Hunter Thompson's 'Hell's Angels'

[enzo temko]

This book was written in 1966. I've never read it until now. I suggested it for my wife for her trip to Texas. Figured it would be interesting as she is a book-a-day speed reader. I ended up reading it myself.

 

Thompson lived with the Angels in '65 and wrote his 'embedded' account. It is interesting to me, not so much because I ride a motorcycle, but the book reminds me of the backdrop I grew up in as a kid. And, I really liked the book for it's review of the American culture of the time. It is a great study of human beans and their common universal douchebaggery.

 

I love Thompson as a writer. It doesn't even matter what he is talking about; he has a way with words. He is also a true loner who sees things as they are. I think he hates all groups. Most books like this would take a strong view of its subject one way or the other. But Thompson does not romanticize the gang; he attempts to describe them as they are. And what they always are is a mix of good and bad (or maybe bad and not so bad). Or, in general, things are not as bad as many say, and maybe worse than the fans think. Yes, the Angels are prone to bad hygiene, poverty, stupidity, drunkenness, dope, violence and lewd behavior. But they are not the organized cross-country mongrel band of Nazi Hun bent on killing and raping square people in the heartland. They are not the source of all the dope crossing the boarder from Mexico. They are not the cause of all riots.

 

The book is interesting to see how the media skews and distorts things. How they created the myth of the Hell's Angels. How the Hell's Angels were transformed from a loose band of drunken drop outs to the rock stars the media formed. Hunter throws in actual newspaper accounts of events he attended - and how miserably wrong the press is about all the fine and important detail. They don't care. It's a good reminder that you can't believe what you read or hear on TV. Seems no one takes this seriously. Most everyone I know - and even college guys - seem to believe what they read.

 

The book is a study not only of the motorcycle gang, but of the cops and squares who fear and hate them with all their cowardice and hypocrisy and their own brand of hateful violence. He discusses the emergence of the new hipster dope generation of Commie douche bags and poets. Strange and fantastic that these two polarized groups of anti-social drop-outs would party together. The hipsters romanticized the Angel's as the new free spirits who were rejected by society to ride their iron horses across the prairie as the nobel Indian. Really, they just get drunk and throw pills in their mouths while pissing on each other.

 

I remember all this stuff growing up. The German helmets, Iron Crosses, Swastikas, sleeveless vests and leather on these guys. The fear this caused in Christian America. I remember the entry of the hipster dope culture. The wide-spread anti-government feeling. The experimental life styles. All this while Vietnam was going on and JFK was having his head blown off by dark insiders. It was a crazy time for people my age. It's all in the book. It is full of little things that send me back: A six pack of beer is $1.25. $400 buys you a bike. A dude making $200 a week had a very sweet job...

 

And then there are the bikes. Mainly stripped down Harley 74s. A Harley in factory trim is a 'garbage truck.' They had to be stripped down, modified and personalized. British bikes are mentioned, but they are frowned on as a ride for the group. The riders are dirty and greasy, but their bikes are spotless. Ducatis appear as a superior machine, but unsuitable for an Angel who had to be on an American machine. The group as a whole are good riders who take frightening risks all the time - wrenching every last bit of speed and performance out of the loud machines. Seems like they crash them all the time with horrible results. A badge of honor with them.

 

You learn a little more about why people join groups and gangs. Why so many groups still want to go to Sturgis and parade around like an outlaw. There is some great slang. You really see how the country has changed. I suppose the Hell's Angels are very different today. I would be curious to know what things have changed. I don't think the cops have changed, though, besides becoming a hundred thousand times more powerful and less willing to even let little indulgences go by without infiltration and confrontation. At least the cops in this time looked the other way when it didn't really matter.

 

It might be a good read for those of you who have never read the book, or maybe haven't looked at it in a long time.

[stefano]

i have a book of short stories,"she's a bad motorcycle" writers on riding. edited by geno zanetti.

has short stories by thompson, eric burdon, peter coyote, sonny barger, tom wolfe, many more.

i highly recommend it.

stef

[enzo temko]

Sonny Barger was the head of the Oakland Hell's Angels.

