VirginiaWind - Barger - A winter read

Barger - A winter read

by Kent

When historians of the future look back upon the history of 20th century transportation, they will find a sub culture known as bikers. Most of what they'll find will describe a group of people who embodied the spirit or wanderlust; modern explorers who traveled the highways and byways in search of self, freedom, and the joy of discovery only available to only those on two wheels. Within this subculture they will also discover a much smaller group known as the outlaw bikers. One name that will quickly surface is Ralph "Sonny" Barger of an Oakland, California motorcycle club.

These historians will find that Barger's peers looked to him as the leader of their club, and the unofficial president of what grew to become a global organization known as the Hell's Angels. They will examine many secondary artifacts; newspaper clippings, films, and magazine articles, to see what others have said about him, but when they search for primary source information they will find his autobiography - Hell's Angel, The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club.

Written in the fashion of an oral history, one can almost imaging sitting with Barger in the back of his motorcycle shop as he tells the tale of his life story. His tone is one of someone who's lived his life with few regrets though his path led him through battles with rival clubs, troubles with the law, and imprisonment on numerous occasions. Each chapter unfolds in a topical manner loosely following the chronology of his life and the history of his club. Titles such as " Sleeping in the Snake Pit ", " The Sizzling, Acid-Drenched Sixties ", and " Locked Up and Low Down -- Angels On Ice " describe the formation of the Hell's Angels, his battles with law, his imprisonment, and the stories about those who rode with him. Hell's Angel, The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club ends with Barger's battle with cancer and subsequent semi-retirement to Arizona in 1998.

When the driveway's iced and you've polished your chrome until you're ready to scream, if you're interested in the history of motorcycling Barger's book is worth a read. I got mine from Whitehorse Press, but I'm sure you can find it in any major bookstore. Tony Scott has been selected to direct the movie and production is scheduled for sometime in 2002.

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