Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga

I recently finished reading Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (1967) by Hunter S. Thompson, the author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Hell's Angles was his first book, and it came to be as a follow up to an article he wrote for The Nation called 'The Motorcycle Gangs: Losers and Outsiders.' The article became very popular and several publishers suggested he write a book about them.

Thompson was introduced to the Oakland chapter of the Angels by a former Angel and fellow reporter, Birney Jarvis. Thompson became close to the Oakland chapter president Ralph 'Sonny' Barger and through him got to know a group of Angels quite well. Some of them stayed a while in his apartment, he went to their parties and drank at their bars. In all, he spent about a year in their company, interviewing them, hanging out and learning how they lived, why they did what they did, but also what they didn't do.

After a party that went out of hand in 1965, the then California D.A. published a report on the Angels that was picked up by Time Magazine, Newsweek and the New York Times. They however grabbed the most frightening and lurid parts of the report and declined to publish the part that said 'All charges dropped'. This gave the Hell's Angels a sudden level of fame they weren't ready for. The police targeted them on sight but tons of people want to party with them as well.

Sonny once told Thompson “You can't say a lot of good about us, so why the need to tell lies?” or something close to that. They couldn't understand why society would make up stuff about them and eventually accepted Thompson. He never joined them, and didn't wear their colors, which would have been (and still is) a big no no.

In the end, Thompson said the wrong thing to the wrong Angel and got stomped. On of his “friends” Tiny, dragged him outside and helped him into his car, and Thompson never went back.

The book is interesting from beginning to end. It can be weirdly funny but at times it is a hard read. Thompson doesn't sugar coat anything, he reports on the violence, the abuse, the drugs, riots and everything else. I never got the feeling that he invented anything in the book. What you read happened.

Besides the Hell's Angels the book is an interesting look at the mid 60's. The era of the Kennedy assassinations. The ramp up of the Vietnam War. The rise of flower power and LSD. The Rise of the Black Panthers. A conservative society suddenly confronted with radically different ideals, and in the middle, The Hell's Angels, loud smelly rebels that didn't give a damn, riding their massive bikes, willing to spit in the eye of whoever crossed their path. Or help them out, depending on how they felt that day.

I don't think you can read Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga and not feel anything. It doesn't necessarily teach you anything, too much time has passed for that, but it is compelling throughout. If you've ever been curious about the Angles, or California in the 60's, then this is the book for you.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!