Yeah, many of you already know that Larry the Cable Guy supplies the voice of Mater the tow truck in Pixar‘s upcoming film, “Cars.”
But Joe Marusak of the Charlotte Observer reports that the character was inspired by Doug “Mater” Keever of Sherrills Ford, N.C. Keever has a small speaking part in the movie. He was flown to Oakland, Calif., for a cast-and-crew premiere of the film Friday.
“It’s an overwhelming experience for a feller who’s been riding around on a tractor and in construction all his life,” Keever said.His brush with the big screen started about five years ago at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, where the lifelong racing fan met John Lasseter, the creative genius behind Pixar’s films. Lasseter was at the track to get a sense of the racing culture as he developed ideas for “Cars.” Track workers said he had to meet Mater.
Keever has been to every major race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway since 1983. He parks his trailer in a popular camping section called Redneck Hill, between turns 1 and 2, where everyone knows him as the fun guy with the red kiddie wagon crammed with Miller Lites. He pulls it from one campsite to the next as he catches up with friends.
“He’s the mayor of Redneck Hill,” gushed fellow racing fan Danny Hipps of Maiden, who ran into Keever during our lunch interview at the Cook House in Cornelius this week.
“Self-proclaimed,” Keever quipped.
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When Lasseter, chief creative executive at Pixar Animation Studios, came to meet him, Keever handed him a cold one.
The Hollywood mogul and the mayor of Redneck Hill hit it off. Lasseter eventually asked Keever’s permission to use his nickname in the film, and he made sure Keever and his pal Benton got bit speaking parts.
Keever even came up with one of the film’s lines on one of his trips out West. One scene needed a character to blurt out an expression of surprise, and Mater said he suggested the line, “I’ll be dipped in oil! Call me ‘Lubrication!’ ”
“The lady said I couldn’t use the word ‘lubrication,’ ” Keever said. “So I said, ‘Call me Slick.’ “
I’ve heard from good authority that Mater is a composite of several people, including folks on Route 66. But there’s little doubt from this report that the real-life “Mater” provided some inspiration.
By the way, Keever got his nickname while growing up on his grandparents’ farm.
He got in trouble for tossing rocks at the barn and switched to tomatoes. “I was always either eatin’ ’em or throwin’ ’em,” he said.
On a related note, the “Cars” Web site has added Mater to its “showroom.”