Customer Reviews

Hell's Angels: A strange and terrible saga

5 star:		(86)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Hunter holds himself back and lets the story tell itself. That's is both good and bad. I am a big fan of his Gonzo-style and must admit I missed it. In "Hell's Angels" his writing style was supplanted by the lifestyle he adopted for a year in order to journalize the "trips" of the notorious California Motorcycle gang. Unless you were previously exposed to some (true) stories of the Hell's Angels, much of this book will be eye-opening for the gang did and didn't do. I hadn't been and only knew the myth perpatrated by the media. Hunter does his best to expose the NY Times, Time Magazine and others for their taget-picking, fear-baiting, if-we-printed-it-it-must-be-real style of reporting and de-myths many of the groups exploits. Hunter focuses his story of two or three "runs" the Angel's take. He captures the anti-social attitudes and behaviors of the gang without judging and relates the booze, pills, sex and thuggery stories without embellishment (or so it seemed to me). Read this book if you've ever wondered what the gang life was like for this group of misfits '60's drop-outs. Read this book if you enjoy HST and his eye for the real story.

The Hell's Angels and the outlaw biker gang phenomenon have always made for interesting discussion. One needs only to recall some of those B movies made in the 1960's about the Hells Angels and how many "ordinary" folks fantasized about living the life of a biker gang memeber. This book was written as sort of an expose'into the lives of "typical" biker gang members. It follows the history of the group from the end of World War II up to about 1966. I found it an enjoyable, easy read when I first read it 20-some odd years ago. I think the reader will come away with the understanding of why some individuals find the biker lifestyle an expression of total freedom, albeit within the seedier side of society. Anyone with an interest in the subject matter would find this a good book to buy.

I'm always surprised when fans of the great Doctor tell me they haven't read Hell's Angels. Sure, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is probably his most humorous work, and some say it is the most profound. Fair enough. But Hell's Angels has much more substance, and it has a sort of historical significance about it for Thompson fans. It is the story not only of the famous biker gang, but, on a less obvious level, the events that shaped the character of Hunter S. Thompson and made him a true master of modern literature. It also shows what a gutsy journalist can do (and become) when he throws himself into a story. I've been a journalist going on 12 years now, and I blame Thompson for my sorry fate. Reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when I was a high school senior led me to this "low trade," as the good Doctor would put it, but reading "Hell's Angels" several years ago reminded me why I chose this field and gave me the guts to stick with it, despite having to work for a wimpy newspaper publisher who eventually fired me for stirring up too much trouble with businesses owned or controlled by his millionaire friends. Thanks, Hunter. You bastard

Feared by his superiors and sometimes colleagues. Loathed by the literary pundits who couldn't stack up against him. In 1965, Hunter S. Thompson shed light on one of the darkest subjects of the 60's. The Hell's Angels Motorcycle Riders. Thompson shows little remorse for infiltrating the place[s] where no other journalist dare tread, and even chronicling the experiences in a book he had to have permission to research and write, from the very subjects of the book. That permission went beyond legalities. Thompson was governed by another rule. The Hell's Angels' Rules. Readers will be shocked, surprised, and maybe sickened while they delve from the safety of time passed into the world of the most notorious two- wheeled gang in history. However, readers will also get a history lesson. A lesson obtained with real blood, sweat, and fears. Thom Ryan

The book Hell's Angels, by Hunter S. Thompson, is one of the best books I have read all year. The one thing that effected my liking to this book was not the description, it was not the plot, and it was not the excessive sex, drugs and alcohol. It was the fact that Hunter Thompson was living with the actual Hell's Angels for almost two years, for the sake of journalism. Hunter Thompson is by far no saint (as you might know if you read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), but some of the things that were done in the time period that Thompson was living with them were down right sinister. Behind all the rape and the pillaging and the absolute destruction of human beings were the Neanderthals, that would strike fear in the heart of any decent, hard working American. The book goes into great detail about the ways that the press can manipulate a story, and the way that can mislead the reader, and the results of this. The worst thing about this is that a lot of the Angels had things happen to them that they were completely innocent of, but just the mere fact that they were Hell's Angels made them the enemy. In no way am I condoning any of the actions that some of the Angels partook in, but there is a large difference between committing the crime, and being friends with the people that committed the crime. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered what lies on the dark side of society, and to any one with a strong stomach. Thompson is an excellent writer and does go into (sometimes obscenely excessive) detail.

