packaging of the 4th gen cars. GM seemed to become Santa’s workshop during this era, where seemingly every stupid concept the happy little elfs came up with was shown to the children and asked “hey there little Timmy, would you like us to make this car truck roadster for you?” Of course! Prior to this period concept cars simply were used to test the waters and showcase a possible design direction that would be applied to their mainstream models, not to see whether the goofy impractical niche car showcasing it should actually be made!
I love your analogies which compare modern musicals to those “just for kids” PSA songs. I have not heard any of the music from Hamilton but fear that it is made up of much of the same stuff of most other musicals since the 70s. Once the musical broke out of the generation that wrote what has become called the Great American Songbook (most of which was written as part of a play or stage review of some sort) the music has been a leaden dud. Most of it has been heavy, pretentious, and trying too hard to be serious. You have no doubt guessed that I am not an Andrew Lloyd Weber fan. Can anyone hum a Disney song that came out after The Aristocats? Those who came up on the rock era have just never learned to write show music that is light and fun, witty and listenable. Perhaps Hamilton is different. I am sure I will be exposed at some point.
Haha, again, Mr Cavanaugh, you out-of-touch grump, my thoughts entirely!
You may accidentally hum tunes from Hamilton after sticking your tongue in a light socket and falling off a second floor balcony, but not in normal activities.
I’m not one of the brainwashed wives, Matt. It’s “Stopford” 😉
I have never watched a complete episode of Seinfeld, although I enjoy his Comics in Cars getting Coffee that was on the ‘net for a while. The same with Friends, although I could watch Jennifer Aniston doing just about… anything.
I’m not the SSR’s demographic. I like old Chevy trucks but this thing really looked not-like-a-pickup-truck. I agree with one of the other posters further up, the whole “retro” thing came and went rapidly. There were some good designs (New Beetle, PT Cruiser and HHR) and some bad ones (Thunderbird, S-Type and more recently the FJ-40 revival).
My brother in law *is* the SSR demographic; high school education, brought up in a strictly GM family, lives in the country and was a tradesman. Many of the other SSR owners I’ve met had similar characteristics and seem to adore the beast. Not my cup of tea and another “miss” for Bob Lutz.
OT: Is the Blues Brothers really considered a musical?
I’d probably go with musical-comedy.
It was about the third time I watched it I noticed how much music was in it. It was blended so well into the story line it was seamles
I haven’t seen Hamilton, and probably won’t for a long time. If we see a musical, it’s most likely going to be the stage version of Frozen, which is now being tested before audiences on its way to Broadway. Our kids have already memorized the movie version – as have I.
As for the SSR, I wasn’t impressed with these Chevrolets when they were new. They were the answer to a question nobody was asking. They were an unnecessary diversion of resources from more critical projects, starting with Chevrolet Cobalts and Malibus that could actually compete with contemporary Hondas and Toyotas.
Instead of listening to critics who pointed out that a contemporary Malibu needed major improvements to compete with a Camry, GM thought it could wow the crowd with a 21st-century Motorama car brought to life.
GM management forgot, however, that it could indulge in Motoramas – and even bring one or two concepts to production – because the vehicles actually on the showroom floor were setting the pace for each respective market segment. Apparently, Rick Wagoner and the GM management team didn’t realize that it wasn’t 1955 anymore. Concept cars brought to life can’t substitute for bread-and-butter vehicles that people actually buy.
It’s good, however, that people do appreciate them. No doubt they will soon start popping up at various car shows soon. I will enjoy seeing well-preserved SSRs.
As the proud owner of a 2008 HHR, I applaud the retro look, when it’s done successfully.
But as cool as the SSR looks, even from the start I never thought of them as being terribly practical. And no manual trans option?!?. One reason I BOUGHT my HHR a few months ago is that it has a 5-speed stick.
I like different types of music, but could never get interested in musical movies, therefore have little interest in seeing a musical. Just seems that musicians should be seen playing music, and movies should have actors playing a role, not singing a song unless they are in a movie about a musician. I understand that many of these actors have great voices and musical talent and what they do is hard work. Guess I’m just too narrow minded.
I am sometimes known to side up with the underdog, but try as I might the SSR still isn’t my cup of tea, maybe with the passage of more time. Black is a big improvement over the yellow versions, though. Still, great pictures and find, the owner likes and enjoys it and that’s what really matters anyway.
I didn’t really pay attention to Seinfeld until the late 2000’s, then realized there are some really good episodes and was hooked for a while.
Agree.The black version definately looks better than the yellow version. Never really cared for that taxicab like color. RE musical films. I can`t really say I like them either.”Oliver”, “The Music Man’, and “The Sound of Music” are the exceptions. The SSR never really did it for me, but at least GM took a chance on it, even if it never really paid off.
I have performed in theater since age 12 (I’m 69 now) and love the singing and dancing. The performers are undoubtedly having a better time than the audience many times. In a musical where belting a powerful song out, when 3 inches from your leading ladies face, her hair blowing in the volume of your breath in song, it is incredibly hard to not erupt into hysterical laughter at the situation, I and leading ladies have been threatened with imminent death from directors if we don’t “Knock it off. I can also understand the relationship bonding with actors. My leading ladies and I have fallen in love in every production, and we used to do four to six full scale musicals a year!
Killing off the iconic Camaro to produce the oddball SSR was one of the most foolish maneuvers in Chevrolet’s history. Even though the 4th generation Camaro was slowing down in sales later on it still WAY outsold the overpriced, overweight, unsightly and utterly impractical SSR.
The casualty list may have been worse than just the f-body. Bob Lutz had a really cool concept convertible known as the Bel Air that was a modern, retro take on the ’57 Chevy. Unfortunately, when the 2002 Thunderbird tanked, the decision was made to build the SSR, instead. It was a real shame because I strongly suspect that there was (and still is) a market for the large, domestic convertible.
I actually like the SSR
With its top up, it resembles a vintage Holden Ute.
Of course there is at least one panel SSR out in the wild. I think it looks better then the HHR panel model.
I do think the HHR was the better looking retro made by GM.
Oh, that’s embarassing, I mentioned the resemblance above but can’t post pictures…should always read ahead
At the height of the real-estate bubble, a high-end home builder was located in the office complex I worked in. The sort of business that threw lavish parties, etc. One management type drove a yellow SSR and would come cruising in with the top down, looking like a modern-day Jay Gatsby. When the bubble began to deflate like the Hindenburg, I noticed that the SSR disappeared. Soon, the builder relocated to a Class D space in a worn out building. About that same time, I also began to notice a lot fewer SSR’s on the streets of Phoenix. Now I see maybe one every 5 or 6 months.
I was always curious how Chevrolet made a vehicle 191 inches long weigh over 4,740 pounds. The SSR was a pig.