1969 was a busy year for bikers. Of course, there was Woodstock, a lot of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, and the death of Meredith Hunter during a Rolling Stones concert at Altamont Raceway in California, as detailed in the 1970 documentary Gimme Shelter.
Gimme Shelter (1970)
However, In May of that year the groundbreaking independent film Easy Rider hit the silver screen, after a successful debut at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Many a young wannabe’s imaginations were fired by the fever-dream vision of two riders aboard gleaming Harley-Davidson panhead choppers, balling through the Desert Southwest in search of America, or comely hippie chicks, or wisdom, or New Orleans hookers, or freedom, or a safe place to park their scooters and enjoy the proceeds of their big drug score.
‘Rode to Freedom’ by artist Ray Drea: acrylic on aluminum panel
After a two-hour pilot movie broadcast on March 24th, 1969, the weekly series Then Came Bronson debuted on December 10th of that year, just four days after the tragedy at Altamont. The lead character was loosely based on journalist and former Hells Angel Birney Jarvis, mentioned in Hunter S. Thompson’s 1960s book about California’s outlaw motorcycle clubs. After the suicide of a friend, James ‘Jim’ Bronson quits his job as a newspaper reporter and hits the road aboard his mildly customized Harley-Davidson Sportster. The opening scene features Bronson’s iconic exchange with a weary commuter in a station wagon, as they idle side-by-side at a red light.
Commuter: Taking a trip? Jim Bronson: What’s that? Commuter: Taking a trip? Jim Bronson: Yeah. Commuter: Where to? Jim Bronson: Oh, I don’t know. Wherever I end up, I guess. Commuter: Man, I wish I was you. Jim Bronson: Really? Commuter: Yeah. Jim Bronson: Well, hang in there.
For reasons too numerous and convoluted to delve into in this entry, both the series and film continue to resonate with riders today. I may discuss all that in a later post. However, today is for fun; specifically, the parodies of both motorcycle-themed works in a single issue of the humor magazine called MAD.
The June, 1970, issue featured a cover by artist Jack Davis (who also illustrated the comic-book style cover of pop group Sailcat’s Motorcycle Mamaalbum, posted below), which shows film actors Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, alongside Bronson star Michael Parks and MAD‘s very own avatar, Alfred E. Neuman of ‘What, Me Worry?’ fame.
I first discovered Danny Lyon’s 1968 book The Bikeriders in 1980, when I came across a hardback first edition in a used book store, and what a discovery it was!
Danny Lyon is an award-winning lensman who spent the early days of the 1960s with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), documenting the Civil Rights Movement in the Deep South (above). In his first week in the South, Lyon was arrested, and spent a week in a cell beside a beleaguered Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior.
Upon release he was threatened with lynching by racist cops (like those pictured above) but persevered to become SNCC’s official photographer, documenting many of the key moments in the Civil Rights Movement’s quest for justice and racial equality.
He also became lifelong friends with SNCC organizer and future Congressman John Lewis (above) and was at the Congressman’s side in the final days of Mr. Lewis’ life.
After his efforts in the Deep South, Lyon — already a dedicated rider — returned to Chicago, enrolled in university there, and became a member of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
As a full-patch member of the Outlaws, Lyon (aboard his beloved 1956 Triumph Thunderbird, above) rode and partied with the club, but also photographed Outlaws and patchholders from other clubs, their wives and girlfriends, motorcycle racers and mechanics and others involved in the motorcycle scene.
He also conducted low-key, casual interviews with Outlaws and other clubbers, their old ladies, and some of the racers he’d met at tracks from Illinois to New Hampshire.
The resulting book was groundbreaking in many ways. For starters, it combined Lyon’s technically brilliant and compassionately soulful images of the motorcycling world with transcripts of his interviews, in a format never before seen in American publishing. It also made him one of the first observers (after Hunter S. Thompson of Hell’s Angels fame and Tom Wolfe, who wrote The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test) to document the rising phenomenon of ‘outlaw motorcycle clubs’, and his book the first photo book about bikers ever published. Finally, it made his the very first book about clubs written by an actual member of a club, and giving voice to rank-and-file members of those clubs.