I expected this book to be exciting and trippy like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I was surprised to find that it is actually a pretty serious book about what really happens when the Hell's Angels hit the road and bring their version of Brotherly Love to a town near you. The ideas and beliefs of the Hell's Angels are far from the mainstream and Thompson tells about them in a way that is easy to understand. Thompson portrays the Hell's Angels not as heroes or villans, but as a disorganized rabble of people who are basically losers. People who need a group to get along in this world. This book helped me get a perspective on just a piece of the turmoil that was the 60's.

R.I.P. Hunter S. Thompson. We barely knew ya.

Before Thompson really exploded into journalism, creating what is now known as "Gonzo Journalism", he took a writing assignment that led him to enter the world of the 1960's gang of motorcycle rowdies called 'The Hell's Angels'.

What is seen in today's society as a feisty road trip was, in the mid 60's, the equivalent of going into Iraq to chum-up with the enemy. Thompson was just the writer to take on this type of assignment, diving into a scorned sub-culture, and managing to air out the results with enough literary style for the entire world to grasp. In the 1960's, the words 'Hell's Angels' created as much fear in polite society as 'Mideast Terrorists' does today.

Thompson rode with the Hell's Angels for approximately one year, getting to know them and gaining, if not their respect, at least their tolerance. His account takes us through the infamous "Bass Lake" weekend, an event that had half of the State Of California on high alert.

While Thompson doesn't go as far as to portray the Hell's Angels as 'humane', he does present them as 'human'. He wrote, "To see the Hell's Angels as caretakers of the old "individualist" tradition "that made this country great" is only a painless way to get around seeing them for what they really are -- not some romantic leftover, but the first wave of a future that nothing in our history has prepared us to cope with". Included with Thompson's own writings and observations are quotes from many of the members from the gang, often credited without real names because of their borderline intentions or aberrant vocalizing of violence. Beer, $ex, Broads, Battles, and Bikes.

I think you will find it amazing how forward-thinking Thompson's observations are. What he wrote here in 1966 holds as much truth and foresight today as it did then. His projections of human nature are uncannily accurate. Perhaps genius is doomed, so to speak.

What else you will find in this true account of a intriguing trip with a gang of rebels is an entertaining read. Historic and important, the account of this sub-culture's lifestyle is nonetheless a fascinating tale. Thompson's style, though in its embryonic stage in 1966, shines with as much energy and spirit as it did throughout his lifetime. Thompson remains one of the greatest writers of this era.

Of outside interest, on The Criterion Collection edition of the DVD 'Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas' are the extras 'Hunter Goes To Hollywood' featuring Hunter S. Thompson (who as a rule avoided cameras and publicity), a reading of correspondence between Hunter S. Thompson and Johnny Depp (read by Johnny Depp), and 'Fear And Loathing On The Road To Hollywood', a 1978 documentary with Thompson. With Thompson gone, these DVD extras are as much worth the price of the movie, and a must for die-hard fans of Thompson. Also, check into finding a copy of Thompson's last interview, in the May 2005 issue of Playboy Magazine.

All things Hunter, 'Hell's Angels' is a great read whether your interest is in the author, the era, or the culture. Enjoy!

Roll up your sleeves boys and girls, if you read Hell's Angels the Doctor is going to inject you with a dosage of Outlaw Reality and Hog Rage as it were. The Hell's Angels are the last vestiges of the American Outlaw, 1%'s they're called, outside the outside, committed to a life of Freedom, punctuated by violence, booze, barbituates, indiscriminate sex and of course cruising the Amercian Wastelands on their Great Metallic Steeds, stripped down Harley Davidson's known affectionately as Hogs. Hunter S. is in his own right a one percenter. This book shows the Dr. of Gonzo's journalistic zeal, as he braves the world of the Angels, driving not a Hog as he should but a Dark Shadow. This is only too perfect as Hunter is the dark specter following the dastardly deeds of these bastard bikers. This book displays Hunter's ballsy journalism, as well as allowing him to focus on a central theme that would go on to pervade his other works: the outlaw and his importance to American society, a society that is dredged to the hilt with phonies, gutless wonders, souless greedmongers, hypocrites, cowards, politicians and other scum, capitalisitc, bureacratic, pig-like and otherwise. Hell's Angels is the journalistic calm that precedes the storm of hallucinagenic brilliance that was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. So one way or the other let the Doctor of Gonzo vaccinate your mind from the mindless surge that makes up the money grubbing, TV watching majority of this Great Country of Ours

The original demonstration of gut-wrenching, brutally-insightful, stream-of-consciousness journalism as displayed by the board-certified and often self-stimulated Doctor of Gonzo himself. The born-in-America phenomenon of outlaw motorcycle gangs is irreverently exposed -- the rumbling, drinking, riding, snorting, fornicating, smoking, racing, is exposed and finally culminates with the outlaw bikers joining forces and beating the crap of the author. It's a fitting finale to a wild & crazy ride with a wild & crazy group of anti-social, tatooed, psychopath, drug & alcohol enhanced Harley outlaws and their motorcycle mamas. "Hell's Angels" is a classic and literary predecessor to the next step, "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas." He's wild, he's crazy, he drives a Vincent Black Shadow, he's Hunter S. Thompson.

