This book commences with a plethora of matter-of-fact details regarding journalism and the portrayal of the Hell's Angels in the media during that era, which was not precisely what I had anticipated.

Nonetheless, as one progresses through the text, a rather haphazard picture of the Hell's Angels emerges through various events, conversations, and remarks. I can fathom how some individuals might find this writing style unappealing, yet I relished it thoroughly.

This is not a book that either promotes or denigrates the infamous motorcycle outlaws, nor does it take a stance on any moral high ground to dispense eternal moral judgments. That implies that the book treats awful injustices as mere happenstances. However, based on my reading, its objective is to spotlight who the Hell's Angels were in the sixties and what they stood for.

If you are seeking a book about outlaws that would give you the impression of reading about animals in a zoo, then this is not the appropriate book for you. Conversely, if you find it enticing to immerse yourself, along with the author, into the reality of outlaw life, you might discover "Hell's Angels" appealing.

Who among us, in some secret moments, doesn't have a fleeting thought of seeing society reduced to ashes? According to Hunter S. Thompson, what sets us apart from the Hell's Angels is that most of the time, we have other choices, while the average outlaw biker has none.

Two dozen shining, stripped-down Harleys filled the parking lot of the bar called the El Adobe. The angels were shouting, laughing, and guzzling beer, paying no heed to the two teenaged boys on the periphery of the crowd, looking scared. Finally, one of the boys spoke to a lean, bearded outlaw named Gut: "We like your bikes, man. They're really sharp." Gut glanced at him and then at the bikes. "I'm glad you like them," he said. "They're all we have."

This doesn't mean that "Hell's Angels" is an entirely sympathetic portrayal. At times, it's quite the opposite. Thompson repeatedly depicts these guys as gang-raping, drunkards, and dead-end idiots who, without their bikes, are among the biggest losers around. But that doesn't mean they didn't serve as an important cultural symbol in the 1960s. In the midst of the Civil Rights movement and the start of Vietnam, they were a convenient symbol of the chaos that was about to be unleashed: "the first wave of a future that nothing in our history has prepared us to deal with."

Thompson wasn't the only one to notice this. What surprised me the most was his unlikely account of the Hell's Angels becoming national media stars, holding press conferences and being asked for their opinions on the big issues of the day. That's something I never would have thought of: that even a phenomenon as seemingly real and terrifying as the Hell's Angels could be a somewhat fabricated creation of the media.

"Hell's Angels" was published in 1966, three years before the gang reached the lowest point of their fame with the Altamont stabbing. So while this book has some pretty crazy scenes, including various gang beatings, gang rapes, and gang parties at Ken Kesey's house, it has a quaint, almost sweet quality once you consider some of the things that happened later. In the same way, Thompson's style isn't nearly as wild as it would become in "Fear and Loathing." He's often drunk here and popping pills, but his writing is more New Journalism than Gonzo Journalism (although I doubt Joan Didion ever totaled a motorcycle at 100 mph or got her butt kicked by a motorcycle gang).

NB. The actual biker club doesn't use the apostrophe in their name. According to their FAQ online: "Should the Hells in Hells Angels have an apostrophe and be Hell's Angels? That would be true if there was only one Hell, but life and history have taught us that there are many versions and forms of Hell."

I truly appreciate that he is a "gonzo" journalist. However, the word "gonzo" makes me cringe a little.

Reading this work 40 years later can be quite frustrating. If you're not overly familiar with the Californian solicitor generals of the 1960s, you'll have to turn to Wikipedia as Hunter doesn't provide much help in this regard.

Around page 100, I was completely at a loss as to how he was going to fill the remaining pages of the book. I'm still not entirely sure how he managed to do it.

Someone who had read it kept assuring me that Hunter would get "stomped". And indeed, he does, but it's only in the postscript.

Perhaps that's all we really need to read? This leaves me wondering if the rest of the book was necessary or if it could have been presented in a more concise and engaging manner.

I truly loved this book.

There are perhaps numerous reasons why I shouldn't have read Thompson. I'm fairly certain he was a misogynist and had all kinds of other not-so-lovely traits.

I'm planning to read his biography next to get the full and detailed story. However, in the meantime, this book appears to be incredibly prescient, as if it could have been penned just last year.

I also find him to be really damn funny. I especially liked the line “… for a long time after that whenever I heard Dylan I thought of crabs.” He definitely doesn't mean the kind that you eat.

The book also did a great job of clarifying a lot of the myths versus the reality that I've heard throughout my life about The Hell's Angels. He doesn't romanticize them, yet he doesn't look down on them either.

I have no clue what the scene is like nowadays. It could be completely different. But this book is so much more than just a snapshot of their culture. It delves into violence, the media's role in shaping counter culture, and most importantly, what can occur to those who are left behind by the “American Dream.”

It makes you think and reflect on various aspects of society and human nature.

Overall, it's a fascinating read that I would highly recommend to others.

Rape, the insertion of a lead pipe into the teeth, gang bangs, LSD, and motorcycle outlaws freely roaming across California.