Sadly, The Bikeriders received little notice when it was first published, and quickly went out of print. As psychotic as I have always been about reading and collecting books on motorcycling and other topics of interest, I’d never heard of Lyon or his book when I found that first edition hardback at Half-Price Books on Lavaca Street in Austin in 1980, but gladly paid the $4.95 for my copy….
The Bikeriders was first published in 1968. This is the cover of one of the many recent reissues.
….and by-the-by, as of this morning, those same first edition / first printing hardbacks were selling for anywhere from $1000 to $1850! 😮 Not that my copy is for sale anytime soon — as a biker and historian, the book is a precious resource — but it’s nice to know I scored one hell of a deal! 😆
For a long time, at least amongst the bikers I rode with, no one had ever heard of Danny Lyon or his precious little book. I stashed the slender volume on a shelf in my ‘permanent library’, and only showed it to people I really thought could appreciate this rare gem I’d uncovered.
However, with the advent of social media I saw more and more people raving about his groundbreaking photojournalism: The Bikeriders, his monograph on the Texas prison system, his work with SNCC during the Civil Rights Movement of the early ’60s, his report on the destruction of Lower Manhattan and much, much more.
Beginning in 1997, reissues of The Bikeriders began to appear. Some were über-expensive slip-cased collectors’ items, priced in the hundreds, but in 2003 Chronicle Books released a more reasonably priced revised edition, which gave Lyon’s work a second chance at the immortality it deserves.
The new release included a number of ‘lost’ photographs — many in color like the one above — that the photographer unearthed from a forgotten file cabinet in the offices of Magnum Photos, where Lyon was an associate from 1967 to 1975.
The 2003 edition also included new remarks by the author about his personal history with the Outlaws Motorcycle Club, and why he hung up his colors. For those of us interested in the history of bikers, this was dynamite stuff!
Apparently, filmmaker Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Midnight Special and Mud) agreed with that ‘dynamite’ assessment, because he took Lyon’s book — the photographs, interviews, and Lyon’s personal remarks — as inspiration for a new full-length feature film, also titled The Bikeriders and starring current A-list actors like Austin Butler (Elvis and Masters of the Air), Jodie Comer (Star Wars Episode IX and Killing Eve), and Tom Hardy (Band of Brothers and Inception).
Reading reports about the upcoming film and synopses of the plot, and viewing the trailer for the film, I feel certain the storyline depicted in the film will be heavily weighted by Lyon’s later remarks about his tenure with the club. The film’s ‘rise and fall’ arc seems to reflect the photographer’s disillusionment with the club’s turn from a band of rowdy hard-riding roughnecks to a grimmer, more dangerous organization.
I’m still excited to see the film. If nothing else, a ‘biker flick’ from A-listers like Butler, Comer, Hardy and Nichols will become part of biker history, along the lines of The Wild One and Easy Rider.
The Wild One (1953): Star Lee Marvin (fun-loving biker ‘gang’ leader Chino) argues with Robert Keith (outgunned local sheriff Harry Bleeker) as Marlon Brando (disaffected punk Johnny Strabler) stands mute and painfully ‘hep’. Easy Rider (1969): Stars Dennis Hopper (the manic Billy) and Peter Fonda (über-cool Wyatt) with Captain America, the most recognizable motorcycle on the planet, idle past a local cop with an attitude about longhaired hippie types in his East Texas burg.
The Bikeriders may well have the power, as those films did, to impact the future of biker life in America and around the world. However, I am NOT expecting a happily-ever-after ending for Kathy, Benny, Johnny and the boys.
It should come as no surprise that swag for The Bikeriders film is already flying off the shelves. The other day I posted on Facebook about a $1250 ‘Vandals’ jacket on offer from Schott Brothers, the same purveyors of leather goods who crafted Marlon Brando’s famous ‘Perfecto’ jacket for the 1953 film The Wild One. They are now offering a ‘D-Pocket Jacket’ like the one Tom Hardy’s character wears in the film.