Hell's Angels is an all-time enduring classic by the late "Gonzo" journalist Hunter S. Thompson. It is a very interactive, very detailed description of one's affiliation with the dreaded motorcycle outlaws known as the Hell's Angels. The writing style is quite fascinating, for if it were not based on actual accounts or the interpretations thereof, it would be a most fascinating series of pulp fiction stories.

The group, Hell's Angels, is described as a group of unhygienic individuals who have no particular goals in life and who know that the roads they travel will lead to no success. They are highlighted as those who know that they are in financial and social oblivion and that their situations are only going to get worse. They are characterized, with the exception of a rare few, as uneducated bums with no purpose in the long run and who choose to live for the moment by going to bars, drinking heavily, engaging in unspeakable sexual acts, and torturing those who "get in their way" psychologically, physically and sexually.

An intermittent account of how the Hell's Angels, especially the lower-ranking members, are portrayed is laden with paradoxes. Comparisons are drawn between their physical attributes and those of the bikes they ride. On the one hand, the Angels are the sloppiest individuals of the worst kind, yet their bikes are lovely, well-maintenanced machines of thoroughly polished chrome and steel. In one recollection, Thompson mentioned that when off their bikes, they appeared as clueless, spastic, inane and inarticulate dolts, but when they got on their bikes, they became transformed into something quite the opposite, which entitled them to being Kings of the Road. For the clumsiness on foot would be more than compensated for by masterful uses of their motorcycles, including an indescribable ability to skillfully and gracefully go around highly dangerous curves at 120 mph. It is at that point that the reader comes to realize that if he/she were on a California highway in the mid-1960's, especially any of those near Oakland or Berdoo, no one messes with the Angels.

The paragraphs above shed light on the Angels in very notorious ways, and rightfully so. Indeed, the Angels could be quite a perplexing group. Despite the nihilistic tendencies of its several members, the Angels consisted of chapters throughout California and various parts all over the U.S. For these multi-faceted groups to be formed and maintained, the presidents had to be highly systematic, highly organized individuals. Hunter Thompson mentioned the Grand Poo-Bah of these chapters, namely Sonny Barger, who primarily ran the Oakland chapter and was a very astute and intelligent individual much attuned to the activities of and policies enacted in California law so as to know that, in order to reduce, if not eradicate, dealings with police and patrolmen, there was a time and place for Angels' "activities" as well as that for "no Angels around".

Even included are unusual accounts where owners whose stores were along highways the Angels would frequent would be intimidated by the Angels and relinquish their businesses to the bikers for a few hours, only to return and find that nothing was stolen and that the shops were in even better shape than they were before the Angels arrived. Not only did Thompson record accounts that some of the Angels could be good storekeepers for the moment, he also made note that after some of their excursions, they would actually leave behind money on the counter for purchases of beer.

Psychologically complex and dysfunctional, yet functional, could the Angels have ever been during Thompson's adventures with them. Thompson acknowledged that the Angels were to be regarded as hippies but not in the fashion attributed to the anti-Vietnam War demonstrators. In fact, Thompson mentioned that by-and-large the Angels did not like this latter bunch. Interestingly enough, Thompson pointed out that the groups were physically similar but were ideologically dissimilar; what was the present (the mid-1960's) was the only tie that would bind these groups. To sum it up, Thompson would cite the peace demonstrators as those who turned against the values instilled by previous generations and were "rebelling against the past", while the Angels, without the education and marketable skills to thrive in a developing, technologically-driven U.S. market, were "rebelling against the future".

All in all, Thompson had his share of interesting experiences. I will not get into the juicy details, but one might as well receive the message that if you were to deal with people like the 1960's Hell's Angels and wanted to survive, you might as well put philosophical themes of ethics on hold, unless if they are equipped with the rationality needed for self-preservation. I conclude with portions of a paragraph regarding the nature of the Hell's Angels: "Despite everything psychiatrists and Freudian castrators have to say about the Angels, they are tough, mean and potentially dangerous as packs of wild boar. The moment a fight begins, any leather fetishes or inadequacy feelings are entirely beside the point, as anyone who has ever tangled with them will sadly testify...[Y]our chances of emerging unmaimed depends on the number of heavy handed allies you can muster in the time it takes to smash a beer bottle. In this league, sportsmanship is for old liberals and young fools."