Metro Detroit Man Gets Hands-On With Expert Craftsmen In New TV Series
DETROIT (WWJ) - A metro Detroit man is hosting a new PBS show that looks at handcrafted items steeped in American history.
Eric Gorges, who owns Voodoo Choppers in Auburn Hills, has gained a reputation as one of the country's premiere motorcycle metal smiths; building one of kind machines from the ground up.
Now, he is taking his love for all things handmade to TV with "A Craftsman's Legacy."
"I hand build motorcycles for a living, that's what I do...But the show really has nothing to do about motor cycle building at all," explained Gorges, speaking live in studio with WWJ Newsradio 950's Jackie Paige.
Gorges says "A Craftsman's Legacy" is a program show focused on the highly skilled people who still make things the hard way — without the ease of mass production — such as glassblowers, saddlemakers, boat builders and blacksmiths.
"(It's) about craftsmen. It's the stories of craftsmen all over the U.S. — people who work with their hands, and they follow an old school way of life," Gorges said. "During the show we talk about the history of the craft. Like, why it's important to society, where it came from; and then how it died or how it got replaced."
Over the course of 13 episodes, several of which were filmed in Michigan, Gorges plays the role of apprentice, learning the necessary skills and techniques from the ground up. In the first season, he learns how to build a guitar from scratch, and forge a dagger out of steel.
The show debuts on Detroit Public Television Oct. 4. [Learn more HERE].