The Schott Bros. promote their $1250 ‘Vandals’ leather jacket.…….and even replicate Danny Lyon’s Crossing the Ohio, Louisville, 1966 for their advertising campaign.
Then there’s the photo book VANDALS: The Photography of the Motion Picture ‘The Bikeriders’ (2024), which is available through Amazon, Schott’s website, and goddess knows where else….
Yes, I do have a copy! 🙄
….and, of course, official merch from the filmmakers themselves, including denim jackets with Vandals MC ‘colors’ printed or embroidered on the back, matching ball caps, t-shirts, hoodies and sweatpants (sweatpants? 😮 Really? 😱).
Shades of Anarchy all over again!
I am not pimping for these mercenary fecks, BTW; I’m just alerting you, gentle reader, to exactly WTF is going on in the motorcycling world, for better or worse. 😱
The Schott Bros. site features a photograph of an actual ‘Vandals MC’ jacket from the film, but their $1250 repop jacket does not include club colors. For those, you’ll need to visit the NBC/Universal merch store referenced above. 😏
Those of us who have been riding for a while are having flashbacks to Sons of Anarchy and all the relentless marketing surrounding that production. To this day, people are showing up at motorcycle events wearing official ‘support’ t-shirts and pirated copies of SoA colors, and YouTube teems with videos of people warning riders of issues with faux club colors, like the ones the couple below are sporting.
Just for the record: DON’T!
I’d love to hear back from anyone who’s seen The Bikeriders movie. I’ll do my best to respond to comments ASAP.
….if the viewer is open and brave enough, they are going to meet an America few folks will talk about; a grim, hostile underbelly filled with proud white trash, loud motorcycles, barflies, brawlers, booze and sex and rock ‘n’ roll. George the Painter takes all of this in, and then flings it at the viewer like blood, sweat and spinal fluid, in violent knife-edged spasms of color, light and shadow.
Pussy and Bourbon # 1 by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.
The term ‘acquired taste’ was coined for characters like George the Painter, but I confess that it is a taste I have acquired. In my collection I have a number of his prints, purchased from the artist himself through the old The Horse / Back Street Choppers readers’ forum, where we were both frequent flyers in the early ’00s. I look forward to displaying some of them in the Adults Only section of MMMoMMA soon. 😏
Rebel by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell. The ‘RAT LIFE’ tattoo is one of GTP’s own.Oh Hell Yea [sic] by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.
When he chooses to, GTP can get downright representational, as with the Sporty above and the moonlit chopper below. I find that painting particularly evocative.
* EK87S *, a commission by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell. Titles marked with asterisks are ones I made up, because the artist’s title was unknown.
Others evince a technical mastery of light, color and shadow that nudges the neighborhood of realism, without fully crossing the line.
Hogster by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.*Knucklehead *by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.*Knucklehead * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.
….and when he’s not painting blowsy barflies, GTP is capable of more pedestrian images.
This looks suspiciously like the scenic and thrilling Tail of the Dragon, which leaves Maggie Valley, North Carolina, (home of Dale Walksler’s famous Wheels Through Time Museum) and meanders over the state line into Tennessee, with a challenging 318 curves in just 11 miles! 😮 Overconfident (or overserved) riders have come to unhappy ends in those hills, but it’s a destination ride for our tribe, and motorcyclists come from around the world to challenge the Tail and visit the motorcycle museum. Highly recommended, BTW.* Peterbilt Posse * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.* The Boys * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.* Pickup * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.* Cometic * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.* Chopper Couple * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.* Kiss *by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.
Richie Pan was a renowned artist, tattooist and bike builder from New Jersey who was killed in an auto-pedestrian crash on his way home from the annual North Carolina Smokeout. I mentioned him in my article about David Mann, but GTP knew Richie Pan, had been tattooed by him, and painted two portraits of his friend.
* Richie Pan in his shop * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell. Richie is seated on his beloved panhead, Viola.* Richie Pan in the wind * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.
As with David Mann, Edward Hopper and other favorite artists, George Frizzell will insert himself into his work at times, as with this oddly-named canvas: Intergalactic Attack Formation # 1….