Nobody else is better qualified, or perhaps crazy enough, to live and ride with the Hell's Angels for a full two years. The outcome of Hunter's "strange and terrible saga" was his book Hell's Angels, along with a savage beating that was only narrowly avoided from having his head caved in with a massive rock. Fortunately, he was not left brain-damaged.

The book reads very much like a comprehensive magazine article, filled with personal experiences and, on occasion, graced with socio-philosophical insights. Despite the drug-induced mania, Hunter maintained his integrity as a reporter. He never resorted to sensationalizing his story and made it a point to denounce the government and news agencies that reported exaggerated accounts to a fearful public. Even the most heinous acts of sex and violence are written about with a cool objectivity.

As an example of traditional journalism, it can be considered a failure. Hunter became overly immersed in the outlaw motorcycle culture, which was beginning to consume him. His justifiable paranoia ate away at him, driving him to desperation. However, the book is a supreme illustration of Gonzo journalism - disregarding all boundaries except for honesty (within reason).

I can't believe how boring this was.

It was truly a mind-numbing experience. I had expected something exciting and engaging, but what I got was the complete opposite.

The events that unfolded were so uninteresting that I found myself constantly looking at the clock, hoping for it to end soon.

There was no spark, no excitement, just a long and tedious sequence of actions that seemed to go on forever.

I tried to find something to enjoy, but there was simply nothing there.

It was a waste of my time and energy, and I left feeling disappointed and frustrated.

I hope that the next time I encounter something like this, it will be more interesting and worth my while.

Drinking with the Bikies

21 April 2012



I had been eager to read this book for a long time. Ever since a friend mentioned it to me years ago, it had been on my radar. Penguin's decision to release a series of books in a new mass market format was a welcome one. These inexpensive books were sourced from various authors throughout history. I really appreciated this as they included many lesser-known works that I might not have otherwise discovered.



Two of the books I picked up were Junky by William Burroughs and this one. I chose them not only because they were short but also because they seemed a bit "dodgy". By that, I mean they weren't the kind of books the average middle-class reader would typically pick up. However, the average middle-class reader might also pick up airport trash, so it's not a strict comparison.



The opening sentence of this book immediately grabbed my attention. Although I can't recall it exactly without having the book in front of me, I remember being captivated by the description of the Hell's Angels rider as "like Gengis Kahn on an iron horse, a monster steed with a firey anus". I had read Thompson before, specifically Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and I found that book really amusing. This was my first time delving into his other works to see what else he had to offer. I must say that his style of journalism, known as Gonzo Journalism, is unique and refreshing.



Thompson takes us on a journey through what he believes is a misunderstood part of American culture. Written during the Vietnam War, this book provides a snapshot of the bikie clubs before they were filled with returning vets. At one point, he describes the "Linkhorns", the indentured labourers and poor people who came to the US in search of a better life but never quite found it. Instead, they continued to move west, hoping for a new beginning that never materialized, and ended up陷入社会发展的黑暗暗流中.



Some people claim that the Hell's Angels in this book are different from the ones today. I can't speak to that as my experience with bikie gangs is limited. I've known people who were connected to them and have talked to them about various things, but I've never been directly involved. It's interesting to note that our government seemed to have a particular dislike for the bikie gangs, going beyond the normal distrust. There was a section of Adelaide where they used to gather, but the bulldozers came in, flattened the suburb, and replaced it with new, more expensive townhouses. They also passed laws (later struck down by the High Court of Australia) banning the groups and any associations with them. Thank goodness the High Court intervened because, as I see it, today it might be the Hell's Angels, but tomorrow it could be the Greens, the Christians, or the Liberal Party Supporters.



It's a bit of a pity that I don't remember this book as well as I'd like. However, what Thompson seems to be trying to convey is that these bikies are simply a misunderstood subculture. Sure, at the end they turn on him, but that's because he never told them he was going to write a book about them and was researching their lifestyle. Throughout the book, we're reminded of how the police go out of their way to persecute and harass them, so they're understandably cautious. When they find out that Thompson is writing about them, it's no wonder they're angry.



We do go on a journey with them, meeting the bikie girls and spending a weekend at a lake. There seems to be a lot of alcohol involved, and drugs also make an appearance. We even meet Ken Kesey at the end of the book, having one of his massive drug parties. I was a bit surprised to see this side of Kesey, considering I remember reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in high school and being shocked that the writings of a drug addict were being promoted in our schools. But as a friend of mine said, if that's the worst book schools are making kids read, then she's okay with it.



Overall, this is a short, well-written, and entertaining book. I'm not sure if it's still relevant today, given how much has changed over the years. I can't even say if it's relevant to Australia. While Thompson does try to shed light on a misunderstood subculture in America, it's important to note that it's a violent one. And as a delicate person who doesn't like getting into fights (at least physical ones), I have my reservations. However, I guess this is just the nature of males. When they're angry, they lash out, but two days later they're back in the pub drinking beer. Then again, I'm not entirely convinced of this description as males are also capable of holding grudges, and I suspect the higher up the social ladder you go, the more likely they are to do so. But that's a topic for another discussion.

Motorcycles!

Booze!

Violence!

Debauchery!

