Synopses & Reviews
Get an inside look at the real beginning of outlaw biker culture with this “raucous and heartfelt recounting of the early days of biker clubs” (Roadbike). The story starts one weekend in 1947, at a motorcycle race in Hollister, California. A few members of one club, the no-holds-barred “Boozefighters,” got a little juiced up and took their racing to the street. Word of the fracas spread, and soon enough Life magazine was on hand to tell the world, with sensational (albeit posed) pictures of the outlaws. And then the “Hollister riot” made its way into the movies, immortalized in Marlon Brando’s “The Wild One.”
What was the reality behind the myth? Through interviews with the surviving members of the Boozefighters, current member Bill Hayes and club historian Jim “JQ” Quattlebaum take readers right into the fray for a firsthand account of what happened in Hollister, and the formation of the Boozefighters, where the outlaw biker culture truly began. The book, “with its great stories and entertaining real-life characters” (MotorcycleUSA.com), is “mandatory reading for anyone interested in American motorcycling history “(Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly).
Review
RoadBike, March 2006 (circ.: 55,997)"A raucous and heartfelt recounting of the early days of biker clubs."
Review
"Hayes puts real human faces with, and lends authentic human voices to the legends, myths and lore of those early biker days . The narrative is helped along considerably by the many vintage photographs, most of them black-and-white snaps, that show clearly the youthful glint in the eyes of then-young-men. There is little tough-guy posturing in those old pictures. Most of the guys are smiling, happy to be alive and happy to be on their bikes . Frozen in time, they have no idea that they're about to ride straight into the history books. And that's what makes them so appealing and what makes The Original Wild Ones worth reading."
Review
Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly, December 2007
“Mandatory reading for anyone interested in American motorcycling history. Three-out-of-four cylinders; four-out-of-four if you enjoy ‘motorcycle lifestyle’ periodicals. This is one delightful book.”
Review
RoadBike, March 2006 (circ.: 55,997) “A raucous and heartfelt recounting of the early days of biker clubs.”
“Hayes puts real human faces with, and lends authentic human voices to the legends, myths and lore of those early biker days … The narrative is helped along considerably by the many vintage photographs, most of them black-and-white snaps, that show clearly the youthful glint in the eyes of then-young-men. There is little tough-guy posturing in those old pictures. Most of the guys are smiling, happy to be alive and happy to be on their bikes … Frozen in time, they have no idea that theyre about to ride straight into the history books. And thats what makes them so appealing and what makes
The Original Wild Ones worth reading.”
Minnesota Motorcycle Monthly, December 2007
“Mandatory reading for anyone interested in American motorcycling history. Three-out-of-four cylinders; four-out-of-four if you enjoy ‘motorcycle lifestyle’ periodicals. This is one delightful book.”
Synopsis
The seminal event in "outlaw biker" culture was a 1947 weekend in Hollister, California. Motorcyclists, including members of the Boozefighters club, engaged in street racing and other raucous activities. A sensationalized report of the event ran in LIFE magazine, along with frightening (albeit posed) photos of the outlaws. Was the event (later portrayed in Marlon Brando's The Wild One) as wild as reported? Or, in truth, was it even wilder? The answer is found in this book filled with first-person accounts from past and present members of the Boozefighters and others on the scene. This is gripping narrative of a now-legendary event. It's a true story that is more interesting than the caricatured outlaw legend that has grown up around the name Hollister.
Synopsis
This "raucous and heartfelt recounting of the early days of biker clubs" (Roadbike) gets to the reality behind the myth immortalized in Brando's "The Wild One."
About the Author
Bill Hayes is an avid motorcyclist whose articles, columns, and fiction have been published in Easyriders, Thunder Press, and Biker magazines. His column in Real Blues magazine has run for many years and several of his feature articles on martial arts have appeared in Black Belt magazine. Bill writes passionately about the things he loves and knows best: motorcycles, the blues, and martial arts.Bill Hayes is an avid motorcyclist whose articles, columns, and fiction have been published in Easyriders, Thunder Press, and Biker magazines. His column in Real Blues magazine has run for many years and several of his feature articles on martial arts have appeared in Black Belt magazine. Bill writes passionately about the things he loves and knows best: motorcycles, the blues, and martial arts.BFMC National Historian Jim "J.Q." Quattlebaum generously contributed his time and attention to this project on behalf of the club, supplying a wealth of photographs, memorabilia, and writings from the club's archives. Jim is quite a storyteller in his own right.Dave Nichols has been involved in many forms of media both in front and behind the camera since 1978. He has written and produced over 1,200 TV commercials with Shadoe Stevens, Inc., a series of television comedy specials for HBO/Cinemax, and American Top 40 for ABC Watermark. He has produced live events for Jani International and live sports programs for television, created early-learning software for Microsoft, and developed ad campaigns for radio, TV, and feature film trailers for New World Pictures. Dave has been the editor-in-chief of Easyriders and V-Twin motorcycle magazines since 1998 and is currently overseeing ten automotive and motorcycle magazine titles for Paisano Publications, including the new Road Iron custom touring bike title. Nichols was the on-camera host of V-Twin TV, a 26-episode motorcycle-related television series seen on the SPEED channel. He is also the bestselling author of Top Chops, Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman, One Percenter, and One Percenter Code, all published by Motorbooks. He lives in Ashland, Oregon, and Los Angeles and is currently creating TV series and feature film projects with HBO producer Michael Hill.