Intergalactic Attack Formation # 1 by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell. That is GTP hisself, trademark sneer in place, aboard the shovelhead he calls ‘Leaky Latowski’. He reports that the original canvas now lives in Australia.
….and this, where he demonstrates Leaky Latowski’s low-end torque.
When Pigs Fly by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.
Finally, in this recent canvas, GTP notes that he ‘wanted to paint a loser with a busted ass bike and it ended up being a self portrait.’ He was raffling off the original canvas, and noted, ‘I’ve been off my Shovel for long enough and this raffle will send some cash in the right direction!’ I can relate! If they were still on offer, I’d buy a ticket or two myself! 😎
* Loser * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.
However, like a lot of bikers, GTP seems to delight in the age-old game called ‘shocking the squares,’ and he plays it well!
Rothouse 187 by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.
GTP’s work is sometimes hard to look at – rude and graphic and in-your-face, much like the artist himself – and not everyone can hang with it. However, if the viewer is open and brave enough, they are going to meet an America few folks will talk about; a grim, hostile underbelly filled with proud white trash, loud motorcycles, barflies, brawlers, booze and sex and rock ‘n’ roll. GTP takes all of this in, and then flings it at the viewer like blood, sweat and spinal fluid, in violent knife-edged spasms of color, light and shadow.
V by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.
If you can hang, study what GTP has created on canvas, and you will discover an uncompromising artist with a hard-core, anarchic sense of self, which makes him a Charles Bukowski of the painted word.
Blow Job by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.Two of George’s more noticeable tattoos: WHITE TRASH ICONandRAT LIFE.
SHOVELHEAD LOVE
Like me, George loves his shovelheads, and they feature prominently in his art. I’m always glad to see my favorite Milwaukee motor represented, but….
* Shovelhead SS * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.* Shovelhead with Swastika * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell. With that dual-throated carburetor, the engine takes on the look of a demented, malevolent WALL-E, from the animated film, or a Star Warsrobot…. or maybe Cujo? 🤷🏻♀️* Shovelhead * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.* Shovelhead * in charcoal by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.* Shovelhead * in charcoal by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.Some wag suggested * Hogwarts’ Hagrid gets a Harley * as a title. Whatever. It’s another Shovelhead by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.* Shovel Jesus * by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell.
If you’re really brave, read a few of GTP’s columns in back issues of The Horse / Back Street Choppers — the now-defunct biker rag that gave Frizzell a resident platform for his art and off-the-wall screeds — and you’ll see that George comes by his ‘fuck the world’ brand of hardscrabble individualism honestly. He is brutally forthright about living his life his way. Dilettantes and poseurs need not apply.
The Horse / Backstreet Choppers
The Horse / Backstreet Choppers was a weak imitation of the OG Easyriders* magazine, which began in 1970, but The Horse did feature owner-built choppers in amongst all the pouty-lipped models, hipster-bearded and tattooed ‘old skool’ wannabes and eye-boggling graphics. The Horse / Backstreet Choppers was GTP’s home away from home for many years. They published his artwork and many of his rambling, overheated screeds. Those columns were later collected into a ‘bathroom reader‘ that is now out-of-print, and listed for stoopid money on eBay and Amazon.
Yet another shovelhead; this one with the inscrutable title Deluxe Space Robot by George ‘GTP’ Frizzell. That is his Leaky Latowski fuel tank on the floor.
In a documentary series, Richie Pan’s America, George said he wasn’t much of a writer, wasn’t much of a painter, wasn’t much of a bike builder, and yet he’s famous. 🤷🏻♀️
He also made a comment that speaks volumes about him, and about bikers in general. He said, ‘Being poor and destitute without a motorcycle is completely uncool, but you can be the same motherfucker and have a motorcycle between your legs — still have no place to live — and it’s cool….’
I don’t know about George, but in my career as a biker, I’ve been homeless, without a car, a job or bank account, but I’ve always had a bike, and yeah, that’s pretty feckin’ cool! 😎
Let’s let GTP go out the same way he came in, with a hearty ‘Fuck You’ to all and sundry! 😎
The Shovel Shop 