[stefano]

Sonny Barger was the head of the Oakland Hell's Angels.

yeah, also a writer

[antonio carroccio]

My last decent book was one of Charles Bukowski.

After him there was not much interesting book to read.

 

About the Hell's, I saw a few mounths ago on Discovery channel a report about a bike group.

Those guys are in fact the rivals of the Hell's Angels.

 

I think the name of this group is the "Morons"

 

...or it was the "Mongols"....

Acouple of members of this "morons mongols"

[enzo temko]

Yes, it's the Mongols from S. California. They are basically Mexican/Americans who served in Vietnam. The cops should love all these groups. All they seem to do is beat up each other - and they are all super right-wing pro-military types. They are mostly losers who don't have jobs, so it gives them something to believe in. And it gives the cops and spy nerds something to do - they get to pretend these groups plot against the country or are involved in big time criminality, which they are not. They are small time drunks and hoods. And, it gives the media something to scare the public over. It's win-win for everybody.

[Baldini]

Whats this all got to do with Guzzi or V11's?

[luhbo]

The Sonny Barger's one came out here maybe 5 years ago. It sold not too bad. At least the publishers thought they could sell more of this stuff, so after a while they came up with at least 5 remakes like "I've been an Angel...", "I've been inside ...", "I've been the chief witness..". Needless to say that all these blokes still are number one on whatever dead list there might be, at least if you could trust the sleevenotes.

 

The Barger book (only read the first, and none of the mockups) was quite interesting. If you're through with your's you might consider this one too. It covers the making of "Easyrider" as well as Altamont, things like that.

 

Hubert

[ScuRoo]

Whats this all got to do with Guzzi or V11's?

 

Hey, don't you get it? We're his fwriends, he's 'aving a beer, remembrin' his '66 romanticized childhood - and he wants to talk...

[Baldini]

...Hey, don't you get it?..

 

ScuRoo, you only look to find the best in people, you are a true gent.

 

There's a place for everything & everything in it's place - & the place for this is the shit & banter section.

 

But as we're here ... @#!#$# - journalists? seeing things as they are? everyone sees their own truth & it's best from the horses mouth - Freewheelin Frank ,Seven Pillars of Wisdom, First Light - stuff written by the people who did the deeds, lived the life they're describing, not some tick hitching a ride til he's had his fill.

 

Me, I'm just grateful for a quiet & sheltered life.

 

Thank you, Lord, for all the sunny tomorrows.

 

KB

[The Monkey]

More current and along the same writing style without aping gonzo is Dan Walsh's Endless Horizon. Encompasses two different bike trips, one through Africa, then North and Central America. Entertaining as Thompson and like him a trainwreck of a human. Perhaps that is the requirement or natural result of truly existing outside the envelope or box. Good probably because both books were written while the authors were young enough to disregard consequence, and hey aint it fun to be 14 at 25, a luxury only the mentally sound sort out. Difficult to dip your wick into that lifestyle without some permanent scars.

[John in Leeds]

Perhaps that is the requirement or natural result of truly existing outside the envelope or box. Good probably because both books were written while the authors were young enough to disregard consequence, and hey aint it fun to be 14 at 25, a luxury only the mentally sound sort out. Difficult to dip your wick into that lifestyle without some permanent scars.

 

[enzo temko]

I stopped at the bookstore today on my way out of town. I wanted to get an old book called 'The Coral Island.' Didn't have it. So I asked for 'Endless Horizon.' Didn't have it.

 

Settled for Peter Egan's 'Leanings.' Really like it.

[Baldini]

...I asked for 'Endless Horizon.' Didn't have it...

 

Also by Dan Walsh: "These are the days that must happen to you". He's out there.

 

I was very moved by this book: "First Light" by Geoffrey Wellum http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/world-war-2/battle-of-britain/7992268/Geoffrey-Wellum-The-terrible-beauty-of-flying-a-Spitfire-at-the-age-of-18.html

 

KB

[The Monkey]

Ted Simon (wrote Jupiter's Travels in early 70's) redid his trip and wrote Dreaming of Jupiter, interesting perspective