These are the elements that are coming to a Southern California town near you! I was able to read only two thirds of this, but what I did read was extremely well-written and highly intense. As a non-fiction piece, which I have a prejudice against and don't typically find all that captivating, it does have a tendency to lean a bit towards the newspapery style and can be somewhat repetitive. However, while Hunter may write the best journalism ever, it is still journalism. Thankfully, it's of the gonzo variety. It is definitely worth checking out for serious fans of HST and biker gangs. This work offers a unique and gritty perspective on a world that is often overlooked or romanticized. It delves into the dark underbelly of society and exposes the raw and unfiltered reality of life among motorcycle gangs. Whether you're a die-hard fan of Hunter S. Thompson or simply curious about this subculture, this piece is sure to provide an engaging and thought-provoking read.

Thompson’s depiction of the Hells Angels is truly a complex and captivating one.

On one hand, it is terrifying, revealing the dark and seedy underbelly of the 1960’s counterculture. His writing is so energetic that it seems to bring the wild and rowdy world of the Hells Angels to life. It was almost impossible for me not to imagine Johnny Depp’s Raoul Duke reading each sentence.

However, on the other hand, I feel that Thompson often contradicts himself throughout the book. He tries to paint a picture where the Angels are almost docile, victims of the hysteria created by the mass media. But then, he constantly reinforces the idea that they are all covered in swastikas and are capable of gang raping any woman they come across.

This inconsistency makes it difficult to fully understand and trust his portrayal of the Hells Angels. Despite this, the book remains a fascinating read, offering a unique perspective on a controversial and often misunderstood subculture.

I recently had the opportunity to read "Ancient Gonzo Wisdom." This remarkable collection encompasses all of the interviews that HST (Hunter S. Thompson) ever gave, dating all the way back to his early days when he was just emerging as a writer.

Most of the early pages of "AGW" are dedicated to his new book "Hell’s Angels" and the troubles he encountered towards the end of its creation. To put it briefly, Hunter was a struggling magazine writer who penned an article about the Hell’s Angels. A publisher then approached him, asking him to write a book on the same subject and provided him with some funds to do so. This was in the mid-1960s. At that time, the majority of the Hell’s Angels were under 30 years old and hailed from just a few locations in California.

The book begins with Thompson embedding himself with the Hell’s Angels during a wild Labor Day weekend run. Thompson proves to be a skilled journalist as he devotes many pages to描绘 the context of the weekend, which was playing out against a backdrop of largely false media hype surrounding the Angels. This was due to a recent California Attorney General report on the Angels that the local and national news media was currently going wild with. Tensions ran high, but ultimately, not much happened as a result of the Labor Day ride. A group of bikers got drunk, but the town was not ravaged or pillaged. All of the really terrible stories were just small anecdotes that were told after the fact. The book reads more like 6 or 7 really long magazine articles on the same subject matter. Personally, I prefer his later works.

The Hells Angels were established in California during the late 1940s. They gained notoriety in the mid-1960s due to several highly publicized incidents of alleged mass violence and sexual assault. National media coverage not only terrified the public but also the authorities. However, they also presented a morbid spectacle. These unkempt, tattooed, and often drunk men, who were vulgar, violent, and impoverished, were yet another aspect of the 1960s counter culture and anti-establishment movement. Their obnoxiously loud Harley Davidsons gave them a sense of freedom, and their winged death head patches defined their identity. They were misfits who were left behind in America's post-war era.

Hunter S. Thompson spent a year with the Hells Angels. He attended their infamous parties, befriended some members, and provided an anthropological study of them in his book. Contrary to the sensationalist media reports, Thompson contends that although they were lawless, they were largely harmless to the general public. The Hells Angel members were essentially losers who had failed to adapt to modern society. Although the book may have been revelatory at the time of its publication, I found it repetitive, with Thompson retelling several similar stories. Perhaps this reflects the Hells Angels themselves: a vacuous organization hidden behind a façade of violence.

Unfortunately, this microcosm of American counterculture spread worldwide in the following decades. In Australia, outlaw motorcycle gangs are commonly known as bikies. The Hells Angels, Comancheros, Gypsy Jokers, and others are pathetic organizations involved in organized crime. They still receive excessive media attention. A few years ago, the assassination of a high-profile bikie in the city where I live received absurd media glorification. These groups are ruining the most disadvantaged communities in the country by trafficking drugs such as meth. Their petty and deadly turf wars also spill over into the public sphere. Society would be better off without them.

A comprehensive and well-rounded survey of the gang is presented here. It delves into their various forays, exploring the different activities and adventures they embark upon. Their ramblings are also examined, providing insights into their thoughts, conversations, and meanderings.

Moreover, their symbols are analyzed, uncovering the meanings and significance behind the emblems they use to identify themselves. Their coverage, both in terms of the areas they operate in and the influence they exert, is also a key aspect of this survey.

However, no survey would be complete without looking at their blunders. These missteps and mistakes offer valuable lessons and a better understanding of the gang's weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

Matching Soundtrack: Peasantry Or 'Light! Inside of Light!' - GSY!BE This soundtrack adds an extra dimension to the survey, enhancing the overall atmosphere and mood as we explore the world of the gang.