Wolfgang

They say the only constant is change, and once again that’s certainly the case at Wolfgang. How the company came to be called Wolfgang is a story I’ve told many times. I was in my car, on the way home from work; with my then-girlfriend Mary Lanz, and her friend Cindy. Cindy had to share the back seat with my dog, Wolf, or Wolfgang if you wanted to use his proper name. Being a died-in-the-wool dog lover, Cindy didn’t mind sharing the seat one bit. We were all pretty happy at that point, because we’d just left happy hour at a downtown Minneapolis bar (Wolf, however, had to wait for us in the car).

We’re still Wolfgang, only now our logo is a little more wolf and a little less motorcycle.

Though still employed as a mechanic I was starting to do more free-lance work for various magazines at that time, I needed a company and the company needed a name. I had no more than finished explaining this dilemma to Mary and Cindy when Cindy had the brain storm, “name the company after the dog!” I can still hear Cindy’s shriek in my ear coming from the backseat.

Thus was born Wolfgang Publications. Given my mechanical DNA and the writing and photography I’d already done, the books we produced were all centered on hot rods and motorcycles. In hindsight I’ve often thought that a name like Motorhead Ink would have made more sense, but then I wouldn’t have been able to tell my story so many times over all these years.

And given the fact that we’ve grown from publishing hot rod and motorcycle books, to producing a mix of books that include art and tattoo books, it turns out that the name Wolfgang, without any obvious ties to bikes and hot rods, is a better choice anyway.

For the past few years, we’ve used the motorcycle parked up against an old building - the image is actually part of a photo shoot from the Dave Perewitz/Sturgis calendar - as our logo. Last week I gave Jacki, our resident graphic artist, the task of designing a new logo for Wolfgang. “More wolf” I told Jacki, and she gave me five or six images to choose from. The one shown at the top is our choice. It’s both simple and powerful. Hope you like it because it’s the new face of Wolfgang Publications.

This is another of Jacki’s designs, my number two choice. When I said, “more wolf” that’s exactly what Jacki gave me.

The older I get, the more I think Christmas is for children – this from a guy who doesn't have any kids. Doesn't mean you have to give your son or daughter, your nieces or nephews, the latest version of Guitar Hero, it does mean you should take time during the holiday to give them the one thing they can never get enough of – love.


I hope everyone has someone, has enough turkey, and someone to share that turkey with. Perhaps more important, I hope everyone has enough time, and enough sense, to slow down for a day or two and simply enjoy each other's company.


So put on the brakes. Downshift to second, and idle slowly through the holiday. Remember to give out lots of hugs, as they say, "it's better to give than receive."


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Tim Remus and the crew at Wolfgang Publications.

We share warehouse space in Hudson with another publisher of transportation titles, Iconografix (aka enthusiastbooks.com). And on Saturday the 23rd of August, we will join forces with Iconografix in offering some awesome deals on hundreds of book titles. If you’re a book person and/or a motorhead, you need to attend this event. Iconografix sells both new and out-of-print books and the warehouse will be wide open. Not only do you get super deals on the 40 titles that Wolfgang sells, but also the (literally) hundreds and hundreds of books that Iconografix sells.

So come and join us on the 23rd between 8:00AM and 2:00PM for a car show, and some incredible deals on motorhead books of every description.

New Titles

As I write this, Jacki, our resident computer guru and graphic artist, is making the final corrections to our Harley-Davidson Panhead Restoration book. Written and photographed by Rick Schunk, who put out the AMCA magazine for many years, this new book is 176 pages of how-to information. Inside this tome you will find everything from how to overhaul the legendary Panhead engine, to ensuring the frame is straight. We will have advance copies of this book in our office by late August, finding it at the local bookstore or on Amazon will take a little longer.

See you in Hudson, Wisconsin.