SS: Compare the current Super Street to the way it used to be. What do you like or dislike about it?
KB: A lot more girls.
MP: You guys get away with a lot more than we did.
KB: I don't get to read it as often as I'd like to but every time I pick it up on the newsstand or wherever, I just think you guys are doing a great job. You're having even more fun than we did.
EE: You want to read it because there are so many things in it. The other books, you know what's going to be in there. It's something different.
MP: You've managed to maintain its irreverent feel, so I hope you don't lose sight of that because, as you know, there are enough magazines out there that take themselves too seriously. When you think about it, we're fortunate enough to work in an industry where people are passionate about their cars. Somehow you guys are still able to communicate that.
SS: What were some things you liked or disliked about working on Super Street?
KB: I really liked that we were the black sheep of the entire company. We got to play with some really cool cars and just had a lot of fun overall. None of the other books were like us, which is probably why we were so successful. The thing I didn't like, I guess, was the pay. I left because my wife was pregnant and I needed a job that was going to pay more than what I was getting.
EE: (stalling)
SS: C'mon Ed, you won't get fired. (laughs)
EE: I know Super Street was geared more for the every day guy, but I wanted to feature higher horsepower cars. I loved that I had this job that paid me to do what I loved doing, which was being around cars. All those free parts.
MP: I think for Ed and I, we both grew professionally being at Super Street; this was his first job out of college and it was my first managerial position. I hope I've learned from it. I didn't like the volatility of upper management coming in to tell me that our budget was being cut. Now I look at the magazine's content and say, "Wow" this is stuff that we used to dream about. You purposely shoot editorial photos for your columns. That was unheard of back then.
SS: Matt and Karl, did you guys feel awkward being the only two fashionably challenged white men in a world of cool, hip Asians?
MP: I'd be the odd guy out and not even know it. I mean, how many years did I go around shaking Jonathan's hand in what I thought was a normal way and he'd turn around saying "Yeah, that's my boss, I have to do the white man handshake." (laughs) I'd say, "Hey, what's the white man handshake? You gonna teach that to me?" (mimicking Jonathan) "Uhhhh, sure." (laughs) I think I'm extremely fortunate and I'm sure it's trite and clich to say all of this, but if people were talking about us that way, I didn't notice. I never encountered that. I didn't street race; I wasn't from a crew but I loved Hondas. I was passionate about it so I think that came through.
EE: It was hard to find anyone who would accept the import culture back then. For any company to acknowledge us was tough.
KB: I would call manufacturers trying to get our hands on a new car for road testing and...
MP: Hello? Hello? (laughs)
KB: Yes, I'm calling from Super Street. "Super what? What are you guys covering?" Well, we're covering the modified Civics and Integras -"They're modifying Civics and Integras?" Yeah, they are. "Well, don't call us; we'll call you." I had a lot of that.