Rarely do you hear anything about the Hell's Angels in the press anymore. They are a relic in today's gang wars. That doesn't mean they aren't out there, as we learned today, when a federal jury handed back the keys to the Angels' clubhouse. There aren't many Minneapolis members left, as the article claims eight or nine Minneapolis members. Most have been sent to jail thanks to the governments crackdown on methamphetamines.
Growing up in California, we hear a lot about the Hell's Angels. They were active participants in the 60s counterculture, often acting as "security" for Bill Graham's legendary rock concerts. They were founded on Oakland, CA before spreading west across the nation. Because my great-uncle was an active member and I'd hear random stories from his sisters, I've been fascinated with the Hell's Angels from an early age.
Years ago I read and was disappointed with Hunter S. Thompson's Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs. It wasn't that Thompson's "new journalism" wasn't fascinating, because it was.Thompson's ego simply got in the way for me to truly delve into the underworld he experienced. I've been looking at Frost-Bite in a similar light. Frost-Bite is my attempt to write in a style not unlike Thompson or Tom Wolfe or Ted Conover.
I don't know how well I'm doing yet, but then again, I'm just starting the process and have many plans for the future. It was strange seeing Hell's Angels as the headline story on the Star Tribune's site. I hadn't thought about them since my great-uncle passed away due to complications from lead poisoning from prison tattoos. I guess the Hell's Angels are still around, although barely.
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The Hell's Angels were not founded in Oakland, but in San Bernardino in 1948. HST book on the subject is skewed by his own perspective and which I would imagine to be drug induced at times. And from my personal experience isn't as accurate as it should be.
Three Can Keep a Secret if Two Are Dead by Yves Lavigne is much more telling. He was a reporter the inflitrated a Canadian chapter of the HAs during a brutal house cleaning in the 80's.
And you'd be surprised how little the media actually knows about the underground which is outlaw motorcycle clubs. I grew up in that life style, and I've always been frustrated with the media spread on the subject.
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