Hell's Angel Riding High
Barbara R ther -- 7/10/00
Sonny Barger's motorcycle tour creates new readers
and sells 400-500 copies at most stops
 | Barger signed copies flanked by local
Angels. Behind: Jamie Kutch and
Morrow publicity manager Kristen Green. |
For Gary Frank, owner of Booksmith in San Francisco, having the Hell's Angels handling the crowd at the door was a first, though black leather and tattoos are fairly standard dress on his block in the Haight. What was also a new experience was completely selling out the store's entire stock of 400 copies of the book--and this is a store that has hosted such counterculture her s as Grace Slick and Allen Ginsberg.
Bolstered by a wealth of local media, Hell's Angels founder Ralph "Sonny" Barger's signing for his autobiography, Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club (Morrow), attracted a crowd of more than 500. A crowd of mixed styles lined up down the block and around the corner. The deep rumbling roar signaling the arrival of even more Harleys was greeted with cheers and whistles.
The event at Booksmith had the feel of a family reunion, with crowds of old friends hugging and Barger posing for photos with babies. Dressed in his trademark fringed leather vest, the "Chief," as he is known to many bikers, was born and raised in Oakland, where the club has its headquarters, and lived there until 1998. After recovering from throat cancer, Barger moved to Arizona in 1998. He is now a member of the Cave Creek Chapter of the Hell's Angels, near Ph nix.
San Francisco was one of the last stops on the Route 66 Tour, a book tour/motorcycle "run" that was led by Barger and escorted by various chapters of Hell's Angels in other states. The tour, which began on Memorial Day weekend in Chicago and ended in June, followed Route 66 to the southwest with almost daily stops at bookstores and Harley dealerships along the way. The bikers were routinely greeted by crowds in excess of 300, and motorcycle parking was required of hosting stores.
After only two months in print, the book has entered its seventh printing, has sold more than 50,000 copies and last week landed on the New York Times bestseller list. More details of the run and forthcoming book signings (including Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Ariz., on July 13) are available at the author's Web site, www.sonnybarger.com.
Easy Readers
 | Motorcycles lined the streets in front
of Manhattan's Virgin Megastore |
On June 10, a few days before the San Francisco appearance, the author appeared at Beyond Baroque, an alternative literary center in Venice, Calif., where actor Dennis Hopper, who rode to fame on a hog in Easy Rider, introduced Barger. Beyond Baroque sold 500 books. According to director Fred Dewey, Barger attracted a crowd that was "by far the most bohemian and interesting that I have ever seen here."
In Tulsa, Okla., the large independent A Novel Idea was the gathering point for bikers from four states when Barger stopped by on May 31. According to owner Scott Perri, who sold nearly 400 books at the event, the Angels were also eager to control the door, but finally acquiesced to Perri's assurances. "I explained we really were used to handling the crowds. It was an audience that had not been to bookstores before. I could tell because no one touched any other books."
Similar sentiments were ech d by the Chicago Borders bookstore where the tour began. One employee overheard a conversation between two Hell's Angels. One asked, "So how d s this book signing thing work? I've never been to a book signing before." The other replied, "Book signing? Hell, I've never been to a bookstore before!"
Indeed, in many cases, it hasn't been necessary to go to bookstores to get a signed copy, as several thousand have been sold at Harley dealerships. More than 600 copies were sold and signed at Bob Drones Harley Dealership in Oakland, Calif., on June 24. The dealership made no profit on the books, which were supplied by the Barnes & Noble at nearby Jack London Square.
Setting It Straight
San Francisco, however, is the site of many events in Barger's book, including the infamous Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) trial of 1980, in which many Hell's Angels members were arrested, tried and found not guilty. The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood has had particular significance for the Angels. Most of the LSD that was circulated through the area during 1967's Summer of Love came from the Angels, according to Barger and his two co-authors, Keith and Kent Zimmerman. The twin "Zimmermen," as they like to call themselves, have also co-authored books on Johnny Rotten and photo-realist painter Daddy O Wade.
Setting the historical record straight was a prime motivation in writing the book, according to Fritz Clapp, legal counsel for the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club and Sonny Barger Productions. Clapp, who also "rides," spoke to PW about the genesis of the book: "The Hell's Angels death head symbol is trademarked, and one of my jobs is protecting that symbol from people who want to use it for their own profit. Likewise, the Sonny Barger story is Sonny's, and this book is in his words. A lot has been written on this club by a lot of people who know very little--mostly police or gossip columnists. I think this book is successful because he tells it like it is without apologies, and without excuses."
Deals and Dealing
Hell's Angel is the only book ever done with the approval of the motorcycle club and Sonny Barger. The team is currently wrapping up plans for a movie deal based on Barger's life with director Tony Scott (Top Gun, Crimson Tide).
Though other Hell's Angels had asked Sonny to write his life story for many years, the team initially had problems finding an agent and co-writer they could work with. When they met Jim Fitzgerald, then an editor at St. Martin's, things started to move. Fitzgerald liked the idea and suggested the Zimmermen as co-writers. The publisher's initial offer of $100,000 was turned down by Clapp. Still, the Zimmermen, who were Oakland neighbors of Barger, began recording Sonny's stories in late 1998. After leaving St. Martin's, Fitzgerald became the book's editor, as well as Sonny Barger's literary agent, with the Carol Mann Agency. It was Fitzgerald who steered the book to Morrow.
Although national press has come calling for Barger, he d s not always answer. Last week, while waiting to film Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, Barger walked off the set and rode away when the producer wanted him to talk about whether it was right to treat women as sex slaves. According to Clapp, it's the kind of question that demonstrates the depth of ignorance and supposition still directed toward the club.
The mood during the book tour was entirely different: Barger and his friends commonly showed up early, stayed late and posed for photos with customers. At Booksmith, Barger even offered to return to sign books for those who were turned away by the sellout. According to one bookstore owner, Barger "exhibited more grace than many a veteran author." Fritz Clapp insists Sonny Barger and the Hell's Angels have not mellowed or changed in any way, but believes that the public's perceptions may finally be catching up.
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