JEFFERSON — Raindrops dripped from the broad brim of Jesse James’ trucker hat Sunday afternoon as he walked up to the silver motorcycle with hot red flames.
The world-renowned motorcycle fabricator drew a sharp breath through his teeth and put a black marker to the chopper’s rear fender.
James signed bandanas, pictures, helmets and anything else the crowd at the Ashtabula County Fair shoved at him as he promoted his new retail industrial work wear clothing line, sold exclusively at Walmart stores.
James won his fan base through his company West Coast Choppers and the Discovery Channel series Monster Garage.
The line to see James snaked out into the track as fans huddled under umbrellas for the chance to meet their favorite cycle builder. Ashtabula County is the second stop on James’ six-stop promotional tour.
“I love a county fair,” James said. “When I came up with the idea to tour some county fairs and show off the clothing line, I thought it would be a fun time, but I didn’t think it would be this much fun.”
To James, standing in the rain for hours beats walking the Hollywood red carpet any day.
“I fully know my place in life and it isn’t on any red carpet,” James said. “The county fair is just about my style. And the rain, well, the rain just makes it better.”
“I think that is why I am so famous; I do the same kind of job they do. I weld and get sweaty and dirty and come home sweaty and dirty. People feel like they know me,” he said.
Jim Copsetta, of Madison, is one of James’ biggest fans.
“I have seen just about every episode of Monster Garage,” Copsetta said. “I like (James) because he is real and down to earth. He’s genuine and I really appreciate that he is here today in the rain to see all these people.”
James said the workhorses of America, the men who get dirty at work every day and the women who clean up after them are his kind of people.
Jesse James Industrial Workwear is James’ vision of tough love for workmen.
“I worked on (the clothing line) for about seven years. I kept developing it and thinking about it,” James said. “I mean, in this economy with food and gas and everything just killing paychecks, I wanted a product that was a better quality and cheaper.”
The clothing line and promotional tour is just one of James’ current projects.
“I go back to California at the first part of the week to work on a new show. I can’t even tell you what the name is yet, but it is like Monster Garage on steroids. It’s just crazy me stuff,” he said.
The new show will air on the Spike Network.
James took some time Saturday to eat, “at a really great restaurant.”
While searching for a nice place to treat his staff to dinner, James stumbled across Eddie’s Grill at Geneva-on-the-Lake.
“Are you kidding me? It was awesome,” James said. “Everything you would expect it to be.”
Local News
Related Photos
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JESSE JAMES, world-renowned motorcycle fabricator, competes in the watermelon-eating contest Sunday at the Ashtabula County Fair. DANIEL KRAUS
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JESSE JAMES, world-renowned motorcycle fabricator, competes in the watermelon-eating contest Sunday at the Ashtabula County Fair. DANIEL KRAUS
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JESSE JAMES, world-renowned motorcycle fabricator, competes in the watermelon-eating contest Sunday at the Ashtabula County Fair. DANIEL KRAUS
Discussion
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